Fishingmickey

Nice looking bait, Fish. Do you think the silicone skirt trapped between the rod and the bait might have caused a reaction? FM

No trailer. X5. FM

Beautiful fish Swampy!!! Next week, I hope to be catching some of those fine Maine Bass! Both Brown and green! FM

Yaaah. need the reel for free shipping. ') Not that I know anything about JDM. FM

Hi Loki, Looks like a perfect first time bait caster combo. With you just starting off I would spool it with Monofilament and don't over fill the spool! Fill it about 3/4 full, I'd use Berkley Big Game 12# or Berkley XL 14#. Both are good lines to learn how to use a bait caster with and don't break the bank. Realize that you want to learn how to cast short distances first. Don't try to empty the spool or cast a big spinner bait into the wind on your third or fourth cast. Something like a 1/2 oz rattle trap casts very well. Avoid light lures to start until your thumb gets some education. A 1/2 oz jig or a Texas rig 1/4 oz bullet weight with a plastic worm. Bait casters are different then spinning reels. You have to "load" the rod for it to cast properly. Loading involves your back cast as well as your forward cast. It's all one motion with a bait caster. The back cast "loads" the rod by bending it backwards it "springs" as you transition into your forward cast and launches the bait. Check out some You Tube videos on learning how to use a bait caster. Glen probably has some videos here (Bass Resource) too. You can not stop at the end of your back cast like you can with the spinning rod. The bait caster uses momentum and the line flows off of the reel once the spool starts moving. Resting your thumb gently on the spool helps you control the cast. If the bait stops moving and the spool is still turning you've got a birds nest. The harder the swing the bigger the bird's nest. You might try this trick. Run out about what you think is a good casting distance of line (30-40 yards). Put a piece of tape (electrical tape works well) on the line where it meets the spool. That way when you backlash it doesn't go deep into the spool and you can get that birds nest out easier. Spool your rod up and got out to your backyard or a park where you can practice. Use a practice casting plug or make one. You'll see a weight range on your rod. That is a general recommendation on the weight of your bait that is in the rod's range. That's why I say use a 1/2 oz or so of weight to learn with. You've got a decent set-up in that Lews combo. Good luck in learning how to use a bait caster. You'll find as you learn it you'll really learn how much more control you'll have over your casts. Good luck, Fishingmickey

Hawkeye, The River2Sea Ish Monroe Bling spinner baits are my all time favorites. The colors are my two all time favorites. The head design with that flat-ish bottom and angled from the bottom arm goes over timber well and they hold up decently, have great hooks and a excellent finish to the thin blades. They have a excellent "thump" and catch fish for me. Like Ajay said after a few good fish they will get bent and need straightening. After a few re-tunes the arm can break. If your careful and don't try skiing the fish back to the boat and boat flipping a 3# plus into the boat they will hold up better. If your using 40-50# braid and the drag is locked down they won't last as long. For what it is worth, I don't use a trailer and prefer the 1/2 oz size. FM

Hello Montana Basser, Down here in Texas around San Antonio there are a couple of lakes where they have stocked freshwater redfish. They can run up to 20#'s 5-15#'s is more the norm. They are brawlers when hooked. Like your trout in the summer up there they go deep, 18-25'. I have found using a deep diving crank baits (Strike king 6XD) or similar and removing the hooks. I tie a short 6' piece of line (17-20lb test) off of the middle line tie on the crank bait and run a 3" - 4" grub off of it. I can get it down to 25' using 20-30# braid. The wobble of the crank bait transmits to the grub and give it added vibration. I'm not sure how fast your trolling for the cutthroat and what is the expected size. I normally troll about 2 mph. But I think you might be able to do the same thing there with 20' diving crank bait and lighter braid maybe 15#. It's a poor mans down rigger. What kind of set-up's are you using to troll? Spinning or bait casting? How big are the cutthroat? Not sure if that is going to be any help to you. and good luck in your hunt for Cutthroat. FM

Honestly Bazoo, Bear with me, this is all IMHO. I think if you really want to work on your game it don't over think it too much. Bottom contact baits (T-rig worms and jigs) are the base of the pyramid. Learn to use those two expertly!!! Learn the feel of a bite verses the feel of reeling your bait into something dead. So many words are used to describe a bite. I got slack knocked in my line, I felt a tic or tap, my line just started swimming, My line felt mushy. My rod just loaded up! One is alive and the other is not. Once you get to know this feeling of alive, the light bulb comes on and the learning curve skyrockets. It radiates outward to all of the other feel "detect a bite" techniques (ned, drop shot, carolina rig etc.). Set the hook frequently and often. swings are free unless you set the hook in a snag. Spinner baits, crank baits, chatter baits, swimming jigs and swim baits are moving baits. They require you to impart more action to them. Retrieve speed, speed up, slow down, pull and pause. Run them into stuff. Sure you'll get hung up from time to time. But that strike often comes after a deflection off of something wood or jerked free from the weeds. Top waters are a whole nother ball game. Nothing is as heart stopping as a topwater explosion. Personally for me is spinner baits. Making that magical cast that you can swear the Bass see's it in flight and hit's the instant the lure hits the water. Take just one or two of the same type baits and just fish those only for the entire day. By the end of the day your technique with that bait will have improved greatly and maybe your confidence in it too. Best regards, Fishingmickey

