iceintheveins

The Tatula in the 5.4:1 is the best reel in that price range. The 5.2:1 BPS Pro Qualifier is the best sub 100 dollar reel around. Sometimes you can find a Curado on sale for around $130, and they are worth every penny, better than both the PQ and Tatula.

I do think with water that has more than 2' of visibility, you should use a leader with your braid, unless you are frogging heavy vegetation, then you really don't need it because the vegetation will obscure the line.

I use plenty of both, but I would say 65% of my bass come on soft baits or jigs. I use soft baits and jigs in areas I know there are fish, and in calm conditions with bright sunlight. I will fish hardbaits a lot more in cloudy, windy, or low light conditions. This is a GENERAL rule of thumb though. If I'm throwing a hard bait during the day, it's probably a crankbait if it's fairly calm, a spinnerbait with some chop, or topwaters if it's cloudy. Again, these are rules of thumb. You need to develop confidence in BOTH hard and soft baits to truly be a good basser.

For me, my specialties are topwater, pitchin' jigs and creatures to cover, and fishing soft jerks and soft sticks. But I stick a lot of fish on spinnerbaits and cranks as well. In general, hard baits seem to work better with chop on the water, and topwater in low light and cloudy conditions. Higher, brighter conditions without much wind call for plastics usually.

Water utility managers in liberal states can be really stupid in the restrictions. A few are even closed altogether, all without any scientific basis. To get to your fishing question, I would bounce jigs and creature baits along the rocks, and bump and grind cranks. Spinnerbaits if it's windy and topwater early.

I always start with topwater when the water is over 60 and it's dawn. If they aren't hitting on top in short order though, I will throw either shallow cranks or spinnerbaits. If that doesn't work, I go with jigs, plastics, and other more subtle stuff.

Say the emergent heavy weeds are in 1 - 3 feet of water. Are those weed mats worth fishing with punch gear?

I use 3/8 of an ounce more often than a half ounce, I prefer a slow fall most all the time, it just seems to trigger more strikes. I actually use 1/4 ounce jigs and weights more often than any other if I'm fishing calm conditions in 12 feet of water or less, unless I'm trying to punch through heavy grass. That being said, I have plenty of 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 ounce weights. Heavier stuff gets the call for Carolina Rigging, punching, or football jigs in over 15 feet of water.

I don't like braid for topwaters. But since you insist on throwing it on spinning gear, I would go with 20 pound braid.

What is your favorite oil and grease for re lubing your reels?

Keep mono out of the sunlight when not in use, and always use KVD Line and Lure to make it more manageable.

7.1.1 is plenty fast. The reason is to get it to plane fast, then you can slow the retrieve to a crawl for buzzbaits.

Pepper Custom Baits 1/4 ounce jig in green pumpkin with a green pumpkin rage chunk trailer. The same exact lure and trailer, except Blue/Black, for stained water.

A football head may be your best choice.

The Shimano Cardiff is a very good affordable one. If you have the money though, a Calcutta B.

Nope, it's still doing it after a cleaning and light oiling of the brake drums and friction points. Perhaps I will send them into you this winter so you can fix it and perhaps do a super tune.

That's what I did. Plus a full bearing flush. Taking them to a pond today to see if that did the trick.

Shimano Compre Cranking Rod, 7' MH

Couldn't have said it better.

The Cordell Super Spot is better than a Rat L Trap IMO as well, they just don't have the color selection they used to have. The same weight Rat L Trap casts better than a Super Spot though for some reason.

My Curado E and Curado I throw 1/4 ounce baits on 10 pound test quite well. Even my BPS PQ can throw a 1/4 ounce jig plenty far enough if I'm swimming it or bouncing it along the bottom rather than your standard pitch and retrieve presentation. The same reel will bomb a 1/4 ounce buzzbait.

I gave the bearings a good flush and clean. I also cleaned off the contact points. We'll see if it continues.

So in other words the lake is going to be extremely low again?

I have had this issue with my PQ's before, where they screech and sing on the cast. I solved the issue by applying a light layer of oil to the brake housing. This is not working though anymore. I even tried a light oil coat on all areas where the spool makes friction with the reel itself. It's still doing it. What's the issue?

Has the water level come up this year much?