gulfcaptain

Of course it changes the way you fish before you have it and after. It's my eyes underwater to identify weed edges, rock, drop offs, timber, etc. Let's me fish baits before over brush I wouldn't have before due to excessive snags and loss of gear. See if what I'm throwing even generates a response and let's me break down an area quickly and decide if I wanna fish it or leave. I was good before I had it, now it's made me efficient and better with it. Now I did play the video game for the first few months and wasted a lot of time. Since having it since 2021, I have since just made it a piece of electronic equipment. One unit up front that is used as basically a depth sounder and quick scan of what's around me fishing structure or cover. I don't get hung up video fishing and in S. Cal, fish have become accustomed to the beam and swim away from it.

So it was told to the TD directly, he told them he didn't have a remote plug. He was given the ok. But hey it's okay leave your boat for a fish.....5min penalty, dive underwater 5min penalty. He never left the boat, had one hand on it at all times. That tour plays favorites, changes rules(often) and is a sinking ship. Feel bad for those that left when promised a different tour, they just didn't know it was gonna be a difference in badly managed. I'm sure Zack will be in the doghouse and possibly fishing boat docks with Watson as soon as I'm sure he calls out their BS.

Yep, he asked, told them what he was gonna do. Director said that's fine, apparently did it in previous rounds, and after it being seen on live a call was made to the TD. Official was in the boat.....weighed fish.....mind you the Officials know the rules. Most think it's due to Birge being possibly outspoken about this failing tour, and if he'd been one of the "Golden children " he would have been fine. Problem lies when the TD gives you the ok then its over turned after you did it. If you were granted permission from the TD then all of a sudden someone calls and says no, well too bad. You gave permission. Live by your ruling, don't change it. But then MLF has a way of changing rules on the fly which is why well I now represent #FBD.

I used to fish power pro, 832, have since swapped to p-line tcb8 and won't fish anything else. And the color holds(green going on 3yrs if not longer) so that in yellow is my go to

Did it come out of deep water? On a boat or on shore? If it's from a boat and you pulled it from say 20-25ft it's swim bladder may have issues and not being fully recovered it couldn't make it to depth to acclimate back.

So this also depends on Dia of braid as well as how tight it's packed on.....also do you use mono backing? Most of us will never fill our reels to the max simply because it's "too full" and causes issues.

Pulling watet effects everything. It fan change how they set up, they may move out to points, pull off the bank to the next transition, may school up and not roam depending on how much water flow is moving in that area, or may put them in a mood to eat what comes by or let it go like a river. But will definitely position fish differently if there is current vs lack of.

The bad part of where I fish.....oh boy well here we go. It's California, everything is expensive. S. Cal, boat motor requirements, heavy fishing pressure, small lakes, operation hrs....nothing like waking up at 2am go wait in line for the lake to open at 6am. Traffic, nothing like LA traffic pulling a boat. Closest big water(bigger lake wise) 6hrs away. Lakes with zero water tolerance (your boat is wet you are banned for 7 days from that lake or any lake operating with that system as you're logged into a computer. Wait 41 day quarantine hold(no water contact during that time, no boat usage) so you can fish just that lake. If you go to some lakes, 7 day hold before you can go onto adjacent lakes close by. Yep its awesome to fish these lakes around Southern California, the biggest which is 6mi long. On the good side, lots of city parks with big bass in them now that they have resumed stocking trout again....lol

Trap caster.

Don't think it's your reel, it's more the 14lb mono. That is gonna restrict what you can do and distance especially using a braking system or depending on how you have your brakes. Can you fish your 1/2oz baits on the same settings as the 3/8 squarebill? The lighter the line fished the better distance you get. Hence why I use braid to leader. I can jump up line size but yet keep a full reel of line due the the Dia of the braid used. 14lb if you are trying to cast say honestly 20yrds your spoil size is shrinking as it goes dramatically due to line thickness. Most reels claim 125yrds of 12lb, so figure maybe 100yrds of 14lb, I'd say probably closer to 90. The more line on the spool the further the cast. Less revolutions of the spool.

I don't understand the question? A bite is a bite. Then again I use braid to leader on everything so I can feel a bite on almost anything I fish. I would say depends on what you're fishing bait and weight wise.

Rockcrawler, 1.5 deep, I look at a 3xd as a modified squarebill, the bigger squarebills, (8.0) coffin billed cranks. And you can always break out your inner Paul Elias, stick that 7'2" rod down in the water and kneel and reel to get them squarebills down there.

