Columbia Craw

Scorpions and Zillions.

I run braid to leader on ALL my spinning reels. I run straight braid on one flip and punch combo and two frog rods. Two topwater combos get braid to a short mono leader. Two topwater combos(poppers) get straight mono. All the rest get quality Florocarbon from 8 to 22 lb. tests. This has worked really well for me. It’s winter.🤪

I have an SLX 70 DC and it’s okay. Handy for Jerkbaits in the wind. After that, it’s just a good reel.

You are not naïve for not knowing the term. My first several rods were hand wrapped using a box, three books, razor blade and dental floss. Time consuming but rewarding. The winder, drying supports and a handle lathe with cork reamers came later.

I’m a shopper, a patient shopper. For every BPS hard bait, I can find a name brand bait that requires no modification for the same or almost the same price. After 40 plus years, I’ve found exclusive label baits just aren’t of the highest quality.

12 is good but check your line often and retie when needed.

It doesn’t really matter one way or another. I have several combos that have yet to catch a fish and that’s that as they say.

ST36 for me. I want round bend and a standard length because fish will, too often, slash at the bait and not really eat it. For me that’s the issue with most hard body topwater lures.

The blanks are available and custom painters are offering them. Fulks Custom Baits comes to mind. Google them fwiw.

Back in the 80’s, it was common to fish a worm on a jig if the fish weren’t eating the whole worm, but just grabbing the tail. The concept was the bulky head of a jig would prompt the fish to eat it better. My choice back then was a Ditto Gator Tail worm. Years later there was a trend to fish football jigs with a brushhog. With the development of so many trailers now, I don’t even consider a worm as a trailer.

Well my gym experience just got a huge boost of fun. Both my grandsons are my workout partners. Ian is 13 and Des will be 13 in March. We’ve settled into routines that fulfill our collective goals. I’m proud of the boys. Spending quality time regardless of what we are doing is important. The life lessons that come out of training are endless.

This news is heartbreaking. When I first became a member, WRB was one of the first members to stand out to me. I so much appreciated Tom and his willingness to share so much of himself. Tom was always a giver. I am blessed to have some reels I purchased from Tom. Now they have a new story and a new meaning. Tom was a mentor, quick to share with all of us. He will be a part of BR for years to come. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family. Tom showed me he was old school before being old school as cool.

The first thing I do is set the budget for the reel. I look at Diawa and Shimano models albeit there are a couple other brands that have specific models in the line up that deserve consideration if the price is right. That situation is rare though. To determine the model, I look at braking system, frame and spool size, handle length and knob size, spool capacity gear ratio options. Bearing count can be considered but these days that is subjective. I’ve seen where some anglers actually buy a reel because it looks cool or color matched a rod. Not me. I don’t rule out pre owned reels. I have snagged a couple on the flea market that were gems. Thanks Tom.

To all you bass heads;

I have one. Any bidders?

If it says Zillion, it’s a premium reel. I bought a Zillion from Japan that was well used for a very good price. I sent it to DVT for restoration and it’s better than new. It will outlast me.

It’s winter.

I have a long time buddy. We used to fish together almost weekly for 30 years. His position was buy cheap. I went to visit him last week and he showed me some newer combos. Lot of Kast King products. I noted he had a a box of junked reels and a stack of beater rods. That’s his mindset. It’s his money. There are the rare exceptions where you can find decent service able, performing products at great prices but staying with reputable manufactures has served me best over the last forty plus years.

There’s alit to be said for staying with one brand and series as AJay has done. Familiarity with your reels is a positive. I’m a shopper. What one chooses as a mid tier, I try to find at an entry tier price. That means I have reels by three manufactures but they have all been great performers from the SLX XT to the Zillions to the Metanium. It’s all great stuff.

I like soft zippered bags and in some cases zip lock freezer bags. I sort by bait type, such as tubes, hula grubs, stick baits, trailers, craws, etc. It works for me.

Bottom line Brett is you have the opportunity to visit one of the most gorgeous regions in the entire country and also experience some incredible fisheries. This stacks up to be a trip of your life. Bring lots of Hula Grubs in color 176.😉

I’ll be 72 in a few days. I’ve beat up my body over my life time and was an aggressive weight lifter until I turned 63. Resistance training has been crucial for me to maintain strength and fitness. I emphasize more on legs and core strength now than over the past 60 years. I’m a realist and know my injury history will dictate how I train and exercise. There are so many pieces of equipment today that allow you to isolate muscle groups that training around risk to joints is a reality. This helps my fishing and other daily activities. But as Clint Eastwood said: A man’s gotta know his limitations.

When I retired 8 years ago I started to read books, not magazines. I read everything Stephen Ambrose authored and it grew from there. Military history is the main topic. I’ve read all of Bill O’Reilly’s Killing series. I like Victor Davis Hanson ‘s work. To date I’m over 300 books. I read very little fiction but books used in movies get the nod. The two books that impressed me the most are The Revolutionary by Stacy Schiff and Carnage and Culture by Victor Davis Hanson. I’m currently reading The Second World Wars by Hanson. Excellent book. Great topic Mobasser.👍👍

They just arrived. I did a side to side with a MB SV3. This is well built and should be a good power finesse bait. Sticky sharp hook and a perfect strand count in the skirt. Great stuff Mike.

A hybrid or glass rod in the 7, 7-3 range. This will double as a crankbait and or bladed jig rod.