EmersonFish

I usually don't pile on when people are bashing a product, because often I think its based on individual experiences that are not reflective of the actual quality, but between my experience with the line, and Berkley Vanish reputation and apparent track record, I'd say just assume it's not an exceptionally bad batch, and look for another line. I know the price is right, and when you peel a few inches off the spool it looks and feels nice in your hand, but much like Elvis fans, 50,000,000 fisherman can't be wrong.

There are a number of reasons to use leaders. Easier to break off is one, but whether some believe it or not, line visibility is another. Wanting a more abrasion resistant line down at the business end is another reason. Sometimes you want to use lines with different properties as a leader, as in using a mono leader because the line doesn't sink as fast. I suppose there may be occasions where one would determine a heavier leader is necessary if you want to use a leader and maintain a high break strength. I also believe that sometimes things get lost in the translation, when people refer to braid by its diameter and mono/flouro by its break strength interchangeably. I personally never use a heavier leader than mainline, and try to keep the diameters relatively similar, although there is more wiggle room there than some people seem to think, if you take your time and tie a good knot.

If a knot works it works. You cannot come to the conclusion that you thought the knot worked, but after having worked for a while, it failed once, therefore the knot does not work. I have tied the Alberto (Modified Albright) knot poorly on many occasions. The beauty of that knot, is that when it is tied improperly, it will come undone when you test it. There is no ambiguity. As had been pointed out, running the line back through the wrong way is the common error. I never actually use the regular Albright knot, but it's been around forever, so I assume it works as well.

Never owned one. I read a lot online about what others say about rods as I shop around, and the Halo Twilite rods seem to have a good reputation, particularly in areas of the country where people fish a lot of heavy cover. Part of that may be due to them sponsoring guys known for that kind of fishing and having more extra-heavy options in their line-up. One thing I see said quite a bit is that Halo rods tend to run more moderate/parabolic action than a lot of other rods on the market with similar specs. Some people are not accustomed to that. Just something to consider.

The reason you see so many different "actions" of pitching rods is because: A- There is no real industry standard for what make a rod a certain action. B- There is no bass-fisherman standard for what makes a rod a good pitching rod. Generally speaking, you want to avoid a rod that is super-stiff, like an old-school flippin' stick, because it will be hard to propel a bait with a pitching motion. But you want a rod that isn't too moderate because it won't load fast enough to propel the bait with said motion. Many pitching sticks now are more "moderate-fast" with a lot of backbone, but what they get labeled by the company can be a variety of things. I think some companies try to avoid using the term "moderate" for anything other than a cranking rod because they fear it will confuse the consumer or something.

That 1/10 oz. Shroomz Jig, if you go with it, will sink faster than you might think on that light line. Even the 1/15 oz. will get down there in a reasonable amount of time. I've fished both that deep at Bull Shoals, and it was definitely not a tedious presentation to me; but I'm not the stereotypical "power-fisherman" who losses his mind if he isn't cranking every second.

Here is my philosophy on the largemouth/spotted bass conundrum: When in doubt, it's a largemouth. (If it's some kind of hybrid, you'll likely never figure that out anyway) I fish Table Rock most often, and usually know if it's a spotted bass before I even see it by the way it acts/fights, but once I get it in the boat, it's really not that difficult to distinguish the two. Like I said, if a fish looks like it MIGHT be a spotted bass, it's a largemouth. (To be fair, we don't have the giants like they have out west. Maybe those can be trickier. I don't know. I'd love to find out. But people usually ask about regular size fish) Out in Arizona, you don't get the opportunity to see a lot of spots, which is unfortunate. They are an underrated sport fish because they typically don't get as big as largemouth, and they look similar, so you don't get as much credit as you deserve when you catch a 3 1/2 pounder. But they are bulldog fighters, and if they were as pretty as smallmouth, they'd have their own websites too. The fish in the picture is a largemouth, by the way.

Stacey King and Dion Hibdon.

