Mike L

Late yesterday afternoon my daughter called and yelled… “They’er Rolling Dad”! I knew exactly what she meant. Tarpon were running and rolling past her seawall on their way to Boca Grande Pass “The Tarpon Capital of the World” for thier annual migration which is only about 5 miles away. May through June is the prime time for Silver Backs in my area and when they start rolling, we’re running!! I grabbed my Tarpon and a smaller salt water rig with my go bag said “I’ll be there in 10 min!” The only time I’ll use a leader of any sort is when salt water fishing in the river around docks, mangroves or bridge pilings and in the Gulf itself. The only leader material I had was Seaguar’s Grand Max in 17# which was too light but had no choice. It’s been years since I used a leader but was really surprised on how manageable it was but at the same time being a little stiffer than what I remember, if that makes sense. Of course I got hung up on a wooden piling and shocked how it looked once I got it free. Not a mark on it. My son in law hooked a juvenile which wrapped him around the lower unit of his boats inboard but not too tight to keep him from running back and forth until he got him turned enough to come free. I thought for sure the leader would be sawed in half but it held up again without any visible damage. If you guys are looking for an improved and upgraded leader material, this is it. Mike

OP Search on here for posts of a long time member WRB who unfortunately just recently passed. He’s was a true master of the waters over there. There were none better Mike

Great Job! Glad you guys a good time Mike

ABSOLUTELY!! Carp are trash fish on the same level of a Mud down here maybe even a notch below! They can kill entire areas of bass habitat. They may be buddy buddy in the water and swim holding fins, but I and every experienced and dedicated bass fishermen I know will do anything we can to get rid of them. Yeah, catching a big one will get you excited and you can have bragging rites that you caught a “big fish” but that same fish contributes to hurting and in some cases can totally up end a Bass’s ability to thrive. Mike

Same all year regardless of season.. On top.. Frog, Spook or Devil’s Horse Mid.. Magnum UV Speed Worm Swim bait Bottom… Rage Craw or Bug Punching.. (Same as above) Mike

Great Job as always! Mike

12, 14, 15, 20 & 25lb fluoro 3 product lines from 2 manufacturers 30, 50, 65 & 80lb braid 2 product lines from 2 manufacturers Mike

Using a magic marker with V cut in the middle to run your line through is almost as old as I am Mike

Sniper and Tatsu are the only mid strength flouro’s I’ve ever used. Hopefully it’s just a learning curve type thing that always happens when something new is introduced. Mike

As long as the regular sniper is available I’ll use that. Never had or have a reason to charge regardless of what they do Mike

Mid to high 4 Mike

DITTO!! Mike

@softwateronly Scott I see your point, makes sense Just never seen or heard that before comparing one manufacturer to another with basically the same diameter Mike

I’ve never heard that certain brands of braid are more prone to digging in than any other. Lower test strength which are inherently thinner yes, but not specific brands. If you want to try something else I use Seaguar’s 50# Smackdown and have never had a problem or complaint. It also is a 8 carrier but for long, over the shoulder bomb casts to get to the back end of a pad field or for a longer than normal pitch, that stuff comes off and flys better than most. Mike

For treble hooked hard baits I run it from the hook side. For single hooks run it up from the point side. All regardless of line type, size, strength or technique Mike

Carry a small dowel with you to break off if you must It’ll save your skin and the line won’t end up digging into the spool by pulling with it. Especially with braid and all other high strength test lines. Mike

You’ve got excellent advise already, not to much to add but… Keeping in mind my waters and seasons are different from yours. The vast majority every new PB I’ve landed came from either site fishing individuals off beds or in heavy submerged or floating matted anything. My equipment is matched to what I’m doing which can change daily. From 25# flouro to 80# braid H/F to H/XF rods with high speed reels. All those are my sweet spots. Point is, any more advice for reference I can give you is meaningless except for 1 thing. Know your waters intimately and learn every nuance of each change and be ready to capitalize. Where I fish is where Big Mama lives, what I use is dialed in because of it. That is your key. We all come at this from different perspectives Timing as @papajoe222 and @geo g said Bait choice as @GreenPig mentioned Take advantage of the extremes as @Pat Brown explained Find and exploit “Big Fish” lakes as @senile1 said Be creative as @Tackleholic explained Except in tournaments in others states I rarely fish docks, points, deeper than 15fow, creeks, rocking bottoms etc. Improvise, Overcome and Adapt and let your knowledge and skill take it from there. Good Luck Mike

UURmkbOPMTbvO6W6Here is my review of the installed camera

@Bazoo This won’t be popular on here and I get it. Some if not all mono users and flouro haters will disagree until they pass out. I won’t get into a debate as there are no absolutes, but you asked… For Me…. *Inordinate amount of stretch *Lower sensitivity and less than ideal hook sets especially for longer casts and bottom contact presentations *Less abrasion resistance *Higher visibility *Higher Memory *Larger line diameter in my most used line strengths Etc Mike

No I never read his articles. I use flouro for all but 3 presentations I use braid for. I won’t use mono to hang a picture on a wall. Yes, flouro will stretch but it’s a matter of degree to what you’ll except for your waters and style of fishing. There is no right or wrong here. Different brands from different manufacturers will vary wildly. It’s up to us to chose for ourselves Mike

Every rod I own is either a MH/F, H/F or H/XF. The only time I hit her the hardest is with either the H/F or H/XF and that’s mostly when punching or frogging as @A-Jay mentioned. When pitching or especially flipping up close and personal in heavy cover The only goal is to get her head up and out. I don’t waste time feeling, playing, experimenting or thinking about a hook set. All other times I either sweep or firmly lean into it and let the rod do the work. Mike

Just few thoughts I wanted to share if anyone is running low. Tatsu… The best there is, enough said Invizx… One of the highest quality flouro lines made. Holds a knot like no other Very high abrasion resistance with a little more stretch than most. Smackdown… One of the most manageable and easiest casting 8 strand braids I’ve ever used. Has a fairly higher abrasion resistance than some others which for me is best when pitching in heavy cover. Seaguar 101… It’s soft and casts great with a little more stretch than most premium flouro lines. Perfect for moving baits throughout the water column. Mike

The kind of line doesn’t matter. If the holes are there that’s where I tie. Mike

For what your looking for, Yes Bottom line is that Shooter and Abrazx are more similar to each other than Sniper is to either in thier structure and intended use. Shooter has a higher abrasion threshold and is stiffer with less stretch. Abrazx is more manageable, a little more stretch with less memory. Sensitivity of either is subjective. Both hold a knot just fine if tied correctly. Both are premium flouro lines with a few differences that only you can decide which is best for your water. Mike

@king fisher Pretty much covered it. One thing that’s different for me is that I’ve never had a problem tying knots with flouro as opposed to braid, which is the only other line I use. (I don’t and won’t use mono) I only snell for bottom presentations and SDJ for everything else. As far as what the pro’s get or don’t get… There are different types of contractual requirements to use and promote a sponsor’s equipment. Some aren’t given anything other than maybe a product discount and/or money for off the water promotion and of course performance. Some will allow a cash bonus clause to be added when using a sponsored product if they win and a few by making the final cut. Some are required to use thier products and promote them exclusively especially if entered in a major national tournament, but it’s my experience that’s really pushed for tackle and baits. There is more but you get my point Mike