Logan S

Personally, I trust the drag systems on a quality spinning reel over baitcasting when dealing with lighter lines. That's probably the biggest reason I haven't jumped on the finesse baitcaster wagon. One thing I've always been fuzzy on is the accuracy claims... I'm just as accurate with spinning tackle as I am with casting. I think it's a practice issue and not an equipment issue... A lot of us bass guys just don't fish with spinning gear as much.

My normal ride and tow vehicle for the Stratos is a Nissan Titan Pro4X. I try to be a car guy but I spend too much time fishing!! Let see if anyone recognizes my fun truck . 1992 Typhoon #2068. It lives in the garage these days, but back in college it racked up a good number of 'kills' on the weekends (when I wasn't fishing). Even back then I fished too much, my buddies would have to beg me to bring it out and not go fish...Like I said, I TRY to be a car guy .

Baitfish species are different...But points, humps, drops, channels, flats, rocks, grass, stumps, trees, current, etc, etc, etc...All exist in some capacity everywhere bass live. Obviously every lake doesn't have every single one of these, but they will all have some combination. Use the physical things like structure/cover/etc as your starting point and work from there. As for the specific topic of yellow perch...The young-of-year perch (1"-3") will school up much like shad in larger bodies of water. You can find these schools with your electronics just like the guys finding shad further south. If there are smallmouth in the lake it's almost a guarantee that they won't be far away from these schools. Can be fun pattern, there's a lake here where you can target smallies feeding on the perch schools every fall...Funny thing is that you usually catch some big adult perch feeding on the schools too .

I think line visibility is a non-issue..even if you were in clear water. Scott provided a good example of why above. (flouro isn't invisible anyway, despite popular belief) I prefer flouro because when I fish a jig, 90% of the time I'm casting longer distances instead of flipping/pitching the short stuff...I get a better feel with flouro since there is always going to be a slight bow in the line, especially in deeper water, when fishing them this way. I have tried braid and didn't like it for the way I fish, when the jig was falling or resting on the bottom it was more difficult to feel what was happening. For short distance stuff I imagine it wouldn't matter as much. You could always just try it and see what you think, that's what I did to make my decision .

Two of my favorites...They both work pretty much all the time and I'll use both interchangeably. WR is a lighter/transparent color so I won't generally use it on darker days or in stained water, I'd usually go for GP in those cases.

Smart man, keep at it! It's a rare occasion when I make it out of a BPS without buying anything...Just when you think you've escaped, you run into the beef jerky displays guarding the exits!

If you are talking about modifying things like the livewell and rod lockers BEFORE you even buy the boat, it's a sign that it's not really what you want . Personally, I am not a fan of the smaller glass bass boats...In the 16-17 foot rage I think you can find a better value in aluminum boats. Just my opinion and having said that, I know several guys with boats like that (including that exact Ranger model you looked at) who love them. Make your list of criteria and stick to it, you'll be happier in the long run.

Use what you're comfortable with, as you gain experience you'll find what you like and don't like about it. Adjust your choices as you see fit at that point. It seems that many people try to 'force it' when it comes to line...If you can't tell the difference yet why switch? Bottom line: Yes, there are certain techniques that can be optimized with certain line choices. BUT, whether that is advantageous to you or not is another story. That is something you'll find out as you spend more time on the water. Another thing to remember, your personal equipment also plays a big role in the decision process. I can tell you what I use for each technique, but I've got a 20' boat and 12 to 15 rods on board all the time...It's no big deal for me to have one rod dedicated to one specific thing and leave it in the rod locker til I need it. If someone only has 3 rods and travels by foot or small boat they don't really have that option, they need their gear to be somewhat universal...This will effect their line decisions. Take what you read with a grain of salt, get out on the water and actually evaluate your line choice. If you feel it's adequate, great! If you feel it could be improved on, start experimenting!

Honestly, you'll be better served by saving the cash it would take enter, travel to, and fish those bigger tournaments and use it to start a boat fund. Also, bass boat as in full size glass rig? Or something like a 17' AL bass boat with a jet? Your area has some world class smallmouth fishing that can only be done in a jet/AL boat. Myself and others with glass boats will beg, borrow, and steal to get on the back deck of our friend's jetboats when they make trips up to the Susky...It's fantastic . Believe me, having a full size boat is great...But if you can't get there yet, a mid size AL bass boat is not a bad option. I fished out of a Bass Tracker for a long time before buying a glass boat. It had it's limitations, but it was still a great boat and VERY cheap compared to what I have now. More options for tow vehicles too, if you don't currently have a full size truck/suv. If you want it, draw up a plan and make it happen! BTW, $400-$700/month for a boat payment seems pretty high...That's like a brand new Ranger with little to no money down (on the upper end of that estimate). Hit the used market and you can find very good deals on both glass and AL boats.

