Darren.
Super User
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Everything posted by Darren.
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Welcome aboard! For reels, I'd opt for Diawa, or Shimano (my pref). Just have had very good experiences with those two. You can also look at the Pflueger President as it is a solid reel for the price and has quite a following. As for rods, there are so many in the $ range you are looking at. My best advice is to go to a local sporting goods store like Bass Pro, Cabelas, etc., and ask to put the reel of choice on different rods to get a feel for the balance. You might like a tip heavy setup, or equal balance, or tip light. I'm in the latter category. Point is, get your hands on combos (if you can) and make your decision. If it were me, I'd likely opt for a Shimano reel and a shorter rod. That's how I roll. Longer rods are not my thing. To each his/her own As for braid - I use 10# and 15# along with a leader sized anywhere from 4 to 15# test, either copoly or fluorocarbon. Braid makes life a lot easier to manage on a spinning setup.
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Welcome aboard, Tom!
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Never fished in TN, but welcome to Bass Resource!
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Welcome aboard! So sorry you caught a bass instead of a bluegill! Now you're hopelessly hooked to bass fishing... Bluegill are seriously fun, though!
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Welcome aboard!
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This is one of the worst times of year for us. 1) Dreaded dew points & humidity making an otherwise lovely 83º feel like 100º. 2) Hurricanes, Tropical Storms/Depressions
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Welcome aboard, @Big Moe! I go between fluorocarbon leader and copoly leader like Yo Zuri Hybrid. Both work great for everything I throw - which is mainly soft plastics, jigs, etc. @roadwarrior is right with 6-8# test. I also use 10 and 15 for some presentations, but I find myself mostly using 6 and 8. Plenty strong, just make sure you set your drag properly (not too tight or locked down) otherwise you may end up with a snapped leader on a nice fish. I speak from experience
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Saynko. Senko.
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Welcome aboard!
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Welcome aboard!
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Welcome aboard!
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Welcome aboard, John!
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A hearty CONGRATS!! Well done to you and your wife Especially your wife, LOL.
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I'm just following @A-Jay here, 2 posts in 7 years! Welcome and good on ya, mate!
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Great for the boys! Fun outing and as you say, it took them away from all the tech. Stuff of memories. Good on ya!
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Agreed. K.I.S.S. it to start with, complicate it later, only if necessary.
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Agree with John, though I am a braid + leader guy for all my soft plastics presentations. I prefer braid for line managing over a spool of fluoro, although stuff like Tatsu is supposed to be much better than other fluoros in that respect. Rod length is your call, but as John suggested 6'6" - 7' is a good starting point. Personally 5'9" to 6' is my sweet spot, and I use 1000 size reels. I also fish from a kayak and hate dealing with longer rods. Shorter, lighter setups for me, but that's not everyone's cup-o-tea. 2500 is a generally agreed upon size for bass fishing. Some go heavier, lighter, all personal choice.
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I did the finger-feel test of several normal spools of heavy mono and in the same pound test, the leader material was thicker and better every time. So if it is Big Game mono leader, then yes. Regular, I'd think it too pliable. Another tip - if you look at my images above, you'll see I coated the thread where I tied the weed guard. The stuff local fly tiers told me about was simple stuff you can find at Walmart. Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails nail polish. Specifically Hard As Nails Extreme Wear in "Black Out" color (#629) https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sally-Hansen-Hard-as-Nails-Xtreme-Wear-Nail-Color-Black-Out-0-4-FL-OZ/17219554?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227014497798&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=41079629072&wl4=pla-78656724872&wl5=9008585&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=17219554&wl13=&veh=sem I used to dab superglue first, then coat it, but you really don't need anything but the stuff above. Can coat it once or several times if you want. Works really well.
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So I can't find the other threads I posted this info to... What I use are 40# mono leader material. BPS brand. I bought a fly tying kit from BPS, too, along with a couple spools of thread, a whip finisher, etc. The tutorials are from the awesome dude at "intheriffle" on YouTube. I tried all of these, found the 20# he was using was way too flimsy for my liking. I've also used #50, and it is a taaad stiff, but works fine. The more I tied, the more I learned and was able to modify to what you see above. I tie a lot of single guards, too. Freshwater Bass Weed Guard Fly Tying Instructions and How To Tie Tutorial Single Mono Weed Guard Fly Tying Instructions and How To Tie Tutorial V Shaped Mono Saltwater Weed Guard Bonefish Pemit Redfish
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I've done a few posts on this and posted links to the videos of the guy who teaches how to do it. Let me do a search and see if I can find the links... stay tuned, meanwhile, here are some pix of my DIY...
