gr8outdoorz

You will be fine. I use the same rod for punching and like it. Its nice to have the backbone to pull a 5lb bass with 10lbs of weeds to the boat. I also really like the long handle on it. For me, it makes it easier to punch all day with those heavy weights.

Overstockbaits.com

Tom, I actually wonder the same thing. I only have a few rods with braid and on all of them I tie direct as I fish these in heavy grass. I use it for the cutting ability and strength for pulling them out of heavy weeds. You have posed a very good question. One that would probably be best answered by a biologist that knows the structure of a bass's eyes and brain. As fisherman we can only guess as to what they really see. As I stated before, I do feel line movement can turn them off of a lure. It could be the reason why so many finesse baits & slow moving baits are hit on the fall or not being moved, the line is not being moved by the fisherman.

If you are using it mostly around wood I would use fluoro. In my experience, braid & wood don't do too well together. If its mostly for grass, go with braid. It will cut through the grass better.

Im not sure how much bass react visually to line, however I do believe they can react negatively to the movement of lines. My background is trout which,as you said, have more acute vision, but bass still have a lateral line that detects those movements. When presenting slow moving baits I feel that it is the movement of the line more so than the visual aspect of it that would turn them off of a lure. I have seen numerous trout respond to line movement even when using 2lb test tippet on a fly rod. I would think bass would be similar as it is the lateral line that detects this movement. That being said, I feel this only applies to slow moving baits. I don't think it matters for reaction baits. Jus my .02

Strike King Super Finesse worm 4". Its the ones made with the elaztech. They float and work pretty well for me.

You drive 45 minutes to the grocery store across town because the pond next to that one has bigger fish

I...I mean you moan & groan about having to be up at 8 am for work, but you are on the lake by 4:30 am on weekends

my fiancee is an avid fly fisher. Put a fly rod in her hand and she will fish all day. When I take her bass fishing...she always brings a book on the boat for when she gets bored.

On days I'm not catching I always look up at the sky and say: "Why you not letting them out to play today??? They must have been really bad last night!"

For Hudds I have a 7'6" H Okuma Guide Select which was paired with a Revo Winch. I just acquired a Cardiff 301A that was sent to DVT for servicing/cleaning that will go on it when it gets back. I had no problems with the 68's, but I could spool the Revo with 8" Hudds. Line capacity is key with big baits because you will want to use 20lb line minimum. I use 25lb CXX.

Jig rod for everything but grass - 7' H/XF Carbonlite, Revo Premier 6.4:1, 17lb Fluoro Jig rod for grass (Punchin/Flippin) - 7'9" H/F St Croix Mojo, JM Sig 7.1:1, 65lb Braid T-rig rod for everything but grass - 7' MH/F Carbonlite, PQ 7.1:1, 17lb Fluoro T -rig rod for grass - 7'9" H/F St Croix Mojo, JM Sig 7.1:1, 65lb Braid I spend all my big money on fly rods

Hi-vis yellow for me too. Too many subtle takes. Got to be able to see my line.

Happy 29+6th Birthday Mike!!!!!

Yep, and it works. Just fish it MUCH slower in the winter. Personally, I like to T-rig a Rage Menace or a double tail grub when the water is cold. I really like the action on them, but I'm sure most any plastic will work.

For flippin & punching mats I use a St Croix 7' 9" H/F , 7.1:1 JM Sig reel, and 65lb braid. I still flip with a jig sometimes but have been using a 1 to 1 1/2 oz weight, punch skirt, & Rage Lobster on a flippin hook. This seems to get hung up less in the thick stuff.

Kmac you are correct about that! Personally, I will sharpen single hooks but not good with trebles so I just replace them. Im like you, if it aint broke dont fix it.

I use it for most all fast moving baits (SB, BB, CB (shallow), paddletails, jerkbaits, etc...) I use fluoro for slow baits the fish get time to look at (Jigs, T-rig) Flippin, punchin, & umbrella rig gets braid Drop shot, mojo rig, and shakey head gets braid w/ fluoro leader Topwater & swimbaits get mono

Shallow cranks I use 12 lb YoZuri Hybrid Deep cranks I use 10 fluoro.

Why do u say that J? I don't know about you, but I can change a treble as fast as I can hone one down.

KVD will tell you to change out the hooks because KVD is a salesman! Guess what...the hooks he tells you to change them out with are...you guessed it...Mustad KVD tripple grips. The more you spend, the more he makes

I've had the pleasure of fishing with 2 of our Mods (00 mod & Roadwarrior) Both of these guys are an absolute pleasure to be around. Some of the best conversations I have had in a while. The enthusiasm they both have for fishing reminds me of myself. You just gotta love fishing and you will have a great time with them. I look forward to the winter trout fishing to end so I can meet up with them again to chase some green fish

Fishing!! Spring, summer, fall, & winter!

Now take what I say with a grain of salt. Even though I have been fishing for trout for 35+ years, It has been with a fly rod for the past 25+ years. If you are going to be fishing with lures then I would suggest around a 6 lb mono/copoly unless the water is crystal clear. The river I fish the most can be extremely clear, especially during winter, so I normally use fluoro tippet (unless I'm fishing big streamers). For all other cases a good mono/copoly will be fine. As for the temperature affecting fluoro...Personally I have never had a problem with it, and I fish all winter using mostly fluoro. Brands - This is open for debate as everyone has a brand hey like so its mostly a personal choice. Most brand names have some good lines in their lineup. If it were me, I would spool up with 6 lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid. It has a very high breaking strength and is still fairly supple at 6 lbs. I use 12 lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid on my streamer rods I use to target trophy size browns and have never had a problem bringing in very large trout (my PB brown is 33" & it was brought in with 12lb yo-zuri). Hope this helps! Carlton