the reel ess

If it's anything like the Trion, which I think it is but lighter, you're gonna love it. I've been using that reel this whole year without the first loop in the line. It really likes Fireline 20#. The drag is super smooth too. If I may make a suggestion, I don't think I'd get larger than the 30 size. And if you just want to save $20, the Trion is a very good reel for the dough as well. Maybe the best $40 I've ever spent on fishing.

"FireLine is a pre-waxed and braided cord made of highly durable material. It has been noted by many as the strongest fiber per diameter ever created." I can see daylight between those "fused" filaments. That whole fused thing is smokescreen by Berkley. It's braid and it's darn good stuff, rounder than the others. I like it so much I'll probably switch one of my BC combos over to 30#, although Berkley says it's great for spinning, suitable for BC.

I'm married to a teacher so I see this all the time from the educators' POV. Over and over, when parents get a call from the school they come down ready to tear the principal and teachers a new one. Sometimes they change their tune after learning what their little angel is capable of and sometimes they simply get completely ignorant about the entire situation, refusing to admit any fault. I'm trying really hard to teach my daughter to take responsibility for her own actions. These parent who try to be their children's best friend are ruining their kids. They won't know how to function as adults.

The problem I see with that is this is a country moving away from individual liberties in the name of public safety (which won't work), handouts and entitlements. I am activist for freedom and liberty. But when every tragedy is used to attack the very second right enumerated in the Bill of Rights, I'm afraid our activism in this country is headed in the wrong direction.

Yeah, fishing is my outlet for everything. When you're on the water nothing else can bother you. Nothing matters except fishing. I've tried to explain how I feel about fishing to my wife and others who simply don't get it. They can't unplug themselves for hours like that. My wife asked me if I missed her and my daughter (if she doesn't go) when I'm fishing a long time and I have to say no, I don't miss anybody or anything. I can fish for 4 hours without a bite. Those hours just move me closer to the next bite. What you learn not catching is as useful as catching. The small ones just move me closer to a big one. When I feel that fish on the other end, I can forget EVERYTHING ELSE for a brief period of time. Man, what would I do if I didn't fish?

Man, I wish we could ahve a cold front. We did get storms alst night and it lowered the tem 22 degrees. But it's right back to the high 90's today. Good deal on the jig. Practice-practice-practice. I need to do the same.

The first time I used Fireline it had a coating on it that wore off in maybe 30 min. It was a little stiff, but I was still able to cast a weightless trick worm. Why may I ask did you choose that pound test? The coolest thing about braid is that you can get by with 20 lb test and have the diameter of 8#. It could be that your line is digging into itself on the spool or just sticking together. Most braids are flat and won't sit on the spool as well as mono. Fireline is rounder than other braids. If you go with 20# test it will lay on the spool and not dig in. When I tried Spiderwire (years ago) on a BC combo it was always digging into the spool. If I had to drag in a limb or even a fish, the next cast was no good. I trashed a whole spool of it and didn't go back to Fireline for a decade. Now I get much better casting distance out of heavier brad than I would even 10# mono. Tie on a 1/2 oz Rat-L-Trap and cast that bad boy for 20 min. That should loosen up that line.

I think the standard is 1/4 oz. The mag is 1/2. Of course it flies out there. But then there are times the bait is small and the fish aren't just busting everything in the water. At those times the 1/4 will do the job more consistently. I wouldn't throw the 1/8 unless I was in a creek where I know there are no big fish. Bream will bite the tiny ones and always seem (to me) to get all three treble hooks embedded so badly it closes their mouth. Then you have to do surgery on a fish you don't want to keep.

The world seems to be going to hell in a hand basket. What will it come to? Are we Balkanizing America? Will there be a United States of White America, Black America, Hispanic America, etc.? I live in SC. I hate this for the families impacted and for our state. We always seem to be in the news in a negative way and the state is literally full of good and decent people. I just wanted to get that out in a forum where people wouldn't jump down my throat for saying it.All I want to do is just go fishing. Maybe everyone should take up the hobby to fill their empty hours.

I like the hooks they have now and they continue to catch fish with the paint wearing off. This statement I'm going to make is not aimed at you. Just a general statement. But what makes a lure company start the marketing of a brand new bait in a very crowded segment of the market at the very top of the price range? There are already much cheaper lipless cranks that work quite well. It would take a lot of pros telling me this was the best on the market to get me to pay $16 for it.

