FloridaFishinFool

I hear ya, but from my experience, MH rods vary quite a bit from M to H. The MH I have a frog on now is a MH F and just about a broomstick as well. It is more than enough to handle a frog and good size fish. I could not imagine going any heavier. But to each their own. I just never saw the need for it. Age has turned me away from heavier rods. At 21 maybe a H was easier to handle than now at 61. I really enjoy loading up a rod into the backswing and unloading it into the cast. H rods don't bend into the backswing for me like lower power rods do. They tend to be super stiff. Not enjoyable to cast to me. Losing fish has not been a problem for me. Controlling them has not been a problem either. Curious when a bass is lunging do you try and stop them? Or, do you give slack and wait until the fish has stopped the lunge before trying to steer it back to you? I wonder if the people who want super heavy super stiff rods want them strictly for fish control? Do you really enjoy using such heavy rods? I try and do some give and take rather than just try and muscle them into the boat all the time. I guess I seek more of a balance than me being over-armed for the mission. To me, this is what using a H and XH "feels" like...

Mistake? Heck you might like it better! I have gotten rid of all my casting heavies except for one- and I never use it. For froggin' I use a MH. I don't like casting heavies any more. Might as well use a broomstick. I also have backed down to a MH for flipping and pitching as well. I just don't see the need for such heavy tackle all the time and I live in one of the most dense vegetation states in this union. Why so heavy? And EXTRA heavy? Why?

Curious what rod that is? It looks almost the same as one of my old Abu ultra light rods. Same type of reel seat and grip.

A daiwa made by doyo? Is this possible? So daiwa is not really daiwa? Maybe I have been living under a rock or in a cave or something, well in Florida how about lost in the jungle maybe? to the point that I have never heard before now that daiwa does not actually make their own reels. This is new to me. Can anyone else confirm this? -----------------------------------------------------ADDED I find this curious because I have some reels that I absolutely love made by doyo that look to me like they incorporate some daiwa traits. It is a reel no one ever mentions. And I mean never! Yet it is an amazing reel that is one of a kind. It has dual drag washers on front and rear of main drive gear. It has ball bearing mounted pinion gear which was unheard of when this reel was made. And it comes with a magnetic braking structure similar to daiwa- along with centrifugal brakes too. It has the bells and whistles and yet no one ever mentions this reel! I use it for flipping and pitching mainly because it has a cast reset switch I can access on a pitch with same hand and do not have to use a second hand to reset the reel. Kind of designed like an old castaic but in my opinion superior in serveral ways. Love the instant resetting switch. No other reel ever made before or since did it the way this reel is designed. I'm glad I discovered it. I'd like to do a thread on this reel and can probably get away with it because the reel has been out of production for decades. No longer available for more than 20 years. Can't advertise and promote a product no longer available can I? So talking about it should be staying within the rules. (I hope) This is my favorite doyo reel ever made. A cool little reel. I buy other doyo reels and dress this one up with new shiny metal drag star and new swept handles and install my preference for drag washers and full ceramic spool bearings to turn this little reel into the best flipping and pitching reel ever made. Thanks to who? Daiwa or doyo or both? I know the bass pro who's signature reel this one is had nothing to do with the design I don't think. If he did, then kudos to him!

You are in Arizona? And the other member is in northern Michigan? Both are fairly dry and have low salt content in the air. Florida is another story. Most boat owners in this state would never get 12 years out of an onboard charger without some electronics protection prevention. You guys are doing good. No, great! 12 years is amazing. Both of you might want to knock on some wood! ------------------------------------------ADDED I gotta add in another thing to think about and consider. Lead acid batteries emits corrosive fumes while charging. It is not a good idea to put electronics into the same compartments as the batteries are located. Even if ventilated, the lead acid fumes are still present until ventilated and can cause accelerated issues to nearby electronics. The lead acid fumes can accelerate the corrosion process. I found this out the hard way myself losing one trolling motor variable drive electronics I placed right next to the batteries. Won't do that again. I also did not protect the circuit boards on that one either. Every little preventative step we can take can prolong the useful life of electronics.

