Xyndifor

I have the bb1 pro and the older tournament pro in the 7:1 ratio that's on sale at cabelas because I guess they are phasing out. They're both great for anything and cast d**n near a mile. I really like the externally adjustable centrifugal breaks on the newer models. I have the bb1 pro on a 7' duckett ghost I normally use for spinnerbaits and the tournament pro on my jigging rod.

I'll be doing that in a couple weeks at my local reservoir once the ice is gone. It seems like the water level is always really low in the early spring. It gives me a chance to learn something new though about the water I'm fishing in. It's a small reservoir and I mainly fish from the shore so I could use every little detail about the bottom I can get but it worked out well last year so I can learn more this year and try to get a bigger one this time. I'll have to check out a new one too. I'm hoping it's low as well. It would be nice to see where the drops are in this shallow pond where the lily pads (almost completely covering the back section) are growing in the summertime.

Thanks guys. A friend got me in touch with one of his friends that does striped bass guided trips out of Connecticut. Going to give that a go sometime in May when the bite is on. Hoping to catch the biggest fish of my life but most importantly get her a big one.

I'm getting married in a month (April 26th) and I just had an epiphany about something to do on our honeymoon. I want to surprise her and take her on a guided striped bass fishing trip somewhere on the coast although I'm unsure if they'll still be up on the coast or if they'll all be running up the river somewhere chasing the shad at that time. I know it sounds like something most people probably wouldn't do on their honeymoon but she always wants to go with me and originally when we were planning on going to Florida she wanted to go with me on a tarpon guided trip. I was thinking about somewhere near Cape Cod but we will be in Maine for 3 days prior to that but another possible thought I had was somewhere near the mouth of the Connecticut river where they're running up. Anyone have any suggestions or know a good guide service for something like this? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Nice fish. Did you get a chance to weigh her?

Thank you guys. I'm going to have to look into these lines.

What is P-Line Xtra? I've never heard of it.

Out of curiosity does anyone know if there are any independent studies on different lines from different manufacturers on tensile strength? Like every line company has a line they claim has superior tensile strength for the diameter and some will post it on their website but I'm not sure if I completely trust info coming from the manufacturer themselves. I'm mainly curious about monofilament. I'm looking for a good thin diameter mono to use for leader line and I guess just trying to get some more detailed info on it.

I used to do that really well about 15 years ago then I got away from it and tried it again last year and it's like I forgot. I also would like to relearn this technique for my spooks and also frogs.

This year I'm going to focus on becoming a better crankbait fisherman. I usually haven't given them much of a chance in the past but I'm going to stick with it this year and just mess around a little bit. I'd also like to dabble a little bit into texas/Carolina rigging this year. I got good with my jigs last year so that shouldn't be that difficult though. Caught a lot of big bass on those jigs last year

I actually like the idea of the fibers blended together like the Yo-zuri Hybrid. I've read too much about monofilament lines coated with fluorocarbon as it sounds like what this is? If the CX is not this way it's probably a lot more readily available in the store for purchase. I don't really want to have to order anything online but will if I have to. I was reading up on P-Line PF as well but I'd only question the abrasion resistance of this line.

Better question. Where can you find this fishing line(yo-zuri hybrid)? I checked cabelas, bass pro shops, dicks sporting goods and walmart and don't see any results on it. I mostly fish in clear to slightly stained waters so that's why I'm looking for something like this. If I can effectively use topwaters like pop-r's and zara spooks with this line it's a done deal.

I like what I'm reading on the yo-zuri but does it sink like fluorocarbon or act more like monofilament?

What is copolymer line? I've seen the name many times but I guess I really don't know what it is or wht it's used for.

What's the lowest diameter monofilament line out there? I'd like to use 17 lb leader on my setup.

I was looking at that line and Hi-Seas also makes one like it. I was just curious if in anyone's experience if it actually had the same sinking properties of monofilament or if it acted more like fluorocarbon. I know it's only a coating and the coating I've read does come off so it loses the abrasion resistance but I don't mind having to switch the leader out often because I'm going to have to anyway when it's going through trees and junk. I guess has anyone ever tried using this line with a pop-r or a zara spook or any other walking bait?

I plan on using the crankbait rod for deeper divers. It's the reason I put the 12 lb fluorocarbon line on the reel. The one way I think this could be solved if there was a good nearly invisible monofilament out there so I could not have to worry about spooking the fish with a little bit bigger line.