I've got that magnum size and the regular Pop R. Seems I get more bites on the smaller one. But that's the one I have confidence in. So I fish it more. Maybe I'd use the big one in a chop with obvious schoolies. Or stripers.

I think light, stiff and durable would be what you need. Not necessarily sensitive for frog fishing. That's mostly sight fishing. But if it might double as a flipping stick, then it never hurts to have sensitivity.

I did see that. Thing is, I like the leg shape. This is a frog that a bass can engulf completely. I think the others with the long legs can be harder for a fish to find the body. If there's one thing I don't like about this frog, it's that it doesn't run true. You twitch it and it might go straight, might turn either way. But fish don't seem to mind that.That and the fact that it's so light. If you do it, let me know how it turns out.

17# Fireline (since I bought it Berkley replaced 17# with 20# at the same dia). No leader. I'm almost convinced using leaders around here is a complete waste of $$$ and time.

This is the first frog I ever bought. http://www.basspro.com/Snag-Proof-The-Original-Frog/product/37017/ I caught my PB on it more than 10 years ago and I still have it. Not one like it but the actual lure. It only costs $6.50. And it still gets more hits than the SPRO, Scum frog and some other hard rubber popping frog I have. If you're going to buy it, buy the casting size (1/4 oz) The spinning size is 1/8 oz and it really doesn't cast far enough even on spinning gear.

I never get bored fishing. Even when they don't bite. If I didn't have family obligations, I'd probably fish 4-5 days/week.

I got 99 problems, but a frog ain't one. Switch to braid. 20# on MH spinning combo will do. But if you really wanna cross their eyes, a Heavy BC combo with 50# is the going thing. Take pliers and bend your hooks out away from the frog just enough to not be touching it. There is a trailer hook that rides up and loops over both hooks. Hold off for 2 whole seconds before setting the hook after the bass takes the frog down. That bass has a mouth full of air and maybe some frog. If you give him time, he'll exhale the air through the gills and have all frog/water. Cross his eyes then. You'll still miss some but catch more. A 50% rate ain't bad. If you have 2 rods, rig the other with a senko weightless and toss it to the spot the fish missed at. They'll often take a consolation prize. Good luck.

Good job man!

Yeah, my buddy bought a sit-in kayak with paddle and PFD for $100. Now it wasn't anything special or very comfy is you ask me. But would get you on the water. You could always add rod holders later.

They should have simply removed the basket, told the entire club and said nothing to him. When he came to the weigh-in empty handed, the look on his face, knowing someone knew but not who, would be adequate payback...then have him arrested.

Fisherman lying? I refuse to believe it. Can't have nothing. I don't know what would be the fun of winning a contest in which you cheated. The same reason I won't go to topless bars. I can't make myself believe something that I know isn't true.

If you can get to a big lake's tailrace, there's more oxygen in the water and cooler because it's off the bottom of the dam. I've fished Wateree R below the dam and it's pretty good on the hottest days. It also makes a big difference in how you feel. Be careful. In the heat, they run for power a lot more often and it can get hairy. Listen for the horn. A kayak is the way to go, but water level can change fast. On down the river it widens and slows some and is easier to fish.

I only have anecdotal evidence to back this up. But I firmly believe if you fish a lure that bass haven't seen before, that adequately represents something they would eat (roughly similar color, size, smell, etc.) you stand a better chance of catching them if they've been pressured. I like to try something different every time out. Experimentation is fun and usually rewarding. I can tell you the first time I try a wacky rig almost anywhere, I'll find some fish curious enough to eat it. There's one place I fish where I consciously avoid throwing what my friend uses there because he's the only other person who fishes for bass there regularly. His fish are not educated and are much easier to catch. They also are a little overpopulated and hungry as can be. You have to experiment to find lures for the bigger fish there. I don't know how long a worm's memory is, but they can learn to choose a particular path to avoid an electrical shock. If they can learn to avoid unpleasant circumstances, I'm almost certain bass can. No data to back it up, but that's my opinion, FWIW.

What's your fave? Pound Test#? Is it suitable for using with T-rigs if you use a leader? I have been using Fireline on spinning with no leaders, but not anything like 50#. I love the roundness of it. They don't make 50#. But I'm thinking 30# would suffice on a BC reel for frogs since I don't fish many places with a ton of slop. Just lilies, mostly. The recent thread hating on Vanish has me thinking I ought to trash it. It's very old anyway.

And NOT with a bungee!!! LOL