JustJames

Just like both posters above, I video my fishing mainly for myself entertainment and to improve my fishing skill, mostly how I detect the bite and how fast I set hook, also to remind myself which lure, which location and what type of retrieve I caught those fish. I'm lucky to caught my PB on video and I still go back to view that video very often.

Same concept here, I lately use 1/10 oz mushroom head pair with Hula grub, baby brush hog and finesse worm. For any other floating (Elaztech) I use owner ultra ball head 1/16 - 3/16. The rod and reel would be 6'11 M/F Crucial dropshot rod pair with scorpion 70 or any of my Shimano 50e series. Just ordered spotsticker crawler head 1/8 to try since I fish a lot in weedy area land mushroom head type is harder to work with.

Happy the 4th from Canyon Lake.

Let me know if you want me to try some of those lures, lol

There are many good knot out there, Palomar, San diagonal jam etc. I only use two knots with all type lines, trilene and uni knot, depend on situation and type/size of line. Another recommendation, since you stated you are pretty new to bait caster, is to not whip it like you do when casting with spinning gear.

Some fluorocarbon lines are pretty stiff and hard to clinch down properly with trilene knot.

6-8 ft, I would use Yamamoto D-Shad, a tad heavier than Fluke, otherwise weighted hook. I also add round spit shot weight to my hook, the same way as @1201vilbigshown (btw where can I find those weight?). I found the weighted hook in 3/0 - 4/0 a tad too heavy.

Congrat, nice bass there

No that I know off.

I m not sure this would help, but I'll try. First of all I don't have this reel but it might be the Abu 6500 copied (red color, correct?). I saw you mention set the spool tension but how did you set brake shoes? I'm not sure how many brake this reel has but Abu come with two brakes and normally suggested to have both on and spool tension loose just eliminate side to side play. Lopside line might be bad since I also assume that you have engaging level wind guide. Check the screw on worm gear paw and make sure line guide move side to side with no obstacles.

I did this a few time with my kayak, when looking for scale and such. I attached fish grip to landyard like this one.

I too get a few missed earlier just recently hook up two in two casts. I think the problem with sprinker frog is the tail that move but no tail hook. Often time fish would come up at the tail end instead of body. I hooked bass on whopper plopper only tail hook many times. just like @Montanaromentioned, it depends on fish mood too. I got two many blew up but no connect with all type of top water to name a few, bubble walker, whopper plopper, my special buzz lure, Pad crasher. Oftentimes I found moving the lure too fast causing this and also oftentimes bass just try to charge the moving but not eating.

I guess this might not be matter much for CA, since I have to state what I bought last year online without tax when doing a tax return. I declared only about 1000 dollars just to be on a safe side.

And the small bass are the worst to ruin everything.

@rippin-lipsI think you meant to say SHIMANO

You can try a drop of oil on two spool bearing, the one on palm side plate and the one on spool shaft(don't worry the one on tension knob it help nothing in casting). The vibration when casting indicates that you might have spool tension too loose. Three seasons you might consider flushing bearing but that involved of removing spool pin, if you don't have tool for it I recommend professional. To clean the whole reel main gear and what not after three seasons, it is a good idea or at least add more grease and check/clean drag washer. Let me know if you need any further help, I just happened to open up one of my friend black max which he found it abandoned on his dock, don't know how long.

There is already modification drag click sound available for curado 70 and 50e series and soon enough Shimano will corporate that part to make drag click sound into mid-end reel like Curado (some of the high end reel already have this feature)

Another reason I don't fish crankbait and I have a handful of them. This year alone I lost 3 hudds 2 of which back to back day and 1 keitech 7.8". Most of my rig if I can would be weedless doesn't matter dropshot, wacky rig, jika rig or paddle tail swimbait.

I would do a drop of oil on spool bearing first. Then check grease on gear, the more grease the more resistance, or may be old grease become hardened. Drag might have nothing to do with it but if you open up the gear side plate might as well clean all drag washers.

I'm waiting for new curado 70 with micro module gear.

Congrat on your first bass, now go catch some more.

It is all depends, but for sure I don't use fluorocarbon as my leader (only copolymer) Leader is needed when I fish very rocky area and also needed when fish top water like waking dog type, other than that straight braid but I use only 30lb so I don't really have problem much with break off snag when needed to.

Very normal for my curado 70, all act the same more spool tension more resistance on handle. The pad Shimano use on newer reel mostly carbon fiber, I can even feel grinding if spool tension is tight.

I would say discard it, or use it as leader/backing. You don't wanna loose that fish of lifetime with just 30' of line or spend all day try to untangle when the knot hit tip top guide and backlash

I'm doing alright just finish my 10th bass on Jig last Sunday as I planned to use jig more this year. I think I start to like jig more and more. I choose my lures according to season and weed on my lake. Winter to spring, big swimbait(caught 2 on hudds), then jerkbait and Fluke from post spawn until the weed get higher will be chatterbait time.