Welcome to the site? I hope you stick around for a while. If you are using mono as backing to save braid, it is not crucial that it be a certain diameter. I tend to stick with mono that I feel will tie a nice, tight line-to-line knot with my braid that won't leave a lump on my spool. Typically line that is approximately the same DIAMETER (not strength) as my braid works just fine. Even that isn't a huge deal, but heavy mono will give you a fat knot and I like my braid to lay smoothly on the spool. Then make sure you put enough braid on to cover whatever length of line you may have out given how you fish. If you are just putting some mono on so the braid won't slip on the spool, you don't need much mono at all, but I'd still avoid a thick stiff line. If you have questions about using braid as backing, which some people do to save fluoro, let us know; or about the actual line-to-line knots you'll need for tying leaders to the braid. Ask those in the other sections now that you've introduced yourself.

There is a new boat manufacturer(?) out there called 'Falcon Boats.' Very little info out about it at this time. Apparently it is going to be a more affordable glass option for the new boat market. I would be surprised if pros were fishing it in the near future, but as you can see, I'm not a wealth of information. Perhaps someone brought this boat up in another thread and I haven't noticed? Anyway, there is a short video out on Vimeo about it. Edit: Or you can just go to this website... obviously. http://www.falconbassboats.com/

He may not be at his peak, but he has not declined as much as some believe. At the 'Elite Series' level, there are so few tournaments, that you can't afford to have any kind of let down. The fact that he missed the 'Classic' last year only spotlights how incredible it is that he had gone so long without missing it. I'd imagine whatever decline there has been does has something to do with all of his commitments catching up to him a bit, and him being at a point in his career where he has nothing left to prove. So putting in the work to compete with all of these hungry young guys, who comprise a more competitive field than the sport has ever seen, plus balancing family and everything else? It's gotta be tough. He's not trying to scratch out a living anymore like most of the guys on tour. Having said all of that, if he wins "Angler of the Year" next season, I'm pretty sure nobody (with any sense) will be surprised.

I don't use emoticons, but if I did, this would call for the 'drooling' face. Edit: Apologies for bringing up the way-back machine.

I've finally come around to spinning gear a lot more over the last several years, part out of necessity, since I need a better finesse arsenal since I've moved to Missouri and have been fishing a lot more water in general. The biggest thing though has been the advancements in braided line which has made spinning gear a lot more user friendly to me. I'm not sure I agree with the articles assertion that spinning gear allows the angler "a wider range of casting motions." Hasn't been my experience.

I think the hard part would be finding the female partner you are looking for. Not just for the reasons you mentioned, but because finding partners you are comfortable with in general, if it isn't someone you've known for some time, can be a challenge. Once you get that done, there are plenty of clubs or smaller circuits that use the "buddy format" around you could fish where you would be more than welcome. I have not seen all female teams, but there are plenty of females out there as part of teams. I think people would respect the heck out of an all-female team. If anyone was less than gentlemanly, that would get taken care of quickly, knowing the kind of guys I've fished with in clubs and tournaments. I'm still trying to decide what to do next year. I'm considering just focusing on the 'Solo Pro' series so I don't have to worry about a partner, since my dad was my partner and he's kind of out of the game now. And I hate to meet some stranger and be their partner because my boat ain't all that great, and I'm not a great fisherman, but at the same time, I'm over the back of the boat thing. Good luck.

There's a front page post on the 'General Bass Fishing Forum' about when we may see the 'Ned Rig' in 'MLF.' That's where we are getting our 'Ned Rig' fix at the moment. You should check that out. You'll see that it is still "the best thing since sliced bread."

Of interest to me is 'Lake of the Ozarks' making a big move up the list, and 'Table Rock' falling completely off for the first time that I'm aware of. I've always felt 'Table Rock' was a bit overrated as a fishery, in recent years in particular; but I'd have to do a lot of fishing at a lot of lakes to know it's not a "Top 100" lake anymore.

This is a bass fishing forum. Everything we talk about is insignificant in the grand scheme of things. And this idea that it's an internal club matter? I'd be fine with that if the law would turn a blind eye to the most natural consequence of such actions; but would it remain a club matter if I broke the cheater's jaw? Nope. That's assault. Cheating in order to win money is theft, or attempted theft if you're caught before you claims prize, or theft by deception, or whatever the charge is in that jurisdiction. Being in a club doesn't make it the Wild West.