I've caught pretty much every species in the waterways I fish accidentally while bass fishing, it's pretty normal...But one of the most surprising was this nice walleye I caught on a popper very early on the 2nd day of a tournament. I catch walleye pretty frequently while bass fishing, but this is the only one I've ever had come up to hit a popper. In practice I caught a 4 lb. LM on a popper off this same spot so needless to say, that's what I thought I had . It was still dark so I never even knew til it was a few feet from the net . A 4 lber on this lake goes a looooong way in a tournament so needless to say I was frustrated!

I have used both. I prefer Red Label mostly because the diameter is smaller than Vicious...The 12 lb Vicious is the same diameter as 15 lb RL. Outside of that, I feel the RL is the better overall line. Line is a pretty subjective topic though, in this case it's cheap enough to try a spool and see what you think...Not like you're paying for Gamma/Tatsu/etc.. FWIW, I use RL exclusively for my flouro needs for a variety of reasons...So you could call me a Red Label 'homer' .

In my experience fish are still pretty active when the water is in the 50's, even more so in the upper 50's. Depends on the circumstances, it wouldn't be too high on my list for my local waters but I wouldn't count it out either. I caught a bass on a popper once in 47 degree water. It was late November on Conowingo and I just happened to have my popper rod still rigged and untouched from a tournament in October. I was in a productive area and just got a gut feeling so I dug it out of the locker and made a few casts....Got lucky . A guy in my club once caught one on a popper during a March tournament on the Potomac when the water had be even colder than that, I remember it being maybe 45 degrees or so...But he could have been in one of the warm water discharges.

Revos are lubed 100% adequately from the factory. All 8 of my STX's were anyway... On the subject of maintenance and lubes, I agree with using as little as needed. Keeping it evenly spread is the key, clumps of grease end up being wasted and will likely gum up everything inside...Probably part of what happened to OP's reel before he got it. Grease for gears, oil for bearings (DUH!).

I can agree with this....Fly fishing definitely has it's share of 'elitists', although I would still say most fly guys are pretty normal. I will say that most of the pure fly guys I've met are often so preoccupied with all the 'fly stuff' that they overlook the actual fishing part...But that is part of the fun for them I guess. I have a family member who is a pure fly guy, he would often claim that he could catch bass just as easy on a fly rod as I could with conventional tackle....I took him out on my boat to a local lake one day and the bass beat-down that he received was of epic proportions...He doesn't make those claims any more . But to the original point, fly fishing for trout is something that I really do enjoy....Found this guy this past weekend, I'm turning this into a trout picture thread .

It will happen. The hooks really don't get damaged when fighting a fish unless I hook a big pike/snakehead/catfish/striper/etc... Most of the time they are actually bent/broken from removing them with pliers from a fish repeatedly or from a fish shaking in the net/boat after being caught (especially smallies ). Any treble hook will get damaged after a while so I just keep a stock of trebles in the boat and replace as needed. I don't ever worry about it too much because I know it will happen and I'm prepared to replace them. As for the RC's, Lucky Craft made the RC line for BPS with Rick Clunn as the 'designer'...That's why they were called RC, also why they changed to LC/RTO or whatever they are now when he left for Luck-E-Strike. The reason the LES and Lucky Craft look the same is because Clunn is the guy originally behind both .

I'd say pretty much any reel will last as long as you'd like it to, provided you do your part in maintaining it....Even the cheap stuff. The perceived 'quality' of a reel has a heck of a lot to do with the user's experience level and desired function. To a first time angler, the $20 reel and the $200 reel are the same....To a seasoned angler the lower end stuff might be 'unusable' for his purposes, thus 'requiring' the $200 reel. Personally, I expect about 5 years of trouble free service for my reels (with annual winter cleaning/servicing)...At that point I begin cycling into new gear, while the old reels still have *some* resale value left to offset the new stuff. The reels still work perfectly, but I like to take advantage of the newer features when they come out. I generally have all the same reels and when I transition to a new model I replace each one over the course of a year or two (it's tough to go through 15 or so reels at once ) There is a point of diminishing returns when you start getting into the high dollar gear...Where that line falls is probably a little different for everyone.

