Fun4Me

I'm looking to get another reel. I was contemplating a Tatula or Curado/Citica. I almost exclusively use braid to a mono/flouro leader. In my research of reels, I came across some who say that knots don't go through the T wing system as good as regular level wind designs. Can anyone confirm that? I generally just use a 6 or 7 foot leader, but I sometimes use a leader longer than that, and the knot would pass through the T wing on every cast. I use an FG knot for most of my main line to leader applications if that makes any difference. Thanks for any help!

Fishing allows me to mentally unwind from life, outside of fishing, that would otherwise make me want to get physical

A lot of the H2O rods are on sale or clearance at my local store. I walked out with a Ethos composite cranking rod for $20. I already have a jig rod but I think the MH Ethos rods were like $35 or so. I have 6 ethos rods and have never had a problem with any of them. I think they are the best bang for the buck rods anywhere. Just my personal opinion of course. To answer your question, I would get an H2O on sale/clearance and use the extra money on baits/tackle etc.

4 pounder on a black buzz bait.

I spoke about this in another thread. Perception is reality for our youth. If we do things in a way that makes it seem normal to do, our youth will have no reason to assume any different. You have a great point OP. Whether it's holding a 4 pound fish vertical by it's jaw only because it could never possibly hurt it, casually flipping a fish back like it's a game, or promoting the sport itself, we are all responsible for how it turns out for future generations IMO.

It's the perception i'm talking about. Is it really that hard to use two hands to admire one's catch? I can catch a fish on a boat, throw it back in from chest high, and see how many times I can make it do a flip(s) before it hits the water. Am I doing damage to the fish? Maybe, maybe not, but i'm not doing the perception portion of the sport any good. I believe there's a tournament organization (or a few) that penalize fishermen from releasing fish above the deck of the boat. Again, perception IMO.

I would rather just have people handle all fish the same, whether they're 2lbs. or 10. What it comes down to is, you either care or you don't. Justifying mishandling of a 3lb. fish isn't furthering our sport or the misconceptions from others both inside and outside of it IMO.

I took the time to learn the FG knot, and haven't gone back to another knot since.

I saw Barry Manilow back in the 90's.

I don't care who you are, that's funny right there.

Braid to a fc or mono leader using a FG knot. My leaders are generally 6 feet or so. Not because I need 6 feet, but because it allows me to re tie multiple times and not have to re tie a new leader as often.

If you like chucking and winding, a spinner bait would be good. Fairly weedless and you can cover the entire water column. If slow fishing is your thing, a weedless Carolina rig would be a good choice. JMO of course. There's also top water to consider.

I've never been spooled by a bass.

Scotch works better

Depending on the places you're throwing the frog, you could try a trailer hook.

Nnnniiiiicccceeeee fish!

Buzz bait. I've caught the biggest fish of the summer on them. It's worth a try IMO.

Slayed the catfish on a 2 tap the other day. Problem was I was fishing for bass LOL!

If you have an Academy sports around, you could do a lot worse that an H2O ethos IMO. I think they go for around $50 or $60, and sometimes cheaper.

That's what I thought too. I'm just going by the package that says 1/2 ounce, but saw this video. If the sound doesn't work for anyone, I find that listening to the video on headphones works for me.

And if so, does anyone know the general rate of fall on a 2 tap?

I find that winter is a long enough break for me to recharge my fishing batteries. If I could fish year round I'd probably get burned out, or at least not do it as much..

Rimshot

In that case he would only need to catch a 2 ounce fish to win. He said 3 lbs. 11 ounces total weight won.

What a great come back by the Chiefs!!