RoLo

> Rapala Superline Scissors > Bakers 6.5" Shorty Hookout (bought in 70s, used in saltwater, still going strong) > Needle-nose Pliers All are stored upright in a small plastic cup that I keep in my wet box on the open deck for a quick grab. Roger

Now you're talking, I like Chicken Fingers for high-speed trolling

I have never been there, but I cannot think of Cancun or Cozumel without thinking of 'sailfish' (dreamt about that for years). Roger

It sure does! It's wiry, abrasion-resistant, as tough as nails and has the memory of an elephant. These are all admirable traits for leader material, but I'd never use any of them for a main-line. Roger

The former IGFA record caught on a Chicken Nugget was only 7lb

I've fished with electronics and I've fished without electronics, but then again, I've walked in the rain with rain gear and walked in the rain without rain gear. My vote is for rain gear Roger

Any angler of advanced age would tell you that nylon monofilament was the line-of-choice for many decades. Back in the day, there was no such animal as ‘braided polyethylene’, instead we fished with ‘braided Dacron’ (polyester) and ‘braided Nylon’. For offshore trolling in the Atlantic Ocean, I also used lead-core line & monel wire line (talk about a nightmare!). When you think about it, the 1990s was a decade of epic change in the world of fishing line. “Braided polyethylene" (Superline) was introduced in the beginning of the 90s, while “Fluorocarbon" was introduced at the end of the 1990s. With regard to Superline, I was slow getting onboard and didn’t spool up with polyethylene braid until 2005 (Duh!). In contrast, I promptly boarded the fluorocarbon train shortly after it made its debut. At that time however, fluorocarbon was sold chiefly as leader material in 25-yard snap-hoops. I still have a bunch of 40-lb spools of Stren High Impact Fluorocarbon Leader in my line drawer (antiques?). Unlike freshwater leaders, the norm in saltwater is a leader that’s twice the breaking strength of the main line (gill plate protection). A 40-lb leader is used with 20-lb tackle, a 60-lb leader is used with 30-lb tackle, and so on. I apologize for a long-winded introduction, but it never hurts to qualify a response. Today I use straight polyethylene braid without a leader, nearly all the time for nearly everything. Let me qualify that statement as well. I use P-Line CXX for tying drop-shot rigs and a P-Line CXX leader for smallmouth bass, which typically involves jagged rocks and shell-beds. Roger

Welcome aboard! It's very tough in the beginning, there's such a flood of information. If you read between the lines from what everyone offered above, you'll likely end up with a senko on a spinning rod....not a bad start at all. Roger

I’ve never fished Turkey Lake, but I know it's one of Florida’s so-called ‘Fab Five’. The other members of the Fab Five are Lake Ivanhoe, Starke Lake, Clear Lake and Underhill Lake. Based on what I’ve read, Turkey Lake is a shallow, clear, weedy natural lake, a numbers lake for bass under 16”. Due to urban deed restrictions, I believe shore fishing is forbidden except inside the city park where it's permitted. I understand that the FWC placed a daily limit on the number of loaner boats on the lake at one time. I’m not aware of the details, you would have to call ahead on that. With respect to lures, I'd focus mainly on T-rigged soft-plastics and of course the Big EZ Roger

Sorry about that, No I'm afraid they don't In any case, we have no issues at all with wind-knots, be it casting or spinning Roger

This I will tell you, the first time I tried using fluorocarbon line on spinning gear, I felt like a beginner all over again! My wife and I have found fluorocarbon to be far too wiry for our brand of spinning, and far too stretchy as well. We both use braided line exclusively on our spinning tackle, and wind-knots are never a problem. There are a couple things you can do to alleviate wind-knots, one is to use 30-lb braid rather than 20-lb braid, another is to increase the tension on the magnetic brake. Roger

The first time I remember that happening to me was in Parry Sound, Lake Huron (~1970s). I was anchored and catching garden-variety smallies on a 1/16oz ballhead jig and mister twister grub. Then the action quit cold like someone pulled the plug. I spent another 5 or 10 min there fishing the same lure...zilch. Then just as I was about to pull anchor, I hooked up with a football. The next 5 bass were all over 3 pounds (the best was 4-1 and won the Clayton Contest). Although that happened many times since, that was the first and most memorable time. Roger