One issue with boat electronics is water, condensation, etc. This gets on the leads of transistors, IC's, capacitors, resistors, coils, transformers, etc. Over time those leads to components develop corrosion. That corrosion creeps up the lead and right into sealed parts eventually destroying them. Advances in Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Energy Volume 1, 2021, 100016 The detrimental effects of water on electronic devices https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772671121000152 The ultimate guide to PCB corrosion : causes, prevention, and cleaning methods https://www.pcbaaa.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-pcb-corrosion-causes-prevention-and-cleaning-methods/ Some brands try and mitigate this by burying their electronics in epoxy, but this does not always work. One thing all brands do not do is protect the electronics using various products to prevent water and moisture from ever making contact with the leads of electronics components. This same issue our military and NASA and other agencies have to deal with. So today there are products that can be used on things like trolling motor electronics to prevent the corrosion process thereby protecting the electronics for a longer period of time. The old saying an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? Never truer here! For years I have used one product on all my boat electronics and rarely if ever have any issues thanks to it. I use it on connectors, sonar connectors, power connections, trolling motors, even my audio electronics in the boat is protected from water and moisture. It is simply a product you spray directly onto the electronics and once it is on the metal leads, water cannot get past it and corrosion is stopped dead in its tracks. Quite often with trolling motors it is the electronics that goes first. But it can be protected and mitigated somewhat for those who know... and can do. Without mentioning any names or brands and breaking any forum rules, because there are a number of products out there that all claim to do the same thing, there is only one product I can think of that rises above all the others simply because it is so good and military approved and it works and works long term. "Safe On Electronics Water and electronics don't mix. Until now, there haven't been many options for protecting or restoring electronics from moisture intrusion. ?????????? unique Polar Bonding Fluid Thin Film Coating (FTFC) technology displaces moisture and seals it out with a self-healing high dielectric coating. Even though ????????????? has a dielectric property in excess of 39,000 volts, because it forms an ultra-thin film it does not interfere with electronics or heat dissipation. A must for all marine battery terminals, and a mission critical product for drones and all Remote Control hobbyists." "?????????? is the only product readily available to the public that meets the U.S. Navy's tough new corrosion prevention and control performance requirement MIL-PRF-81309H." If you are in saltwater, then this stuff is a must because trolling motor electronics can corrode into nothing in months rather than years. Keep in mind the trolling motor brands do not make the small components soldered to circuit boards. So they have nothing to do with the metal that actually corrodes and is behind many of the electronics failures. You gotta aim for those tiny small parts soldered on the circuit boards. The transistors, IC's, capacitors, resistors, etc. and protect that metal from corroding. That's where its at! On Navy ships and planes around the world they do the same thing to protect their electronics in demanding circumstances. You would be amazed at how fast corrosion can creep up the leads of circuit board components. But how many of us actually go inside and protect it at that level? Not many of us for sure. The same holds true for onboard chargers as well. I can't tell you how many of them I have seen come out of boats here in Florida eaten up with unchecked corrosion. Boat owner just kept using it until it failed and blew up in spectacular fashion. Smoke, sparks, and flames coming out of some of them. I must be lucky. I never have issues like this. I kind of hope it is from being proactive in the prevention dept that 99.9999999999% of others ignore, overlook, or don't bother with or don't have the skills to do it. Just one product used correctly can save boat owners a ton of headaches and down time and money. This comment is for informational purposes only to hopefully help others, and in no way trying to advertise or promote any specific product by name or brand in violation of any rules. I am just trying to suggest and promote the idea of electronics protection same as our military does. I think it is sorely overlooked by the masses, many of whom may not even be aware of this issue. And for the record, I not only treat marine electronics, but I also treat home and mobile electronics the same. And I also use it on fishing reels too. It keeps them from corroding as well. I live in Florida and yet after more than 50 years of fishing here I am one of the few who never has rusty bearings in any reels- ever. ----------------------------------ADDED: One of the errors of human thought that allows for marine electronics to corrode away unprotected is that many of us think and believe that we are placing our marine electronics in safe, dry locations. And while this may be true for the water the boat is in, it is NOT true for water in the air. Temperature kills electronics because as temperature drops, the metal leads on transistors, IC's, capacitors, resistors, etc. get cold and then condensation moisture condenses onto those metal leads while all of us are out here thinking and believing our electronics is safe and dry, they are not. This is why it is important that before any electronics is installed into a boat, it might be a good idea to protect the electronics ahead of installation so that the process of condensation can't start the electronics-destruction process out of sight and out of mind. I don't know if I am allowed to say this, but if anyone wants to learn of this one product I successfully use here in Florida, just send me a message in private. I am trying to follow the rules of this forum. I am one of those who has to read them at least once a week so I don't break any rules- because its so easy to do. I'm really trying hard to stay within the rules concerning brands, advertising, promoting products, etc. I know we are allowed to tell what we use so long as it don't sound like an advertisement. So if my comment sounds like an advertisement to me, then I know I am breaking the rules, so I leave brand names and product names out as much as possible. So in this comment I am trying to promote an idea, not the single one product I use.

