The Bassman

I have good success with the Trilene knot in mono line. It's real similar except you start with two eye loops. I wrap the loops around my index finger. Makes that final pass real easy.

Handled a $60.00 Daiwa RG at Gander yesterday and was thoroughly impressed.

You caught one more than I did today. You have to wet a line to produce.

Does anyone remember the Junior Samples scandel in the 60's when he tried to pass off a salt water grouper as a new record LM?

All the reference to sun warming shallows up is moot in your case. That UV index indicates that. Any time you can go fishing and not freeze your fanny off is a good time. The advice to fish slow is the key. I'm in central IN and it's too cold for me. This is when I start dreaming and spending money on gear.

They will both serve you fine. I own the Casitas and it's OK for anything I need to do. It's certainly not a higher end reel but I like it if I'm fishing somewhere where I don't want to have to be real careful with my gear. The difference between it and the Caenan is primarily the braking system. The Caenan employs the traditional VBS system while the Casitas uses the newer SVS Infinity. The Caenan weighs slightly more but not enough to matter. Personally, I would recommend the Casitas. They're not too hard to find for close to the Caenan retail price.

Sorry. I couldn't resist.

I know we're talking about lures that we wish were still available so I'll try not to stray too far from the topic. One of my childhood memories is that of being with my dad in tackle shops playing with the big glass carousel case that displayed such classics as Heddon River Runts, Lucky 13's, Creek Chub Pikies and such.

I wouldn't know but I'm glad you brought the subject up. Gill hooking a fish doesn't do my day any good. I hope we get some input on this.

Get a few booyah pond magic1/8 oz. buzzbaits. The strikes that come on those in late summer are a real rush. Also seems to produce some of my bigger smallies.

What? No Blakemore Road Runners? Used to be that Jimmy Houston wouldn't be caught without one. Living in the past. LOL

Saltwater fish are a lot toothier than freshwater fish. Wire is only needed for fish like pike and musky. I think heavy fluoro is even replacing wire somewhat these days in salt.

Remember Stembridge Fliptail worms? They were an oily mess to handle. Caught my first plastic worm bass on one. I think it was blue.

Welcome to BR. I'm fairly new too. I'm assuming your'e referring to both the Curado I and Citica I. Let me assure you up front that these two reels are basically identical. Only difference is between their bearings. If your'e fishing freshwater the difference isn't important. Spool weight is identical. They're both excellent reels. Citica can be had close to 100.00 on the bay.

Thanks for the tip. I would have never thought of that.

Want to be careful and not hijack thread but has the subject of rattling cranks putting fish down after a few casts been discussed?

From one Hoosier to another thanks for the welcome. I'm SE side of Indy.

You're likely familiar with your Daiwa magnetic brakes by now. I primarily fish Shimano which employs centrifugal braking. My 2 cents towards this topic is this: Given your price point and your satisfaction with your Tatula CT I would just stay in that platform. Perhaps a different speed for other applications. I know it might take the fun out of having something different but there's a real benefit to being familiar with your equipment. The Tatula CT will cover all your needs.

Where I live wet wading creeks (sneakers, no waders) is my favorite technique May - Oct. depending on how much rain we've had. Nothing brings me more satisfaction than a quiet afternoon one on one with 14-18" smallmouth. I'm definitely not a high tech electronics angler. Those that are, more power to you. Spring and fall I seek out retention ponds, pits, and such.

I carry the same bag and still change baits too often.

I'm really surprised no one has yet for the 70 platform. I put an avail 2050 in my Scorpion 200 and haven't looked back. A lot of guys comment on how well the 70 casts light baits. Just wait until you go aftermarket. Just a side note, those cheap DIY spools have me spooked. Read a lot of bad posts about them on another forum.

Amen to that. In rocky creeks I get a little better wear out of Sufix 832 but at the expense of casting distance.

It's almost laughable the way guys talk about the old stuff. Yes. they were great reels but don't compare to today's equipment. I have a JDM Scorpion 200 (Curado I) and it's head & shoulders above anything else at that price point from Shimano (including E platform) that I've owned. I'm speaking objectively (smoothness, ergos) .

Looks like you're good to go in the baitcasting dept. But like PawPaw asked about the lighter stuff, every well equipped bass angler needs at least one spinning setup.

I use a Stradic 2500 CI4+ with a 5'9" Cabela's Pro Guide rod for a good deal of my stream and pond fishing. Spooled with 24lb. Gliss it's an absolute pleasure to use. In defense of guys liking longer rods most modern stuff adds several inches behind the reel seat. I just find that such a handle gets in the way of my too big gut.