SirSnookalot

I know I'm not the first......lol. Put a fresh 300 of 30# mono on this morning and going out, I'd really like to land a nice one today. Here different things about the length of time it takes the hook to rust out, I don't really know.

Hooked and lost, would be my choice. I've been spooled I think 5 times so far this year, I mean 200-300 yds of line gone quicker than it takes to type this post. That's a thrill that comes close to actually landing the fish. If I lose a fish that I practice catch and release, I've really almost accomplished what I wanted to do. Hooked it and fought it, I'm was going to release it anyway.

You lose fish because you don't play them properly, not because the hooks pull out. No doubt about it ! It is not the equipment, I use nothing but spinning gear on multi purpose rods for everything I do, I'm not into technique specific rods, good fisherman can use anything and land fish. Don't ever blame the equipment, blame yourself, when you lose a fish, it's your fault, not the rods.

I'm kinda with Bassn, if someone uses a leader weaker than their main line they have reduced the overall strength, seems pointless. I guess this is why I'm not a "real bass fisherman", no way in the world am I going to horse a 3 or 4# fish thru heavy slop using equipment I could catch an amberjack with. It may be one thing to land a fish super fast if in a tournament, but being a recreational fisherman I'm there there for the fight, and if Iose a fish........so what, it won't be the first or last. I hate fishing slop and try to avoid it, but when I do a 7' 8-17 spinning rod with 15 or 20# braid and 20# leader is plenty of horsepower. If I'm fishing slop I'm fishing plastics rigged weedless, if I lose a setup it's a hook and a bait, not like losing a $20 lure. If my average bass were to be 5-10#, which they ARE NOT, but more like a pound or so, then I would use heavier gear. Being what it is I'm overpowering the fish now.

When is this?

For top lures it's the rod of your choice, spinning or b/c makes no difference. I use spinning and my poppers are from 1/4 oz to an ounce and more. The rod rating goes up with the weight of the lure and size of the target fish, 10 braid for fresh water, 20# for inshore saltwater is what I use. This is clean & open water fishing, heavy gear is not needed.

Any reel I have ever owned, cheap and expensive have handled braid with never a problem.

You're buying a 2x4 ?

Been there myself and had to use a locksmith on rental when on vacation. Extra keys are not what they used to be, some with chips and can only be mad at the dealer and are expensive. On my car the doors will not lock from the outside it the key is inside.

Under normal conditions police may not even respond if no one is hurt and the damage appears to be minimal. If someone hits you from behind, it's almost always their fault but the final verdict will be rendered by the insurance appraiser, so do nothing to the boat or engine until the damage has been inspected. If it's the other driver's fault, deductable waived without a blackmark on your record, your fault you pay. In some no fault states your insurance company covers your claim regardless of fault, in other no fault states the guilty parties insurance pay both claims.

We have the same thing here and it 's been a discussion on a local forum. We have a lot of snowbirds, most come from a section of the country where people are not as laid back as the locals. It's always nice when they leave, traffic gets back to normal, restaurants are not as crowded, and the overall serenity has returned for 8 months.

I think NBR has an understanding of line twist on spinning gear. If one is using line that is rated at 6# but breaks at 11#, in essence they are fishing with thin 11# test line, which I think is good.

I like fishing off the rocks at spillways and inlets, I'm not as sure footed at 66, and the rocks can be slippery. I don't fish that way too often anymore. I like wind, but up to a point, 20 or so from shore is ok, but don't like over 15 mph in a boat, the waves get high and bounce me around too much...........but that's when the fishing gets good.

Me too, have yet to break any worm or circle hook bass fishing and I usually buy eagle claw, my treble replacements are mustad 3x and vmc 4x. I use pretty much the same size offshore 4/0 & 5/0 circle and J hooks, only once in my entire life have I had a fish break a hook. Not that I saw the fish, but based on almost being spooled with 32# of max drag batten down all the way, this one not a routine run of the mill fish. The ordinary clinch knot and 30 PP weathered the storm just fine as I reeled a half a hook.

The line being wrapped around a fixed spool on a spinning reel, unlike a b/c "winching" line to a moving drum, is one of the causes of line twist. All manually closing the bail does is close the bail, the twist starts when cranking the handle. I close the bail by hand because I think it'e easier and more comfortable.

It's Gerry Lester Watson, Bubba is not his given name.