I'm curious about something... When replacing a prop how do you approach it? Simply get an identical replacement prop? Or, does anyone do the prop to boat test and purchase new prop based on that? If no weight changes to boat, identical prop *may* be the way to go. But over the years some of us change boat weight and don't think about the prop adjustments. I bring this up because my situation requires testing of props. When I purchased my U.S. Navy MARS motor, it came with a prop made for a boat load of like 8 or more Navy Seals. It was in no way the correct prop for my boat and weight. The engine over rev'd big time. So I went through the process of adjusting the prop pitch and size to get to the correct size for my boat situation. I wound up with 3 props before finally settling on the one. Now I can adjust up or down if needed. And with two men in the boat and gear at wide open throttle and my outboard is humming along right at max rpm's or just under by like 100 to 150 rpm's so I can get maximum horsepower out of it. Props have to be dialed in and its amazing how many people overlook this important issue. On the water some boats will never reach max rpm's and struggle, and you can hear some are revving over the max. To do it right really takes some experimenting and with the right tools. But it seems as if few are willing to take on this challenging project. So I was curious how some of you approach replacing props? Go with the same or, take the opportunity to check and see if your prop is adjusted correctly for your situation?

This may help. Some may find the language used in this article to be humorous because the writer does not sound like a fisherman. https://www.foxnews.com/deals/anglers-guide-top-fishing-rods "The higher the power, the larger fish you can catch without worrying about breaking your line." I did not know a higher rod power meant I never had to worry about breaking my line.

Give it a try. "In order to achieve full output," may not be necessary depending on how hard you are on trolling motor batts. It says you need minimum of 25a for full output, but if full output is not necessary then maybe your 18a will be fine, but is this starting batt used for anything else like bilge pump and maybe live well pump too and lights and stereo? Just make sure all 18a are going to trolling motor charging and not bled off elsewhere further reducing charge ability. Give it a try. Got nothing to lose but time fishin...

More than likely no, they won't send you a knob. Unless you are really nice and really lucky and stay on the phone for hours on end trying to find the right person to be nice to. Otherwise I just checked the common online source and found several in the $12 to $15 range. Black and red ones. Maybe even some silver ones.

That's a good sized one too! These small little fish will hammer a rubber worm or just about anything that moves. These guys can be pretty aggressive. They like to hide in cover and dart out to grab and meal and dart right back into cover with it. If these would grow to 10 pounds on a regular basis some of us might forget all about LMG. We call them redeye's too. I did not realize how closely they do resemble the rock bass. When nothing else is biting, these guys can be fun to mess with. Sometimes you can catch the same fish twice rather quickly.

When I said MH it was not referring to what works for best for the technique. I was thinking more in terms of fighting a 4 pound bass heading into cover. A M may not give you what you need in terms of fish fighting ability. Open water M is fine. I love them too. But near any heavy cover and you may want to consider bumping it up a bit just for fishing handling.

I see the Florida guys heading for the braid with a few others tossed in. I went full tilt braid decades ago and have not looked back. No leaders either. Straight braid these days. Clear lines are for backing only. When you get out into Florida's jungle you may find that bottom fishing is rare due to the excessive amount of vegetation Florida has, and dead and decaying plants mucking up the bottom. Finding nice clean clear sandy bottom in lakes and ponds is rare. Some of our creeks and rivers with current keep the bottoms clean and clear enough usually. Most of the time I am fishing in cover. Clear open water or bottom fishing accounts for 10% or less much of the time. I like the confidence factor of believing my line is not going to break in heavy cover. And I guess I am not a fan of stretchy line either. So straight braid it is no matter what. One of my long time fishing buddies loves braid as well, but also uses leaders. When he has lost a fish it has always been the "weak" link his leaders. I remember him flipping to a big ole bass in lily pads and he hooked into it and when he set the hook his leader snapped. His shoulders dropped. He sighed plus a few choice words. And then said "Yeah, I know you don't use leaders." and I was thinking (almost chuckling) but not gonna say it... yeah, and that right there is why. I told ya so. I also gotta be religious about retying knots too. Anyone can lose a fish on those.

