Mike L

Ditto Mike

Tommy This quote is your Legacy around here!! And I don’t care what some doctor says.. As I said earlier, Stay strong my friend Mike

Tommy: I don’t know what else to say… Please Stay strong my friend you’re in my thoughts and prayers. Whatever you do, DON’T Give up. Mike

All the time! When they want something smaller than a June bug Magnum Speed Worm I throw the Honey Candy Cut R. 4/0 Skip Gap hook, 3/16 unpegged. If pegging is warranted I fish it faster with less drops. It has a different type of tail action. Tip…If you fish it horizontally rig with the point facing down, if vertical point up. It’s a deadly swim type worm that I use almost every outing. Mike

I only use them and 1/32 nail weights from BPS but that was awhile ago Mike

Major box stores will normally have 1/64 Mike

Exactly right! It should be on everyone’s bucket list. Mike

I use tungsten for all applications that require a weight, except for a C-Rig which is lead. I don’t use a specific brand. Mike

Another I want to recommend is Okuma’s M/F Cerros paired with the Haikai DT reel. It’s another combo I recently got which is perfectly suited for lighter to moderate cover conditions and applications. The Cerros is light, sensitive and loads perfectly within its recommended limits. The Haikai DT reel casts as smooth as any other I own. Mike

I can highly recommend one of my favorites for the past few months St Croix’s GXR/Seviin reel My H/F GXR has become my main heavy cover flipping/pitching setup. The combo balances perfectly together. I know you didn’t ask for a flipping/pitching setup specifically and it’s not. I’ve been rotating between 65# and 80# Smackdown for the heaviest and thickest of cover and handles both conditions up to 1 3/4 oz weights without concern. The Rage Bug is also my #1 bottom contact T-Rig plastic. Mike

At one of the first BR road trip’s at Wilson Lake in 2014, I was fortunate to meet and fish with many members. @Glenn @road warrior @papajoe222 @BassnChris @Long Mike @BIG O And others Mike

There have been plans in the works for years to at the very least relieve some the pressure to moderately acceptable levels. I haven’t kept up with all the latest research and studies so maybe things have changed. So glad it did for many reasons. Mike

It’s about time! If Rodman wasn’t worth saving nothing was. It’s a special place and not just to the fishing industry down here. It never got as much of the national headlines or respect as a world class fishery as much as Okeechobee, Toho, Kissimmee, St John’s River and others have, but it’s definitely been one of the top fisheries for generations. Mike

Ditto The only difference is that I rarely try something new now. It took me years to gain confidence in my arsenal to cover as many different conditions as possible. I’ll change baits, weights, presentations locations etc before I’ll try something just for the sake of change. I really don’t feel I need too. Mike

Welcome to the club! We've all done that one time or another if we want to admit it or not. Mike

I re spooled all the kids rigs with Seaguar’s Smackdown with 12# Ponce all tied with the Uni to Uni. I personally have very little experience with leaders but down here 6, 8 and even 10 just didn’t have seem enough. It may be overkill but in thier case it’s more for me. As I wrote about it on a few other threads, abrasion and knot slippage just doesn’t happen. Mike

A termite walks into a bar and asks… ”Bar tender here”? Mike

I don’t use leaders but did use the 12# on the kids rig of 20# braid tied with a uni to uni I don’t know about your’s, but mine have a tendency to snag on anything in the water, every time. Darnest thing I ever saw. After he gave up I used a dowel and pulled as hard as I ever have and it held, I finally just cut it off. Point is, the Pounce held where others I’ve used for them would have snapped a lot sooner Highly recommend it if you’re into using leaders for knot and overall strength Mike

Mostly for T rig and always for punching and sight fishing beds. Mike

Hello and Welcome! Mike

If it’s not too bad, put the nail of your off hand down as far as it will go between the spool and thumb bar and reel in slowly as the spool is rubbing against it. If it’s not too bad it will clear after a few turns or the line in the spool will loop enough for you to grab to pull it out. Go easy on the thumb pressure as you could fray thin braid or crease flouro. If you have a reel with old line that you’re not gonna use, purposely back lash it and play with to get a feel on how much pressure it will take before you try it on one you don’t want to re spool It may take a few times to clear. Mike

Ditto Keep in mind sometimes the water on top will just be a dead zone as big Mama is hanging just below the hydrilla which means you’ll just have to get through it to get to her. Mike

Distance is secondary to accuracy. I’d be practicing where to put it than how far I can make it fly. Sure, there are times where a longer than usual pitch is needed but once you get past your individual “sweet spot” of your average most accurate distance then you’re just guessing and hoping. Thats where an easy underhanded lob cast comes in. Pitching is a system where if you can get everything dialed in, distance with accuracy will come. When I switched to 8 carrier Seaguar Smackdown from Power Pro I actually got another 5 ft or so without sacrificing anything. Same when I changed to 12# flouro from 16# on my new Okuma Cerros/Haikai DT combo. Throw in the variables like different weights and wind, your distance will come without sacrificing what’s more important. Mike

I can’t give you a specific rod as others have because I have no idea what more to tell you, as you got excellent advise already A 7’0”-7’3 MH/F casting rod is the most versatile if you may want to use it for other techniques in time. The one thing I will say is whatever you get just try to make sure it’s the lightest most sensitive stick in your price range. Once you settle on a few read every review you can, come back on here and ask specifically about thier real world results and their unbiased opinion. Which you will get as some already have. “Line watching” by buying a specific colored line for that purpose can be an effective way to detect a hit, albeit after the fact. Keep in mind you will never be able to detect every strike regardless of what you use. If you use a high quality flouro and use proper technique you’ll increase your chances of detecting a strike that’s happening immediately as it does, more so than just waiting to watch which way your specially colored line moves. I know It’s not a popular opinion on here but you asked for opinions. Mike