FrankW

Hi Lux, Welcome to Florida. River fishing can be easier than lake fishing as there is not as much water to cover. A river does not have fish in all parts of the river and you need to keep track of the type of cover and conditions when you catch a fish. The area you did well during the spawn may not hold any fish now. During Florida's hot summers, in a river, the fish will find deeper water and shade. Look for spots with deeper water with over hanging trees and cover in the water. River fish also key on currant. I don't remember if the Hillsborough is tide affected but that would influence the currant in the river. If there is a dam that controls flow you need to know their schedule. Frank

Hi Jassch82, You can see you are getting all kinds of answers based on personal preference. I don't think we can offer any suggestions with out knowing where you are fishing and what kind of water, (clear, dark, colored). Are you fishing rocks or grass? Your fishing conditions and location has a lot to do with the line and rods you need. I can say that when I was fishing 10lb PP braid on a spinner I had a problem with the line fowling the rod tip. That went away when I switched to 20lb PP. Frank

You should have some tubes. Frank

Why not black tape? Frank

Hmmm, in 10' of water I think I would have went swimming. Frank

Hi Nick, I bought one of these reels on sale at BPS. I haven't used it a lot but it is an OK reel. Not great, not bad, just OK. I don't have any problems with back lashes. However, if it was me, I would get a Tatula for the same or less money. I like the Tatula way better than the KVD. Frank

Hi MichaelJ7, My comments were about the Micro Magic, not the Ghost. I have not seen a Ghost rod. Just wanted to make sure you understood that. The Heavy Micro Magic works great for flipping, for me. Frank

Hi MichaelJ7, I have a 7'6" heavy rod ( micro magic) and it doesn't seem light to me. It fishes just like I would expect a heavy to fish. Frank

That seems strange to me. Why wouldn't they take care of their customers until the new product is available? Frank

Hi FlipSide, I see from your pictures that the boats you are looking at have ribs on the bottom. Most metal boats with the angle iron ribs on the bottom has multiple ribs near the rear of the boat. This ribs are a major pain if you fish stump fields. You can trap a stump or limb between the ribs and it takes a bit of effort to get off. My express has a stepped hull and is the best choice for fishing stump fields. Most of the boats you have shown have inexpensive fish finders that came stock on the boat. Fish finders and trolling motors are one place Tracker and others save money on. When someone sells their boat they remove the upgraded fish finder and replace with the old cheap one. Very few will have a GPS on a used boat. The Fishfinder/GPS is the most important piece of equipment on the boat. You don't have a lot of deck space on a 17' boat and you need to have a rod storage compartment down the one side that connects with the back deck. This gives you a place to lay rods as you fish. You also don't want the console to be flush to the side of the boat. A design with a small flat area between the console and the gunnel gives you an area to lay rods. Even 4" is useful. Frank

tcbass wrote: "However, every once and awhile my line would get tangled up with the front treble. The front hook and leader tangle probably has more to do with your line. Especially if you are using braid. With braid you need a short mono or FC leader. If you are not using braid then your line is probably too light. Put a short shank treble on the front. Frank

Hi Robertqq, I can't help you with a different rod. You shouldn't have to worry about breaking your rod as long as you don't point the butt of the rod at the fish. That puts a horse shoe bend in the rod and that is when they snap. Frank

If the "Fuzzies" are a real problem for you then I would use a rod with out the micro guides. Frank

Some people cast overhand with an Arc cast that is part of a circle. That is, the rod tip travels in an arc. You should try casting with your rod tip in a straight, or slight curved, trajectory instead of a full arc. Then adjust the aim of your trajectory up or down to compensate for what your lure is doing. Frank

The wire tie does give a very secure skirt. Some wire ties I have used had the wire ends up and they caught grass. I prefer to tie my skirts on with braid and a drop of glue. I have found that the Seibert jig has very good skirt and trailer jags. The skirts are hard to install but once you get the skirt installed it stays in place with out the wire tie. Frank

The male frogs are the ones that croak. They croak to attract females. They are very territorial and croaking keeps other frogs away from their area. Frank

Hi kellenMO, If you want a ledge you need to look for the close contour lines like mentioned but find spots that has close lines above, then a wider gap with close lines below. The wider gap will be a ledge. Frank

I just got my first order of some Okie Jigs from Siebert. Very pleased with their construction. They are crazy sharp. Frank

That is a lead acid battery and very slim chance that you got just water out of the battery. More than likely it is diluted acid and will eat your seat cover. You can check it by rubbing your finger on the spot and then lightly touch your finger to your tongue. If it is acid you will taste it. Don't lick your finger, just touch the tip of your tongue. You are dealing with a poison. I would saturate the spots with water and baking soda and rinse many times. Don't know if the battery is ruined. How you restore it depends on how much acid leaked out. If it is a minor amount you should be able to just add more water and charge the battery. Frank

Hi Nate, Don't have a lot of help. I have fished two Carbonlite spinning rods since they first came out. I haven't had any problems with them at all and I fish them a lot. Frank

Hi bigbill, Why don't you tell us what you purchased and why you like it? Frank

Hi MIbassin, That video is very good for a beginner to learn how to pitch/flip. One thing that would really improve your pitching would be to use a left handed reel if you are right handed. That will eliminate needing to change hands to reel. You will still be pitching with your right hand but you just reel with your left hand at the end of the pitch. Frank

The best tool to cut out mono or Fluro is a small pair of side cutters that telephone technicians use. They have sharp points and will cut with little effort. They are made to cut wires so mono/Fluro is no problem at all. Frank

Hi BayouCassAssassin, There is no reason that most bait casting reels won't work with braid. If you are using light weight braid like 10lb that will cause your problem more than say 30lb braid. This problem is usually caused right after you have caught a fish or a snag. The line is pulled under other line due to its small diameter and when you cast it causes a back lash. Every time you catch a fish or get snagged, you need to remove the line back below the line you just used. You can pull it out or make a soft cast to no where. After you have rewound the line you are good to carry on. Braid is great line and its good points far out way its bad points. Frank

If you are going to use electrical tape buy Scotch Super 88 tape. It will work better in the water. I haven't tried it but Scotch Super 88 is a great tape we used in Alaska for indoor and outdoor applications. Frank