MarkH024

When you say "WE" who do you speak for and the standards you're implying? I certainly hope you're not referencing the BR community.

I dont trim them. I fan it out to make them limber.

Excellent post Will. Thank you

Oh, I also forgot to mention I kicked my DX745c and CoreMG7 over the side of the boat. Luckily with my cat like reflexes I grabbed it on the descent down. I about had a heart attack as that would have made for a REALLY bad weekend. Thanks for the kind words guys

Yea that isn't even the meat and potatoes of the lake in any of those pics. I was completely stumped as I usually will get half a dozen fish or more from the main lake pads but it was a ghost town. I think the storms just made them super finicky. The overcast skies and modest water temps was plenty of good sign to have a killer weekend but I was missing something..

It's been forever and a day since I've been fishing but I finally made a trip up north to my place last weekend. Weather was horrible with on and off thunderstorms which seemed to show up at every opportunity I got to get in the boat. Fishing for the start of the summer was not so great. Water temps were around 77 degrees. I thought I'd absolutely hammer them on a frog bite but that was far off. I had to work for every bite I got and there just wan't a consistent pattern I could find. Big fish came on my Dobyns 766c punching a Rage Bug in the slop. She weighed 4-09. Second biggest was 4lb even and the rest were in the 2-3.5lb range. One 3-09 bass was on a Siebert brush jig paired with a Summer Craw Rage Bug. One fat gator pike decided to have my Siebert Fogy in Bluegill with a Twin Menace trailer. She measured 28" and has been eating well and forming a nice shovel head. Here's a few pics of my fish. Video wasn't the best, not sure I'll even bother with a clip, but will update if I do. I was mentally out of the game all around... Next time will be better.

I was up north too. Did horrible with only 6 bass and one fat pike. That on and off tstorms made fot a tough bite. Not a great start for the summer.

One of my gifts. Grenade Decanter which I put the rest of my Gold Label Reserve in. The Black Label was a gift as well.

I think you got a dud Rippin. Reach out to LT and see if they'll send you a new one. The ones I have do not do that.

http://fish.shimano.com/ You can compare reels on their site. Might help educate you about the differences between models.

Did you take this reel apart at any point or did the owner?

Nice post A-Jay. Now we know where you learned to fish.

Braid isn't that expensive when it can last you well over 2 seasons or more. Use backing and learn to tie knots that you don't have long tag ends. I'll echo the Power Pro statement. Cabelas has it on sale as well as Suffix 832. 150 yd spool will fill two bait casters for you easily with proper backing.

I did the same thing growing up. Mowed lawns and I worked for my old man's side business doing black top seal coating. There are ways to earn income, just use your head and figure it out. Once you start making income, you'll be asking yourself how you just dropped $500 on a rod and reel and another $200 in baits just to go with the new set up. It adds up quick!

I'd check your line either with your finger tips or tongue about every 2-3 casts. Anything that feels like a bump or nick, cut off and retie above that spot. If you're in weeds and not bottom bouncing in rock or wood you can probably get away with every 8-10 casts. All it takes is one little twig or rock to create the slightest nick in the line and it will be enough to do exactly what happend.

Great fish man! I would easily put that in the 7-8 category with that big mouth and bulging eyes. Heck of a fish and one to remember!

Very cool! Thanks for sharing

Squarebill is more about accuracy and hitting targets. You'll want the 705. The 765 would be better for long casts with the deep diving cranks. I have a 705cb glass and it is a phenomenal rod.

Maybe they're all in the on position already?

http://siebertoutdoors.com/Terminal-Tackle_c23.htm Very affordable here. Yes its worth the investment. You'll want the smaller profile and it'll make your punchin' that much easier. A 1oz lead bullet is gigantic so anything bigger than that for lead is a no-no for me. If you tie your knots properly you really shouldn't lose any tungsten except for an occasional bite off from an species that are capable by you. I have yet to lose a tungsten punch weight. Tungsten is eco-friendly too..

Always like reading your reports. Thanks for sharing and great fish!

Your first......but not your last. Enjoy and next time get a Fogy or 2. Bluegill skirt and a twin menace (GreenPumpkin/Purple gold flake) is killer!

Did you fill out your warranty for the rod? If so, send it back and they'll replace it. If you neglected to after 30 days of purchase you will probably not get it covered. The Rage line hasn't been out for 5 years yet, so every rod purchased in that line that was registered by the buyer should be covered. As stated you can look into upgrading too. The Avid spinning rod is still favored by me.

Mark Menedez I thought popped in here a while back. I think it was him..