SirSnookalot

My lowest so far is $2.79. In 1980 I paid around a $1.00 gallon, in today's dollars that would be about $3.00, but my 1980 car got 10 mpg while my 2014 gets over 20. I like the deal right now. Different states have different gas blend requirements that may show prices vary from state to state. Tax dollars are needed to repair and maintain roads. Labor and materials do not adjust downward with the drop in the price of crude oil.

Cuban YoYo ?

I fish my ponds nearly everyday, they do not have much vegetation. The bass aren't too big 18-24" and no real cover to worry about fishing with light power 6'6 spinning rod, the fish are pretty easy to land. I have been using a 5' ul rod and reel, the rod has the backbone of an over boiled spaghetti noodle, that's what I like about it. Using only top water it's all about the strike and the fight for me.

My freshwater fishing these days is all from shore, I take 1 rod with me. Fishing a high banked canal I'll have a 7' med spinning rod, 15# braid. For ponds I mostly use a light power spinning rod and 10# braid. Lately I've been on the UL kick with top water for my pond fishing, been a game changer from the fun aspect.

The knot to my lure is the same I use with mono leaders, loop for lures and clinch to jig and hooks. My leader connection knot is slightly different, instead of wrapping the braid around the leader I wrap the leader around the braid. With the braid on the bottom it can't cut into the leader or weaken it.

Not that I have or use much more but this is pretty much my entire bass arsenal. Zoom fluke, Disco violet Storm chug a bug X-rap Hand tied jigs Redfish key spoon

I do agree. Have read many of the works by Napoleon Hill, C. Clement Stone, Og Mandino, and Dale Carnegie.

The only apps I use for fishing related info is a tide chart, weather radar and google maps.

I fished a high banked canal, some sea lettuce around. Pulled the fish up with a few pounds of salad on it, glad I was using 15# braid a med spinning, would not pulled it in with less. Caught a couple of 2 pounders on my ul later in the day on top water, that was fun.

I agree with Francho about the manageability, I've had braid wrap around itself and the tip just like mono. My cuda tubes turn 360 degrees constantly, twist can get excessive. Only thing I can think of in freshwater may be a large in line spinner putting twist on, maybe some of the revolving spoons. We more or less fixed the problem, I always used BB swivels to attach the lure but that wasn't the cure, the cure was using a ball chain swivel in making the lure. Exactly how this can be implemented bass fishing I don't know, the ball chain swivel should work. Every attempt I've made to troll braid out hasn't worked for me, mono no problem.

Clicked a little this morning, caught a peacock too.

A line pick is a nice tool to have or just flatten the barb on a hook.

I think excessive line twist on braid could have negative effect on strength. But the caveat is that under normal bass fishing the line should not ever twist that severe, plus the initial strength of the line is more than is needed. If the line gets that severe I'd be changing it due to the chance of getting more wind knots. I tell you when I won't use braid because of excessive twist and it has nothing to do with spinning or b/c. Trolling with specific lures that constantly turn over, one that I've bad experience with is a drone spoon. Within 5 minutes I totally trashed entire spool of braid while trolling, I no longer us that lure.

I don't really recommend spinning gear for shark hunting, doable but not the way to go. Most of my 100-200# sharks have been accidental catches caught on spinning gear while fishing for kingfish. If I did go spinning a 40-50# class rod with a reel with at least 300 yd line capacity. I would be looking at a conventional outfit, 50# rod minimum rod and something like a Shimano TLD or Penn senator, don't ever buy a reel with a lever wind. Make sure the rod has a gimbal butt and get a fighting belt. A Star Ariel is pretty decent for about 80 bucks. Caught this shark in the 200# area using my friends 80# ugly stick and Penn 6/0 senator, Larry is 80 years old and just hands me his rod when gets a big fish on. Sharks don't have the balzing speed of a wahoo but there are super strong fish.

One of my more memorable catches although not in the same size ranges of some of my marlin or tuna. Caught this cobia on my first visit to Key West in 1975, didn't know I needed salt water gear. I had a bass spinning rod with mono line fishing off a party boat. Weaving my way around 30 some odd other fishermen and having to pull the fish from the opposite side of the boat as it swam underneath, made it one of the toughest fish I ever landed. Won the pool and sold the fish for $2.00 lb to a hotel chef, a pretty good pay day.

No it isn't. I did mention his name a few years which was probably was in bad taste, so I won't mention it again. He was born in New Jersey and his first initial is S.

Nope, but I do think Shimano has better line management, one reason I'd pick it for freshwater. Much of the time in salt I am casting a heavier lure, I don't run into line management problems like I do in freshwater.

I'll give an opinion based on my saltwater experience. Either reel can handle 5# bass or a 20# snook, but that can be said for any reel, the question is how durable is it going to be. The stradic is slightly smoother than the smoke inshore with a very acceptable drag. Stradics are prone for the line roller bearing to corrode along with the bails getting floppy. All in all the stradic is a pretty good reel. The smoke has a fail proof bail wire, salt guard and as good a drag as there is in the price range. Line capacity on a 3000 fj and 30 smoke are close, smoke is lighter in weight, I prefer the flat t knob on the stradic. Quantum has excellent customer service, 24 hour turn around time for warranty on saltwater reels. They upgraded a boca to a cabo for free for me and for a friend they exchanged a used smoke 30 for a new smoke 40. For the majority of use in freshwater I might favor the stradic, for the majority of use in saltwater I would favor the smoke. Difference between a boca and cabo is night and day. Doubt I would ever buy another boca, my cabos are my absolute favorite reels, bear in mind they are not near as light as my stradics but IMO built really solid.

They work about the same as a golf ball with a logo, you still have to have the swing.

Yesterday is history, it's tomorrow that counts. Don't know who will win the SB but it's going to be the team playing the best ball at the time, that may not be the best team on paper or with the best win/loss record.

Rope a dope..............Ali, Forman.

I haven't seen a peacock around here in quite a while. Both Sat and Sun the surf was beautiful, not a fish showed up. Stopped at a couple of bass spots Sunday on the way home and not a strike. Went back out bass fishing about 10 am, I even used a jig and trailer which tells me I was pretty hard up, lol. Not one strike, I have been catching nice bass all week at these places. Just before going back into the house I threw a couple of casts in my pond, pulled in a monster 3" bass, I guess it's safe to say I wasn't skunked.

The enticement of sale merchandise is not reason alone to make me go to a store. If I need or want something the crowd is not a deterrent for me.

I never like it but usually don't get over annoyed, one time I did. A few years ago a Hall of Fame fisherman started fishing my beach, we became friends. I gave him some pointers on how to fish the beaches here as his forte is freshwater stripers. He is in the Hall more as journalist and tournament sponsor than an angler but he does know how to fish. A few days in a row I was on a good bite, every time I had a fish on he was casting right over me, said nothing until the third day and I went ballistic on him. A person with his credentials should have known better and have better etiquette, when I got home I threw the signed copy of his book into the garbage. Glad he moved back to Tenn., didn't like Florida.

I'd like to see another one close to me, my guy is getting up in years, does good work but not like he used to be. There are many places in South Florida, they mainly service salt water equipment but work on freshwater too. Harry's in Miami is good, LMR custom in Ft Laud., Tuppens in Lake Worth and Lott Brothers in Palm Beach Gardens. I'm not familiar with all of the smaller shops but they are around.