OkobojiEagle

I would first be looking to find convenient out of state fishing. Second, I would be determining which fishing techniques and baits I could fish without any lead... jerkbaits (both soft & hard), crankbaits, top-water baits, heavier salted plastics, plastics with inserted nails, tubes stuffed with larger ball bearings, ect. Third, I would find and support a local organization who is actively protesting the ban. oe

Yes & Yes oe

In a spinning reel no moving part contributes to the casting distance, however, periodic cleaning and lubing will extend the life of the reel and reduce frustrations. If the line roller has a bearing, clean and lube it with a light oil. If the reel has a drag stack, better (smoother) drag discs may be available or you may want to grease (drag grease) the existing discs. Clean the old grease out of the housing and from the gears and re-grease the gears packing lightly but thoroughly between the gear teeth. Clean the bearings and re-oil them with a medium heavy oil to maintain smoothness (any bearings in the handle as well). I've read differing views about lubing the anti-reverse bearing so I leave mine alone and hope for the best. oe

As I read it... they chose one line to test the different knots with. oe

I believe they did the knot test using only one brand/test# of line. I'd have to see results from considerably more brands and diameters of line before I accepted the results. oe

You may be in the minority with that opinion, but you are not alone. I prefer no "weed guard" and hook exposed whenever cover allows and lightly tex-posed when that is possible. The only skirted bass jig with weed guard I fish is a Hairy Bug and it has a V-shaped light wire guard. oe

flyfishusa.com

Al... I do fish rabbit hair jigs I tie, but the shaved pelt is only a trailer I thread onto a bucktail jig in place of a plastic or pork trailer. oe

worth repeating oe

Al... I sometimes use shaved rabbit pelts cut similarly shaped as a Zoom skinny chunk with my bucktail jigs to be fished on the bottom. More action than plastic; less mess than pork. They hold scent well if that's important to you. oe

I'll agree with Al and Barron on this one. oe

I prefer smaller reels and fill them entirely with PE line. I use a discarded PE line as filler if more is needed. I tie directly to the bare spool using a 4 wrap uni knot and tape over the line using a water resistant, cloth based medical tape. I tape the entire circumference of the reel, knot to knot. Lay the line on tightly. oe

I've observed a thicker tail requires more weight and/or speed to flutter. I'm looking forward to fishing a package of these grubs to see if the unique design of the tail proves my current observations wrong. oe

Jig tiers such as Paul Jensen and Craig DeFronzo have been marrying plastic and hair/fur/feathers for years... reference Paul Jensen's Bou Tube. I've been known to play "mad scientist" and tie a few creative Frankenstein lures in my own lure laboratory, so I don't look upon these "commercial" creations as innovative or new. At times they can be quite "special". As lively as hare and marabou is, lures of this type are at their best when fished in an extremely subtle manner trying NOT to accentuate the movement. oe

I'm going to throw in a suggestion to try a rod with a fast or medium fast action for jerkbaits and lighter top water baits. oe

... and Phylis Diller was similiar to Marilyn Monroe! oe

You asked what I think... Fishing with live bait is trapping. If my objective was to bring home a meal quickly then live bait will help accomplish this. Bass fishing is a game to me and I don't eat my advisary in this game... artificials only, most often barbless. If you are deep hooking multiple bass because of using live bait and releasing them to die... that is morally wrong in my eyes. oe

Breezy... Thanks for the chart! Who'd of thought 3-in-1 oil might be an excelent cold weather spool bearing oil? I guess I'll drop my Rem Oil from usage in my bearings and feel comfortable with the Abu (Berkley) and Yellow Rocket fuel. I'm assuming the shelf life of these oils extend into the decades? oe

I was hoping someone could provide a comparison of viscosity and penetrating properties between these oils. As Rem Oil is formulated for a purpose other than fishing reels I had no empirical data comparing it to either of the other two oils I mentioned. I feel the Berkley's oil penetrates the race cover a little better than Rocket Fuel and Rem Oil but I'm not confident that my OBSERVATIONS are accurate. Rocket Fuel needs to be re-applied more often than either of the other two. The sewing machine oil I use in my tailor shop (O.K.'s oil) appears lighter than all three of the previously mentioned oils and I wasn't impressed with it when I tried some of it for reels several years ago. oe btw... I use a lightly applied coating of 70wt. synthetic lower unit oil to lube my level wind pawls.

I've been using Yellow Rocket Fuel, RemOil and Berkley's reel oil interchangably for the past several years and haven't noticed any difference between them. I'd like the opinion from some of you seasoned guys about RemOil specifically, but also throw in your thoughts on the other two oils as well. oe

Sir... The goal would be to attain a balanced attitude without a bait hanging from the rod. oe

John... I know your response was intended as a humorous retort, but it provides the very concept why someone would want a balanced rod/reel in the first place. So that the fine motor muscles of your hand can more easily recognize the slightest weight as bait not rod and any increase (or decrease) to that weight may be fish. oe

Revo S oe

Yeh... they dredge bottom a little easier. oe

That was my suspicion too, John. Vinnie, I don't have any links as I try to support "brick and mortar" stores as much as possible. oe