Around cover? I'd be in the 7' MH MF range. M F for open water. No cover to worry about fish going into. No shorter than 6'6" and not longer than say 7'6". For me the 7'6" is for long range casts. 7' is average.

Age plays a factor in rod length. I am growing older. In my 60's now and my arm strength is not what it used to be. Longer rods act like a long lever working against me. I am finding the longer baitcast rods getting harder to cast. And fighting fish on longer rods takes more muscle as well. Age is forcing me to downsize some.

Shimano engineers have been proactive going into the field to look at their reels in service shops to see what works and what doesn't. Our shop got visited by Shimano engineers every year before ICAST. They really enjoyed walking up to the wall of reels where incoming reels were torn down waiting to be rebuilt in boxes all cleaned up. The shimano engineers would spend much of the day going over their reels in for service taking notes on what they found. I found this hopeful. Shimano was the only brand of reels who did this. The shop has numerous warranty contract with other brands, but none of them came to the shop to check on their products.

It was probably factory authorized service techs who brought it to their attention. 🧐 As for curado's... I'm still loving my HG's. Just bought another used one for $20. I never got into the K's when the HG's were sufficient- and didn't fall apart. My next one will be a 71.

Hmmmm... me and reels don't share any feelings or stirrings as Captain Jack Sparrow would put it, but I can vouch for the reasons to avoid plastic and or carbon fiber frames. At my age I only get stirrings when a bass strikes the lure. In the past from personal experience I have lost entire reels because of this issue. Either the frame outright cracked and broke both spinning and baitcasters, or a piece broke off the frame inside, or place where a screw was threaded was now stripped out. One baitcaster with carbon fiber frame was extremely brittle. Once it began cracking up, entire reel was done. I've seen instances where strong springs were bending their plastic mounting hole out of shape and coming out of place. Its not really fixable. Gotta get a new frame and start all over until that one does the same. These frames may be usable when new, but over time they can change shape. Even on large fish they can bend and twist. More time limited reels. Solid metal frames and reel bodies may weigh more, but in the long run tend to be more durable- as I see it. But so long as reels like this one here in this thread are well cared for they can last a reasonable amount of time. But I do have aluminum framed reels still working after 30 years, so I'd be curious what the average length of time the BM reel can endure? ADDED: I've worked on a ton of these BM reels over the years and probably a half dozen this year already. In all of them, one thing I would recommend doing is put a little drag grease on that factory dry drag washer. Can't tell you how many had hangup bumps in the drag, and sticky dry drags because the material used for a lot of those reels is either a pink/red or blue colored cardboard material. Which when tracked down a while back turned out to be commercial pipe gasket material. It tends to stick to either the gear or the pressure plate key washer and drag is often just one side of drag washer is slipping while other side is stuck. Free it up. Add a little drag grease on both sides of drag washer and it can once again be as smooth as is possible.

Ozzy kept a great sense of humor to the very end. Some years ago, decades even? Ozzy was asked if he listened to new music like maybe Justin Beiber as an example the journalist suggested. Ozzy's response is classic. I bring this up because of Ozzy's final wishes ties into it all these years later... (I am displaying link only because the title contains Ozzy language and we gotta keep it family rated) Ozzy went from who the heck is Justin Beiber to playing Justin Beiber at his funeral was his first choice for everyone and one can only wonder why? Ozzy humor to the very end. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0hfg1htnM4 And just published is Ozzy's final funeral/memorial wishes: “I honestly don’t care what they play at my funeral; they can put on a medley of Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle and We Are the Diddymen if it makes ’em happy,” he said at the time. “But I do want to make sure it’s a celebration, not a mope-fest.” “I’d also like some pranks: maybe the sound of knocking inside the coffin; or a video of me asking my doctor for a second opinion on his diagnosis of ‘death.’ There’ll be no harping on the bad times.” “If I can’t continue doing shows on a regular basis, I just want to be well enough to do one show where I can say, ‘Hi guys, thanks so much for my life,’” he told the outlet. “That’s what I’m working towards, and if I drop down dead at the end of it, I’ll die a happy man.” The rocker’s wish came true on July 5 when he took to the stage for the final time..." https://nypost.com/2025/07/29/entertainment/ozzy-osbourne-revealed-one-condition-for-his-funeral-before-death-at-76/ I do like the Ozzy pranking idea of knocking coming from inside his coffin though. That one has worked in the past.

