bradster

Apology: I asked this question before and got good answers, but now I cant find those answers on forum. Should have saved them...my fault. Hoping you all will still reply. Because of an injury, I can only fish from bank--no more wading in deeper water for me. I live in Scranton/Lackawanna County in PA. Can you folks tell me some places where I can access Susquehanna for shore fishing within about 90 minutes of home? Thanks much.

Now that it's Fall, is it better to fish early in the morning (when it's colder) or in the afternoon (when it's warmer)? Thanks much! brad

thanks for recommendation.will follow your advice!

Yes, exactly. Yes. Exactly.

Thanks for your feedback. Much appreciated!

you're right. i don't use a swivel. but i fish a lot with soft plastic baits and i always assumed a swivel would mess with the subtle action of the bait. no?

anybody use an inner tube fishing float? if so, what are the pro's and con's? I am considering one because currently I wade and my balance isn't what it used to be, so I'm thinking the float would keep me from slipping and falling into the lake. the lake I fish isn't real deep, but obviously it doesn't take a lot to screw you up if you slip and fall even in a few feet of water. should i be concerned about poking hole in float while on water? do you really have to get diving fins? as always, i really appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

I've been using Suffix 832 Advanced Superline but may switch to Berkley Fireline based on one of the recommendations above. I will avoid PowerPro Slick 8 based on your experiences with it. thanks.

These are all good ideas/pointers. I probably overfilled the spool and the reel is pretty old. I also liked the idea about fly fishing wax--outside the box thinking! and the casting tips are right on too. It does tend to happen when I cast too vigorously! I love this forum and I really do appreciate all the replies I got. When I was complaining to my wife about the birdsnests, I said "But I'll bet the people on this forum will have ideas/solutions". And you all did! Thanks much. If I'm still getting bad birdsnests, I may be back for more help but I think that all your ideas will fix. Much appreciated.

Help. I'm plagued by birdsnests with my spinning reel. I use braid. I even bought one of those new line spoolers for spinning rods and it seemed to work well--it was rotating back and forth as I reeled my line on. I always try to close the bail just before lure hits water and I always hold the line tight when reeling in slack. And I still get birdsnests!!! what am I doing wrong? the only thing I've really changed lately is I switched to a longer rod. But I didn't think that would make a difference. the nests seem to occur less when i case sidearm, vs casting overhead. I just ordered some of that "reel snot" stuff to see if that helps. #@#%% birdsnests are killing me!! Help. PS didn't seem to have this problem as much in the past. I can remember fishing all day without a birdsnest.

Gang, I really appreciate the input and the fishing wisdom. I like how members give serious advice based on their real world experience! Thanks.

I like to fish for both largemouth and smallmouth bass. In the summer, I try to fish at dawn. But now that it's Fall here in Pennsylvania, it's pretty cold that early in the morning (in the forties). what's more important this time of year: fishing at sun up or waiting till temp warms up later in the day. thanks.

thanks for all your insights and ideas. much appreciated!

I get down in.the dumps when I can't fish during winter (ice fishing just not my cup of tea). I live in NE Pennsylvania so winter comes kinda early and stays around for quite a while. So my question is how "deep" into winter can i fish on river and still catch a few smallmouth? Any tips on fishing for smallmouth during cold weather? Thanks much.

THESE ARE ALL GREAT RECOMMENDATIONS! THANKS MUCH BRADSTER

THESE ARE ALL GREAT RECOMMENDATIONS, THANKS MUCH! BRADSTER

What are other knots for tying braid to lure? I know most recommend palomar, but my old eyes and shaky fingers find it almost impossible to tie palomar. Any alternative knots? Thanks in advance.

Gang, Have been fishing Kalin grubs for smallmouth. Fish hitting "short" and I'm unable to catch em. Am told a longer shank hook/jig head will help fix problem. Searched, but can't yet find any such hooks/jig head, so I thought I'd ask the experts: Where can I find longer shank hook/jig heads for fishing grubs for smallmouth? Thanks in advance. You all always come through.

Thanks for all the good comments and suggestions. I'll check out that video you mentioned.

These are all actually very helpful. Can I ask another? Even I can tell which direction the line is coming off the spool. But when the question is "In what direction is the reel turning when you put the line on?", I say If I look at the reel from the tip of the fishing rod, it's one direction; if I look at the reel while standing behind the reel, it's the opposite direction. Which one do I "use". And once that first question is answered, is the line supposed to go on the reel in the same direction reel is turning OR in opposite direction? I've found different answers all over the place. Help. PS Dont know that it matters, but I'm using 10lb braided line. THANKS!!!

When I try to spool braided line on my spinning reel, I attach line to my reel; lay spool of line on floor with proper side up to prevent line twist; and slowly start to reel line onto my spinning reel. The problem I encounter is that the braided line doesn't "spill" off its spool easily (monofilament does). As a result, I have to apply some pressure to get the braid to come off the spool it comes in. When I do that, the spool of braid skitters across the floor, flips over to wrong side, etc. I've tried holding the spool of new braided line down with my feet while reeling it on but that doesn't work either because unless the spool moves freely, the braided line doesn't come off. With monofilament, the whole process is easy and smooth; but with braid, I have big problems. In short, I can't spool braid onto my reel unless I allow the new braid's spool to move freely while I reel it on and then the spool of braid flips over, rolls on its side, etc.---all leading to line twist. Any solution? Thanks in advance.

Turtle135, that is an excellent idea. thanks much!

I ordered some stuff from their website around Thanksgiving and never received. ive since left several emails at their "contact us" email addresses and received zero replies. does anybody on here have a different email address for them? thanks much. brad

does anybody know whats up with Confidence Baits? I tried to order/contact them for weeks now...all to no avail. I really like their products, so I sure hope they haven't gone out of business. Thanks. The Bradster