jimmyjoe

That really doesn't mean much. I set my drag by trying to lift a half gallon milk jug filled with water. That should be 4 lbs. And THAT IS MAX, even for my 15 lb. line. I'll drop down some to fight a good-sized fish, and I'll set lower for finer lines. If I remember correctly, Sniper is rated on the Japanese system, which is a little different (but more consistent) than our American system. I would set the drag at 3 lbs. for 10 lb. Sniper. That's a half-gallon milk jug filled only 3/4 of the way. Try to lift that with your Sniper. If the knot breaks, you have bad line or a bad knot. If it doesn't break, I'd wager you had the drag too tight. jj

I know some of you young'uns might be a little put off by some of the stuff I'm posting here, but sometimes old farts like me are plumb delighted to show some of our fondest memories to you all. You never know; it might be our last chance. ? jj

You can tell the real rangeriders from the fakes; you DO NOT wear your trousers on the outside of your boots riding through brush!

There are reasons that spinners (my favorites are Mepps) are still around. It's not all about panfish, trout and musky. It's about bass, too. They just catch fish .... period. ? jj

The Curado 70 will handle it very well. Your rod and line will be the limiting factors. jj

You want classic? This is classic. Merle was a class act all the way. jj

never mind

Was Glenn's last name originally Pavlov? jj Arf.

I have the Mojo Bass 7'-01" MH/F, and although it's not my idea of an all-around rod, it sure comes close! You know, I'm sure, that as the power of a fast-action rod goes up, the "feel" of the rod stiffens, too. That being said, I have several 200 size Shimano reels to use on this, and I usually use 12 to 15 lb. test line. The only thing I want to do that this rod doesn't do well is crankbaits. I have another rod for those. I had the Mojo 7'-01" M/F, and it was a good rod. I just wanted more power, that's all. Like you, I want to throw 3/4-1 oz. lures; the M/F didn't reel right for that at all. Maybe it will to you, I don't know. Good luck to you! ? jj

Bobber stops are good for a lot of different things. If you're tying direct to a closed-eye spinnerbait (not using a steel leader) two of them snugged down can help the line stay straight and not wrap back on the eye. They can help you keep a donkey rig straight, too, although it's not a 100% solution. ? jj

Exactly. If I can get within 50 feet of a doe before she smells me, I figure I'm OK with people, too. jj

When I used craws (always purple) I had two brass or one brass and one glass bead(s) on the line. I snapped the craw up and let it sink. I was told the beads made a clicking sound like the real crawfish did. I don't know whether that was true or not. Maybe I was just gullible. I learned not to use that rig in the river (snag-up) but it seemed to do OK in lakes. Slow, steady retrieve with that rig never got me a thing. jj

Try a slip bobber with a marabou jig (or anything else you think might be appropriate) on it. jj

I have questions for fishermen that use worms on scrounger heads instead of swimbait bodies: 1) Which size worm? 2) Which size scrounger? 3) How well did it work? Are you still using it? Thank you for your help. jj

Ummm .... yes. You're the only one. ??? jj

Some people cast. Some people troll. jj

Time for superglue and duct tape! ??? jj

Knowing who is and who is not a member of that handful can be problematic .... at least for me. Doing it myself is out of the question, because I would need to be sure that I did it correctly. Simply going through the motions is not good at all. If you can do it, then you, sir, have my unparalleled admiration and esteem! ? jj

One of the things that seems to be clear from this thread is that there are "freak" reels in several brands and models that cast considerably further than their siblings. This was supposed to be the reason for specialist work on the ABU reels from the '50s onward. A good tuner could eliminate the doggy performance of one (or more) reels that a customer used. Not only that, but the reels were eminently usable for everyday fishing by everyday fishermen, not just specialist distance competitors. With the proliferation of different models from different brands, most chinese-made, I can see how it's difficult to find a tuner for a regular, off-the-shelf reel anymore. Many people try to do it themselves, with variable results. Couple this with the fact that boatmen don't look upon "distance" quite the same way a shorecaster, fresh- or saltwater, does. It would be nice to know a tuner who was good at optimizing a reel for distance. I'd patronize them .... at least for a few more years. ? jj I

My first musky was caught on a M/F spinning rod with a Daiwa Fuego 2500 reel running 10 lb. test Sufix 832 line. I had no problems. I think a 4600 Ambassadeur reel has more power than a 2500 size spinning reel, both on cast and retrieve. I might be wrong about that, but I don't believe so. Musky aren't magic. They're just toothy fish. Wanna stress that 4600 a little? Fish for flathead. jj

"Go Pits?" ? jj

Half a gallon of water. That's 4 lbs. Unless I'm fishing for muskie, that's the max. If I need more for some really weird reason, I add thumb pressure. When they get close to the shore, I back off the drag. I used to have a M/F rod that would stack with 4 lb. pull. Some rods won't take as much as you might think. jj

7' Avid-X ML/F w/ 2500 Stradic Ci4+, 6 lb. Stren line in yellow: 1) 1/3 oz. Eppinger Cop-E-Cat 2) #3 Mepps Aglia 3) Bomber 13A Honorable Mention: 1/4 oz. Cotton Cordell Super Spot in various colors. jj