SirSnookalot

I would not recommend South Florida for several reasons. The population swells, just driving around isn't easy. Accommodations get very pricey during "season", fishing slows down at least the saltwater bite does. It is a good time for sailfish but the water gets pretty rough in the winter and charters are expensive. Florida is not the tropics, there is no guarantee that the weather will be hot, although it will be warmer than Chicago. I love Florida in the summer and fall, good fishing and hot weather, I don't like the winters here, had it not been for my wife I'd be living elsewhere. The saying that the further south you go the more north it gets is quite true.

I fish because I enjoy it. When I say I fish 7 days a week both saltwater and freshwater that is no exaggeration. I don't think I've missed 5 or 6 times this year, but today I'm not fishing. It's nippy here in Florida so I'm taking wife out for breakfeast and watch football all day.

I like this rod. My buddy (I've used it myself quite a few times) has a 7' med spinning 6/12 max lure 3/4 oz. He uses it for double duty, bass and peacocks and inshore fish. I have witnessed 20# snook, 10# jacks as well as nice sized bass, no doubts about the backbone. Even though the rod is rated at 3/4 oz he throws 2 oz bottle poppers on it, I have never seen a rod cast so far.

I have 3 rods all same make a model except size and length, each bought at a different time, all needed a shim, an obvious design problem, folding newspaper works well as a shim because I can adjust the thickness. I've had the same newspaper shims in place for several years without changing them.

9# of drag is a lot more than you think. Tighten your drag down all the way, the try and pull the line out by hand, it won't be easy. I catch kingfish with an Avet max drag of 14#, never crank it down, the reel holds 300 yds of 20# mono, which is needed for a pelagic fish. You do need to know the species you are dealing with, snook is my main target which isn't much different than a striper, the fish can get good sized but on average is less than 10#, good for 2 runs generally no more than 30 yards or so, which I probably exaggerated. Pace of 120' and you'll see how far that really is. IMO a mh rod with 4000 reel/20# braid is plenty to handle most fish you will encounter, bigger fish are landed with technique.

I have somewhere around 20 combos, quite a few reels not on rods. All but 1 is spinning and that is a conventional reel. Usually not more than 3 combos with me when offshore, on the jettie it's 2 or 3 and shore fishing whether it's inshore or bass fishing I take only 1. Any time spent to rig my outfits, put new hooks on lures, do my weather, plan my location and species is anything but wasted time.

Put a shim on the reel seat to tighten up the reel.

Med fast rod but what's the power and what size Pflueger reel? Without knowing what you already have it's possible you have the right size reel for the rod you are using. I wouldn't be surprised if what you need for larger fish is a beefier rod as well as a reel. Don't be misled by the max drag of a reel as the drag is set to the line. 15# of drag for example is of no significant advantage over a reel with say 10#, your drag probably won't be set any higher than about 4# or so. For bigger fish a reel with a larger spool for better line management may work better, line capacity never hurts. Whether I've spent $75 or $200 I've yet to see a reel with a bad drag @ $130 there is a vast number of reels that will perform beautifully. It's all about how it feels on your rod and if it's pleasing to your eye. I own quite a few smaller spinning reels of various brands, there isn't one of them that I don't catch 10# fish on, all are going strong for 5+ years. It's harder to buy a bad spinning reel then a good one.

Fishing with only 2-3 lures at a time when I'm done they air dry on a table, no rust problems. In SW different story as I keep my lures in small plastic lure boxes, the hooks (even perma steel) can rust pretty quick. I carry a small diamond file for a quick touch up.

As long as it's a 3x hook I'm not too fussy, Eagle Claws work just fine for me. I do use 4x VMC for some other species. Not unusual to replace my spoon trebles with a single hook.

Both the lure type and line type play a role in the hookset, but it really boils down to reaction. I'm not a hooksetter per se, I pretty much just lift my rod as soon as I feel the weight of the fish. If I'm thinking about I'm probably too late.

