mcipinkie

Well, This was sort of embarrasing.

Short Fish, Question, not being critical, trying to make people think. It's the old school teacher coming back out in me. Have you actually tried FC to see if you can get a crankbait deeper on it than mono, or are you reading ads? Believe me, I have. IMHO, based on what I've seen, what matters is line diameter, not line type. Small diameter line will always get deeper than big diameter regardless of type. Line labels are interesting reading for the variation in diameters between brands and within a brand. I throw deep cranks on 20 or 30 lb. braid, with a 10, 12, 15 mono leader depending on what I'm throwing and where. Right now, and I'm still using up my FC stash, I'm throwing jerk baits in open water on 8 lb FC. Anxious to try mono and see how in works. I'm using about a 15' leader in front of 20 lb braid on bait casters and 10 on spinners. As I said, "If you think it works, it does."

I would suggest that all you lovers of FC flavored Kool - Aid quit reading ads, and the posts of other FC lovers, and pros that are paid to hype their sponsor's products, and spool up some line and make an objective test of what really works for you. I have, all the way from 8 lb test line to 25 lb test, and can find no difference that I can determine between FC and mono. Mind you, I am using braid with a leader 100% of the time that I'm not using braid alone. I'm not being critical. I drank the Kool-Aid in barrels when FC first hit the market. Like most of us at that time, I paid far too much for it, but it had to be the best thing going. Spent a lot of money on FC. Tackle Tour's tests showed minimal measurable differences between FC and mono. Those tests are what got me really thinking about what worked and made me quit listening to sponsored ads. If you like FC, and believe it is of value to you, use it. Fishing is a head game, anyway. If you think something works, it does.

Look at Revo X, both bait casting and spinning. Generally around $100. Fine reels. That said, I use Lew's Super Duty's for punching and flipping. Never had an issue with the Revo's, but I am tough on power reels, and have never hurt one of the Super Duty's. Still in your price range.

I feel sorry for your northern boys. I tried ice fishing when I lived in Minnesota. Couldn't get into that. That ain't right !! Here in the Kansas City area, we run a little winter tournament circuit on some of our local lakes. We have our first one tomorrow. Been too hot. We'll fish until the lakes freeze.Once it gets really cold and nasty, pretty much the same half dozen guys come out. Just a little coffee can tournament. $30 entry fee, but a lot of fun. Some years the lakes freeze in January, and we go into boredom mode. Some years they don't and we fish all winter. I've lived here 33 years and never have had to winterize a boat. Had to drive to Table Rock a few times, but only 3 hours. I did take all the "non-cold weather" stuff out of the Skeeter today and hauled to basement.

Suggest you have the store show you how to open the side plate. That JM is a lot more reel than the Extreme. I must have a dozen of them, and have not a problem.

Maybe you need to rethink your decision to go kayaking in those conditions. I have. Of course, I'm 74 with two heart attacks, and if I hit the cold water, it's over. In the winter, I'm in one of the big boats, or I ain't going. Dead ain't good !!

101 Spin Frog, if you can find them. I have 2 jars of blue, one each of green, brown, white left. I spend far too long when I get hung just to save the frog. I can buy more jigs, but no more Uncle Josh.

What the heck are you guys talking about? The object is to catch fish, at least that's my object. All you guys that buy tackle for status, enjoy yourselves. Hold each other's hand and tell your neighbor how special you are. You'll be in the truck on the way home, while I'm waiting in the check line.

I don't doubt these rods and reels are beautiful, and spark some old memories of the past. Heck, I'm almost 75. I live in the past. Quit the BS. I remember when these were the tools of choice. They ain't now. Go to Walmart or BPS and buy some $20 rods and reels. More expensive, if you can afford. They will cast better and fish better than any of these antiques. If you want to use them for fun and nostalgia, have at it, but they are not good tools any more. Spare me. It's the 21st century.

I'm throwing the Stayzee's and the long billed MB's, but nothing beats the old deep Rogue by Smithwick. I've got a few old spoonbill Rebel's left also. Almost afraid to throw them because I can't replace. I started throwing the Rogues over 20 years ago. We drilled holes in them and either poured lead in the holes or pounded sinkers into them. They were impossible to cast. No moving weights or none of that modern stuff, but man they caught fish. On 12 pound line and a long cast, if you could make a long cast, they would run deeper than you could reach with a 15 foot push pole. I would throw them into the gnarliest tree I can find, pull them down (don't jerk, just pull) to a limb and just wait for the bite. Almost like fishing a big worm in the summer. Just let that big lure set there, hanging on that limb, and wait. It will happen. Man what a fun way to fish. The new Rogues are cheap enough that can you can afford to lose a bunch of them, but the old ones are almost irreplaceable.

