Further North

Yeah, that'll happen. A 1 lb. weight at the end of a 9 ft. rod stopped suddenly with a backlash'll snap wire. ...I can attest to the fact that even a 4 1/2" Doctor Spoon'll snap 65# braid under those conditions...still goin' up when it cleared the trees on the lake shore...that one may have achieved low earth orbit for a while...

You seldom put bass on the reel; mostly you strip them in. I like to put them in the reel sometimes, just for practice, and to keep the fly line off the deck, it's not difficult once you've done it a few times.

Not sure...but I don't even use braid that heavy on my pike/musky rods. Some of the dedicated musky guys will say you have to have it...but I've never lost a fish to broken braid.

Yep. To say I surprised that I got the above definition at the speeds I'm getting...would be an understatement... But it works. I'll leave the 2D 'ducer in place because it's more reliable, and a better choice...but it's nowhere impossible to get a MEGA transducer to work at higher speeds, and good good data.

...and that's just on the roads...

Same here. 11,000 smallies per mile...not one of 'em over 10".

I think Minnesota and Michigan are your best bet, without question.

A-Yup. That'd work...

Be honest, not one bent guide? I find that hard to believe. I've bent plenty of guides...just not those guides. ...and those rods get treated like any others in my boat.

I use a leader and like micro guides. Works fine with the right knot... Interesting. I've had them for years, have not had any issues.

I figured the "3" was a typo and he meant 7 years...

Interesting, but nearly useless fact: I get SI images (no detail because of speed) over 30 MPH on my boat: ...Of course I discovered this after I mounted a dedicated 2D transducer...

This isn't gonna help much...but I've got a Scott 8 wt. with a Nautilus CCF No. EIGHT on it... Fits my sweet spot perfectly... I believe you're right...I'm leaving my post up anyway...

Yup. ...and us bottom-feeding cheapskates need folks who buy new boats and cars so can can buy 'em used at a fraction of the price later... I am dead serious about that.

Short answer: there is no such thing as the "best mono". Same for rods, reels, braid, lures, boats, motors, trucks...or anything else... Use, budget and preferences define what is the best choice for each of us.

I use leaders (fluoro, hybrid, mono and tieable wire) for abrasion resistance, not to "hide" line from fish. Rocks, docks, trees, brush all beat up braid much more than the above leaders. I have tied-in wire leaders that last a full season or more. About the 3rd time you have a $5 lure pop braid and still be going up when it clears lakeside trees because it was tied in with braid that got knicked on an dock leg or an underwater rock...leaders look pretty good. In this part of the country we also deal with pike and musky that'll cut even strong braid like it's made of wishes and smoke...leaders help with that as well.

I was wondering about this too... For perspective, not bragging: I spend a fair amount of time each year chasing and catching fish that can and do eat bass. I cast big lures, and catch fish that approach 50" and weigh north of 20 or 25 lbs. I've never seen any of the things attributed to "plastic" ...or metal reels as a factor in the pursuit, hooking, or landing of these fish.I I am left wondering what folks are doing to their gear to cause these problems, and/or if we (as a fairly large group) are simply seeing the failures that are statistically normal within any large population?

I had a '91 Evinrude GT 150 on a Lund Pro-V 1800...I live near a 6,000 acre lake that's about 7 miles north to south... Great motor...but it'd nearly empty my gas tank on a round trip end to end at much above 1/2 throttle.

I think you're right...scratch that, I know you're right...but I don't think matching colors boat to truck is anywhere even close to the "quality" line. You can have a quality truck and a quality boat and not have matching colors. My house payment wasn't that high, and I live in a 2,600 sq, ft home, built new in '03, with a 3 car attached garage and a 3 car detached garage on 10 acres... Gob Bless folks like that who keep the economy afloat. No, I'm not being cynical. I'm serious as a heart attack.

Details, details... Nailed it, right there...

Never mind...ancient topic...

Lots of good advice above. @Turkey sandwich nailed it...I'd offer a refinement from my experience: A lot of fly guys tend to bias towards more traditional flies...the "Clouser/Deciever" in his example. Good stuff, and they work great...here's my "refinement": I tend to look at traditionally successful gear presentations...and try to tie a fly that mimics the size and color, then adds the "hang-in-the-fish's-face-and-breathe" factor. As an example the bottom fly is a tie I use on a red 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook in a lake where smallies smash Rapala clown patterns. The top fly is on the same size hook, but black, and aimed at pike and musky that can't resist blue/pink in stained water. Neither of those flies look that nice any more...

I do it a lot...probably approaching half my time on the water, any given day. I think an 8 wt. is the best all around bass rod, though I'll drift down to a 7 or even a 6 for some specific presentations with smaller flies. I will typically have at least three fly rods rigged and ready to go: One with a floating line designed to turn over poppers and divers (Rio Smallmouth line here, for me). One with an intermediate sink tip line (Scientific Angler Hover is my current choice) One with a full sinking line (Rio Outbound Short is my current one). One of my favorite flies is the Ol' Mr. Wiggley...it's really nothing more than a folded over piece of craft foam and some legs, can be fished several ways, depending on what the fish are doing. Fly fishing is not hard...there's a lot of myths and nonsense floating around out there about it...but trust me: If I can do it, just about anyone can. ...and there are some things you can do with a fly that you can't come close to with gear...that makes me a better fisherman, overall. It's also less tiring for a long day on the water to switch back and forth...different muscles, different casting... Here's some pictures to get you thinking: Here's a yellow Ol' Mr. Wiggley gettin' it done:

Thanks!

A-Jay...I've tried those, and others like them...and while they produce OK, they've never knocked my socks off. If it's OK to ask...what is is your presentation like?