jimmyjoe

Funny .... that's true of dogs and people both. jj

Lew's has a new reel out called the Super Duty GX3. I've handled one at my local retailer. No aluminum frame, just plastic, but it "seems" robust. The casting brake is centrifugal, but there's no external adjustment. It doesn't seem heavy, and it's very handy, so much so that I had to grab another reel that was smaller to compare the two. It really isn't very big, as in bulky. This is the 4th Superduty reel that Lew's has come out with, the others being the Superduty and Superduty Wide at $199, and the superduty G $180. So this is the cheapest one. List is $140. BTW - the one in Lew's video onsite has the sticker on the inside of the gearcase that says "Made in Korea", but the one at the retailer had a sticker "made in China". I looked twice to make sure. I know this is a really new reel, but has anyone had a chance to use one of these yet? How did it cast, and what do you think of it overall? If I got this (.. "if" ...) I would use it for larger lures in general in the river, where there are wiper and pike. Thnx. jj

Words of great wisdom! jj

Betts spins (Don Betts) outdo my Beetle spins 2-to-1. I Only use the 1/4 oz ones, which weight a total of four-tenths of an ounce. jj

I don't use braid any more, but it has nothing to do with bird's nests. I found 12 mil (.012") line to be the thinnest I'd use. There are other people here that use much thinner, but I'm a shorecaster. Sometimes I have to give the cast all the "oomph" that I can. I found that generally, that was when you get problems with braid. Let off a little on the cast and you'll do a lot better. You need to feel the braid, too. Some braid kinda compresses into a flat "ribbon" (for lack of a better word) and that's the kind that I found really gave me troubles. Good luck, whatever you decide. jj

There are a couple places in the river where a flat ends in a ledge that transitions into deeper water. I pull a Mepps #5 double-blade Aglia, usually in Firetiger, right along the lip of the transition. SLOWLY. They come up from deeper water and slam it. An Eppinger 1/3 oz. Cop-e-Cat in Wonderbread can get fish at ice-out, too, but usually well into the flats. It's not as reliable as the Mepps. jj

How are you gonna get to know anyone unless you try? They don't bite, y'know. Well, most of them don't, anyway.... ? As for the fact that you didn't serve, that's OK. Some Americans did, and some Americans didn't. Thank the ones that did; they'll appreciate it. After all, they did it for you. jj

Veterans of Foreign Wars.

I've heard this said many times, and not just up North. First guy who told me that was in Texas about 1982-ish. All these years I've wondered one thing: what the heck do you feed a LMB? I know what you feed catfish, but bass aren't scavengers. What do you feed bass? Koi? Shiners? Do you go out and seine something, and how often? Do you stock normal forage fish yearly? And how do you know that they're healthy? Sorry. Don't mean to derail the thread. Just been wondering for many years. jj

And not everything you see on this forum is true, either. jj

1/2 oz. Northland Reed Runner, single Colorado. I don't worry about the color of the blade, I try to get the skirt right. I figure that the flash of ANY blade in muddy water is insignificant below 2 feet of depth, but the contrast of a white or chartreuse skirt is significant right down to the bottom. And contrast is what I want. I fish the Mississippi river and tributaries. Muddy water is normal. jj P.S. - Because of a thread here awhile back, I intend to try black-and-copper spinnerbaits this year, but I'm not there yet. And neither is the weather.

Rapala Crankin' Raps Rapala Clackin' Raps jj

There's a difference between optimism and self-delusion. jj

I am not gonna ask. I am not gonna ask. I am not gonna ask. Okay, I'm gonna ask. What HAVE you been doing on Friday nights? jj

The first time I used #5 Mepps spinners for a good interval, this became obvious. I like it. Every line has its advantages and its disadvantages. Ya pays ya money, ya takes ya pick. jj

Mine was doing that. I sent it to Shimano and they said they changed the gears. It's fine now. My Curado 200i has also had the gears changed. Dunno what the problem is. jj

That explains 90% of it, right there. jj

When I first came to this forum, I benefited from searching the older threads. There were lots of things that I had never heard of. Some of those ideas that were strange then are second nature to me now. It was (and is) a profitable pastime. jj

Never heard of what? He spoke of 3 things; 1) the P-line, 2) super-gluing the knot, and 3) only using a 6-ft leader. To which were you referring? jj

Surface tension is a big issue with many lines. Just go to a housewares store and buy one of those 4 oz. spray bottles from the laundry section. Put about 1 dropof Dawn in it and fill with water. Before you start fishing, spray the line on the spool. It'll sink SO much better, because the soap - even as weak and dilute as it is - will cut surface tension. Don't use more than 1 drop of soap per 4 oz.. Nobody wants to leave soap residue in the water. jj

Now that is downright impressive! jj

Man-oh-man, are you sittin' in the catbird seat! You have a Lew's reel, and Lew's sells that David Fritts line of Perfect Cranker rods, Those are all moderate or mod/fast actions, which would be right up your alley. Good thing is, they're priced right. I recommend the 7' MH/M. Great shock absorber! Perfect for burning traps, perfect for chatterbaits, and kinda-so-so-and-not-all-that-bad for spinnerbaits. (The 7' H/M is actually real good for spinnerbaits.) It costs good money to make a rod that is sensitive, for bottom contact. For upper-water-column retrieve, you don't need sensitivity. Why throw away money when you don't have to? OTOH, if you're bound and determined to throw money away, throw it my way. I could use some! ??? jj

Just remember: "Newer" doesn't always mean "better". jj

I can try this one, too. Everything except the part about "no moon". It's bad enough to have a bull in a china closet, but if you put a blindfold on him you know darn well it's gonna get worse! jj

Y'know, this makes a lot of sense, really. The reason I rarely fish nights is that I'm a shorecaster, and stumbling over stuff and falling down on rocks isn't my favorite pastime. That's also why I fish full moons. That, and lycanthropy. ? ? I was taught that I should use a spinnerbait at night very shallow, almost "gurgling", and that bass underneath looking up will see a mass, and attack it. I thought that had merit, because I had initially thought to "walk the dog" with a spook, and that didn't turn up any results. Of course, I may not have been walking that dog very well, because I'm used to using sight to tell how well the side-to-side is working out, and that's not easy at night. So I thought the spinnerbaits were a good idea. And not knowing any better, I used them the way I was told to use them. But you're giving me an alternative, and I can try it out. IDK .... I may have been using too big a trailer, too. I can experiment, I guess. Thnx. jj