Fishes in trees

I've had several rods where I cut the hook holder off, because I didn't like where it was situated for one reason or another. Those flexible hook holders from BPS & other sources work real well for me, mostly so I can put it where I want it. Nothing lasts forever, and that applies to the flexible hook holders. I'm happy to get a season or so out of them.

If I'm cleaning the butt of anything my first choice is a Hand-Wipe. If that don't work on the foam end of a fishing rod, I'd try some Goo Be Gone. That's what I used the last time I replaced the stick on numbers on my boat. If that don't work, maybe denatured alcohol or something like that. Most likely there are other chemicals you might try, I don't know. I do know that if the spot was still there after the 3 treatments mentioned, I'd have to conclude that a higher power than me wanted the spot there and then, in an attempt to achieve higher power status, I'd have to pop a top and ponder it all.

Is this your co-angler bag & you're in a boat or are you bank fishing and you need the back pack to tote stuff while you're hiking? Ok, if you boat fishing, just get some 3600 size box & fill it up with jigs best you can. This Plano edge jib box doesn't fit your current needs - probably not the first time you've bought something that didn't work exactly like you thought it would and ABSOLUTELY not the last time it will happen. If you're bank bound and using the back pack to tote your stuff, I would suggest the skirted jigs are an unnecessary luxury in this situation. Tx rig jig heads, like a Brewer Slider, are much more effiicient in this situation. JMO

I've done my share of night fishing. Not lately though. Enough of that. I know that when you're night fishing, having light when you need it is important. Losing your night vision when you turn on the light sucks, but sometimes you need to. Red filtered lights help alot. I wear glasses all the time anyway. Every time I go fishing, I make sure I got glasses and a long billed cap. Every so often, a crank gets stuck and I yank and it comes straight back at me.. When that happens, I duck my head a little bit. Over a dozen times, I've had the crank bounce off the bill of my cap. No cap and that bait bounces off my glasses. Glad I had that little bit of armor. Other than that, I've never stuck myself with a treble seriously while fishing. I have seriously stuck myself with a crank while I was putting away stuff for the day - ran a treble though the palm of my hand enough that it wasn't backing out - at all. Fortunately I had the correct gear available and I ran the hook all the way through my palm that the barb was exposed and then cut the hook at that point with a set of mini-bolt cutters. Everyone thinks that they can do that with a set of pliers, but let me tell you , with the blood oozing out all around and having to use your off hand, the extra leverage of the mini bolt cutters comes in real handy. OK, enough of the war stories, the original post had to do with night fishing with treble hooks. I'm 60+ years old and over the years I've acquired & maintained all the appropriate tools necessary for night fishing. I wouldn't have any issue throwing cranks or any other treble hook bait at night if I felt like it. However, if I didn't have all the gear ( appropriate lights, bolt cutters, hat, eye shields, etc ) I wouldn't do it. At this point I'd just quote Jim'ny Cricket "Let your conscience be your guide." and say you do what you want.

I like the Falcon K Wacky weedless hooks with the old mousetrap style brush/week guard. 3/0 is the size that I regularly use.

Lose the scale. Scales lie to you. I've had several different hand held scales and every one had the ability to turn an obvious 5 lb bass into a 3 lb 10 oz bass. I got tired of being lied to. Maybe the new scale is telling you a portion of the truth the first few times you use it, but that won't last. Your scale, sooner or later, will lie to you. I won't have a scale in my boat and I'd advise you take a hammer to yours.

I put 15 lb Abrazx on my 50E and use it for pitching soft plastics at stuff. One of my other 50 e has 10 lb Abrazx on it and it is my dedicated quarter ounce Brewer Slider rod.

If that is a MH rod, 8 lb line is a little light. If it is the line that came with the reel, that often isn't a high quality or even a mid-range quality line. If I was getting a new rod and I was going to mount a spin cast reel on it, I'd go medium or medium light. I might upgrade the line to a top quality 10 lb mono. That reel would probably handle up to 15 lb line relatively well - I'm thinking a Yozuri co-polymer or something like that. So, the first culprit for the line abrasion issue might be the nose cone of the reel. Secondarily I think that line quality might be a little suspect. Falcon Bucco SR casting rods come in several different actions, I wonder what action this particular rod is. All I got for now

