Florida Cracker2

I know what you mean by wanting to hold it in-person. I like to put the reel on it too and see how it feels balance-wise (whenever possible)

Does your bail roller turn easily? If not, it could warp the line. Kinda like using the edge of scissors to curl ribbon. Usually twisted line comes off the spool in clumps when casting and/or wraps around the tip of the rod when line is slack.

After thinking about it, it's hard to explain. I just pull it out of the reel and can feel where it needs to be set. If your not sure, then go light and adjust it when playing a fish. It's better to be light and tighten it if the fish is taking it too easily and not tiring. You want to keep enough tension on the fish to wear it out without breaking the line. Trial and error is about the only way to learn...if that helps any.

Yep..good choice.

Well I would have to say my old Penn 704 greenie on the 8 foot diamond graphite rod it's on...it's lasted for many years and just won't quit. Add a gold-n-black brokenback repala and I'm set. Those things catch everything in both fresh and salt water.

Yes...and a nice new one too.

Eventually curiosity will get the best of you... and you will have to try it. Like in my earlier post...I like both. Braid is great for topwater. I currently have a tiny pop-r on my baitcaster and I like the quick hookups I get when something strikes it. Also... since it floats...I was able to score a free crankbait the other day from someone else's snag.

I have braid on one of my baitcasters, big game on my light to heavy spinners, and spiderwire on my ultralight spinners. I remember dacron and had it on my penn deepsea reals. I like both braid and mono. Many people don't like the stretch...but I do, especially when I get hung on the bottom. Braid is not as forgiving when trying to free a snagged lure. I also like being able to bite off mono with my teeth. (the 2 I have left)

It really depends on your preference. I use ultralite spinning setups for bluegill to big snook. I'm a ultralight nut and proud of it. I consider anything medium for saltwater. Heavy is just too much. That being said, I have chased many fish with the boat to recover line. But that is just silly old me. What you feel is best, is best.

Well you can remove the lure and freeline it all the way out and reel it back with a hand-rag gripping it tight to remove the twists. You just need to be in a boat trolling to do this...but it works. But I imagine for most people it's easier to just respool.

I don't have any GX-2s, but I have a couple 1100 series and a couple inshore selects that I really like. Not as sensitive or as light as my higher end graphite rods...but very nice and tough. I also have a Berkley Power Pole I purchased about 25 years ago and it's still catching fish. I also have some all-glass rods that I like as well. I go by the feel of the rod and match it to the feel of the reel. I'm not a takle-snob by any means.

The pits in my area aren't that deep but are clear. I always had good luck with a weighted black worm with a red firetail.

I've seen manatees do this for years. They see something high on the bank and will climb up and eat it. I've seen them eat entire clumps of weeds growing on the rocks along the bank of my property. This is becoming a real fiasco. Common sense is a thing of the past.

Another option is extra spools (spinning reel) with other line weights on them. Takes a few minutes to change-over...but will save some money.

Somewhere along the line I ended up with a Mitchell telescopic rod and it has been sitting on a shelf for years because I don't feel it would handle anything over 5-6 lbs. But I have never used it...it just feels flimsy.

Have you tried a bone colored tiny pop-r? Early morning might bring some action.

I always try to keep the sun behind me when fishing from land whenever possible and try not to cast a shadow on the water. I have fished a lot of canals and do it early morning or evening and the sun behind you makes it hard for the fish to see you.

Always bring a minnow dip net.

I will make another attempt to put things into perspective. You can go to USGS website, pull up a map of Florida, and see all the recording locations for waterflow in real time and you can also pull up a history graph. It's measured in cubic feet per second which is 7.48 gallons. During the time Lake O was releasing 44,880 gallons per second at Moore Haven Lock...and still is, the Peace River at Arcadia (pretty far upriver) was discharging about 30,000 gallons per second. Like I said in a previous post...little of all that fresh water originated from Lake O. Redirect it to the southern tip of Florida if you want...the water will still be fresh and brown. We had a couple fronts come through and dumped a lot of water on us and is flowing from multiple locations and multiple rivers, creeks, canals,...etc. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/fl/nwis/rt

Well this story isn't mine...I was down doing some fishing in the Ten Thou. Isl.s area at the mouth of Lost Man's River and a fishing guide working the shoreline by himself eased up to me and started chit-chatting and told me a story about him seeing a friends boat drifting with no one in it. He went up to it and found his friend laying down bear-hugging a large tarpon. While fighting him, the tarpon jumped into his boat hooking him also with a large saltwater lure. After he beat the tarpon to death, he clipped off the hooks to free his buddy.

Went back to the same spillway I caught the 19 inch one and got 3 small ones with a Yo-zuri 3d minnow. Gold back and sides. First 2 were on the first 2 casts and the third was on the 10-12th cast. All 3 under 12 inches....but fun in a strong current.

Give it a year and it will be bleached white. But it still has it's strength.

Picketers were on Mantanzaz pass bridge with signs boohooing the situation. The only remedy is stopping the flow of water off lands meaning that the water will have to stay at location. That will bring back malaria, dengi, and a host of other deseases that drainage has prevented. The alternative is lots of chemicals to reduce the deseases. There was a reason that dranage was implemented. Those who don't learn from history...live to repeat it. Remember...Florida was considered uninhabitable before drainage was in place.

I have only one baitcasting rig with braid. I still prefer mono for most of my setups. 20# is what I use on my trolling and catfish rigs. I have hung up with 30# braid and broke it off before I felt it should have. 20# mono has a lot of pulling power before it brakes and I just prefer it in most applications. But I am just a stubborn old wretched.

I wasn't referring to your comment.