Darren.

Typically reel down and lift the rod swiftly - but not to rip the hook out of the basses mouth. Sometimes it is an instinctive lift and set, but normally what I said above.

Agree with Marty. I scratch my head when I see 50, 60, 80+ pound braid being used for bass fishing. I guess the point is not to lose the fish under any circumstance, act of God, or otherwise. I've been amazed at what can be caught with lesser poundage lines. But this is just me and my paltry .02. I don't fish tourneys. Although I have caught onto such braid that's been snagged and cut. What an absolute pain to deal with! LOL.

Swag, you can do whatever you like! I've caught some nice bass wacky rigging under a slip-float. So yes, it can be done, and done successfully. I'm also a believer in not over-sizing wacky hooks. The largest I use are 2/0, and that's *only* for big worms (over 6"). My PB (7.5 lbs) was caught on a size 1 hook in thick slop, so I personally don't see the need for big hooks. A larger/heavier hook will change your bait's fall rate -- the converse is true, as well. I use wacky hooks down to size 4. My absolute favorite are the Gamakatsu Wide Gap Finesse hooks. I prefer to buy in the 25 bulk packs, and recently bought them in the 25 pack in size 1/0 and have been DIY rigging some for weedless presentations. You can use hooks designed for TX rigging, although, they (IMHO) are not optimal for the technique.

Glad nobody was hurt. Great analogy your nephew came up with, LOL.

Hey Felix, there's this great upstart of a team on the other side of NY. Buffalo Bills! They would welcome you with open arms!

I usually get excited when the baro-pressure drops! I look for any opportunity to get out and fish But yeah, other times I can tell when a front is coming through. Can be lethargy, headache, etc.

Nice catch. Again. And again. And...

Only one of my sons (youngest) was interested in playing football. At age 7 we let him. He was hit hard in practice, and concussed. Following that, my wife and I decided no more football. We do soccer, anyway, 3 of the boys are on travel teams. Cousin of mine is a high school football coach in TX. When he heard of the concussion, he called me right away to encourage me to keep him from playing. Explained how TX handles kids who get concussed and all that. He didn't let his boys start playing until age 14...

Welcome aboard!

Kinda sorta sometimes... Since I don't do tourney's, mostly it doesn't bother me because it saves a skunk day otherwise.

I happen to be one of those folks who prefer the higher ratio reels. If I could score an 8.x:1 I would do so. So my learned style is to adjust speed of retrieve. I can slow down my retrieve, but when I want to bring said lure in really fast to start over, say after a bad cast, I can only reel as fast as the reel will let me - or burn my arm out trying to get it in faster, LOL. Thus I like my 7.1:1 Lexa retrieve more than my Chronarch 50e... And my little Stradic 1000FI bring in line faster than my Lexa 2000. I can totally understand, though, people who reel at a "consistent rate" for all types of presentations. They pick up a 4.9:1 for one thing, and a 7.1:1 for another thing.

Oi, just one? Hmm. Today, would probably be my Chronarch 50e with my 6' Field & Stream MF rod. Actually, and this could shock, I'd have to think it over between the Chronarch and the Lexa. My Lexa has a 7.1:1 ratio which I much prefer. I can cast virtually the same stuff with both reels, but the Chronarch definitely wins on smoothness.

Welcome aboard, Nick!

I balance some, not all of my setups. Some think it unnecessary, some do. I'm one to whom it matters. Entirely subjective. We are all different physiologically, so all have different needs and likes. The lightest rod I own is my Avid spinning rod, and it balances out extremely well without any kits with either a Stradic 1000FI or Lexa 2000 attached. My Premiere casting rod paired with a Chronarch 50e is too tip heavy for me, thus I add a balancing kit. So it's all relative to the individual. I want all my setups to be tip-light. I fish soft plastics 99% of the time, so there is a lot of lift, reel slack, lower rod, wait...lift, reel slack, lower rod, wait... and so on. This puts a lot of stress on the ligaments in my elbows (and yes, I actually find doing pushups really helps this). Therefore, TO ME, balance matters immensely. When I test new rods at local stores, I always like to feel the balance points without a reel attached. If the balance point is well above the reel seat, it's too tip-heavy for my liking. Adding a reel won't change that too much (it will a little, but not enough for me). Anyhow, just my .02. Take it for what it's worth.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard, Arjen!

Welcome aboard, Andrew. Nice hawgs!

Welcome aboard, Troy!

Welcome aboard, caq!

Tis the season! Awesome catch!

You are not alone, and not a retard. I'm still learning my unit (and it's a cheap Garmin at that). I'm using it more to identify depth and various structure I already know is there. I use that "knowing" to then go over it a few times and try and interpret what I'm seeing on the screen. So to repeat, you are not alone! At least you have DSI!!

For finding what's under me - contour, structure, etc., yes. For fish, not really. But the former leads to the latter.

Beasts, to say the least (the cats, that is ).

He can do that AND wet his knots. No problem using a net. I use one and it has saved me from losing bass a few times. Don't need a huge net, heck, a trout net would help in a pinch.

Welcome aboard!