I have a shimano sellus 7' 24 ton medium fast (although it seems more moderate fast) graphite rod for crankbaits but I have 12 lb inviz-x on that atm.

So basically I have 1 rod I'm looking to use for multiple setups until next year when I can afford to buy another medium heavy casting rod/reel setup. I have a 6'6" MH Fast Cabelas XML Casting rod with a BPS Pro Qualifier reel in 7.1:1 gear ratio. What I have used this rod for in the past was strictly spinnerbaits and the occasional topwater. I used 12 lb stren. This year I want to start using this rod for the techniques mentioned above and in addition squarebill crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. (I have a medium action crankbait pole but I'm not sure if it'll work the way I want to use it.) I switched out the stren for 30 lb braid and I have a 17 lb p-line fluorocarbon leader on there that's coming off. So basically what I want to know is how do you guys feel about using fluorocarbon coated line for this application? Does it sink like fluorocarbon or does it have the invisibility with the regular features of mono. Obviously if it sinks like fluorocarbon line it won't work with the topwaters. Or is there another monofilament line that's pretty invisible in the water. I don't usually use mono heavier than 12 lb test for bass but since I'm going to play around with squarebills around a little bit heavier cover this year I want something a little stronger. Thanks.

That's kind of what I've been doing most of the time. The water I'm familiar with I know where the fish are so I don't need to bother using too many search lures and usually go with a jig for the big fish but I do carry other rods with me when I'm walking the shore which includes a spinnerbait on one rod. I ususlly start with the spinnerbait but don't give up when I don't get bit. I know the fish are there so I'll usually stay a little longer throwing a different lure. I'd like to broaden my horizons a little bit more this year though and experiment with some of these search techniques. I have 5 rods I'll carry with me that will cover the whole spectrum of fishing lures I can throw at all depths.

Alberto is easy. You can't really mess it up. I used to use double uni knot but I like the profile of the Alberto much better. Skinny is good.

Glenn talks about that in his video as well which makes sense. Why would you want to have to take your reel apart to make a cast with the very same lure when all you should have to do is just cast it.

What you said is pretty universal. I'm sure some people may do it differently. When I first started baitcasting again 3 years ago I was going back with my rod but I was casting in a more circular motion. The reason most people get backlashes is because they don't have a smooth motion (kind of herky jerky) or they don't have enough brake on (whether it be their thumb or the reel's brakes themselves) and try to throw their bait too hard. I like to set my brakes as light as I can usually just using 1 centrifugal brakeand no magnets and use my thumb lightly on the spool about 2/3rds of the way through my cast to slow the spool down before the lure enters the water. I set my spool tension so when the lure hits the ground my spool won't turn more than 1 revolution so it doesn't birds nest when it free falls to the ground. Obviously with lighter or heavier lures further adjustments may need to be made.

Do what feels comfortable to you. When it comes to buying the right reel make sure you do your own research and make the decision that you feel is best for you. Everyone is going to tell you this reel is the best or that one is. All fishing reels or rods have their pros and cons. If you stick with reels you read up on that have good reviews and have been around for a while well then there is a reason for that. Go to the store and play with them all and see how they feel in your hand. I always like to do that. If I can't touch something first I won't even consider purchasing it. Do your homework by reading different articles you see on the site. Decide what you want to do with a fishing rod (techniques you want to use the rod/reel for) then play around and decide what works best for you. It's all about doing stuff for yourself where you figure out what works best. Some people like a fast or extra fast actions on afishing rod for doing something you may decide you like medium fast for example) Happy fishing.

If it's 99.99 it's probably the next step up but make sure before you buy it. I'd say hold the reel in your hand and see how it feels. It may feel more natural for you to reel left handed than right if you have been reeling left handed on spinning tackle all your life. It's what I do. I'm a righty who has always used my left hand to reel so learning right handed was awkward so I just stuck with a left handed retrieve and hold the rod in my right hand. It's all about feeling comfortable when you're fishing. There are less models available for us lefties but you can always find a lefty in the retrieve speed you are looking for in some reel. For a beginner I'd probably go with a 6.4:1 ish or faster retrieve. 6.4:1 or in that ballpark is good for all-around fishing.