Preytorien

Excellent frog. I use them quite a bit. They nicely do the job of both a weedless frog and popper at the same time. Great fish!

Sufix 832 Not really a fan of flouro, but it'd have to be Seaguar Abrazx if so Berkley Trilene XL P-Line CXX Premium

I've seen that video....never tried it though. Can't say though that it's not because I don't backlash. I'll try it next time, I'm sure it won't take me long.

I seem to have incredibly better success using the Strike King Shim-E Stick in the Red Shad color. I'm not sure why, but man it seems to light it up when all other colors fail to produce. Any ideas why? Additionally, they're not all that easy to find in this color. My local Wal-Mart has them every once in a while, so I buy them up when they do. Might be worth a try if your luck with Senkos might be getting stalled.

The spawn is over in my favorite pond I fish. This weekend I really stuck too much to my spawn lures/presentations, with no luck. So I switched it up to a Strike King Shim-E Stick in Red/Black wacky rigged, and man that baby lit em' up. I caught some before the worm even got to the bottom, that's the kind of fishing I like! Looks like the summer Senko season is here!

I've always wondered this too. Some of the articles you read would make you think that a hook in the mouth = sure death for the fish, but like the OP, I fish a small pond that I regularly catch fish in, and I can somewhat embarassingly say I've deep hooked a few (successfully removed the hook), but I have yet to see a dead bass. It's a neighborhood pond so the traffic of carcass-removing animals isn't as high as it'd be in a more natural setting, so I have to believe the catch-and-release survival rate is actually probably pretty survivable for those fish. Makes me glad too, not only do I like knowing that most of my fish live to fight another day, I also like knowing that I have a sort of honey hole in this pond since the HOA gave me pretty strict "me-only" access to this pond since he caught me picking up trash a couple times.

I think it's more of a speculative thing. I used to try to see if it was accurate, but in most cases the fish determined themselves if they were going to bite. Besides, who'd want to stay off the water just because weather.com said it'd be bad? A bad day fishing is better than a good day at the office!

Frog in the weeds Popper in open water Some frog brands have partially covered both bases by making a popping hollow bodied frog. It's my go-to topwater (when a buzzbait won't do) Check em' out. I personally like the Spro Bronzeye Popper, great bait in my opinion.

Yea they have it. But stinkin' shipping is $6 just for UPS ground.....this piece is about as big as a thimble. I may call them tomorrow, be super nice to the rep, and see if they'll send it to me free. I just got this thing in November, and with ice out here in April, I've only used it about 10-15 times.

Well, now there's a new problem. While I was checking it and cleaning it, I noticed a piece that was broken. I'm not sure if it would cause the casting to be short, but I presume any broken piece to be bad and needs replaced. Where might I go to find this part: Shimano BNT2213 - Clutch Cam Retainer One of the posts was broken off. I see a few on flea bay that are used, but none for a Curado G series left-hand reel I can't find on Shimano's website anyplace to order replacement parts. Help!!!

I lubed with reel butt'r, just one drop. They spun pretty freely at the tip of a pencil after I soaked them about 30mins in acetone. They didn't feel like they were binding anywhere. I set the tension knob loose enough to just let the lure hit the ground and not have any overrun. I was careful with my grease, but you know how that usually ends up..... Your last two tips may be something to look into. I don't recall messing around with any grease on the shaft, but I'll check it, and I don't recall it being tight (binding) when I replaced the side plate, but I'll check that too. I didn't take the shields off when I cleaned them, I was a bit concerned to do that, afraid I would mess things up. I'll try it with reduced braking. I have 65lb braid on both reels, but like I said the BPS reel will flat out rocket a lure, while the Curado doesn't. I frog, jig, and punch in some nasty stuff, so I like the confidence in 65lb, but if it stays this way I may drop to 30-40lb braid and keep the BPS for the extra nasty stuff, use the Curado for not-so-intimidating weeds. I'll check all the above comments, thanks for the tips guys, I'll let you know how it does.

