PGA Dropout

Actually just went to a very sensible wedding; old friends got married at a brewery an hour and a half from where we grew up. Starting at 5:00 PM: ceremony was fifteen minutes, open bar immediately after. Apps, salad, dinner, cake, dance, boom done and I'm on the road at 9:45.

Open sideplate, adjust brake pins.

Owner Beast weighted 4/0 or Owner Twistlock Weighted 5/0. The Beast has a better gap, the Twistlock comes through/over grass better. Apparently you can also fish them on a plain 4/0 EWG hook but I haven't been able to make that work reliably.

The 117 is surprisingly subtle. Long, smooth glides. I don't have the SB-105... yet.

Yeah either that or the 734 depending on cover, line, and which jig size you're going to throw more.

Probably will see a new GLX at Icast or the next year's classic.

Yeah there are some $100 rods that give you a lot of sensitivity for the money. Better, more durable components in some cases too.

Yar, that's my solution to a sticky inductor. Make sure it's purple or it won't work properly.

I dunno. I think you're being picky. I like watching BlacktipH break rods and fall overboard. I like LakeForkGuy's bulldog. I like the Uncut Angling guys and their shenanigans. Also some of the younger guys and their unboxings are good if they go into their thought processes behind choosing lures. I will say that the * channel is my favorite and they're fairly no-nonsense. "Fish this on this with this, hope that helps." But yeah. If they annoy you, don't subscribe, don't watch. Use the dislike button.

For whatever reason, Hybrid feels super dead in my hands, so I don't use it. However fluoro is unnecessary unless you're pausing jerks in cold water. Different conversation there. #crankwithbraid

Straight braid. I'm experimenting with 6" of CXX to prevent bite-offs but results are inconclusive.

Going to have to double check my 7", but it's either 1 or 1/0 ST-41.

Good one from two Fridays ago. Took this before opening the gap with pliers and clipping the barb. Metal.

I fit 5 rods into a TW tube for a trade-in once. It was not pretty and I am amazed that they made it intact.

Some of the Monoblocks and LINs. Yep.

.33mm line is a good start. Maybe even .35mm since that CT has a decent spool capacity. Sufix Siege is my choice but Big Game is fine. Stren Original is also fine. Braid is excellent and should be considered when you become proficient with a casting reel. It is very easy to ruin a spool of fresh braid. Not the easiest to learn how to pick out a backlash either. You will backlash. Everyone backlashes. Also holy crap you get a lot of 10 lb Big Game for $9.

Learn when to make changes and when to keep doin' what you're doin'. Don't over complicate. WW2farmer has recently made an excellent series of posts regarding color selection in moving baits and soft plastics. I've adopted the mantra of green pumpkin, black and blue, and something else with most of my plastics and it's been good. The something else is usually red bug for me if you're wondering. Know when it's okay to over complicate. If you have one or two techniques that you're truly excellent at presenting, I think going a bit wild and carrying lots of sizes, types, and colors can lead to more fish. Example: I carry a stupid amount of different swim jig trailers. Use quality equipment. Expensive equipment is not necessary, but having reels you can cast reliably, rods with which you can feel bottom, and line you can trust goes a long way. Learn the "rules" before you start learning when the rules can be broken. This sort of goes with don't over complicate. Basically start with the conventional wisdom. Don't zone out. If you find yourself aimlessly chucking and winding, switch, move, or do something different. Unless, of course, aimlessly chucking and winding is catching fish. Listen to the fish. How are they hitting your lures? Where in the mouth are they hooked? What do they seem to be relating to? Most importantly, have fun. It's okay to avoid presentations that you dislike. Don't burn yourself out. Don't make it into a grind. Unless you're like me and you love grinding. Then grind away!

Too many variables. There are some that I think I would, but most probably not. For example, a NIB Chronarch D7 could maybe get $100 over its MSRP.

I think those spools are braid-safe.

Yeah it happens. Some E's were like that iirc.

Hooray getting rid of credit card debt. High five. And now, thread hijack! Student loans aren't bad, or at least don't have to be. Community college can be very reasonable (Pell grants alone covered my tuition and books) and any good CC should have an easy transfer plan to get you into a reasonable four year school with two years down. Subsidized loans should cover housing. Scholarships and awards are also a thing. While you're in school, work ~20 hours a week somewhere (empirically supported to correlate with better grades compared to students who don't work or work too much). Stay on top of your interest and keep it paid off. Choose something you like but also something that makes money. Also some places of employment will pay for your Master's, which is pretty sweet. Alternatively, learn a skilled trade. Weld stuff. Welding is manly and respectable. Sort of profitable too, I understand? Raider will chime in here. G.I. Bill's a good idea if the armed services interest you. Of course then you belong to Uncle Sam for a while and that's really a different conversation entirely.

Drop shot and shakeyhead are the only times I really want a spinning reel (open bail, let line hit bottom without hassle, profit). Everything else is preference. Modern casting equipment is getting to be pretty good, even near $100, at going lower in lure weights. Spinning gear is better in the wind but I think if you're finesse fishing in a stiff breeze you're going to be sad no matter what you do.

I carry offset O'Shaughnessy, offset round bend, offset wide gap, and skip gap hooks in 3/0 and that covers about everything. Experiment and see what you like. For whatever reason I have a killer hookup percentage (deep and top of the mouth too) with the O'Shaughnessy hooks.

Yeah I'm going to say that if you think the 853 is too much rod, the 852 is where you should look. I have the 843 and 853 and they fish very similarly to me with the obvious difference being the taper. I throw a lot of 1/8 oz jig and trailer on the 853 but maybe I'm spoiled by the Met that rides it. I tend to use "finesse" type reels and 15-20 lb braid so my perception of a rod's ability to handle the low end of its rating is probably skewed. Of course you should really own the 852 and the 843, but you probably want to stay in your marriage.

There's your problem. Armilo runs thin for a 17 lb line. It's only .34 mm diameter where I'd be using at least a .40 mm leader.