A- Those organizations have rules that have some pretty harsh consequences built in, and the capacity to enforce them. And when certain rules are broken, law enforcement absolutely can get involved. B- The infractions you list would not necessarily have as great of an impact on the results as literally giving yourself points without anyone knowing it, such as planting fish somewhere. C- The fact that it is a "club tournament" does not make the violation insignificant to those who have lost monetary prizes and whose tournament experiences, which they have paid good money and invested a great deal of time in, have been diminished. D- What are you, this guy's attorney? He likely will deserve much worse than whatever he gets. Edit: Of course, you can look no further than actual bass tournaments, where people across the country have been charged with felonies and misdemeanors; some have actually gone to jail; many have paid significant fines and lost fishing privileges. Granted, most of those tournaments were for bigger prizes, but there is precedent.

I have both the Avid M and MH. The M would fish the 1/4 oz. jig fine, and if I did not have the MH, I'd probably fish the 3/8 oz. on it and it would get the job done. I would not throw the 1/2 oz. jig on it. In any case, the Avid M rod is about as versatile a rod as you will find. You will not regret buying it, and at that price, would be crazy not to; assuming it's in good condition.

Well there you go. That's the great thing about Bassresource some times. Someone asks a question, I speculate as to what the answer may be, and then someone from the company steps in and pretty much explains exactly what is happening, rendering my speculation pretty much useless (not that it wasn't already). In any case, it's good to know they have plenty of TRD's in stock. Once the dealers figure out they can sell them in quantity, they'll start ordering them accordingly.

The thing about shakeyhead fishing is that it does not have to be limited to the basic baits people tend to think of. I too use Zoom Trick Worms and Finesse Worms as my basic shakeyhead baits, but don't be afraid to experiment with a variety of baits, and don't pin yourself down to just using 1/4 oz. and lighter jigs. One of my staples in the spring is using a 3/8 oz. jig with a 6 inch lizard.

A big issue is that many smaller tackle shop owners are not completely dialed in to what is currently hot on the market right now. You'd think with it being their livelihood, they would be, but it just doesn't work that way. And they are reluctant to commit to ordering new product based on one or two people asking about it. They have such slim margins, they just can't afford to get burned ordering what looks to them like another little stick bait. Z-Man distributors could probably remedy this to some degree, but how many of these guys can there be? Some of the big-box stores seem to have issues with either being committed to certain tackle companies, or having some fool (who may have fished once) in the home office somewhere dictating to the franchises across the country what they will carry. As far as Z-Man's production versus the stores ordering enough to keep up, I don't know, but if something is selling fast, I tend to assume the producer is holding things up. I doubt Z-Man is sitting on a lot of product right now. I got lucky last time I was at Bass Pro in Springfield, MO, and they had a fresh stock of TRD's and the jig heads. This was after two days at Bull Shoals of cutting up little senkos until they ran out, then having to get really creative with cutting up other plastic baits, because the smallmouth were destroying the "Ned-Rig" like baits, and I was going through them like crazy.

I can't speak for yours, but I have an LFS, and the knobs don't turn very smoothly at all on it. I actually have to not tighten them down as much as I normally would for them to not annoy me greatly. But in your case, it could be a number of things, as you have implied. Dirty water can get things into places you can't get with a routine cleaning. It doesn't take much to make a reel feel gritty. I'd have to have someone with more expertise than I do it, which is a drag, but it is what it is.

Some people just prefer to have the rod in their right hand. I am one of those people (I'm right handed). Holding a rod in my left hand feels awkward, and I assume I would not be able to pick up on a lot of the subtle feelings I can pick up when holding it in my right hand. Having said that, there is also a bit of a learning curve for your senses when you start using a baitcaster, regardless of which hand you use, because the reel is on the top of the rod, and the balance point changes. You are using the muscles in your hand and forearm differently. That just takes some getting use to.

A cast can be like a golf swing. There are fundamentals to the game, but even the best golfers in the world have different grips, take the club back on a different plane, transition to the downswing differently, have a different follow through, etc... What it comes down to is where the club is at impact, and are they making the shots they want I'm not sure how often I cast with one or two hands. I make all kinds of casts, but to me the bottom line is; am I casting accurately and presenting the bait the way I like (making the shots I want, so to speak). If I don't cast with one hand as much as the next guy, I don't mind. If I don't catch as many fish as the next guy, I do mind. And I think most people's casts kind of evolve over time. The more casts you make, the more comfortable you are with a rod and reel in your hand, and you'll start do things differently without even really noticing it much. My brothers pick on me because they think I'm trying to look fancy when I cast. I'm not even 100% sure what they are talking about, but I can assure you I'm making no effort to look fancy.