Hammer 4

When I go fishing, be it at a pond or a huge reservoir, my intention is to catch big fish. There have been days when the only rod/reel I take would be a 8' xh swimbait rig, and throw only 8" and bigger baits. Gettin a bit to old to be doing that nowadays, but I still have the same intentions.. I'll take anything over 10 LBS, compared to 20 1 lb'rs. That's not to say that landing 10 2,3 or 5 lb bass isn't a blast, but a guy has to have goals..

This is just a sorry state of affairs..The Officer decides to protect the environment, and the public, and he gets this for his hard work..I'll second the deep pit..Prayers go out to his friends and family.

I'm one of the Old guys. Even though I have today's reels, oldest is a 2017..I tend to use the least amount of brakes I can get away with, usually 2 on..Loose spool tension, and rely heavily on my trained thumb. Yeah, I'll get a back lash once in a while, nothing major, but I do get the distance I want out of my reels. That's one reason why I like the old Shimano E 7 reels, set it and forget it.

Been catching bass on Roboworms for longer than I care to remember. For t rigging, I use morning dawn, M.M. Grape, Arron s Magic and Hologram shad. Drop shot and split shot, about 99% of the time I'll use Hologram Shad

I've caught bass in chocolate milk on a boot tail Hudd..I think sometimes water clarity is taken to seriously.

I've never used braid for swimbaits, not even on 8 or 10" Hudds, ect..Always used mono of varying diameters.

Great read..Thanks for sharing..

Likewise..Owner ST's..

Ditto...

O.K. then 12" OC makes sense in that case. Also, maybe in the last 15 years or so, trek may have changed the materials in their decking which now requires 12" OC..

Yeah, the same here in so. cali...99.99% of the fireworks are Illegal..Law enforcement says there's not much they can do about it..sigh.

What brand composite.? And who told you joist's have to be 12" OC...? I've always framed decks 16" OC..never had any issues. I bought my trek, and other brands from a lumber yard, and was never told to frame 12" OC. If the deck is going to support a heavy load, i.e. huge party's, then maybe, but I elect to increase the joist size first, i.e. from say 2X8 to 2 X 10, or 12..

They do make and rent Deck sanders, makes the job go much faster, and easier. I think home depot rents them. I've built more than a few decks in my time, and imho, using a composite (trek) type decking is worth the $$$$. No more staining, you can easily clean it with a low pressure power washer. If you figure in the $$ for stain, sandpaper, and your time, in the long run composite is the way to go. I built trek decks 20 years ago, and they still look good.

Hard to say, but I'd guess around 5 lbs.

Bobby is Good people..He knows how to treat folks.

Where I fish, your not allowed to enter the water. I once had a 8" Hudd fly off my line, didn't even think about trying to get it back.

I've owned more spendy combo's in the past, usually around $ 600.00..but being retired on a small fixed income, I have to look for 1..sales on decent rods and reels, buying last years model sometimes will bring the price down. Shop carefully..

Usually around $ 350.00.

Out of the 10 reels I have, 2 have braid, 1 for froggin, the other for flippin in heavy vegetation. I have 1 spinning reel with 7 lb shooter (fc). All the rest have mono in various test's.. I fished for many, many years with mono. When I tried FC with the same lures, and in the same waters as mono, I saw very little difference in catching fish, even in gin clear water. So for me, the cost of FC just ins't worth it.

Been there in a private boat, and dvl rentals. No matter which rental boat you get, they are all slow, to get to the horse shoe dam, it takes forever and a day. In a yak, I'd fish around the boat launch, like the little cove to the right, and I think theres 2 on the left. IMHO, a better place to fish with a yak would be lower Castaic..no motor's allowed, but it gets crazy crowded in the summer. What about Perris..?

Well, if the dc doesn't solve any issues for you, then you don't need one. If you have casting issues, then maybe a dc is the way to go. Sorry, that's all I got.

This would be the same for me..

Remember, hook sets are Free...

This is great. And long over due imho. Those mentioned,and others have what seems like they have devoted a Lot of time and effort in helping educate new anglers, so a BIG thank you to you guys. Me, I'm kind of an old grouch, too lazy most times to type out a long answer most times. Like most of you, I'm still learning new things, thanks to the generous members here.