You probably won't cast as far with a bait caster as you would with spinning gear. I use bait casters when I'm using stouter line that doesn't work as well on spinning gear. Stouter line lets me attempt to put my baits into spots that spinning gear & lighter line wouldn't handle. Stouter line also lets me throw heavier baits that might snap off on a cast from spinning gear. As for which bait caster to get started with, you're going to get dozens, maybe hundreds of different opinions. I've got a couple of the Curado 150 DC reels and I like them for throwing reaction baits, like spinnerbaits, chatter baits, stuff like that. I think that the computer braking is unnecessary for most pitching applications, throwing soft plastics into cover, stuff like that. I like the little whine that the DC makes and I can see why one might get addicted to it, so there is a decent argument for using it for everything. As about rods for bait casters and you'll get similar answers. I'm not so much a brand guy, more of a particular action for a particular bait kind of guy. For feel baits like 10" worms & throwing stick baits into cover I like my rod to be as light as as sensitive as possible, I like an extra fast tip. For throwing reaction baits, light & sensitive are still important, but I like a little more tip which helps the rod load up easier and throw the bait farther, easier. Good luck - don't feel like you have to start out with "bargain gear", top & upper end gear will last a long time and is worth the investment.

commenting on FishTank's post - now that's funny.... Guy trying to get by within something not made for him.

I don't think that a straight up over the shoulder hook set is a great idea for a lipless crank. Like you've experienced, that kind of hookset has removed the bait from the fish's mouth in the past. My strategy has been to (a) recognize there is a bite, (b) QUICKLY make your best guess as to which direction the fish is moving and then (c) firmly and quickly tighten up in the opposite direction. I don't think that I ever "snap my wrist" like you might do in a worm or jig hookset. Using this system, I land the majority of the fish that bite and I'm certain that all the ones that I miss are 6 lbs + or better.

Switching from right handed casting to left handed casting, I'd stick with spinning gear for a while

I might guess that, I wouldn't assume that. Walmart sells cheap digital postal scales that resolve issues like that. Get a case to store it in & remove the battery between uses (avoiding corrosion) and it will last a long time. I've had mine since 2009 or so and counting.

I got fumble fingers. When I'm messing with a reel in my fishing shed and I drop something, it bounces on the gravel. Then, either I find it & pick it up, or I got to go get the magnet to help find it, or it is lost for a while. If I'm messing with a reel on the water and I drop something, good chance it will hit the deck, one bounce and into the H2O it goes. Not cool. I've stopped carrying spare spools on the boat. Mess up a reel and it goes into time out til I can get back to the fishing shed & fix it. Back in the day, when I was a meat fishing bush hippie, I carried spare spools for my spinning reels (I only fished spinning reels then ) , but I only used them once or twice a year. Price of mono was important enough to me to keep track of line condition on a cast to cast basis. I carried 4 spare spools - a couple spare spools of 6 lb test and an upgrade of 8 and 10. If I was out fishing and had to change spools it was generally because I wanted to upgrade to 8 or 10 lb line. For a few years my mode of operation was a couple of rods (in the beginning both the same, later on, slightly different actions) with the same reel, the old Garcia Mitchell 300. I still have one of those reels. It has an honored place on my desk where I fiddle with it from time to time. Wouldn't consider ever fishing with it again. Oh yeah, the original question was how did I store the spare spools? Each spool was packaged in a snack size zip lock bag and all four fit in a smallish plastic box in my tackle sack.

How nice, you've basically got a free football jig/Biffle Bug rod, that you can also throw smallish swim baits with. Me, I'd pair it with a basic workhorse reel, like a Curado K and dedicate it as a Biffle Bug Rod.

I like the ceiling set up - convenient & out of the way, me though, I'm relatively short (5'7) and I'd have to bust out the step stool every time I wanted to fetch a rod. Step stools and IPA's aren't friends.

Several different issues here. You've upgraded to Stradics - so you ain't broke. It could be that you're fiscally responsible, me I struggle with fiscal responsibility. My advice will probably reflect that. Issue #A - How responsible is the child with tools? Some children can be trusted to use & take care of decent tools, others not so much. Some children are responsible with THEIR tools, not so much with other folks tools. You can decide if you get the child a decent mid-range rig or an entry level rig based on that. Issue #B - Fix the old reel or not? Me, I probably wouldn't. I'd probably leave the reel on my desk, something to fiddle with. If you need another reel for your fishing - get another reel.

