Darren.

I've been throwing on ML spinning gear, 10# braid and 6# leader. Can't wait to try them in the James River for smallies when we next visit Lynchburg, VA. Should be nice in the calmer pools with little to no current.

Bought a few of these about a month ago (or so) and tossed 'em in fresh water. Really nice results - bass, crappie, etc. Love these little guys. I put a Ned craw on them and pure awesome. Anyone else try these? Ordered a bunch more on Black Friday....

Dang. My first back throw-out was simply opening the van door, reaching in to start it. Bang. Electric shock and I was on my back for a few days with some Flexeril. Unreal how much it ruins a good day. Splitting wood is for my sons to do.

As a super stickler for wearing a life vest when kayaking... i.e., 100% of the time, I once forgot it after unloading the yak and gear at the dock. This is where the wife comes in. She drove all the way (~6 miles, so not bad) to meet me as I waited. Love her bunches. She didn't have to do that on her day off. Hasn't held it against me for payback, either! In the spirit of the OP, I have been researching more use of pulley systems with my kayak. Always looking for better ways to do things.

Agreed, though before CMC went down they were doing decent at the run game. Ok, first series was good, went down from there. Sad about CMC. Hope he recovers quickly... But GO BILLS!!

Nothing quite like it. Been to at least one snow game back in the early 90s. Nothing like freezing one's tuchus off at Rich Stadium in the nosebleeds where the wind is ripping over the stadium walls.

Terrible hit.

Am I the only one feeling this way? 😂

I'd put a heart on every single post here. Happy Thanksgiving, all! Some amazing food today. Great to see family. Congrats to all the Cowboys fans. You beat the Giants. 😶 Here's to a great remainder of 2024 for fishing to all. Right there with ya! Got me tonight, too. And funny thing, ordered on TW using my BPS card. Hoping the wife doesn't check too closely.

Welcome aboard! Rod and reel selection can border on a religious argument. Find what will work for you, the bait monkey will have his way with you regardless . I'm one who prefers rods 6'6" and under. I also fish 1000 size Stradics for fresh and salt. Caught plenty of bass over 6 pounds (the one in my avatar is 6 pounds 6 oz) on them. Avatar was caught on a 5'9" Shimano Compre rod and a Stradic 1000 FI. No problemo, and was in sticks, too. I use braid for mainline and always tie on a leader of fluoro, or a copoly which saves cutting into the mainline. Daiwa makes some mighty fine gear, hard to go wrong there. I think your selections are fine.

Nice story and catch!

Yikes! Speedy recovery to both of you!

Welcome aboard, Michael! Wishing the best for your treatment! May you find endless joy in fishing.

Never caught on a Sluggo. Back when I lived in WNY, a buddy took me fishing at a small, private lake his folks lived at. He said Sluggo weightless is the greatest bait and will catch monsters there. We were skunked. Since then I've tried a few times, but zilch. I wonder if they would do well in saltwater...hmmm.

I will welcome you aboard. Great name ! Have a gander at the articles offered on this site. Some really great advice there.

You are correct. My son was not here when I typed it in as a speck. I read this to him just now and he said "Dad...it's a grey trout/weakfish, not a speck." My bad. LOL. What can I say, I'm mostly a freshwater guy. Both have the fangs, tho.

It is just a lot of fun to go after a sport fish that can get big in size - and is a treasured catch for so many. I don't like the tournament scene much, anymore than I would try the disc golf tournament scene, or mountain biking. I just prefer the enjoyment w/o stress of competition with others. Needing to one-up everybody else - for me - is not much of a good time. Just my .02...or .01. Other species are great, and can be a lot of fun. I am spending time with my sons who love to do the saltwater thing. There are *so* many species out there and just wetting a line, feeling the pull of a fish on the other end and guessing what it is, to me, is part of the enjoyment. I fish because it is fun, challenging, and enjoyable.

Welcome aboard! 🤙

Went out on the creek last night with son #3 in his jon boat. Tide was going out, caught several species: perch, speckled trout, Reds.

That is an awful experience. I actually caught a nice bass last week and while I was netting it, my son nearby asked me what the splash was, I looked down and my rod was not where I set it. Had my old Stradic FI on it, and we were lucky to fish it out of the reservoir since we anchored there and kept dropping rigs until we hooked something. Was an awful feeling I may never see it again. Thankfully my son hooked onto the cork handle (barely) and brought it up from the murky depths.

Welcome back to the forum!

Thought I'd throw these in here for reference. Both 1000 size. The CI4+ is today's Vanford, so I guess I can say I have one .

Between my Stradic CI4+ and my Stradic HGFK the CI4+ is slightly smoother, and lighter. But both are darn smooth. Does that warrant the price difference? Probably not. Excellent reels any way you slice it.

All I know is I'm grateful I can't afford one. Life is better when I'm only buying baits and not reels to replace my already good CI4+, and other Stradics. But all the vids I have watched, the Vanford is *sooo* nice. That said *cough cough* if I WERE to get one, I think I'd go for the 2000 or 3000 HGFA. The reels are smaller these days, and I've long been a fan and user of 1000 size Shimanos. So I think those would be very close to preferable for fresh and salt. For me.

Went out with son #2 this weekend, Friday night saltwater, Saturday freshwater. Flounder (pic), about a 3 pound red, unfortunately no pic that was good. Saturday I caught 5 bass and this lovely crappie. 2 bass over 2 pounds, the rest under. Keitech micro-finess jigs and a TRD on a drop.