Darren.

I'll vary my leader length. When I was fishing really clear water I pulled three lengths off the spool, stretched each between my outstretched arms and used that. Don't think it made much of a difference than when I used a shorter leader. In my normal waters I'll use anywhere from 4-6 feet.

Welcome aboard, Ryan!

Welcome aboard, Kevin!

Yeeeowch!

Stuff like this happens. We all forget something here and there. One of my sons left a long pole unattended and a 3 pound bass took the worm and the pole for a ride around the pond. Fortunately the pole floats, and another of my boys took a different rod and cast out to retrieve the pole -- and the bass!! On the other end of things, I lost a phone, a camera, crocs, and a trolling motor in a canoe "accident". So like I said, it happens. Keep your chin up, chest out, don't get too discouraged. And like Red suggested, take a big old treble hook and drag the bottom. Or if you can grab some snorkel gear and search, that could help, too.

Another braid + fluoro leader fan here. No worries about managing straight fluoro. Heaviest fluoro leader I'm using is 12lb.

Welcome aboard, Roger!

Welcome, Jeff!

Welcome aboard, Lenny!

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Welcome aboard, Matt!

Welcome aboard, Brendan!

Welcome aboard, Devin!

Welcome aboard, Zach!

Welcome aboard!

That's where I got mine, too. I know that Gammy uses the plastic which can work itself loose. Are yours maybe an older style which used the plastic?

The weed guard is metal. I used wire cutters... From the product description at TW: "they come equipped with a wire weedguard that conveniently locks into place on the barb or the hook to protect from snags" http://www.***.com/VMC_Ike_Approved_Weedless_Wacky_Hooks/descpage-VMCWW.html

Interesting. I bought a pack and found the wire weed guards way too stiff. So I clipped a few cm to make them stand out. Better, but missed several bass on hook sets. Not had that problem with Hayabusa or Gammy. Now I like single strand wire guards on the buckeye wacky jig head...but not VMC.

Good to hear. Haven't had to use their warranty yet, hoping I never have to. I like my cork-handled Compres a lot!

Well... I've never bent a hook on a fish, and my PB of 7.5 lbs was caught in thick weeds, with another pound or so of weeds in the mix on 10lb braid + 10lb leader and a size #1 Gammy Wide Gap Finesse hook. Those are some seriously strong hooks Gammy makes. I've caught 3-6 pounders on the Hayabusa #2 I mentioned above...but I still will probably up that hook to a 1 or 1/0.

I know where Bethel res is, never fished it, though. NNPK has been my fav place this year. Weeds at Harwood's Mill are absolutely awful this year.

Well, it was my first time at SML since I was 6 yrs old. Only fished docks and coves around the state park. Clarity was indeed amazing. Saw (and caught) some lunkers under the big dock at the boat launch. We were using long poles on Friday, I happened to have a bag of watermelon red flake so I wacky rigged it under a float and BANG! Big bass on, several. But the haul of what, 14' up the dock was too much for some and they shook off.

Congrats!!

Awesome and congrats! My eldest son just caught his PB, also (not DD, but hey!)

Welcome aboard, Mark! I'm south of where you normally fish, but just got back from SML, great fishery!