If you haven't exceeded the limit of the rod a snap cast should not do any harm. One disadvantage to a snap cast, if using braided line, is the line coming off the spool very fast, then hitting the first guide resulting in a possible wind knot. A long flowing cast will reduce windknots and put less stress on your rod, I get more distance that way too. At about the 2 minute mark of this video there is an inset showing how line can get hung up on the first guide. It's happened to me. http://www.spanishflytv.com/theater/shimano-terez-boat-rod-series/

I use braid for almost everything. I would not advise using braid with certain lures like in line spinners or spoons that rotate, unless you are willing to respool often, which is what I do. When using weedless flukes make sure your hook is perfectly centered to avoid your braid twisting.

A jig rod is probably the only technique rod I think that is important, other than that I'm fine with multi purpose rod. The weight of jigging a heavier jig, in my case bucktails and butterflys, will put my back into a world of hurt using an inappropriate rod. I have heavy for spinning and xh for bait casting gear.

It's important to get the hook centered as much as possible to avoid a fluke spinning around, regardless of the line being used, I have little issue with any kind of line twist using flukes. I have totally wasted countless number of spools using braid (mono too, but mono can be trolled out) with certain types of lures and techniques, ball bearing swivels really don't help that much. Inline spinners will twist you up a lot, so will certain styles of spoons that rotate a lot like J spoons or drones, I don't recommend those for trolling. Spoons I use to avoid line twist would be like a Wahoo redfish spoon or sling jigs, they wobble back and forth and do not turn over and are just as effective. J-spoons are great in weedy areas, just be prepared to troll your mono out when needed and respool with fresh braid, it's just part of the game. KVD L & L, it's ok and it works, but personally I saw no real advantage over soaking my line in warm water before spooling, and water is free and very available. I'm only concerned with getting my mono onto my reel spool because I will always troll it before my initial use. I also troll my mono out as the very last thing I do when fishing so the line is perfect for the next outing. That said I only use mono line when casting or trolling lures that constantly spin or drifting with bait, the action of the drift will spin that bait around too.

Jose Wejebe had great influence on my desire to be a saltwater fisherman. I always have the " Spanish Fly " web site bookmarked. http://www.spanishflytv.com/

I don't know anything about tournaments but I know a lot about business, and fishing for money is a business. Many businesses fail due to a lack of financial staying power until that score comes along. Even when that score does happen is it enough to take care of routine maintenance, living expenses away from their profession and debts that have been created a long the way.......most likely not. As a business man, and I had 4 tractor trailers on the road, the price of gas or diesel was never a major concern, it's just the cost of doing business. If it cost me too much in fuel to service an account, it's an account I'd be better off without. Same would apply to fishing for a living, if one is worried about spending too much on fuel they ought to be doing something else. Another thing that may be overlooked is healthcare, no one is mandated to furnish it to you or your family being self employed. It may be possible to obtain a group plan thru the local chamber of commerce, but income must be provided to do so. No disability compensation if hurt, unless one furnishes their own private policy. IMO fishing for prize money is a loser, unless you are one of the 10% making 90% of the money. Unless a tournament fisherman makes more than 15k a year after expenses, a minimum wage job would be better and with some benefits. All this said the bottom line is how much money is at stake? It's one thing to have a chance to win 5 or 6 figures, it's another story if the prize fund is considerably less. It's also different if tournament fishing is a labor of love and it isn't one's main source of income, then go4it.

Matter of personal priorities and one's own budget. Lund remarks about ROI, I agree and would be surprised if many amateur fisherman came close to breaking even. I'm retired and I fish every day, luckily I do not have to watch my expenditures too closely, I can buy pretty much whatever I want. My boats are doing just fine back in Michigan with new owners, I choose to do my freshwater fishing from shore now, and my offshore fishing is done being a member of Freedom Boat club, a 27' twin engine Sailfish for $100 mo dues, and they even clean it, gas & go, I love it. Would I spend 50k for a bass boat, in a heartbeat if I enjoyed it, but I enjoy other types of fishing more. I'm not interested in trailering a boat or having a truck to pull it, been there with 4 tractors and a 6 axle trailer for each, lol. I'm perfectly content using middle of the road equipment. I don't really care if some one else catches more or bigger, if I'm happy that's all that matters.

If I didn't enjoy the forum my post count would be significantly lower...........I'm still a lousy fisherman.

My best producing bass lure is a Blaze Minnow, now discontinued, I was able to find 3 of them on Ebay so I only have 4 of them, I use them sparingly. Have yet to find anything their rival , beauty was they only cost $2.99.