Steveo-1969

I try to wash my hands before going fishing. If I stop to get gas on the way to fish I always wash my hands real well at the gas station.

Don't use hooks. Problem solved.

I just send a message to you.

I had a custom rod built by @Delaware Valley Tackle to specifically fish a 3/16 ounce Strike King Bitsy Bug jig. He had me weigh the complete jig/trailer and I was surprised that with the (shortened) SK Baby Rage Craw the total weight was 3/8 ounce!

I haven't caught a bass yet this year. In years past I've caught some by now.

Slaunches! And your buddy's sweatshirt is pretty sweet too. BEAR DOWN!!!!!!

I grew up in Wisconsin and started fishing in the 80s and I didn't know (nor had I seen) anyone who fished with a baitcaster. Everyone used spinning rods! Stopped fishing for years and when I got back into it I found Bass Resource which got me wanting to try a baitcaster. In 2012 (at the age of 43) I bought an Abu Garcia Revo S. I read a bunch and watched videos a bunch on how to set it up and cast it. Spent a couple hours in the backyard practicing and then went fishing. I still remember how excited I was!! To this day I would rather have a casting rod in my hand.

What brand/model mono have you used? What brand/model fluoro have you used? What pound test? Are you using spinning or casting rods? I think we need more info before we can understand what you've experienced and make educated suggestions.

I've used several different brands of diamond file and they work great. The current one I use is the Bass Pro Shops Diamond Edge Hook File (with the blue handle), it costs less than $7. I sharpen hooks a lot and usually replace the file every year.

Happens every time I fish. Just last night I was fishing a finesse skirted jig in my local river, felt a thump and reeled down and set the hook... into a rock. Darn! Got it out, checked the hook and the line and continued fishing. Shortly after I felt another thump, reeled down and set the hook and my line got cut. Not snagged and broke, just cut. Hmmmm... Maybe there was a sharp rock or a nick in my line I didn't feel. Tied on a new jig and continued fishing. Felt another thump and set the hook. Rod doubled over and... nothing moved. Darn, another rock! Then my jig came flying out of the water and I saw a big musky roll in the water. First bite was a rock. Second bite was the musky and it bit me off. Third bite was the same musky, but it felt like a rock before it spit the jig out.

I need to fish regularly so I don't choke people. If I needed to catch regularly I'd be in prison. So the catching is not as important as the fishing itself, but I truly believe I'm going to get bit on every cast and that's what makes it fun. I've been skunked the last two fishing trips and I'm disappointed but not upset. I'll catch one on my next cast. Or maybe the cast after that.....

What? You're Zeke's grandfather? You have to save him from Darlene! She's CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, definitely not my experience with flash green Smackdown (or any other braid). I have now been using it for 3 months, 10# on one rod and 15# on the other rod. Each rod gets about 3 hours of fishing per week. That means 2 casts per minute for 3 hours per week. The line on both rods is faded to a lighter yellowish green. Not white, but definitely not flash green. But for the handling alone I will buy Smackdown again. I love the thin diameter and I've had ZERO wind knots with either rod.

^^ This. Well, except for the drinking part. Been sober since 2005... ?

I haven't caught a bass yet in 2020. I fish a river every weekend all year long (weather and water level permitting) but usually catch my last smallie of the year in October or November and don't catch one again until April or so. I've seen two caught by other people this year though. Sigh.....

That's what I was thinking! Mine are bunched up in a corner of my bedroom closet with the 3 combos I regularly use in the front to minimize the untangling when I need them.

I fish smallies in a river and for the 2017 and 2018 seasons I couldn't catch a fish on a Ned rig. Last year I made a more conscious effort to fish only a Ned rig on most outings and started catching fish. I just bought more heads and plastics to use for Ned rigs this season so my Ned rig usage is going up not down.

I always use hi-vis braid because I like to see my line and I have old eyes. I've tried LOTS of different braids and superlines over the years with mixed results. Some frayed, some didn't, some was thicker than others, some gave me terrible wind knots, some gave me none at all. The one thing that ALL the lines had in common is the more you fish with the line the more it loses it's color. If someone says they've had the same braid on their reel for a year and it hasn't lost it's color I assume that means they don't fish very much..... With all that being said I've been using Seaguar Smackdown Flash Green in 10# and 15# since January and I'm happy with how it fishes. The color has faded but is still fairly visible.

I use the Trilene knot for every line type: braid, mono and fluoro.

"Tip heavy" is referring to the balance of the rod. When you hold the rod (with a reel on it) the way you would hold it while fishing, if the tip of the rod feels like it's being pulled toward the ground and you need to apply upward pressure to keep the tip up... then the rod is "tip heavy". A rod may or may not feel tip heavy for various reasons depending on user, how you hold it, how light or heavy the reel is, how long the rod is, etc. And it's not always a bad thing. A tip heavy rod may be preferred for certain techniques.

I'm either wading or shorebound when fishing my local river so I don't carry much with me. Enough to fit in a small over-the-shoulder tackle bag (think smaller than a loaf of bread). When I got back into fishing 10 years ago I bought and tried lots and lots and lots of new stuff but I've whittled down what I regularly use to just a couple baits. Based either on productivity or how I like to fish. Finesse jig and trailer Small paddletail swimbait T-rigged small plastic (worm, craw, creature) Ned rig

I just caught my first fish (actually 2) on a hair jig last week. Walleyes out of a river on an 1/8 ounce chartreuse hair jig with no trailer. I've got a lot to learn with this lure but I have a little more confidence with it than I did before.

Hello and welcome to Bass Resource! Are you the guy that caught the IL state record smallmouth last year? ? Bear Down!!!!!

I've been using 10# on one spinning rod and 15# on another spinning rod for the past two months and I'm very happy with how this line handles. This line is soft and limp and casts very well. The line twists (of course) but doesn't affect the performance of the line at all. And I haven't had any wind knots. The line I used before this was 15# Power Pro Super Slick and the wind knots drove me crazy! Unfortunately the color fades as quickly as every other braid I've ever used but overall I'm happy with the Seaguar Smackdown and will buy again when I need new braid in a couplethree years.

The Ned Rig was my nemesis for a couple seasons. Last season I started catching fish on it and now it's one of my confidence baits.