SirSnookalot

Not stiffer

I use spinning for everything, all techniques, all lure types and all fish species. Much of my fishing is moving the lure with arm movements and reeling up slack, ratio and IPT are not my paramount concern. I don't care to burn my lures in, I honestly think just about any fish species goes for the easiest target and that's a slower moving lure. The times I do burn my lures in I don't fish having any trouble in catching a lure if they want it.

All about the water for me. I go out of my way not to fish heavy vegetation or punch mats, I'm not using heavy rods. I fish light power spinning usually with my own tied 1/8 oz jigs or a bonefish flats jig for bass. In my canals fishing a jig and trailer it's usually 7'med spinning.

I agree, no braid stands up to teeth. Down here with the exception of a few fish just about everything has teeth. Rocks, coral, sea walls, barnacles and teeth slice through both braid and leaders. Many people use steel quite a bit, I seldom do. No question in my mind I get more strikes, losing lures is a risk I'm willing to take. For any kind of fishing I will never go straight braid, if for no other reason than get it tangled in the treble hooks, plus I want shock. At present I'm using PP reg, PP ss and Fins windtamer, doesn't really make any difference to me.

Every day use rods Redbone & Star, reels Pflueger, Quantum, Abu. Somewhere around 8 brands each of rods and reels.

Don't have an opinion of either reel but I would consider the 3000 size if you plan on doing any inshore fishing.

I don't keep fish, if I did it would be selective and the breeders go back in the water. I see more problems in saltwater, whether it's keeping a legal limit of fish or keeping fish that have no limits there some of the same people doing it nearly everyday. Legal yes, but IMO excessive with no regard to the overall fishery. I have read newspaper articles declaring our waters are over fished both by recreational fishermen as well commercial. Just recently the Sun Sentinel had an expose about the over fishing of barracuda, highly sought after for the plate. I have noticed catching far less cuda and other species as I once did. I'm at odds with some of my very close friends on this issue.

Not the stupidest thing I have seen but it's a contender. Spending 30 years driving large vehicles I have seen my fair share of stupid acts, only an idiot, fool or one that has a death wish messing with something bigger than them, right or wrong a smaller vehicle can't win. Driving an 80,000# tractor trailer (gravel trains are bigger than that), bikes, small cars, big cars, pickup trucks seem to love taking on a vehicle that can't possibly stop on a dime, that endangers all other motorists in the area. Just another thread in a long line of them where I wonder how some people make it from sunrise to sunset everyday.

I much prefer a paddle or power knob on my spinning gear, especially for saltwater fishing. I have an Abu soron 20 with a small handle, about 5 years ago I put a 40 handle on it and it's night and day better. Wood, metal, round, slick, small are game breakers for me, my ul has a small wood knob that reel needs to be replaced.

My pond bite has gotten sour over the last week, I was doing quite well with it. As of yesterday I started catching more fish in the canals than previous.

I use lures just the way they come out of the package, don't add or subtract, even on spoons. At one time I did, even added BB swivels to spoons, no more. I don't use swimbaits per se, at times I use larger windcheater lures and on my surf rods I use 4oz spoons. My knot selection based on objective, that being holding the lure as well as holding the fish, not the expense of the lure, although my waxwings are in the $20 area. Using spinning with braid and leader (both mono & F/C), the loopknot is my choice.

I don't treat heavier lures any different than a lighter ones, loopknot for me. I have used duolocks in the past without incident, don't think they inhibit lure movement. I see people all the time using the cheapest of snap swivels without incident as well. I prefer a clean set up without any extra hardware although I'm not convinced I catch any more fish than others doing differently. I'm using 20# braid with 30# leader, I do not care to use wire. Fishing both saltwater and freshwater everyday one thing I know for sure, whatever the knot of choice is tie it correctly. I keep my knots real simple, they all work fine.

20 more posts will yield 20 more opinions, bottom line is find your own niche. As far as I'm concerned braid and spinning is the perfect marriage, braid on all my reels. My heaviest bass set up is 7' med spinning rod with 15# braid, over the years I have found using a 20# leader works the best for me. I think one has to qualify their own objectives, if it's landing go heavier. For me it's the strike, the fight and the fun, if I lose a fish I'm not bothered, I'm going to release it anyway.