I know it's not exactly what we're talking about here, but it talks about the subject of stretch as it relates to sensitivity.... Team9 touched on that with his post. The article was comparing the physical properties of flouro/mono...Not a multi-brand shootout test like what Tackle-Tour has done, which is probably why he didn't include a wide range of lines. Since the thread was talking about the physical properties of the lines I thought it was a good addition to the discussion .

Team9 is spot on... I posted this in another thread on the subject, it's a good read...(I'm not affiliated in any way to that site, just something I found a while ago) http://www.bigindianabass.com/big_indiana_bass/the-truth-about-fluorocarbon.html It would probably help with a project . Lot's of good info there, this entire stretch argument is covered in detail for those interested.

No, Big Hunting Creek a couple weeks ago. It's closer to my house, also my favorite stream...The Gunpowder is really the prime trout water unless you get all the way out to western MD, I'd go there more if it were closer. Hunting Creek is close by and offers consistent fishing, fish don't get much bigger than that one I posted though.

I do most of my fly fishing from late November through early March, after tournament season ends/before it begins. I can still get my boat out most of the winter, but I enjoy the change up. It will never overtake bass fishing for me, but a nice hike through the woods and some good looking trout is a great way to spend a day in the winter...Especially since in the winter time I'm often the only person out there. I fly fish because most of the better trout streams in my area are designated as fly fishing only and catch and release only...Most of these are managed this way because they actually support wild trout and are either not stocked at all or stocked very minimally. I rarely fish the put-and-take streams around here so I don't really get the chance to use spinning tackle anyway. It doesn't have to take a big investment either, there are some entry level setups that are very good for the money. In my eyes, fly fishing rods/reels are much less important than in bass fishing...You can have a good combo for $100 or less that will last you years (check out the Dogwood Canyon by BPS, I've had one for 10 years). Whether it's worth it or not is up to you. Personally, I enjoy the scenery, hiking, and catching wild trout like this one .

My first boat was a very old, hand-me-down, 12' modified-V hull I got at 13. I put a casting platform on and had bow/transom trolling motors. It was stable enough for 2 people to stand and fish without worry. Even with the V hull (not a flat-bottom) it was stable enough to where I didn't really have to think about it. I fished lakes up to about 800 acres and also the upper Potomac River out of this boat comfortably. Anything in the 12 to 14 foot range should be sufficient. John/small boats are great for learning the ropes and when/if you decide to move up they generally hold value pretty well. As for safety, if you're smart about it you'll likely never have any issue. Respect the water and the weather, keep the boat maintained, keep an eye on fuel/battery levels, and trust your gut feelings... Edited to add: As far as getting blown around...Yes, the wind will make things difficult but it's more of a fishing inconvenience and not necessarily a safety hazard (assuming the waters are small enough to where waves aren't a concern). Fish enough and you will learn how to fish and control your boat in the wind, but in a john boat sometimes it's just not practical and you'll need to look for calmer areas. A Cable-steer, foot control TM will help a tremendous amount when fishing in the wind, regardless of boat size.

I honestly don't believe there is significant, tangible advantage to them...I understand the selling points, but in the real world I think it's negligible... And I have fished with them enough to have what I believe is an informed opinion. Not to say you shouldn't buy one... I have several myself. If the rod feels good to you, it feels good...micro guides or not! I just wouldn't let the guide style sway me one way or the other.

Very few places I fish could be accessed without a boat. The other huge bonus is that it not only takes you where you want to go, its also a 20 foot floating tackle box . 15+ rods and all the tackle I own can follow me where ever I go!

I usually use spinning gear to skip under docks... Sliderhead with finesse or trick worm. Occasionally I'll use casting gear and a jig, but I'll swap out my normal pork trailer for a bigger craw/beaver because it seems to skip further that way.

The ones I've seen haven't been abused. I've known several people who have bought them over the years, one of John Crews' old boats is still in our club I also know a guy that will 'pre-sell' his staff boat every year...He will order it however the buyer wants so the buyer gets to customize it. Pretty good deal if you ask me, 1 year old boat customized exactly how you want for a significant discount.