So here's a question for the reel repair/tune/maintenance gurus on here.... I have a basically brand new Curado 201G7 So far it's been great. I'm not a 4-5 times a week fisherman, so this is probably an overkill reel, but I love it. I've got it sitting on a Crucial 6'8" MH/Fast rod since I do a fair bit of shore fishing too, I don't desire too long of a rod. I've taken it apart, cleaned all the excess lube, degreased and lightly oiled the bearings, put it all back together, filled the spool up with Sufix 832 65lb braid since I am mainly using it for frogs and jigs. I guess I just expected it to cast much better than it does. I'm just not sure what part of my setup or technical lack of knowledge might be contributing to such bad distance. I rarely cast anything less than 3/8oz usually a 1/2oz. However I probably only get about 20m at best, and that only an estimate, and it takes a fair bit of heaving to get it that far. Compared to my BPS Carbonlite reel it's pretty sad, my BPS Carbonlite will flat out chuck a lure. For reference I'm really pitting the results of casting the same 1/2 Dean Rojas Spro Frog on both reels. The Carbonlite blows the Curado out of the water on distance. The Carbonlite reel is on a 7ft H/Fast Carbonlite rod. I can't imagine it's the reel inherently since Curado's (even G's) get good feedback and plenty of guys use them day in and day out. What would you suggest to possibly check as the culprit? Is there a kind of smoking gun when it comes to less-than-ideal casting distances? I have, to quote Francho, "3 shoes" on for my brakes.

Without knowing the details, initially I'd think working the shorelines, especially in the coves this time of year would probably be productive. I fish small to medium sized ponds alot myself and that's what I usually focus on. During the heat of day be sure to focus on shaded areas. Looks like a good place, might even hold a hawg. Good luck!

I use Rage Craws, Rage Chunks, and lately the new Netbait Paca Punch All seem to be equally effective

I have both the Cavitrons and the Booyah Clacker..... Cavitron seems to catch them more consistently day in and day out The Clacker seems to draw them in from farther away and seems to produce fish when the Cavitron isn't pulling them in So for me.....both.....I've never tried War Eagle, but you might've just shown me my next baitmonkey target

I don't have the spinnerbait rod, I have the worm/jig rod (6'8" MH/F) The rod is crazy sensitive. It was one of the best purchases I've made in a while.

I use flouro for 2 things alone.... 1. Ultralight flouro for my crappie spinning rig 2. Flouro leader for my rod with braid I've used and considered the benefits of flouro, and like others have mentioned, I found myself worrying too much about my line. I pretty much have zero worries when I use braid. Oddly I find myself still worrying about my leader though....but I will continue to use it.

I was using a tungsten punch weight and as I was reeling in, just a few feet from shore I got a bite, swung and missed. But since it was such a short line hookset the weight flew up the line and smacked against the tip. It broke the first segment clean off. The rod had a lifetime warranty.....DSG replaced it over-the-counter.

Seems like when the mosquitoes are out they dial in on me like a Sidewinder missle. Nearly every time I fish in the heat of summer I'm fighting fish along with mosquitoes. I've heard of the Permethrin spray or soak being the stuff they use on expeditions to jungles and such as it has very good mosquito control properties. You spray or soak your clothes in it, let it dry, then wear those clothes and it's your repellant. You can wear it for about 42 days before needing re-applying. It'll last about one wash a week in the laundry for those 6 weeks. Seems pretty durable. Even the military impregnates the clothes for our soldiers in mosquito-riddled territories with the stuff. http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Premium-Permethrin-Clothing-Repellent/dp/B007VCRX2S I would use "Off" but I own an inflatable boat and the manufacturer doesn't advise using any DEET-based products on their material since technically DEET is a plasticizer and causes a breakdown of certain rubbers, plastics, and vinyl. Probably wouldn't hurt it in such small quantities, but I don't want to be out on the water when I find out that the two don't play well together. So that's why I'm looking at the Permethrin. Anyone use it? I read pretty much nothing but stellar reviews about it. I'd probably get about 3 or 4 outfits (shorts/pants/shirt/cap/socks) that I usually wear when fishing - soak em' and wear them only for fishing.

