Steveo-1969

Same. They are usually on sale during the BPS Spring Classic sale and I stock up for the year.

Using braid on a spinning rod has been a game changer for me for the line manageability. Never say never, but…. I will NEVER spool a spinning reel with anything except braid!

I’ve never fished the lower Potomac, but I spend 98% of my fishing time on the Upper Potomac. Yes I love it!

My doctor just told me I should have gotten the shingles vaccine last year when I turned 50. I just finished my COVID vaccinations and the shingles is next on the list.

Haagen Dazs vanilla bean for the win! I’m very jealous of all the Blue Bell mentions as I can’t find it where I live. After HD it is my favorite brand! Sign me up for a good frozen custard over ice cream though! Like Culver’s serves. I’ve had other “frozen custard” that was more like heavy whipping cream. Dreadful stuff. My favorite frozen custard is Gilles in Fond du Lac, WI. No Culver’s where I live but I can get custard from The Meadows in Hagerstown, MD which is really good. Edit: Honorable mention goes to Turkey Hill All Natural (black lid, NOT red lid!!)

Is this your go-to color on the Upper Potomac for smallies? Asking for a friend…..

Ummmm. You have to GET to another Super Bowl before you can LOSE another Super Bowl. Uff Da!!!

Largemouth

Agree! I have a custom rod built by @Delaware Valley Tackle and couldn’t be happier!!

I use a ML power spinning rod for light t-rigs. Just make sure you are using a light wire hook and penetrating past the barb on the hookset won’t be an issue. Braid will help this too.

NO

Welcome to BR. To help you figure out what hasn’t changed in 40 years, and more importantly what HAS changed… This is the place to be!!

I use both with confidence. On Sunday I was catching smallmouth with a Maxscent flatnose minnow and the bite shut off. I changed color but had to use a Powerbait minnow instead. And started catching fish again.

Agree with the above. For 15# fluorocarbon I point the rod at the snag, reel the line tight, and pull straight back. For heavy braid wrap the line around something and pull the snag out with your hands instead of the rod.

Strike King. They make quality baits and every kind you can imagine.

I took a 13 year break from 1997-2010 and regret every day missing that much fishing time that I will never get back! Nowadays I fish year round and if I go more than a week without fishing I want to choke people. I can't imagine taking a fishing break because I thought I was getting too obsessed. I quit drinking 16 years ago because it was becoming a problem. Fishing isn't a problem, it's a blessing.

I answered "ditch the leader and fish straight braid". My question for you is "Why do you use a leader?". When fishing in my shallow rocky river I use a leader for abrasion resistance and ease of breaking off when snagged. If I'm not worried about abrasion resistance or getting snagged then I don't use a leader.

I fish a river and every spring I look forward to the smallmouth showing up on the bank in pre-spawn because I catch bigger fish than the summer. The water temp has been low 50s for a couple weeks. This past weekend the water temp was 55 and the smallmouth just magically appeared on the bank. I caught 15 fat pre-spawn smallmouth where there were no fish the week before. In the summer I will need to wade and cover lots more water to find those numbers and the fish will be smaller on average.

I fish in a river 99% of the time and always wade if the river level/current speed is safe for wading. In the summer I wear shorts and some kind of cheap shoe. For colder water I wear chest waders. I usually won’t stand in water deeper than my waist while fishing though to get to a spot I may walk in deeper water.

Sounds like you are wanting to add a leader for abrasion resistance? A fluorocarbon specifically made as leader material might be your best bet. I’m sure someone will be along to give specific recommendations.

I also only use a double uni for tying a leader onto braid mainline. When I pull the two knots together I want them to be the same size so the diameter of each line dictates how many wraps of each. Normally this means 3 wraps for the leader and 6-7 wraps for the mainline.

Welcome to Bass Resource! I was born and raised in Wisconsin. At the age of 27 y’all kicked me out because I’m a Bears fan and refused to switch allegiance to the green and gold. BEAR DOWN!!!!!!

I used 10# on a baitcaster for a year. As others have said it’s thicker than most fluorocarbons. At 10# I thought it handled ok with line conditioner. Best part it was the most abrasion resistant fluorocarbon I’ve ever used. And I’ve tried lots of different FCs. Worst part is it’s more expensive PER YARD than Tatsu.

Welcome to Bass Resource Adam. BEAR DOWN!!!!!!!

Like you, as I get older I’m having a harder time seeing my line, especially lo-vis thin braid. So I started using hi-vis braid and have tied on leaders of fluorocarbon, mono, and co-poly. I’ve also used a Sharpie and colored the last couple feet of line. For the past two years I’ve fished a lot with hi-vis braid and NO leader and NO Sharpie and haven’t noticed a difference in number of bites. I still use a leader sometimes for abrasion resistance and the ability to break off a snag but never because I’m worried about a fish setting the hi-vis braid. YMMV