Tim Kelly

You need to balance the leader with the technique. If you're fishing from the bank and chucking a 1/2oz Tokyo rig as far as you can, then 8lb isn't going to work. The 20 would be safer, though probably on the heavy side. 15 might be a better choice. Knots are important with fluoro, but understanding how the whole system works and balances is as important for it all to work as seamlessly as possible. You're doing really, well considering you haven't been fishing very long, and getting to the point where you want to try more things and expand your knowledge, which has a learning curve. Keep at it.

Superb. Hope his recovery is also perfect.

Poor guy. All the best for him.

You're right to go back to the braid you were using last year and keep the fluoro for leaders if you feel you need them. Fluoro on a bass size spinning reel is difficult and the advantages of sub 10lb fluoro over mono are pretty questionable. Above 10lb it has enough weight to show a difference, but that's not relevant here. Fluoro on spinning reels requires careful selection of brand and diameter as well as very good line management skills. Even then it won't cast as far or as easily. For someone relatively new to fishing you're doing well to find a system that worked for you last year. Stick with it. If you want to expand your techniques then a medium heavy baitcasting outfit with 15 fluoro would be a good next step, but it will be a learning curve. Your spinning outfit will serve you well for lots of techniques with the braid.

That's my preferred method too. The unevenness is just a result of the line not being "precision wound" onto the spool at the factory, so it lays on top of the layers of line below and distorts them. I don't think it has any real effect on the line and it's more noticeable on stiffer lines. Most japanese monos a precision wound and I think Sufix lines are too. Probably more brands I don't know about.

You mean uneven or rough as in it would snag lint if you passed it over some lint?

Spinning reel? The lumpy feeling is just the way it's wound onto the spools at the factory. Lines advertised as "parallel wound" don't exhibit the lumpy feeling, but conventionally wound mono often does. How you wind it onto a spinning reel makes a big difference on how much twist the line has. Do it wrong and it will be horribly twisted.

That is unerringly accurate. It also needs a wine/beer curve, which would be exponential.

I expect you could dump a spool of heavy line on a long cast, probably not an ideal reel for that sort of thing a 300 size would be more appropriate. An SV spool makes controlling the reel when skipping a bit easier, but you still have to have good technique to cast without backlashes. Shimanos or anything else will skip perfectly if you do your part, but the SV spools are more forgiving. Pitching doesn't usually matter much about braking systems, so any reel will do a good job if it's set to run loose.

I sent David Fritts a message and he was kind enough to answer saying 0.011 or 0.012 would be the right diameter.

Another thing I thought was interesting was Fritts saying that mono lasted longer than fluoro for cranking. He said similar fluoro would be worn out in a day compared to mono. Not sure whether that's because of getting snagged as mono survives being stretched better than fluoro, or something else, but I fully believe that he's tried it and found mono superior. If not superior, at least a lot cheaper to replace every day!

Thanks Dwight, good info.

Yeah, I get that, but you can definitely get .27mm line labelled as 10 and the same diameter labelled as 15. I have always struggled to get anywhere near the dive depths that are published for crankbaits, but have probably never fished mono or fluoro as fine as I imagine Fritts was recommending. I've fished 20lb braid, which is finer than most suitable monos, but still never achieved the advertised depths, so I'm at a very early stage in my crankbait learning. Pretty sure I've never caught a bass on a crank, though I only get to fish for them a few days a year, but want to improve my technique on the fish I fish for more regularly too.

Maybe, but it seems pointless being specific about the 10lb if the diameter is irrelevant.

OK, what I was getting at was that 10lb mono is a very vague description as it seems to be between 0.22 and 0.30mm diameter depending on brand and variety, 10lb is the line described for dive charts, but again, which one. Fritts was saying that the 10lb makes a good long casting line and allows the lures to run as designed, but then which mono? I have a huge amount of respect for Fritts and many of the other anglers who have been doing it for a long time and have a system really dialled in. Trouble is it becomes more difficult to know what they're really saying when they have to promote a sponsor's product that might not be exactly the thing they would really choose. As another curve Berkley sensation labelled 10lb in the states is something like 0.27mm, depending on where you look, but it's 0.22 here in Europe. That Fritts is so certain that his system works well and had been refined over the years makes me think the diameter and the low stretch are important, but quite what they are is not obvious.

What do people like for crankbaits? Listening to BTL with David Fritts the other day he was a great advocate for 10lb low stretch mono. What brands do you like? He was talking about an old stren cranking line, but said that Berkley Sensation was a current low stretch line. I wasn't entirely convinced as he's sponsored by them and I've never thought much of sensation when I've used it. Recommendations welcome.

Poor chap. What a wretched time to have to use the hospital system too. Fingers firmly crossed for him, he's definitely one of my favourite pros.

Learn to tie an FG, it really is just about bullet proof once you've worked out how to tie it well. It's a pain to learn, but once you have it down it's really no problem.

From the original post, I'd warn against leaving the baits rigged up, especially the finesse ones as the hooks will rust and weaken quickly. Can't be many of us who haven't had a hook snap with a ned rig.

I'd be amazed if tackle tour hadn't done a review at some point. They'll be very nice rods, but it depends what you're comparing them to as to how you can judge them. E.G. If you're used to using $200 rods, then they'll be an appreciable set up, but if you're used to NRXs or high end Dobyns, or Megabass they'll be good, but you might prefer some aspects of the other makes. At that level it's very slight differences and it's often as much the ergonomics of how the rod is built that you either prefer one style over the other as they're all top end blanks and fittings. I've always felt St Croix rods managed to feel durable even at the top end, where some of the Loomis rods might be slightly more sensitive, but feel frail and fragile in comparison, but that's just my opinion. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewstcroixlegendeliteec70mf.html

Don't know then. I have a few of the green elite spinning rods, which are my favourites for most functions, but haven't bought any of the casting rods. What are you comparing them to?

The new ones? They've only been available since the classic, and at $600+ they probably haven't sold a ton.

What line are you going to use? Up to 20lb fluoro/mono or 50lb braid 200 size, thicker line 300 size. My rule of thumb.

Magforce is just a basic magnetic brake. Mag Z has a moving rotor to vary the braking force further. SV and Air and 3D are all other variations of magnetic brake system. Reels for chucking heavy baits don't need a particularly sophisticated braking system compared to those for chucking lighter baits.

Queuing is becoming a habit, at a safe distance.....