Steveo-1969

Gotcha. I bought my son a crappy spinning combo when he started out but once he showed he was going to keep fishing he got a better rod. Can't go wrong with the Pflueger President spinning reel IMO.

Ditto. I watched you schooling Mike D on how to catch smallmouth bass on Lunkerville. I joined BR the next day.

I see it every time I watch an episode of Lunkerville. That's the only time I've seen it though.

Sounds like you are going to really enjoy your Mojo rod/Ballistic reel. I use 10# braid/8# fluoro leader on my spinning rod and love it. IMO you don't need to go any higher than 10# braid. And great pics of your son! Mine is older but just got into fishing about 4 years ago and is now my favorite fishing partner. Your post wasn't real clear, are you and your son sharing the same rod?

For my spinning reel I can now set it by feel every time and I'm good to go, but with casting reels I'm still getting used to it. I set them by feel as well, but sometimes when fighting a fish it's too loose and sometimes it's too tight so I'll adjust the drag as I'm fighting the fish. On a side note, when setting the hook I always thumb the spool so the drag doesn't slip. So if the drag is too loose I don't notice it until I'm fighting the fish.

So my reply is kinda apples to oranges but for what it's worth... I have two NRX casting rods and a GLX spinning rod. I can't imagine wanting my GLX spinning rod to be more sensitive than it already is and don't feel the need to upgrade for any reason. My guess is you will be completely satisfied with your new GLX rod.

I have rods with full cork, split cork and split EVA and I have no preference for any of them. I do prefer a longer handle on all my rods though, spinning and casting. (And my main spinning rod happens to be a full cork handle... ha-ha)

Welcome to BR Shawn and thank you for your service!

I won't hear you laughing because my legs will have already taken me to the next county...

Spinning reel or baitcasting reel?

Hmmmm, I've never heard Bill Dance mention how much he thinks a fish weighs. Roland Martin on the other hand... I've seen a bunch of other TV hosts make fun of Roland for inflating the weight of a fish. Including his own son!! (Pull in a 2-pounder and say "Wooh, that's a Roland Martin 6-pounder right there! Son!!!)

Great post, thanks for sharing!

My finesse rod is spinning. G. Loomis WPJR 821s GLX (Mag-Light/XF), Shimano Stradic Ci4+ 3000 size, 10# Sufix 832 in neon lime and 8# FC leader (brand varies). Yes, this rod is part of Loomis' walleye series. Shhhhhh, please don't tell the bass!!!

I use a uni-to-uni knot for my line to leader connection, but I use the Trilene knot for line to lure connections for all line types including braid. I also learned this knot as a kid and it works great for me.

I had a young boy tell me one day that he caught an 80 pound carp out of the local canal. He was so serious all I could do was congratulate him! Ha-ha! It's unusual to find a Beatles fan so young. I call that good parenting!!

I've been using GM 10# fluoro on a baitcaster for about 4 months now and I like it. As others have said, it's thicker than other brands (the 10# GM is about the same thickness as 12# Seaguar) but it handles well and I have no complaints. I will buy it again.

^^^^^ X2 on wading in the summertime. I only use waders when the water is cold, in the summer it's old sneakers and shorts. It's a fun way to get off the bank and by far my favorite way to fish river smallmouth.

I just love the whole fishing experience. I am also one of those guys who can cast for hours without a fish or a bite and be perfectly content. A tug on the line will add to the experience, but NOT catching a fish certainly doesn't detract from it. Everyone is different though. I fish with a buddy in his boat occasionally and if we don't catch fish he thinks the day was a total loss. On the other hand he can sit in his tree stand from sun up to sun down without seeing a deer and still love the experience.

I bought RIGRAP CERAMAXx Super Cutters in January and can't believe how easily it cuts braid. I don't know how long the ceramic blades will stay sharp but so far so good. I bought them off Amazon for $10. Before that I was using the Rapala braid scissors but they would only last a year before becoming dull and having to be replaced.

I've had a lucky fishing hat for several years, never fish without it. I just bought two new hats and am in the process of turning those into lucky fishing hats as well, by rubbing lots of fish slime on them!

I've never had much luck using soft baits that come out of the package with a chartreuse tail, no idea why? BUT I almost always dip the tail/claws of my softbait into Spike-It chartreuse before using it. Maybe it really works for maybe it's just a confidence thing. Our local crayfish have orange-tipped claws so I just bought an orange marker to color my craw tips too.

"But ya doesn't hasta call me Johnson!!" Welcome to BR!!

X4. Enjoy your subscription!! And their TV show is great too.

Gander Mountain fluoro is definitely made by Sunline because it says that on the box. I don't know if it's exactly the same line as Sunline Super Fluorocarbon, but if it is then the GM line is cheaper. $25/400yd vs. $30/400yd

I've never used a Bitsy Flip, but the Bitsy Bug was the only jig I used for the past several years (until I got some Siebert jigs). Nothing wrong with a Bitsy Bug/Flip. The paint does chip quickly, and I found a couple with a dull hook but the bronze hook is quick and easy to sharpen with a file. I always broke off the jigs before the elastic skirt band broke... Oh, and a trailer? Another vote for the Strike King Baby Rage Craw! I usually bite one or two segments off the end to make it a little more compact.