desmobob

The automatic spell-check/correct really does some great stuff to me sometimes. :-) I just sent a message to a friend that included the name "Fra Putorti." My MacBook changed his name to "Far Putout." What the.... Tight lines, Bob

I know the stuff isn't popular, but 4# Fireline seems to have a very high breaking strength, as does the 4# and 6# Yo-Zuri Hybrid copoly. One of my ultralight spinning rigs is spooled with that 4# Fireline with a 4# Hybrid leader and I can sometimes straighten lighter single hooks and get baits back. Tight lines, Bob

...and it's cheaper to buy the ZinkerZs and cut them in half! Win-win! :-) Tight lines, Bob

I think it would be fair to add my experience with Kistler customer service... I've only called them once, to ask a question, and Trey Kistler himself answered the phone and chatted with me at length. This afternoon, at 5:51pm (I got an acknowledgement e-mail), I sent a question about a rod I broke to Kistler via the contact form on their website. In my experience, this tends to be the least reliable way to get in touch with any company. Well, at 5:59pm I got an e-mail from Trey Kistler. That's a reply from the company owner in eight minutes. In my experience, their customer service is pretty darned good! Tight lines, Bob

Congratulations on a nice fish!!! That would certainly be the bass of a lifetime in my neck of the woods. The pictures are great, too. Nice job. Tight lines, Bob

I have a Kistler KLX 7' MH Moderate-Fast "Crank, Rip and Twitch" that seems like a pretty sweet squarebill/shallow cranking rod. I got it late this season, so I haven't got a whole lot of time on it yet, but I know I like it a lot so far. Tight lines, Bob

+1 on IceShanty *... it's the Bass Resource of ice fishing! :-) Dead bait works fine for me for ice fishing, by the way; especially for lake trout and pike. I always use a jigging rod for panfish. If you're in the right spot, the action will be too fast for tip-ups! Tight lines, Bob

The few long (6'+) ultralight rods I tried in the ~$100 price range felt like noodles. Then, I bought a St. Croix Panfish Series... nice, crisp, fast action. Love it! I'd buy another one in a second. Tight lines, Bob

Nice! Those are some healthy looking, big, fat, perch. Delicious... Drop-shotting WORKS; especially this time of year. Tight lines, Bob

A white bucktail with a white curly-tail grub works pretty well, too. Cheap and easy to fish. Have clobbered them on Bass Assassins at times.... Tight lines, Bob

Your fishing buddy doesn't seem too impressed. ;-) Looks like an ol' veteran fisher dog... Tight lines, Bob

^ +1. When I was younger and a "one rod" multi-species spin fisherman, I used them religiously. The make it very easy to change baits, plus help eliminate line twist. Lately, bass fishing, I find myself tying on direct or using the Mustad Fastach clips on my hard bait rigs. Barrel swivels get used on drop-shot rigs. Tight lines, Bob

Hey! It's just the right color to use as a tomato stake in the garden! ;-) Just kidding! I bought several rods from a company that supposedly had a similar glitch early on but had changed a few things to get straightened out. I'm more than happy with them... love them in fact. Best of luck with that nice-looking new rod! Tight lines, Bob

EVERY time I've panicked because this was happening on any reel (casting or spinning), it turned out to be the braid slipping. I feed out almost all the line behind the boat and reel it back in snugly and the problem is gone. Tight lines, Bob

I had a good selection of Deep Wee'Rs for smallmouth fishing on Lake George, NY in the '70s and '80s. We'd troll them over humps and shoals to find the fish. I think I still have a couple in my tackle box. Your collection looks great! Tight lines, Bob

Beautiful fish! I hit Lake Bomoseen in VT today; similar weather... started in the twenties, ended up in the forties, with a nice stiff breeze all day. I could not catch a largemouth, but I got some nice smallies. Congrats on braving the weather and reaping a nice reward! Tight lines, Bob

Get ye to the skeet range and get tuned up! I spent opening day of duck season bass fishing. But I had my Beretta 390 along side my bow seat. I got a drake mallard and a Canada goose, along with some nice small- and largemouth bass. :-) I spent a lot of years hunting hard during duck season, several years on the committee of the local Ducks Unlimited chapter, and two years as the area chairman. Duck hunting is a whole lot of fun! Tight lines, Bob

But don't most guys here buy the higher ABEC rated bearings not for the need to handle higher RPM, but for the tighter tolerances? ^ This pretty much mirrors my feelings. Tight lines (and smooth reels), Bob

I did. Cool! Maybe I'll get to use it a few times before I pull the boat out for the season. Tight lines, Bob

The 68L is ordered. Now, the long wait. Oh... I decided to try one of those Alphas SV reels, too! I'm sure I'll put my PX-R on the Volkey. I have a medium power Kistler KLX I can try the SV on. Tight lines, Bob

Any size reel with a good drag will work fine. I like 1000-size reels for their lighter weight. I use a Daiwa Tournament SS 1300 Whisker (1000 size spooled with 20# braid) for inshore striped bass fishing and it does just FINE! Tight lines, Bob

It must be hard to smile when the boat is on its side like that... ;-) Nice fish, Hootie! The weather here yesterday was near 70* and I was thinking about fishing all day while I was at work. Tomorrow morning, it's supposed to be 21*. :-( Tight lines, Bob

Cool video... except it's not the Columbia River bar. It's the Grey River in Greymouth, New Zealand! Tight lines, Bob

Welcome aboard! Now, are you talking $250 per week, per month, or per year? Do you have a wife to feed? Children to clothe? If you spend $250/week/month/year, how much money will you have left for beer and pizza? Are you willing to donate a portion of that $250 to send bigbill to remedial math class? Tight lines, Bob

Ain't that the truth! The best way to get good at jig fishing is to do a lot of it. After a while, you'll have that very satisfying experience of setting the hook because "something just didn't feel right" or "I had a weird feeling," and reeling in a big hog. Remember: hook-sets are free! Tight lines, Bob