I have caught runts and slobs in the same location a number of times, but not during the exact same time-slot. It's as though an infiltration of large bass causes the middlings to pack up and leave, I can only speculate. In any case, it's a popular natural phenomenon called 'Timing & Territory', which is nature's way of giving different year-classes of bass a chance to share key foraging sites at different times (very common). Roger

Excellent point, Tom. Roger

My strongest confidence also lies with spinnerbaits, but in my case, the shootout is anything but fair. I've been throwing safety-pin spinners for around 50 yrs, but have been throwing bladed-jigs only about 10 yrs Roger

Not sure whose's interested in the reel brand or rod brand......but we would love the coordinates Roger

2 hours ago, Fisher-O-men said: Also I would agree that there is no need for FC. 15 minutes ago, Viper0463 said: I don't understand why you say there is no need for fc? It has low stretch and low visibility and sinks, all of those would seem to be good qualities for a jerk bait line. Maybe it's just my thought process though. Low Stretch?? I’m not aware of a single study that found fluorocarbon to have less stretch than nylon line. Some fluorocarbon lines stretch less than some nylon lines, and some fluorocarbon lines stretch more than some nylon lines. As it happens, line brand has a bigger influence on line stretch than line material. Apparently I've been spoiled by non-stretch braided line. I gave fluorocarbon line a college try, but found myself taking one step backward during the hook-set to compensate for line stretch. Fluoro Sinks Fluorocarbon is slightly heavier than water and sinks very slowly "at rest”. However, as soon as fluorocarbon line is dragged laterally thru the water (water is incompressible) it’s obese diameter generates water resistance that causes the line to plane upward. Whether cranking or trolling, a lure tied to braid will run deeper than the same lure tied to fluorocarbon. Line Visibility The importance of line-visibility cannot be proven, for this reason the debate will rage on forever. Personally, we’ve been tying braided line directly to our lures from Florida to Canada. If nothing else, we've proved that there's no shortage of fish of all species with poor eyesight Roger

The short answer is 'No', you shouldn't worry about it. Today, nearly all boat accessories are at least corrosion-resistant and most are corrosion-proof. Your brightwork is the most vulnerable, but shouldn't be degraded by sporadic trips to brackish water. At day's end, I always hose down the hull and trailer and flush the motor. That said, brackish water is much more forgiving than the salty brine, but I'd still follow a saltwater regimen. Roger

I was simply suggesting that you give it a shot, irregardless of line-visibility (they see fluoro line too). By losing the leader you are eliminating both the 'knot' & 'fluorocarbon', which is bound to show you something. Roger

Have you tried eliminating the leader, and tying direct to your braided line? Roger

I've never fished Doctor's Lake, but know a little about it (a friend of mine lived in Orange Park, FL). Doctor's Lake is a trophy bass water, but is not noted for numbers (good news for the trophy hunter). It's actually a backwater of the St Johns River, and is not far from the inlet (the St John's flows north). Doctors Lake is tidal, it has high salinity and a smorgasbord of freshwater & saltwater forage for bass. It also harbors redfish, seatrout and stripers. Two bass over 18 lbs (documented but never certified) were taken from the St Johns River in Green Cove Springs, which is just south of Doctors Lake. Roger

You might contact Stehlings Taxidermy in Madison, Wisconsin, they're Amish craftsmen. The boys took over their father's business, their dad was a grandmaster taxidermist. The skin mounts of today incorporate plastic fins that last forever. https://stehlingstaxidermy.net/ Roger

Every manufacturer has its own bevy of loyal followers, otherwise it would cease to exist. Many years back, I was sucker-punched by Quantum, and they're still paying the price to this day. I purchased two brand new Quantum casting reels for pike fishing in Lake Huron (Georgian Bay). To make a long story short, both reels failed, not one but 'both'. One was my wife's. the other was mine. I didn't even bother to pursue the warranties, because I wanted to wash my hands of Quantum (into the dumpster). Again, this was many years ago, so I'm sure Quantum reels have undergone many changes since then. Be that as it may, that's the price Quantum had to pay for slapdash workmanship of yesterday (Pre-KVD) Roger

You'll probably get algae growth, but no harm to the transducer. Roger

I agree with Dwight, but I catch more on a Big EZ because I almost never throw a Skinny Dipper Roger