spokey9

I change out mono fairly often, whether because of breaking off or it's been used a lot. I don't respool braid til there's a need and that's almost always because of low spool. I've got 3 rods that have had the same braid on it for going on 4 years now ?

I float fish with an ultra light a lot, just gotta wait til you feel them to swing

I'd say 6'6" would be fine. When your fishing that light of lure a longer rod can deaden your feel and cause you to over work it (especially if you're micro jigging). Another thing that would help is dropping down to 2lb line. That'd help you get a bit more distance plus better feel for your lure. Maxima ultragreen is really abrasion resistant even in that light of test, that's what I use on my trout setup and I've landed fish up to 8lbs on it.

Are you fishing in current?

Outside the US carp are the most popular gamefish and it's on the rise here in the states as well. I just throw them back unless I need cut bait for cats. I see enough dead bowfin and gar on the banks around here and I refuse to be like that.

Ive done good drop shotting small plastics and a ned rig can be deadly when they're holding tight to the bottom.

I don't think bass can be avoided if they're around. I usually get one or two a day when I'm fishing cut bait on the bottom for catfish.

I use okuma avenger baifeeders and Abu Ambassador c3 or c4 6500s on all but my heaviest catfish rods. The avenger are about 60 New and if I can usually grab a 6500 off eBay for 70ish watching the auctions.

Stockers won't typically go much deeper in a lake then the holding tank at the hatchery for a few days...unless something pushes them deeper. That's something else to look for and if it holds true in your area, might get ya an extra couple of hits staying in that range.

A gold kastmaster or black with gold blade rooster tail are my absolute go to for freshly stocked trout. Once they've been in the lake for a day or two is when I start using bait or more subtle lures.

If the fish are active I like to "twitch" 1/8th or 1/16th ounce jigs for them. If you're unfamiliar with twitching search youtube twitching for coho. It's the same principal just dial your gear way down. If you got a long and light of enough rod to run 2lb mono, micro jigging is really fun too.

I use an okuma sst 7'6" rod that's rated 4-10lb line with a shimano sienna 1000 loaded with 4lb test. It's light enough that a 8 inch now will put a good bend in it but I've used it for catching pink salmon when I wanna have a bit too much fun lol.

I usually carry a slice of bread or 2 when I go fishing in any lake with big carp. If I'm having a tough day tgen I'm not too proud to toss out for a big gold fish lol. I like catching fish and for the most part I'll switch up based on what's biting for the day, whatever it may be. About the only thing that swim I won't target is trout in fly only waters. And that's only cause if you can imagine Harry potter drunk off his backside, while having a seizure waving his wand around...then you got a pretty good idea how I look trying to cast a bug stick

I actually prefer "whippy" rods for most of my trout fishing, but I'm also usually using 2lb main line and a 1 lb leader when I'm soaking pb. The longer slower action rod helps protect my light lines and I've never had issue getting a good hookset with one.

Thanks BoatSquirrel. I got a few books on flipping I've acquired from various swap meets that I haven't read yet. Cracking those open will give me something to do on drive down between shifts on the wheel ?

So things came together where it makes sense for the family to get out of Washington state. We're planning on moving to Pocahontas, Ar or somewhere between there and Jonesboro. I got some bass fishing gear but I've mainly gone ditch pickling in between salmon and steelhead runs. I know very little about the fisheries down there, aside from the occasional couple hours dinking around while visiting the in laws. I'll probly end up chasing all sorts of species just because I like catching what's biting ? Any "must have" gear I need as far as rods and reels? I'm gonna end up selling a ton of my salmon/steelhead rods to get refitted once we get down there, so any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

I can't say for sure about why Cali does it, but WA has the same regs. Here it basically comes down to the fact bluegill are classified as game fish. Trout were classified gamefish here a good time before panfish were and there's a law on the books to prevent trout being used as bait. The law basically states that no gamefish can't be used as bait and even though panfish don't have daily limits (or much fishing pressure here creating a lot of stunted populations) the gamefish classification prohibits them for use as bait. I'd guess if you looked deep enough into Cali's fish statutes, there'd be a similar situation.

Is craft fur just what you prefer to work with or is there a benefit to using it over feathers?

Something from one of lamiglas lines of rods. They're here in Western Washington and I've been huge fan of their rods since I was old enough to understand what the difference a quality rod makes.

So I've been dinking around with fishing a float & fly the past couple seasons. My steelhead float rods are just about perfect for it so it's a bonus to not have to buy a specific rod lol. I mainly use Marabou, hackle, or various other feathers to tie mine. Mainly because I don't really like working with the various furs or faux furs that most of the experts or retail shops seem to push. Is there actually a major benefit to using fur over feathers? I catch a few fish with my jigs and I figure days I'm not getting hookups is more a lack of mastery of the technique than jig material but I might be wrong, it's been known to happen from time to time lol.

I've had issues with big game in the past. It's not very abrasion resistant once you get a stretch on it and bg is a line with a lot of stretch. Last year was the last year I used bg because I started noticing swings in the qc. Some spools would be pretty good, other spools would break in strange places. Between all the different fisheries I take part in and my OCD about changing my line, I can easily burn through 18 1/4 spools of mono a year. I'm using pline cxx now, it's only a couple bucks more per 1/4 spool and it's a lot more abrasion resistant.

If Bill dance guest hosts an episode of hoarders and knocks on my door...that's when I'll begin to ponder if I got too much gear

Would it be wrong to ask him to unhook the fish you're catching since he ain't busy?

I've never used a dredger than again I haven't seen one on the shelf around here either lol. Flickr shad on the other hand get used a lot. I got few different sizes / patterns and use them for trolling for trout, I toss'em for bass, run them in the salt in 20ft of water trolling for coho salmon & flounder, and swing them in the current on my favorite river for 3 different species of salmon and steelhead. Flat out I think they're one of the most versatile crankbaits I've used and they've brought fish to my hand in every technique I've tried them. buy them whenever I find them on sale and for the price, I don't mind losing them trying something new or dumb lol.

Hey al,l I'm new to the board. Name's Chuck and I'm getting into the "old" years...turning 40 gonna be rough this year lol. I mainly fish Western Washington during the summer for the ol' ditch pickle. Rest of the year I'm chasing salmon & steelhead in various rivers. Last couple years I've been using a lot of techniques & lures from my bass fishing in the rivers chasing salmon (especially coho). By no means am I a guru on bassin' but I do enjoy froggin & throwing crankbaits the most. Hope to get to know y'all and contribute a bit to the board.