HawkeyeSmallie

So last week I got my dedicated topwater combo so I've been enjoying fishing poppers. So far, I've only been using braid, 30 lb. Is it me or does braid after a certain amount of time start holding water? It seems after a decent amount of time, my popper doesn't seem to "pop" as good. If so, I'll probably add a mono leader (if that would help). Thoughts? THANKS

All models/colors appear to be sold out. Do you fish as is or do you swap the hooks or anything? Hard to beat the price when you compare to other similar offerings. BTW, I have a Clutch Eco coming this week that I'm super pumped for.

TWELVE? I can take 8 and that can be a cluster sometimes. They are all in the back vertical. How do you manage 12? Thanks

I'd definitely be prepared to pay more. I think every order I've had with them has used FedEx btw. Technically, when the seller creates the shipping label they can pay for the tariff but I highly doubt many companies will do this. Expect an invoice for the tariff. 15%.

I'm sure I'll be fine, I'm not losing any sleep over it. My biggest "concern" now is wondering how long it typically takes for it to clear up so I can get back out there. LOL Hopefully the fish aren't too effected either. That would be my biggest concern really. But this lake gets pretty green every year. Last night was the absolute worst.

I went to Dicks a couple of weeks ago, haven't been there in a long time. The fishing section was almost non-existent, and what they had was badly disorganized. They had a good deal going, might have been this one, but the stock was very low. I'll probably never go there again for fishing.

Yeah that's the problem, my left thumb has some good bass thumb going and I've got some decent scratches on my right hand. I'm not too worried but you never know. I told my wife if I start getting sick or something that it's from it.

Well, I'm curious how long the side effects come after toxic algae exposure. I'm about positive I was surrounded by it last night and it made contact with my skin. Went out last night to a local lake that I was just at on Sunday. Not sure what happened but 97% of the lake was nasty green. On Sunday the water was great. We had very light ran on Wednesday but nothing else. I fished the 3% areas that were still open and some of the lighter spots. I'm confident in saying it was the nastiest water I've ever been in. I'm debating on reaching out to the DNR guy that handles the lake. IDK, maybe it's common and I would be wasting his time. With the holiday weekend there will be a ton of campers/kayakers trying to enjoy the water.

I used an all white popper last night with decent results. Not sure what the ideal color would have been as the water was so green it looked like 1,000 Gremlins jumped in and spawned offspring. Just nasty stuff. 99% sure it was toxic algae.

That's my biggest complaint with the 852S.

I have two NRX+ rods and both are for bottom contact. One spinning and one casting. 873C CRR 852S If I would do it over, I think I would have gotten the 872S. I like my expensive rods but I see no reason to get a NRX+ for moving baits.

Yeah I don't know either. I see no advantage. I got home and right away I started googling it as I've never seen something like this before. It's a Blue Sky Boatworks, costs over $4k. Like I mentioned above, it was powered by pedals and he seemed to be having difficulty in the wind. He moved around in it some but there didn't seem to be much room for it. For that price, I'd much rather have a jon boat or something. Lastly, I'd guess in the near future, he won't be able to handle it physically like he was. He got it on the trailer but it wasn't easy for him.

LOL, same. I told my wife I was going to buy "only" two combos this year and I ended up getting three. They weren't cheap either. Tack on a bunch of lures and I've spent a small fortune. Now, if I can talk her into it. I'm more than willing to buy another combo. Make that two. LOLOLOL I want to upgrade my dedicated spinnerbait combo and I also want to get a nice BFS combo. Most likely I'll start spending money again in May of 2026, right after tax season.

Went out fishing on Sunday, just from the bank. Across this small lake, behind some downed trees I saw a guy fishing in a kayak. At second glance, I thought maybe there were TWO kayaks. At third glance, I noticed he was sitting up a good two feet or so. After a bit, he came out into the open in a thing just like this. Only difference was he was using his feet to pedal it. He was a man probably in his 70's and I offered to help him with it. He said thanks but no thanks. I wasn't paying exact attention after that, but somehow he managed to pull it up the boat ramp with some kind of a trolley and then onto a trailer.

I was thinking the other day these stores are going to take a huge hit. Japan Lure Shop is all I've ever used, huge fan. It will be interesting if they do something similar. Even paying an additional 7.5%, you still probably are saving money. Additional $30 on say a $400 order.

Well, if the water is fairly clear, and there's not much shade available, I would expect them deeper. But if there's shade, say overhanging trees, I think those places almost hold fish 24/7. Once again, NO expert.

My first thought was 7 lbs (or more). But I've never had my hands on something that big so I wouldn't trust me.

I'm pretty sure I can do it. I once took my garage door opener completely apart, replaced the worn out piece and then put the whole thing back together. I did it all by memory. Now that was at least 15 years ago so I don't think by mind is as sharp. So pictures and notes will probably be required. LOL

This one is pretty similar to the one you linked. It doesn't really match your description though. Color is Orange Crawdad. It's vintage. Are you 100% positive it was Bill Lewis trap and not some other brand?

Definitely an option. I think I'd enjoy doing it once I learned how. The time is my biggest issue currently. When there's ice here I'm in the office all day every day.

All of the companies invested I'm sure are handing over bags of cash. 9/10 fans don't want it. But they don't make much money from the fans. Money is controlling everything, much like everything else in life.

I probably need to read this thread start to finish one of these days. Other than an outside wipe, I've NEVER lubed/cleaned a reel. I'm starting to buy some very high end reels, I need to treat them good. Pretty stupid to buy a Lambo and never change the oil.

If the water is super dirty I'm finding them very tight to cover. If it's fairly clear, it all depends on shade availability. Just me, no expert.

Same down here. 70’s last week and 70’s this week. It’s go time!