I've only caught one off the beds this year. I didn't mean to (I'm one of the non-bed fishermen), but I caught it with a split shot rig. It was a nice one too. But yea, the slow fall of the split shot rig probably enticed her enough to pounce.

I've been using a 3/8 Siebert Jig with a RageTail or Paca Punch trailer.

Went out today with a guy I know. We worked some docks with jigs but I noticed that most of the docks were pretty shallow. Less than 4ft of water in many of them. In this case how would you effectively pitch the docks? The jig fell so fast to the bottom that there wouldn't have been much time for a discernable strike on the way down, and no sooner than you started to hop your jig, it'd be nearly back to the boat. How would you approach this? Would you even pitch a jig to such a shallow place?

You and I think a lot alike. I sometimes find myself questioning my *** of such high end rods. I really have to persuade myself to justify spending more than about $100 for a rod. There are discussions back and forth of what would be a virtual point of diminishing returns considering rods and reels. Us fisherman can usually always self-justify a nicer rod/reel or one that's not quite so beat up, but when you're talking $300-400 bucks, that takes a lot of justifying and convincing of my wife! I think when it comes down to rods, there are a few different things that they factor into the price. Of course sensitivity. I just dropped $150 on a new Crucial (Shimano) that replaced a much less expensive casting rod, and I can tell you without a doubt this thing is significantly more sensitive. I can feel things I normally didn't. In fact I find myself setting the hook on everything I feel since I keep thinking they're fish, only to haul up weeds or a stick. Higher priced rods are more sensitive. Now, I don't own any $400 rods, so I can't say if they're $250 more sensitive. If they were, you could feel the fish's gill pulses through the rod! Another thing is that the higher end rods seem to be lighter. Of course some rods don't follow that rule, but in my experience the higher end rods are lighter but still maintain the same length, taper, action, power, etc. That'll be a big help when you're fishing all day. The lighter the rod, the longer it'll take your arms to tire. A 10-hour day can be felt in your forearms with a less expensive/heavier rod. Then really the last thing lies in the quality. Better guides, better cork, better blanks, better warranty, etc. are all things that play into the premium pricetag. Again, is the quality really $300 more than a $100? Perhaps marginally, but then again, they put a ton of research into things like that (usually), so it bears some merit. I'm also a cyclist, with a bike that would cost about $11K to replace. I'm always having guys ask is an $11K bike that much better than a $800 bike? Really it comes down to the rider, just like anything, it's who's behind the bike/reel/rod/car/whatever that makes it perform to it's potential. But there are what are considered in the cycling industry to be "marginal gains" For example, over 20 miles maybe a frame that's 150g lighter only gives you a 10sec advantage over the other guy. Maybe your wheels that are 200g lighter are 15sec faster. Maybe your aerodynamic helmet is 20sec faster than another guys. Maybe your stiffer crankarms give you a constant 25sec advantage on the same course over the other guy. But look, you add them up and that's over a minute. It's the little gains, all compounded that start making a difference in the big picture. So the rod's a bit more sensitive, more comfortable, has great casting action, add to that a reel that's butter smooth and performs great, then you add a premium quality line, all these slight gains translate into a more effective presentation (more accuracy, distance, sensitivity, etc) and therefore can facilitate the probability of better fishing performance. It's not a guarantee, just like an $11K bike doesn't buy you a Tour De France win, but in both worlds, better equipment gives you the tools to perform at your best day in and day out. As for me, I'd have a hard time to plop down $300-400 on just a rod, but that's mostly due to my financial picture. Unlimited funds? It'd probably be more.

That's one heckuva fishing canoe Goose! That's a flat out fishing machine! I like the bomber-style fishing stencils near the bow!

I've used Power Pro, 832, and Spiderwire.... I think I'm getting ready to switch back to Sufix 832. Nothing wrong with the others, I just like 832 just that litttttttle bit more.