So here's my 2 cents. First where are you throwing them, around grass? If so, nix a football jig, better for hard bottom. Next is jig size, sometimes you need to use a compact jig.....kietech makes a good tungsten jig, lighter would be a bitsy flip jig from Strike King in 1/4oz. Now fall rate. Sometimes you want it to fall quickly, so flapping appendages slow it down. I fished with a friend yrs back at Clear Lake, he was getting 4 bites to my one on a jig, difference, I had a trailer that moved too much water he was fishing a Reaction Innovation beaver without pulling the ends apart causing a muted action. Next day swapped to a 1/2oz with a smaller beaver rigged the same way and night and day difference. Needed less action. There is a lot of variables, water temp, depth, cover type, style of jig. And I would say most over work a jig. If you're flipping it or working it around cover and looking for that reaction strike then a heavy jig works great moving quickly from one target to the next. If you're dragging and slow hoping a jig, well go slow, and when you think you're fishing slow, go slower. You hit a rock, shake it free, don't hop it. That rod tip should move from 9 to 11, figure slow(15-20seconds to cover that distance) then pause. Learn the feel of your jig, if it feels mushy or different, set the hook. Moving slow they will pick it up and it's either heavy or mushy or your jig just doesn't feel right, lift up and hit um....I wouldn't slack line them though, by that time they may drop it. But as some have said sometimes they just don't want it. Sometimes a Texas rig craw bait is better. I can say I've not had great luck with a jig and worm set up or a lizard. I'd stick with 3-4" craw/creature baits, or the chunk style trailers, double tail grubs.

If you can go 6awg then I would go 6awg over 8awg. I had an electrician tell me one day "wire is like a water hose, the thicker wire allows easier power transfer and constant voltage opposed to thinner which constricted causing loss of voltage. But again use what you got if you already have it or if not I would go 6awg if possible.

So I would say the reel is more an issue with 14lb mono on it depending on brake set up (disclaimer....I never have any braking options on ever). Have you thought about swapping to braid with 14lb leader? Also look into Falcons bucco line. Their 7" mh mod fast is set up as a "trap caster", it's a good all around rod. I've thrown everything on it from plastics to cranks, spinnerbaits, small topwaters. If you go braid you'll get a bit more distance with 30lb braid to 14 leader then straight 14lb.

#1 what's your weather conditions, wind, lake coming up? There's a lot more to it. 54 degree water temp, I'm looking at sunny rip rap north facing banks, wood, slightly dirtier water to warm first. Jerkbait, dropshot standing timber.

I would still fish a moderate action rod. And a composite or fiberglass rod. Kinda the same reason you fish one of those with a chatterbait as so you have a slightly slower response and allow the fish to eat it without pulling it away to fast and let's them load the rod before setting the hook. Sometimes fast action rods cause you to move the bait or pull it out of their mouths when they bite. I would go moderate or mod fast. But to each their own. You have to find what works for you.

This, you can also add a split ring to the hangers or slightly heavier hook. Also if you're wanting to get deeper, try one of the baits that are a slow sink model especially if where you fish are heavily pressured. It's a different presentation and if you see a shad or baitfish start to die, it falls tail down after it darts. Hank Cherry also adds a heavier hook to the back of his jerkbaits to give them that slow tail down sink presentation. But I would start by switching from the floating copoly line and go to a fc 10lb would be a starting point and adjust from there.

So one of my favorite neko worms now discontinued of course, 6.75 Pro Senko. Great bait on a neko rig due to the thin tail design and head holds that nail weight nicely. And will also use a 4" finesse worm too when needing that small package and subtlety.

Have 3 different guys in my club that want me to teach them how ffs works. 2 of them have had it for over a year and still can't get it. Funny thing, it only is really useful for me maybe 4mo a year. Other then that it's just my bow depth finder.

This is where success lies, yes you purchase it to fish with and you LEARN with it. Those that just use it to try and catch fish fail. They don't understand it,they can't figure it out, they get frustrated by it, then don't use it anymore. I use mine to see everything and half the time I fish shallow and it's useless to me other then the depth or showing me bottom in front of me We all fish bads and love it, the more you learn the better you become. The arguments for it to be banned have zero merrit I mean should we ban spotlock trolling motors, shallow water anchors, DC casting reels.....they all are tools yet we are cherry picking. Bottom line, learning how to fish with ffs is a technique. Just like frog fishing, punching. Or fishing large swimbaits. Some are good at it, some aren't. So we should ban things that you learned to be better so we are all mediocre? It's a tool just like everything else, if you're hung up on what everyone else is doing you're already beaten mentality.

So mine are no longer available, either models. Love and still fish both a Quantum EXO 100, as well as the TourMg 100. Also a fan of the Team Lews PRO SP.

So I run 40lb P-Line TCB-8, never had it dig in. Fish all braid to leaders(even my 8 and 10" baits). The Chad Shad isn't that bug, kinda between a 168 and 200 size S-weaver which I throw with 15-20lb for the 168 and 25 for the 200. My Chad Shad I throw on the same set up line size and braid as the 168. Only difference is the reel sizes. I utilize older Quantum EXOs in the 200 and 300 size for bigger baits, but still throw the 168 on a standard size baitcaster. Frog and punching 40lb, 50 is plenty, if you use 4 carrier braid keep an eye on the braid l, you loose a strand or see frays, re-tie, haven't had the issue as much with what I run and if you snap a bait off casting, well that's from it being shock loaded with no stretch and trying to overpower your casts, then well it goes really far away and never comes back.

Have all Garmin. Want to save some $$, buy the outdoor eithernet cables on Amazon then wrap them with fusion tape from harbor freight instead of spending $60 on one cable can do it for 20 or so

Id go with a1 6'10mh Falcon bucco or lowrider.