Marty

If anyone has used these I'd appreciate comments, positive or negative. http://www.smithoptics.com/Bifocal-Series_Category_89.html

I bought one Gander rod last year for $60, a 6'6" MH spinning. I think it's called Guide Series. I'm very pleased with it except I don't care for the reel seat that much.

As the man said, no leader is required for walleye. For pike, I've had success with short leaders of 5-6". However, I don't run into really big pike, so you would probably want a longer leader if you do.

You didn't say whether you were talking about copolymer or fluorocarbon. I've used some 10# copolymer and it was a good line, but I couldn't see that it justified the premium price.

I've caught bass on every conceivable color of crankbait with no rhyme or reason for colors. I've caught them in murky water on colors recommended for clear and caught them in clear water on colors recommended for murky. I feel color is way down the list in importance after depth, speed, action, mood of fish, etc. If I go out with a natural color like bluegill or shad and a bright color like fire tiger, I have confidence that I'll catch just as many (or few) as with an assortment of a dozen colors. But, like with so many other things, you've got to do what makes you comfortable and gives you confidence.

As has already been said, pickerel will readily hit anything. Topwater, bottom crawling, and everything in between. In my 35+ years of catching pickerel, I'd give a very slight nod to spinnerbaits, but really, if they're around and willing to hit, you'll catch them on anything.

My monitor is seven years old. I never turn it off, I just have it set to go dark after five minutes on non-use.

According to Knowing Bass by Keith A. Jones, PhD, the total range is 410 and the preferred range is 7.48.1(?). That's what the book says, question mark included.

I've been using the Baby 1- for years and it does a great job of attracting strikes. The hooks do tangle a lot so they have to be watched closely. Another super shallow lure I use is the Heddon (formerly Excalibur) Swim'n Image, which goes to 18". This offers a different look, since it's a longer bait and I also think I get a better catch-to-strike ratio with it.

One more vote here for duolock snaps.

Those two species--which many people have trouble telling apart--are members of the temperate bass family, along with the striped bass. They are the true bass, while what we know as bass, the black basses, are actually sunfish, which is the family they belong to.

I can see where that maybe wasn't as clear as it might've been. It was intended as an introductory clause to form what I thought would be a better sentence. The only point I was trying to make in that post was that my personal opinion is that, at times, the moderators are too aggressive in moving posts from one forum to another. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

FBL, I don't understand why your post is directed to me. Unless there's something in there that I missed, it is totally unrelated to my original post. ???

Maybe these articles will answer some questions even though they're written for fishermen and you're a potential sponsor. https://www.bassresource.com/fish/faq.html#sponsors

I've been using small duolock snaps for as long as I can remember and have a great deal of confidence in them. I can't detect any differences in action.

95% of my fishing is done in weedy water and I use a wide variety of bait. Basically, I think you can use anything that won't pick up weeds on every cast. If the weeds are submerged, you can use many different lures fishing over the weed tops. If they come to the surface, then a variety of texas-rigged soft plastics and weedless topwaters are good. It's not pretty hot here. :'(

They promote it as a versatile lure, both spinnerbait and buzzbait, which presumably would cover the in-between territory. However, I only used it as a spinnerbait.

The speed of the reel, most of them have a high IPT. Raul, is it fair to say that that's only a disadvantage if the angler wants a slow-moving bait? And a disadvantage with baitcasters with low IPT if the angler wants a fast retrieve? I use spinning equipment and fish cranks a lot and there's no problem at all that I can see.

I think that speaks volumes, as the mods do a TON of work. The fact that is appears seamless is a testimony to how well they do it. Glenn, I want to reiterate that I think they do a good job and I know they put in a lot of time and effort. My only purpose was to give one man's opinion on one thing that he sees.

I agree. But I do want to air a personal observation. I don't actually see any results of moderation except for the relatively high number of moved posts. In my humble opinion, a number of these moves are close calls which should have been left unmoved. I look at some of these and get the impression that someone's thinking that the post belongs 54% in Forum A and 46% in Forum B, therefore, let's move it from B to A. I don't want to cite examples which would specify particular moderators. A year or two ago I started a thread which I felt had elements of two forums so I had to make a choice. The thread lasted 48 hours before being moved. That means a number of moderators saw it and thought it was OK, but one didn't. That had to be a close call. I am a moderator on a couple of small forums, so I can identify a little with what these guys do and I know they put in a lot of time. When a site owner divides his forum into sub-forums, I think his wishes should be respected. But when a post has elements of two forums, what's the harm in giving the benefit of the doubt to the poster? There are plenty of clear mis-postings which should be moved and leaving a few unclear ones alone isn't going to destroy the board. I want to make it clear that I am not criticizing the excellent job being done, I'm just offering up a personal opinion on a subject that has been jumping off the page at me for a few years.

I had one for many years until it snagged and I had to break it off a couple of years ago. I thought it was a good lure, but didn't think it was any more or less effective than more conventional spinnerbaits. If I remember correctly, this bait has stronger wire than many other spinnerbaits. It is felt by some that thinner wire allows the blades to give off more vibration. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but regardless, I didn't think it made much difference in drawing strikes. But the thicker wire made it more durable in my opinion. I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone who wanted to try it.

A john boat would be fine on that pond, as well as ponds considerably larger. One potential problem, depending on where you are and the nature of that pond, is weeds. There are two ponds which I fish regularly from my partner's boat. At times these ponds can be so weed-choked that they're not navigable with a trolling motor. And if the weeds are really thick and/or the stuff is that matted slime, then even paddling a canoe is difficult.

Interesting wording of a question. You know that on a 6.4:1 reel that the spool turns 6.4 times per crank of the handle. Now you need to get from the manufacturer or other source the number of inches per crank of the handle. Suppose it's 24". Multiply that by 1.5 to get to a yard of 36". Now multiply the turns of the reel spool 6.4 times 1.5 = 9.6. That's the number of reel spool turns per yard. Or if you meant handle turns, that would be 1.5 per yard.

Sorry, but you should stay in school. I realize that it's not for everyone, but you've got a good start and ought to complete it if there's any way possible, even if you have to put up with something you don't like for awhile. I don't know anyone who looked back and regretted getting an education. And perhaps most important of all, there is a very large difference in average lifetime earnings for people with degrees and those without. Best of luck.

I still use a couple of two-piece rods that stay together remarkably well. But in the past I've glued rod sections together without any adverse effects. Use it before you glue it.