desmobob

Thanks for posting that video. I'll be using my new Alphas SV105 this afternoon, and will be thinking about the tips in the video. Tight lines, Bob

I have a couple of the Orra Winch reels and although they feel a little on the cheap side, they function very well and I'm happy with them so far (I have very little fishing time on them). I have a Lew's BB1L on the way right now. The BB1L has an old-school anti-reverse mechanism, not the typical instant anti-reverse that seems to come on everything these days. I remember some discussion of why some folks might prefer that type instead of the instant type, but I don't recall the reasons.... Tight lines, Bob

I was fly fishing for striped bass off South Beach at Cape Cod one spring and hooked something really, really big... it just swam away without even a headshake, peeling the line, then the backing, off my reel. I thought I was going to get spooled when the run suddenly stopped. Out near where I figured my fly was, a seal surfaced. I thought "No way... can't be." I gave the line a good tug and sure enough, the seal took off and the reel started screaming again. I cinched down on the spool and broke him off. Tight lines, Bob

Chuck Darwin told him what to use for bait... Tight lines, Bob

Big, fast and noisy and pike can't resist it. But as webertime mentioned, expensive or rare lures seem to draw them into swallowing deep. Last summer, a big pike ate a new Megabass Popmax of mine on its very first cast out of the box. Tight lines, Bob

FG or easier-to-tie Alberto. Great knots! Tight lines, Bob

I was using one yesterday to try to entice the still half-frozen bass around here. I gave the ZinkerZ a good stretch and rinse to make it buoyant, then T-rigged it behind a 1/8 worm weight. In the 39* water, it had all the action of a Slim Jim snack sausage. I didn't try a Senko to see if they retained their suppleness in cold water... I should have. Tight lines, Bob

I don't have any experience with the new "G" versions, but I have five of the old-style Tournament Pros and really like them a lot. I use the 7.1:1 models on my T-rig rods. Less than $200.... Tight lines, Bob

I gave a couple of straight fluorocarbon lines a try and didn't care for them. But I still use fluorocarbon every fishing day as leaders for the braided lines on most of my bait casters and about half of my spinning reels. The reels that aren't spooled with braid are spooled with a co-poly (Yo-Zuri or P-Line)). I'll try flourocarbon again at some point. Tight lines, Bob

I caught one over four pounds last weekend when the water temperature where I fish got up to 44* in one of the shallow bays. This weekend, after a week of cold weather and some nights in the teens, I got skunked yesterday in 39* water and I'm staying home today (t's 30* out right now with a forecasted high of 43* and winds to 15 MPH). When the water gets above 45*, I start to feel I have a reasonable chance to catch a few. :-) Tight lines, Bob

Don't complain too much... I went out today at noon (it was 17*F in the morning) and the water temp was 39* with water visibility about 6". :-( I'm still trying to wash the skunk off me. Tight lines, Bob

That may have been the tackle monkey speaking through my body... "the more reels you try, the better the chances you'll; find one your really love." It also may be me justifying my reel-buying. :-) Are you serious? I think anyone that uses tools on a regular basis cares a lot about the brand name. I care about the brands of the tools I use on a regular basis and know that my Estwing hammers, Proto adjustable wrenches and Bohdhus hex wrenches are quality tools that will serve me well. Brand is the way you recognize quality after you find it, so that you'll be able to find it again. I love fishing and care about the quality and performance of my gear. When I try a brand and it proves to have excellent quality and performance, I'll buy it again in the future. That's why I've made repeat purchases on four different brands of reels... we're blessed with some great choices! Tight lines, Bob

If you don't try different reels, you'll never know if YOU would prefer another brand. Everyone has their personal preference... the more reels you try, the better the chances you'll find one you really love! Tight lines, Bob

It's for sure a personal thing! I spend bigger bucks on my fly rods (the last new rod I bought, an Orivs T3, cost more than a NRX bass rod). With bass gear, I've been pretty pleased with the rods I have, which are in the $200-$250 range. That said, I'm dying to try an NRX, but don't know if I ever will. I have reels ranging from $99 to $500, and feel the "sweet spot" is about $200. My spinning reels are all in the $80-$100 range and I've never felt like I needed to spend more, nor have I had the urge to try a pricey one out of curiosity. I do love baitcasting reels though, and would love to buy all high-end models if my budget allowed it. With that said, I don't think I'd be feeling undergunned if I stuck to rods that were around $120, and the same for reels. There seems to be a lot of great gear out there at all price points. Tight lines, Bob

I guess if I was fishing in deeper water, I'd want to be watching the screen all the time. Where I fish, I'd guess I'm in 6' or less of water the majority of the time I'm fishing, and casting to areas that wouldn't show up on the screen. Tight lines, Bob

For some reason, there's something special about catching your first few bass on a jig. I know when I did, all I wanted to throw was a jig for the next several times out! Tight lines, Bob

My boat came with a simple finder mounted at the console. I then bought a Garmin 93SV and had the same question as you. I ended up mounting it at the console and I'm happy with that. It seems I use the unit while I'm motoring around, looking for structure and fish. Once I find a spot I want to fish, I'm fishing and don't have much need to look at the screen. I thought I'd be buying another unit to mount up front, but I'm really not sure I need/want it enough to spend the money. I'll be interested to read other posts in this thread... maybe I'm missing something. Tight lines, Bob

Awesome. Tight lines, Bob

I was recently looking at hard baits on line somewhere and there was a bait that looked exactly that pattern and color and was listed as "baby bass." I thought of this thread immediately. If I had not seen that photo of the little purple-backed bass, I certainly would have wondered why the heck they made a "baby bass" bait with that color. Tight lines, Bob

Excellent. That first fish of the year sparks a lot of excitement and hope about the coming season, doesn't it? Tight lines, Bob

I used to love Crocs for boating too, until I realized the reason I was always nearly busting my a** on the boat ramp wasn't because it was super slippery, it was because my Crocs wouldn't grip on it. Never a slip with Tevas. Crocs sure are convenient and cheap, though (and they make a size big enough to fit my 15EEEE feet). Tight lines, Bob

I think the MajorCraft Volkey is an excellent rod for the price; about $170, shipped is what I paid for mine. I think it has the nicest fit and finish of any rod I own. It fishes really well. I love it. Tight lines, Bob

+1 on this (and some 1/32 jigs as well). I'm also a big fan of the old Blakemore Roadrunners. I buy the 1/32 oz and 1/16th oz. version in yellow marabou by the cards of one dozen on the big auction site. But I think the MOST fun way to catch panfish is with a light fly rod and some simple foam spiders. Tight lines, Bob

That's a wonderful saying that I've never heard before and hope to remember. Tight lines, Bob

Use a "float charger" instead of a trickle charger. I have a couple of Battery Tenders and a Schumacher Automatic ProSeries Charger/Maintainer. I leave my boat and motorcycle batteries on the maintainers all winter when the boat is stored. Tight lines, Bob