Hammer 4

That is just Hilarious.. ;D

I've always used a slip knot..

And tell Everyone you know what dirtbag he is..guys like that don't stay in biz very long pulling that kinda crap..

Tie all my line to the spool..Gotta love those little holes.. ;D

Raul, you might wanna look at some YouTube vid's of latino's, and brutha's gettin tazed...

Thanks..appreciate all the info from you guys.. 8-)

This assessment is spot on. Like I said I have an 8035 Pflueger Supreme on it that weighs 8.8 oz and it balances perfectly. If the reel was under 8 oz it would not feel right. hmongkidBee Sorry if I seemed confrontational. I believe you that your rod feels flimsy, but my MH is solid as a rock with power to spare. Hammer, as long as your are paying around 100$ for this rod you will like it. There are too many other better rods to get at its normal retail price of 150$ though. That being said I like mine a lot for 99.99$. Where are you finding them for 99.00..? TW has them for much more, unless I'm blind..lol I believe they are 149.00.

Thanks guys. I've also looked at the Dark Angel, being that it's fairly close in price. Tackle Tour gave it pretty good ratings. I'm just leary of 5 yr. warranties compared to liftime warranties, like Okuma and Shimano. One problem is, I can't find any retail shops that carry the Drak Angel, so I can see, and get a feel for it, same with the Okuma.

Spool tension to tight..? Depending on how old the reel is, when was the last time it was cleaned and lubed..?

Here in cali, you can only meet deadly force, with deadly force. Although, if you felt threatened by a perp that grossly outweighs you, in certain circumstances you can then use deadly force, if you felt your life was at stake. I don't necessarily agree with our weapon laws, and the criminals take full advantage of this. i know of at least one case where a burglar was shot, and wounded, and sued the home owner, and won.. : Sometimes I wished our laws were similar to Texas.

I'll let my jig sit there for 3 mins. if that's what it takes. I never move my bait as soon as it hits the bottom, no matter what time of the year it is.

I'm in the market for a new spinning rod. Was looking at the Gold rods. Now I'm not so sure I want one..

Welp, if there aren't any folds, or nicks ect..the line should be good. If you can't undo the coils, or tangles, then cut off as much as need be, and use the remaining line on the reel for backing. Tie some new line on, and your good to go. This way you don't waste a whole spool of line which saves you $$$.

I think you have to define "Good" brands for those new to braid..

If you suspect any line damage, strip it off, and retie your lure on..

El D lake are tough due to very high pressure. I would concentrate on the ranger station lake, it has the paddle boats on it. The lake your fishing does have bass, but are usually in heavy cover, which requires flipping, or pitching jigs ect into heavy weeds or tullies. Spots on the ranger lake to fish are in front of the old ranger station, starting from the north side tullies to the bend by the paddle boats, then the semi point just after the bridge on the so.west side, and opposite side of the lake where the old ranger station is. As for baits..Nothing is for sure, these are baits that I and guys that I know that fish there have caught decent bass with. Worms, including Senko's. Best to fish these Texas or Carolina rigged, dropshot can and does catch fish, but the other 2 seem to produce better numbers. Worms in Senko's should have brown as the main color, these should be the 6" ones. Roboworms, again Brown should be the main color. For a Carolina rig and Texas rig, use the Lightest weights that will allow you to cast a decent ways. The Carolina rig, should have about a 2' leader. I have found the best way to fish the texas rig is to cast out, let it sit on the bottom for a min. of 30 secs. then raise the rod tip up about 8 to 10", and let the bait fall, let is sit for 20 secs, or so and repeat. Be Ready, because most bits happen on the Fall regardless of the bait. The Carolina rig is casted out, let it sit for 30 secs.then give your rod a few twitches, just enough to get the worm to wriggle, then reel for a turn or 2. let it sit for 20 secs. then like the Texas rig raise the rod tip about enough to get the worm up so it can fall, again, be Ready. BTW, Creature, and craw type baits will also produce with the above rigging and presentations. Spinner baits. 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2oz, in White, White with Chartreuse, and chartreuse, with Willow-leaf blades, or at least the main blade being a willow, and the secondary blade being a Colorado blade. never needed a trailer bait, but a trailer hook is a good idea. I favor fishing these either with a slow roll, or a med. slow retrieve, depending on the weed situation, you'll need to go faster to keep them out of the weeds, unless you don't mind picking snot grass off your lures. keep in mind, even the El D regulars get skunked a bunch. The more you fish there, the more you Learn, just takes time, as any lake does. I only mentioned the above baits for the best chance to catch fish, that's not to say other baits, such as cranks, frogs, swimbaits, and Chatterbaits won't catch fish, because they do. As for gear, if I'm not swinbaiting. I take a 7' M spinning rod with a size 2500 reel, and a 7' or 7'6" baitcaster, casting distance sometimes pays off. The spinning rig will have 6 or 8lb Yozuri ultrasoft. The baitcaster, will have at least 10lb and up to 20 lb Yozuri ultrasoft, depending what I'm throwing. Oh, with regards to hooks, don't buy Cheap hooks, I like the Owner's, they are Sharp,and don't bend, but they aren't as cheap as some hooks either. This should help to get you started. Good Luck, and tight lines.

Spinning rods. looking at the 6'6" m rod, has anyone used this or similar Okuma rod..?

If you use samuri, the 55# is about the same diameter as 10-12 lb mono. I would think 40lb braid would be a good choice for your spinning reel. Other brands may vary.

Expand your horizon's young man.. 8-)

Just to add my experience. When using a leader on braid, in my case 55# Samuri, which has the diameter of 10-12 lb mono. When I use 12 lb yozuri, the breakage problem is nonexistent. Again, I find that using either FC or Yozuri coploy, makes no difference in my catching fish, so I have given up on fluro's, even the Seaguar brand.

Wolf and Fishing Spiders will come after you if you get into their 'zone'. I have to inspect every inch of an area before I'll fish HAHA. Those fishing spiders will pop out of nowhere and chase me out of an area... yes, a 3 inch spider chases me away... Well, I was talkin bout Black Widows..as for your wolf, and fishing spiders. Just take a flame thrower, that should teach em.. ;D

RIP..Ava. I know how it feels to lose one of your best friends. I miss my pup everyday, since a year ago. In the case of our dog, it was akin to losing a family member. Time will help..hang in there, and I hope your other pup does well..

I've had 12lb fluro break, when it was tied to 55lb braid. And the knot never broke. Yet if I use the yozuri in 12lb, I can pull small trees out of the water..go figure.

I've thrown chatterbaits on 5:1 and 6:2 reels..I tend to like a slow, to med slow retrieve, either one works fine as far as I'm concerned. If a 1/4oz chatterbait wears your wrist/arm out...stay away from Big swimbaits then..

I've had a couple different FC's break. I went back to Yozuri. I didn't see a better catch ratio with any of the FC's I used compared to yozuri's ultrasoft.