OkobojiEagle

When tying the Alberto, leave 1/2"-3/4" of tag on the braid... oe

You want the truth? You can't handle the truth! Bass don't care what color the line is... oe

split rings... oe

...after 10 posts and you've learned enough to block possible useful information. I prefer to "ignore" information I may disagree with. oe

civil disobedience... oe

nylon/fluoro tag... as close to the knot as I can cut PE tag... ~1/2" oe

In the FFO store the branded squiggle means the rod has be "reconditioned"... There are several Elite Tech Smallmouth rods on the FFO racks, all baitcasting. These rods have been available at the store continuously since they were discontinued. I don't know if the FFO website sells the stock I find in the store? oe

X-rap... 8 & 10 oe

2000 sized reels often have better (larger) drags than 1000 sized reels. The larger spool may cast better (longer) than the smaller spool. If your ultra-light rod is 7' the 2000 sized reel will probably balance the rod better... 3 more more variables to consider. oe

Fast... oe

That kind of blurs the line between artificial and live bait... oe

I prefer one of the Charlie Brewer techniques... more fishing, less defining. oe

http://www.alantani.com/ oe

You're a good man, uh, maybe woman... boss! oe

I would appreciate a paid day off to fish... oe

I'm fortunate enough to own a small fishing boat, canoe, float tube, a couple sets of waders and I use them all throughout the year. I'm also fortunate to have collected dozens of rods/reels and several totes of baits and fishing paraphernalia. I've grown enough in my fishing to only carry with me a small shoulder bag with two small plano boxes -- one for jigs the other for hard baits -- and several pockets for soft plastics, spinnerbaits, leader line and a few necessary tools. That same bag is used from all of my water crafts, as well as while on foot. The most significant difference to my fishing while on my boat vs. canoe/tube/waders being I carry one rod/reel when fishing from canoe/tube/waders, and four rigged rod/reel combinations, make use of sonar, gps mapping and various boat control measures while fishing from the boat. I enjoy my fishing more when I keep it simple. oe

I've gotten beyond the need to handle each bass I catch. I'm satisfied to bring it along the side of the boat, raise it's head and unhook it while still in the water. Sometimes a bass will unhook itself... all the better. I find the larger bass don't come unhooked as often as the dinks. Filing the barbs off and touching up the points makes a good winter project. oe

Gopher shipped me an order in 3-4 weeks... That order was placed a couple months back. The government wasn't that fast with my tax return! oe

Fish are as smart as Mother Nature needs them to be... smart enough to eat, grow and then be eaten. Fortunately we humans (some of us anyway) are the smartest of Mother Nature's creations and we can learn to feed on all of the fish we need. Unfortunately we sometimes think we are as smart as Mother N, we get things all screwed up and she shows us the foolishness in our ways. Fish on... oe

I will disagree with this when using PE lines. The nylon/fluoro tag needs to be clipped as close to the knot as possible... it's encapsulated within the knot so no problem short. The PE line is coated and slippery... no amount of tightening is going to prevent the PE knot from slipping slightly. Give yourself a small margin for error... leave 3/8" - 1/2" tag on the PE line. I tie my alberto knot carefully and tighten it as much as I'm able, leaving 1/2" of PE tag and find that after catching a fish or two (or a couple snags) the PE tag has shortened to 1/4" of less... That soft PE tag is not going to be a problem traveling through your guides. oe

John... I don't remember Gorilla braid, but I'll certainly trust your memory. oe

"over a decade ago"... dig out your old In-Fisherman issues! Nearly 3 decades by my memory (which I admit is less than what it was). An acquaintance of mine, who at the time, was the branded line manager at Berkley & Co. (yes, pre-Pure Fishing) gave me a promotional spool of Fireline. These promotional spools were sent to known fishermen and tackle stores to generate interest when they were introducing a new product. I got mine because he felt sorry for me. Based on the age of our kids at about that time, I remember that to be 1992! Pretty good longevity for "dental floss"... oe

Some lakes with heavy recreational use will condition the bass (and other species) to feed more at night... my home lakes are like this. As the sun sets you can find them transitioning along points from daytime holding areas over deep water at thermocline depth to shallow weed flats with plenty of docks. oe

I'll get this in early so everyone else can kick it to the curb... original fused Fireline, 10lb test has been my mainline choice for many years. oe

Were you holding it by it's jaw? Not a good practice if you're not supporting most of it's weight by it's belly as well. oe