It is diameter, braid is much stronger than what the label designates it to be. Using only spinning I have no dig in issues, I use 10# and sometimes 15# on smaller reels, my 4000 reels are spooled with 15# and 20#. Nothing is written in stone, use the diameter that works best for you. I've used the stick and pliers, I usually just wrap the line around my shoulder and walk backwards, either the lure breaks loose or the leader breaks. The only rod I can remember ever breaking was trying to free up a snag, in the long run the cheapest lesson I ever had. I always open my bail and keep my rod pointed straight at the lure or put the rod on the ground, this will save a broken tip. IMO it's better to pull the line than use the rod to unsnag.

I've never centerpinned, but I catch a variety of species, I seldom have to set a hook. In many cases lifting the rod is all that it takes, even some of the inhalers like a snook or tarpon. The weight and the power of the fish set the hook, steelhead strike hard enough to hook set themselves. As fast as some of these fish can swim trying to set the hook can work against you, you're pulling the lure away too fast, once I feel the weight of the fish I lift the rod.

Time and a place for both, bass fishing I don't usually cast that far. The longer the distance the more opportunity there is for the fish to get unbuttoned. Other types of fishing I do I can catch fish 10' off shore or need to cast 50 yards or more, fish can still get unbuttoned from that distance.

Lake Erie or any Gr. Lake is nothing like the ocean. Waves are different, each body of water requires a differently designed boat. Only on mirror like water would I use a bass boat in the ocean, I would use one in the backwater it can be quite calm there, that would be a lot of fun. Conversely I would not want to take my twin engine 28' center console for bass fishing. In the ocean we deal with very little vegetation, even when fishing grassy flats puling a fish out of cover is not near as difficult as dealing with freshwater vegetation. I think saltwater fishing can be easier at times, other times it's more difficult. From a standpoint of finding fish it's very seasonal here in Florida, it is not a fish a cast like many people think. I fished the Gr. Lakes for the first 50 years of my fishing life, so I've done that. Have a time share in Cabo, so I've done that too, not interested in offshore charters anymore. I'd like to try the Pacific Northwest, and I would like to go back to Xcalak, Mexico.

I don't think bucket fishermen make it harder to catch fish. Most of them are stationary and I'm moving around and covering much more water. They may do well with their bait and may catch more fish than me using my artificial lures, but if I'm several hundred yards away they are not affecting me.

Never gave it much thought until recently. 2 weeks ago while fishing I ran into a woman who had taken 3 ducklings to the rescue shelter, they were tested and I believe it was e.coli, not sure of the bacteria.

Fishing inshore it's pretty common to see the lure parameter exceeded. I throw 1.5 oz lure on a mh rod (rated at 1 oz.), my buddy throws a 2 oz bottle popper on his 7' med spinner (rated at 3/4), I've never seen a lure cast so far by a non surf rod. I exceed the parameter on every inshore rod I own with no exception, number of different brands. I happen to use inshore rods for my bass fishing, however I've never had the need or desire to overload them.

At $200 I'm looking at manufacture's customer service as part of the value equation. On a performance level I wouldn't favor one over the other.

I have only seen 1 snakehead in those canals, that was last year near Palmetto.

I can live with that...............not changing a thing.

I don't have problems with knots, that is when I tie them right in the first place, being human that doesn't always happen. My leaders usually are no more than 24" or so, I do like that little bit of shock. Fishing the way I do I don't change lures too often and I'm not fishing conditions that rough up my line, I don't check too often when I'm bass fishing and can go several days without putting a new leader on. Fishing for some of my other species the program is different, I'm fishing over rocks, coral, cement pylons so the line and leaders can get roughed up, not to mention fishes gill plates and teeth, I check after each fish is caught. I do put a fresh leader on every outing still only about 24", I don't change lures too often for other species either.

I do fish the areas they inhabit although I have never caught one. The pictures I have seen posted were caught with live bait, with only 1 exception. One of my friends caught a 15 pounder on an xrap, I saw the pic.

Been fishing over 60 years, last year I probably didn't miss 10 days of fishing so that 350 days throwing lures. I'm as good as the body of water I'm on and the mood of the fish. Sometimes I'm world class, other days I'm classless.

A bit nippy here this morning, hope it brings the bluefish in. I'll be back in shorts and t shirt this afternoon for some bass fishing. I don't fish under 62 degrees any more, left that working outdoor sub zero weather behind me. No Mas !