The number one thing is to throw the bait in the correct place. We spend so much time talking about crap like contrasting skirts and trailers. The real issue is to find the best place to present our lures. The "wrong" lure in the right place will always catch more fish that the "right" lure in the wrong place. It took me over 60 years to figure this out. I'm 74 now and finally realize that the wrong lure in the right place will always catch more fish that the right lure in the wrong place. Fishing is really not that difficult. The hard thing is to find them.

Heck, Is any insurance worth it? You buy it, and then do everything you can not to use it. I carry $10,000 coverage on tackle and electronics. Been doing it for many years. Never had a claim, but one crazy SOB at the motel one night makes it all worth while. I doubt I could replace everything in my boat, including TM and electronics for $10K. Crap shoot.

I don't want to make this a diatribe, but unfortunately, pattern fishing and condition fishing has gone away with GPS and modern electronics. It's spot, or at the best, area fishing now. Maybe there are different spots depending on the seasons, but IMHO that's how it is. Regardless, I'll earn 'em, or I wont' catch 'em. I don't buy fish.

Sure you can. Just have to declare what value you want covered. The insurance companies will be happy to SELL you coverage.

Fellers, I'd much rather know where to throw than what to throw, particularly what color.. Colors matters to some extent, I'd agree, but I'd much rather throw the wrong color in the right place than the right color in the wrong place. We spend far too much time on "what" rather than "where". I believe jigs come in three colors. Black and something else, green/brown and probably nothing else, and white. Throw these in the right place and you'll get bit.

If a rock will cut your 30 lb braid, it will cut your 12 lb FC or mono. If you like braid, throw it.

It really ain't that much different from a "Do nothing rig" we used in Alabama in the 1970's. We either threw a Charlie Brewer slider or a Mann's Sting Ray grub. Used to whip the spots on Logan Martin.

Maybe we all ought to throw hand lines. Certainly the pure types that deal in the nuances. Take out all those rods, reels, gears, handles, bearings, brakes, drags. Get down to true, pure fishing. At least line on a cane pole. I started that way. Bet darn few of you did Whether or not, someone wants to back reel doesn't really matter. It may, or may not work, depending on the individual. Don't really matter. But, I can tell you in reasonable certainty, that the majority of the fisherman, and most of the guys that buy the groceries with a rod and reel, choose not to, and they catch a lot of fish. Read my earlier post regarding Randy. I like Randy. Never met him, but like him anyway. I learn from him where I can. He's more 20th century than me, and I'm older than him.

Years of excessive practice. I can pitch with anything. My preferred reels are Lew's Super Duty's, but I pitch with every thing I own, casting or spinning. You can too. Turn off all the brakes. Loosen the spool tension completely and practice. I think I'm good until I watch Swindle's videos. There is no short cut. You can't learn to do it on the keyboard.

Boat cleats are my nemesis. It's amazing how many rods you can break on cleats. I love retractable cleats. I'm 74 years old. Fished all my life. I can only remember breaking one rod on a fish. That was my fault. Big flat head and I leaned on him too hard.

Maybe quit thinking so much about hardware. Pick a reel and use it. None of them are perfect, but they are all better than we are. I've settled on Lew's Super Duties for power fishing. Flipping, pitching, punching, frogging, etc. Got a bunch of them. I've got a few other Lews LFS's that I've tried. Not my favorite reels, but I'm not into hardware. I've got 'em. I throw 'em. Catch fish on 'em. I've bought 6 - Revo X reels in the past few months, both bait casters and spinners. For the money, I believe best reels out there. They work. Work well. Don't believe they will stand up to daily heavy duty work. That why I throw the Super Duty's. I ain't buying status. The Tatula's seem to be good reels. The SLX's also. What reel you are throwing won't get you to to Ray Roberts in March.

It's a jerk bait, fellers. Even a high quality jerk bait like the MB 110 varies. It's up to you how you want it. Regardless of what brand, and I think I have almost all of them, I generally end up tinkering to get my lure to work the way I want it to. Sometimes I add split rings, sometimes remove them. Heavier hooks, lighter hooks, Suspend Strips. I don't think there is a lure that you can change to suit what you want more than a jerk bait. I've got a treble hook box with almost every brand of treble hook made just to make jerk baits work the way I want.

You guys make this far too complicated. If you are throwing a chatter bait type lure, you aren't finesse fishing. My chatter bait box only has Zako's for trailers. That's all I use. If I want to finesse fish, I'll throw a finesse bait. I'm not saying Zako is the best, or only trailer. I just use it. I just don't believe it matters that much. Where your throw is much more important. Pick one you like and throw it. It will either catch fish, or it won't. If they will bite a chatter bait, it will.