1 piece of tape takes doesn't reduce line capacity nor does a 2 nd piece over the line in lieu of using a knot, either way there will be no slippage. Knot or tape over line to the arbor your choice, but tape first on the spool first is a must. Whether backing or straight braid I want all the line I can get on the reel, I don't treat a shallow spool any different.

There are not a blanket rules that covers all HOA properties, each community has their own set of "Docs". From time to time these docs might get amended, at ours the updates are furnished to us periodically. Not knowing your community I certainly don't know what's going on. It's perfectly fine to fish anywhere in my community, although when I first moved here some residents were unaware of that and complained, even an HOA board member. I reread the docs, I then showed it to that HOA board member and never had a problem again. My discovery was that few people really read those docs, especially regarding items in areas that they had no interest in, like fishing. You may want to inquiry if there is hard copy of the amendment available, not saying this is the case but there is always a possibility some one is blowing wind up your A......

My ul situation is different as I'm fishing fairly shallow ponds. What I like about my rod is that it is a piece of junk with no backbone, a 20+" bass is a nice challenge to land. As mentioned I really like those TFO signature rods, my friend has one and I've seen it in action, real nice stick. One of my real favorite rods is a light 6'6 inshore rod, casts well with excellent backbone, I love it for peacock bass. Hurricane Redbone.

Although I've use various colors have never seen a reason to favor one over another. I bought Storm wild eyed mackerel, caught bass with them as well. My most used size is the 7/16, for bass I prefer the 1/4 oz as I prefer using lighter rods.

Pretty hard for me to disagree. I have to thank you for wanting my ul outfit that I pretty much forgot I had. A $30 POS rod with a $30 POS reel using but 1 lure has turned mediocre 3-5# fish into a very exciting experience. Now I'm looking forward to using this outfit everyday and have no real desire to use anything else.

Weather, location and species dictate the rods and reels I take, fishing everyday my car is already loaded with every lure I need, no checklist.

I dance to the beat of my own drum. Of the 5 freshwater combos I have, 1 gets used only for senkos since I dislike fishing that way ti gets used less then 6 times a year, 3 get used quite a bit but only carry only 1 at a time. The 4 th is what I've been into the last month or so, a ul fishing only a top lure, nothing else. My catch quality has been excellent with very few fish under 18" and some 24", that said it doesn't happen every day. My level of intensity is high and I'm working hard, I'm looking for a great fish on a limp noodle and I will get it. The days being skunked don't phase me and I've enjoyed doing this probably more than catching 28" bass out of a canal with a bigger stick.

My 3 freshwater spinning reels are all Supremes, 25, 30 and 35. All of them are a good 5-6 years old requiring nothing more than a drop oil every now and then, these reels are used nearly daily 12 months of the year, nuff said.

If you are fishing at Lee rd from the fishing platform there just isn't enough water to cover, it's a small place. I haven't gone there in years, plus they charge if I'm not mistaken, I have had way better luck across the street in the 441 canals.

I totally agree. I don't fish any different for bass in December than any other month. If I'm not mistaken most of your fishing will be from shore, work flukes, lizards and senkos along canal shorelines, you may have a bit more flexibility to use lures on ponds if the water isn't too low. You may want to try a Gambler big EZ.

Where will you be catching them? My set ups would be different in open water or areas where there may be vegetation to contend with. There is also a difference from shore or boat, lure weights you plan on using, surf conditions. I have somewhere around 6 different set ups (excluding my surf rods) that I use for snook which run on average about the same size, tarpon run bigger. I go anywhere form a 3000 to 6000 reel 15 & 20# braided lines, my rods are med (7', 7'6, 8') medium heavy (7', 7'6, 8') with one 7' heavy I only use offshore. I don't have a go to rod and reel, it varies with location and water. Last few days we have had calm breeze blowing out to sea, no surf (slight ground swell) with no sea weed be washed in, it's med rods 7'6 and 8' with 15# line, rougher weather I go to the med heavies with 20# and heavier leader.

Don't know about brands but not a day goes by where I don't see metal detectors on the beach here. Same people every morning working the sand, they must be doing ok with them.