Josh Smith

Hi Folks, I have a few of the discontinued Bush Hawg spinnerbaits. I really like them because I can change out the leaves easily due to the snaps. Bush Hawg seems to be out of business. Anyone make them like this these days? Easily interchangeable leaves? Thanks! Josh

I generally run a fluoro leader for slow applications and lures which stand a high chance of getting hung up, just in case I have to break off. If I'm fishing fast looking for a reaction strike, I generally tie direct. Josh

Not for me. Too flashy. I do like the bobtailed looks of the ultralight Pflueger President line. I do not like the fact that they're made in China. Currently looking for an UL reel made elsewhere, say the USA, France or Sweden. Probably should check out Abu Garcia for that. Josh

Dad's the "Fish Hear Everything" guy. I don't see my type in there. Sort of disappointed! Josh

For the ones which do, would some of that knot glue I used to read about help? Never used it.

As full as possible without causing problems. I generally get my best performance at about even with the lip to 1/8" below the lip, but any further down I respool. I prefer my spool to spin slowly but with a lot of mass. Less line = more speed and therefore more braking. I get more consistent line feed during the cast with a full spool, and the spool starts up easier to boot. Josh

50 Shades of Chartreuse? Josh

Found this... Might just help.

Hello, Today I was testing out the deep crank setup I've been working on. We still have snow in Northern Indiana, and whenever you have snow, you have voids in the snow. I was just casting out and retrieving when the plug fell through one of these voids. I automatically set the hook! I felt kind of foolish, but realized this could be good practice. I'll probably get around to doing this with my walleye rod as those critters can bite light! Josh

I just did. Me: "I need to buy a stripper." Her: "Why?" In all fairness, she's heard the word "stripper" thrown around here quite a bit. She wasn't sure what I was talking about. She told me her first thought was a "stripper clip," which is used to load Mosin-Nagant, Gewehr 88/05, and Mauser 98 rifles. She's also tolerated me in bed with one or another fishing rod lately. She's been reading or crocheting, while I was stripping old line and filling new next to her. This is usually my reading time, but she knows I love tinkering with reels. We have separate dressers, and I have a screw driven into mine that holds the new spool; tension is by o-rings. I can sit in bed and fill my reels! She is a very understanding wife. Josh

One hand in back, or on, the reel, and one and in front. Some of my biggest fish have been taken with a lowly Daiwa Bill Dance Spinnerbait rod. Bass, catfish and carp. Check out old Roland Martin YouTube vids. He has some full-length up on there. You'll see how they work. Regards, Josh

Pistol grip rods are awesome! Can't be beat for short-range accuracy, or long-range accuracy if you tone your forearm to it. I have three on active duty now (up from two last year) alongside more modern-style rods. All have their places for particular techniques. Pistol grips give more freedom of movement, for example, than long handles that come alongside your body. Josh

Thanks, guys. As I fish in a lot of tough stuff, I went ahead and bought some XT as it's a known quantity with me. I'll be picking up some XL to try at some other time. I respool mono often, and so I'll probably be trying XL in this application soon for that reason. Thanks again! Josh

Dude, it's like, don't start nothin', won't be nothin', you know? It's about fishing. Getting along helps the fishing. You come aboard my boat, I assume I can learn from you as well as you maybe learn from me. That's my attitude, anyway. I don't fish tournament yet, will only fish local tournaments if at all. My boat's a slow deep v. I'm out for fun and to relax. The only two things that would ever get on my nerves are telling me how to fish, or bringing equipment you have no idea how to use and ruining my fun. (If I know how to use stuff you bring and you don't, I'll be more than happy to teach.) It's about fun.

Most of my reels hold 200+ yards of line, so I use backing. That means tying the backing to the spool and using a uni to uni knot or an Albright knot. Josh

I went back and looked at the XL stuff. I'd prefer the XL for less memory. There's now some XL stuff that is "armored". That's the $10 stuff. Anyone know what I'm talking about? Thanks! Josh

How about Sufix Elite? I've become a convert to Sufix 832 braid, and I'm liking the Elite reviews. I'll probably run a fluoro leader on it. I'm a braid user now, and am only going back to mono on this one rod because it has relatively soft guides and may groove with braid or straight fluoro. Thanks! Josh

Hi Folks, I'm looking for opinions on XL mono lines. I'd like to spool up with it for cranking on this glass rod I have, using the old 5500 (non-c) reel. I was perusing some last night at a local store. They only had Berkely Trilene, but I was happy to see they had it in 12 and 14lb, which I don't recall them having years back. Stuff's 10 bucks and while not expensive compared to braid, it is more expensive than I'm used to seeing mono priced at. I almost picked it up on the name alone, but figured I'd get input here first. Thank you! Josh

In Indiana, still water requires 14" to keep 'em. Rivers have a slot limit of 12" to 15", so I"m guessing the 10" and 11" from the rivers would be the better-tasting fish? Thanks, Josh

I really like the Cherrywood HD for cranking and a lot of other things. It's whippy enough to have a good tip action. For $20 you might as well give it a shot! I've just hauled Dad's old Lew's Speed Stick out, and will be trying it for cranking this year. Josh

Bass are OK. I generally don't eat them, but tend to agree with A-Jay with regard to good eatin' fish with the addition of catfish. Josh

Who's the feller in the vid? Josh

No, I mean from just that cast. There are times I fish in stuff so thick that I sharpen the hooks after each retrieve. Big ol' bass in the thick stuff usually. Josh

Mike at DVT is about the only person I'd trust to do my reels were I no longer willing or able to do them myself. I work in an industry that requires extensive knowledge and exacting tolerances, procedures, and hand-fitting, and through my talks with the man, I have confidence that he has the knowledge to think around any problem which might arise with any reel on the market. I also trust him to outsource any work that he cannot/will not do to the proper people. A mechanic is not a body repair man, and a gunsmith is not necessarily a gun refinisher. However, good mechanics know good body men and gunsmiths generally have excellent firearms refinishers on call. Likewise, I'd send a reel off to Mike with an itemized order form of what I want done, and I'd feel confident that it would come back to me in the exact way I wanted. Regards, Josh

It depends how I set the hook. Generally, though, I'm fishing in deep cover and I assume I'm driving a dulled hook (from beating up against stuff) through a bass's beak. Moving topwater and crankbaits I usually don't set the hook; maybe give it a little extra tug, but that's it. Josh