You sold me on both! Gotta have both now! But if only 1, then I would give the edge to SC.

This really depends on how low the temperature goes and for how long. Freezing does have an effect on batteries. I did a search on damage to batts that extended freezing temps can cause: "Why remove and store batteries inside? Freezing damage: Freezing temperatures can cause lead-acid batteries to crack and potentially leak, leading to permanent damage and safety hazards. Reduced lifespan: Even if not cracked, freezing can shorten the overall lifespan of the battery." So minimal freezing and batts can stay outside. But if there is extended temps well below freezing, then best case scenario according to the book is it is in the batteries' best interest to be stored inside above freezing temps. And as said always charged or on maintenance charge. Here in Florida I can get away with leaving them outside in boat year round. But waaaaaaaaay up north?

I used the wrong photo for an example. My point was the connector I consider bad depends on its plastic housing for making electrical contact. If the plastic cracks, the electrical connection will fall apart as well. I have already removed this same connector from a wheelchair for just this very reason. It works fine as long as plastic housing stays intact. There is another type of connector that is not dependent on the plastic housing to make the electrical connection. These little beauties here are 150 amp. 6 metal on metal pressure contacts. The above connector has 1 contact and uses plastic to be the counter force holding contacts together. In my opinion a "good" connector like this one is far better, and if plastic breaks out in the middle of the lake you won't be without electricity.

Not gonna debate which is better. What you posted makes it pretty clear that a crimped connection can keep up with solder, and solder has pitfalls which I would like to address 2 things in the above that is if'y. 1) I can use a higher temp or different composite solder than the easy to melt version. So if that connection can heat up and melt solder, it can be mitigated to some degree. But this would tend to indicate to me the wire conductor itself is not up to snuff and maybe should be a larger gauge. "High-temperature solders are designed to maintain their structural integrity at elevated temperatures, unlike standard solders that might melt or degrade. These solders are often used in applications where components are exposed to high heat, such as in automotive, aerospace, and power electronics. They typically have a higher melting point and can withstand temperatures above 260°C." But concerning those crimped connections... When I solder good wire is side by side undamaged. But when inexperienced people crimp you know cranking it down as hard as possible is always better right? 2) When this happens I can't tell you how many crimps I have seen where they squeezed nearly through the wire itself. Many who crimp do damage the wire strands. And when those are compressed, knicked, etc. the wire breaks off right out of the end of crimp because of that over cranking damage. This damage also reduces current capacity across the connection. "Improperly performed crimping can damage wires, leading to reduced current capacity and potential performance issues. Damaged strands, incorrect crimp height, and poor contact can all increase resistance and heat, ultimately affecting the wire's ability to carry current safely. Stripping tools or excessive crimping force can damage or sever individual wire strands. This reduces the overall cross-sectional area of the conductor, increasing resistance and limiting the current flow." Both crimping and soldering have to be done right. I often crimp and then solder but never crimp only. To each their own. Both work if done right. Key is flawless execution of either. I gotta add in we have all made good suggestions here, but the real downfall to all of this is in the hands of the reader(s) who may not have good tool skills. Professionals can make it sound easy, but you ever watch a rookie with a soldering iron? I can see why crimping is preferred is because of ease as mentioned, but wire damage and little to no skill undermine all suggestions. Maybe the best one is to seek a professional to get it done right.

Ok. More words than I used. You win! Let the reader decide... But your point is well taken. AI don't know anything beyond what it is programmed to know! If you use that popular G search thingy, its AI votes same as California does! I sort of figured if it was artificial intelligence it would be smart to vote the right way and provide answers not aligning to a particular side of the aisle? Maybe its not intelligent enough yet? Let the AI baby grow up some. Our future is in deep trouble now! AI should be our best friend but sci-fi movies suggest otherwise. I guess I should learn my lesson right here and not use AI any more.

Not just reels. Rods too! Gone are the days when every rod had a quality reel seat on it with a steel strap. Today we have reel seats so cheap they don't last a season. A buddy bought one of the big blue store $39.99 rods and broke the clear plastic reel seat out on first good fish.