jimmyjoe

Maybe I took it wrong, but I thought that Tom's point was that true worth and value (in this case the function of technology) shouldn't be rejected on the basis of fashion. Fashion is ephemeral. Function is not. But like I said ..... maybe I took it wrong. ? jj

If you have a rod that's powerful enough, a 1/2 to3/4 oz. sinker ahead of the lure will accomplish what you want. jj

I understand. One of my neighbors works at a car dealership. He got an absolutely wonderful deal on an SUV for his wife. She refused it because she didn't like the way the taillights looked. jj

No, I don't, and for a very good reason. What appeals to me may not appeal to you at all. The Revo Winch and the larger Tatula reels have been mentioned, and most people would agree that they're good choices. If you tolerate the old round-style reels, then the ABU and Shimano Cardiff or Calcutta reels are good. Any 200-size low profile reel is workable if it's in a slower gear ratio. I have a Shimano Curado 200i PG (Power Gear) in 5.5:1, and it's quite good. I believe you can get pinion/drive gear sets from The Tackle Trap for reasonable money, and change any Curado 200i or Citica 200i into the PG (Power Gear) model rather easily. I hope this helps. From here on in, it's up to you. Good luck! jj

Thank you. jj

I've got a little different viewpoint on this, maybe because I'm older. I like Jeff Dunham. But the people who were side-splitting funny in the days when you couldn't even say "W.C." on television (remember Jack Paar?) were the true masters of the game. And the one that I loved the best was Red Skelton. Yes, I liked everyone associated with the Carol Burnett show, but Skelton was my hero. Still is. jj

Here are some points for your consideration. They're worth exactly what you paid for them. 1) Deep cranking is hard on a reel. It's hard on the pinion gear, especially. So if you use a 150-size reel, you'll start out having good luck. After a while, you'll start to have wear-and-stress-related problems. A 200-size reel reduces these problems, and a 300-size even more so. I think that's the point @Chris at Tech was trying to make. 2) Deep cranking is hard on you, the fisherman, too. The thicker gears of larger reels, their greater circumference, and the longer handles all add up to greater comfort for the fisherman. 3) Any larger-spool reel will give the fisherman a wider choice of lines than a smaller-spool reel. It makes no difference which line you choose right now; you may decide to change very quickly, for whatever reason. Larger diameter, stiffer bodied lines feed off a larger spool much, much better. 4) Chris's point regarding IPT is also well-taken. If a fish hits when your lure is way out there, you really need to take up line fast. Smaller spools can do that with higher retrieve ratios, but then you're back at the stress-related problems again. Larger spools do it better in the long run. No free lunch. Hope this helps you. jj

Fluke alone is .776 ounces. Add a 7/0 hook and it comes to .851 ounces. With what it takes to set that hook, I wouldn't throw it on a medium for sure. jj

I'll bet it's the same brand as on my rods. Shimano. jj

Hmmmmmmmm. I'm not too sure, but MAYBE .... just maybe .... I know which brand of rod you prefer. ? jj

I fish the Muddy Mississippi. I'm a shorecaster, so the water I can reach is mostly shallow. I work on contrast; The darker the weather or muddier the water, the lighter the lure color. The brighter the sun or the shallower the presentation, the darker the lure color. It's been said that LMB only see green and red as we do; all other colors are in grey scale. So take a bunch of different color cranks, line them up in natural sunlight, and take a black and white photo of them. (Hope you can still find a film camera and B&W film!) Take a sharpie and notate the colors above the lures, so you'll know the original color at a glance. The reason I say this is that when you look at the colored lures in black and white, you may not recognize them at all. They can look that different. Then make your decision of which lure to throw based on the grey density of the black and white photo. Hope this helps. jj

I just wish I could NOT wear long pants and long sleeves in August. I sweat like a pig, but I've had skin cancer. I don't want it again. Some things are worse than sweating. ??? jj

A fair amount ......... just before you get the wind knot and have to cut 20 feet of line off. ☹️☹️ Been there, done that. jj

It doesn't need 20 lbs. of drag. The way most good reels are constructed, about 30% of the drag rating is smooth. Then they start to chatter, heat up and fade and other nasty stuff. Cheaper reels can have a lower percentage. Lots of people here are giving you advice based on multi-purpose usage. If you're going to branch out with your casting setup, then heed their advice. But if you're truly going to dedicate this to treble hooks, you made the right choice of action. You might want to move up to MH/M instead of M/M, but that's all. It sounds like you have a spinning setup that is MUCH lighter in power than what you're expecting out of a baitcasting rig. If that's true, you may be tempted to use the casting rig for LOTS of different techniques after you get used to it. In other words, it would open up a whole new world of higher-power fishing compared to your spinning setup. That's another reason to pay close attention to the people here who are cautioning you to use a more flexible rod. In the end, of course, the decision is yours. It is probably best that you make it on the water and not in an armchair. Lots more fun that way, too. ?? jj

What you really need to know is the ipt (inches per turn) rather than the gear ratio. The TranX 300a is 5.8:1, but picks up 30" per turn. The old Ambassadeur 5000 reel had something like a 5.3:1 ratio, but picked up 25" per turn. Most people nowadays wouldn't use an Ambassadeur 5000, but 25" per turn is respectable enough for most fishing. The new Ambassadeurs pick up quite a bit more. Like others have said .... lots of fish were caught on low gear ratio reels. jj

Nylon monofilament. jj

What is this stuff ...... "clear water"? I don't understand. ????? jj

Exactly! ? For that reason, I'll take a deep spool every time. jj

Rod pointed directly down at jug, tighten drag until the jug llifts, then loosen until the jug GENTLY falls back down. For my longer rods, this means I adjust from my deck, but for the shorter ones I just elevate the rod and reach up for the reel. My idea is to get 4 lbs. of drag from the reel, not from the reel and the friction of the line through the guides plus the tip-top. I learned my lesson, believe me. And I cannot stress enough that this is MAX drag. I use this on my MH rods and my H rod when I'm fishing in places that have musky and pike. If there's no musky or pike, I back off that, usually to 3 lb. For M power and on down, I bend the blank under the weight of water until I reach what I consider max deflection. Then I measure that volume of water. I consider this a good idea every time I get a new rod, because I want to know what the rod is really capable of doing. That doesn't mean that I KEEP the drag at that setting for M and lower powers, only that I test it to see what it will do. I usually back off a judicious amount when I fish. M, ML and L rods are good tools, they're fun to fish, and they can be very productive. But they aren't MH or H, not by a long shot. I don't know about other people, but for me it's quicker and easier to reduce my drag when I'm fighting a fish, rather than increasing it. Safer, too. Set the hook with power, then back off to tire the fish if necessary. Hope this helps. jj

The only time I clean my line is when that ol' Mississippi mud starts to put a caked film on it. That affects casting. So I get a rag and cast out, retrieving through the rag. It works ..... but that doesn't happen very often. jj

Good advice from all. I fish Pool 19. In the backwaters that are open to shearwater, a spinnerbait is my first lure, and a spoon is my second. Only in the bottlenecked backwaters would I use a soft plastic or topwater. Wingdams are a pain. I use a floater-diver with reasonable success. The bad thing is that rapidly changing water levels can play hell with your choice of which one to use. With your description of the backwaters in your area, I'd say add a punching rig for the mats. Good luck! jj

He's right up there, front and center. Leonard Slye, AKA Roy Rogers. My father worked Kansas, Arizona and New Mexico in the '20s. He married Mom in the '30s. So much of the music from those times stayed with him all his life, and I heard a lot of of the older stuff while I was growing up. It brings back memories. jj