Beautiful smallmouth, love the coloration and amazing scenery! Awesome sauce, PDX! FM

x2

Wonder if that means the 5 is going on sale. FM

What ever you do Aaron, Do not try the newer Bantam, Metanium or Diawa Zillion. Trust me on this. FM

My Maine fishing experience for about ten years now. Is the first week of September the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday after Labor Day. It has been good to great bass fishing every time I have gone up. Looking forward to fishing Cobbosseecontee again soon. Texas, fall, winter, early spring can be good to great. Summer into fall is usually smoking hot and night fishing can really shine.

Well Mick and Florida, Since we're chucking opinions around. I'll toss mine into the ring. Today's multi piece rods are amazingly better then they used to be. Not just two piece either. I have several 3, 4 and 5 piece travel rods (semi - high end). Legit Design, Mega Bass Trizia, Fenwick, Diawa and Shimano are some of the brands. Most of the rods are from Japan. The Japanese ride lots of trains and need rods that either need to be telescoping or can be broken down to fit into a back pack. Honestly they perform (IMHO) as well or almost as well as a single piece rod. They might be a little heavier but not by much. The only time braid is sensitive is when it is taut or tight. If it's slack ya got nothing, hooey, bupkiss. It's limp. Both Fluorocarbon and Mono will transmit back to the angler better when there is slack because they are stiffer allowing that tick, tap or that "somethings going on down there feeling". Braid, Mono and Fluorocarbon all have a place in my fishing line up. They all have pro's and cons. They all serve a purpose. Now regarding the origin of the thread. Again opinion. Yes, they are repairable. I have replaced many a broken tip top. Buy that three pack of Fuji tip tops from Wally world and a stick of hot melt glue and glue one on the stub and the rod will still work and fish fine. It will do fine for bait fishing, giving to little Jimmy next door or making it into a cat fishing or bait fishing rod. My two cent's, FM

Did your wife keep the money? FM

x3. Old school here too. FM

Have faith, it'll come. Forget about it and it will be a pleasant surprise when it shows up. You could have it by Christmas! FM

For what it is worth, my northern and southern fishing friends. I have found that when I have a tournament (usually nine hours on the water) or am just going fishing and I know it is going to be miserable hot and sunny in the afternoon. Cover up completely! I wear long sleeve stretchy wicking shirt with a collared fishing shirt vented in the back over it, A big hat (Tilley hat in my case), long quick dry pants with a buff (neck gaiter pulled up over the face) and sun gloves. Only thing that gets sun screen/block (SPF 70 - 100) is my cheeks under my eyes and nose. Nothing else is exposed. By keeping covered up like that and out of the direct sun it is much cooler then bare exposed skin! I dip my hat in the lake periodically and occasionally if it is really hot. I'll dip my buff in the melted water in ice chest. It makes fishing in the south Texas mid-day and afternoon sun bearable. So ends this public service announcement for avoiding skin cancer and raccoon face. Fishingmickey

We are getting it (100°ish) here this week and looks like next week also. August has arrived in Texas. FM

Got me playing "Where's Waldo" the snake in your pond picture. RIP Waldo. FM

Because Red Label is the cheapest Fluorocarbon that Seaguar makes it's very stiff and doesn't perform well at all IMHO, WRB. Why I suggested something else was because he was asking for advice on fluorocarbon. I've tried a bunch of different brands fluorocarbon lines over the last ten years and found the three I listed above to be the best performing fluorocarbon lines for me. I'll add this caveat "without using KVD line & lube". Sincerely and warmest regards, Fishingmickey

Couple of basics that have already been covered. Cheaper Fluorocarbon line vary greatly in performance. I have settled on Seaguar Invisx, Daiwa Samurai and Seaguar Tatsu as my best options.. They are expensive lines especially if you by the smaller spools. Load your reel about a 1/3 of the way with monofiliment then top off with Fluoro. You'll only use about 60-75 yards that way. So that 200 yard spool you should be able to get three respools out of it. Don't overfill your reel! It makes is much more prone to birds nesting. 14-16# line is a good all around. 12# if your going to throw crankbaits. If and or when you birdsnest. Gently pick out the loops with your fingers, no serious tugging. Fluoro hates to be kinked link that. It will result in deep spool line breaks where it was kinked. Fluorocarbon is a "stiff" line it isn't limber or totally limp like braid. That is why it likes to fly off the reel. Fluorocarbon is very good IMHO for bite detection, it sinks and that stiffness transmits bites back to your rod even when your line isn't tight. Get you some Invisx and try it out. Good luck, FM

Ain't nothing finer then getting to watch them eat in full on kill mode. FM

Vaya con Dios, Catt. FM

Keep them both, That way if one craps out you've got a back up. FM