Somewhere between the rocks and the stumps there is a transition area, probably more than one. That is where I'd start. An area where the wind is blowing into the area would be best, imo. How big is the lake - is it is a fairly small lake, just fish it all. 3 or 4 trips and you could fish a most of the lake at different times of the day and decide for yourself where the best potential areas might be.

If you're going to swear at swim baits, try to make up some new words. I'm pretty sure most of us have heard all the common ones, but should you come up with a new and versatile swear word, let us know. I, for one, could use some new swear words when dealing with trauma and adversity in my life.

Get a fairly large reel with a good adjustable drag and you've got a bubba catfish rig. Reason for the easily adjustable drag is so that you can use circle hooks with this rod. Light drag while you're waiting for the hit, light drag while the circle hook sets itself. ( no hook sets with circle hook sets, just tighten up and the hook sets itself ) and once you're tight to the fish snug up the drag and get it in. Like other prior posters, this is a muskie rod, get yourself and Tranx 300, fill it up with 65 lb braid or something similar and you have a rig that will throw big in line spinners and muskie plugs a long ways AND deal with any fish that hits. This is a good addition to a collection of multi species rigs. I'd keep it, rig it up right and sooner or later when you're in the situation where you need it, you got it. If I ran across it in a pawn shop I'd pick it up in a heartbeat. One thing - don't let someone talk you into using this rod for snagging - it is too good a rod for that and you don't want to tear it up, just for some spoonbill.

Mostly throw half ounce lipless cranks, but I acquired a close out set of Excaliber 3/4 oz lipless cranks and keep telling myself that I should throw them some.

I live in Missouri and it was way too windy for me to go fishing yesterday. A couple of buddies went, couldn't fish the main lake, too windy, but back in a cove, kinda out of the wind, they did ok - 8 keepers and 20 slot fish in 5 hours. Don't know where you live, but where I live I wouldn't go out in a kayak. Weather .com reported 25 mph winds. On a positive note, they will make more bait casters and now you know what you'll get yourself once you get some spare funds.

The best time to go fishing is when you have time to go fishing. If it happens to be the next day after a storm, just deal. Might not be the best day, BUT . . you're out fishing and many of the rest of us aren't . . you win. If you only went fishing when the conditions were perfect - you wouldn't go fishing very often.

I got some boat shoes a few years ago at BPS, on sale for around $40. Last year I got another pair. The current issue of Bassmaster ( which I got today) has an article about fishing shoes, They mentioned a couple of brands often enough in the article, made me wonder is this an article or an advertisement? But I haven't tried the shoes, maybe they are ok shoes, or great shoes I don't know.

I'm a fan of Minn Kota trolling motors, mainly because that's all I've ever owned and they. have been pretty reliable for me. You can tear them up, but you have to work at it. I like the composite shaft in a trolling motor because when you hit something it will flex and bounce back. Hit something with a metal shaft trolling motor and it gets bent and stays bent. As far as particular model, (I'm assuming you're going to stay 12 volt and not go to some kind of bow mount/foot control deal). The Endura Max model in the 2020 BPS master catalog, 55 lb thrust, lists for $289.99. Spend $25 bucks more and you have a choice of a 42" shaft instead of a "36. Doesn't seem like much of a difference, but if you stand up in your boat much, that 6" makes a considerable difference. Should you desire to go very heavy duty - get the salt water version of the Endura Max, which start at $459.99. Buy good batteries - the biggest deep cycle ones that will fit. Buy 2 and wire them parallel so that you're still at 12 volts but you will have double the running time compared to one battery. Believe me, running out of battery power in a Jon boat isn't any fun. Experiment with where to place the batteries in the boat - it will make a difference how the boat handles & feels. Doesn't necessarily have to be within reach of the cord that comes with the trolling motor. It is pretty simple to extend wiring and any auto parts store will have everything you need to do that. Invest in a 2 bank charger - it is important to keep both batteries charged the same. Put the batteries on the charger as soon as you get home. Set it and forget it. Alternative propulsion - it is pretty important to have an alternative method of propulsion. Get to the other end of the lake, smack a stump and shear a prop pin and you are stuck ( unless you brought extra shear pins and the tools to change it out ). Oars or paddles, if the boat has oar locks installed, go with oars, if it is pretty simple to install oar locks, go with oars, if not go with a paddle. FYI - paddling a Jon boat is challenging and a pain in the butt. If you frequently have 2 people in the boat - have 2 paddles. There you go - that's how I'd do it