FishDewd

To me, any rod over $100 is high end! Lol But yeah I think it helps. Like others have said, it's not as important is some applications, like moving baits since those bites tend to be pretty obvious, but on other things like no-feel presentations like a ned rig, or even a texas rig it can certainly make at least a little bit of difference. Given that I have my finger on my line with a baitcaster though, I generally can feel those tiny taps. Whether I can get the fish on the hook is a different story!

Haven't you ever seen the movie Cabin Fever? :O Nope. Maybe in a life or death situation where there is certain quick moving clear streams where salmon and rainbow trout frequent... otherwise not a chance. Some things can't even be killed from boiling.

There's lot's of places truthfully... nothing wrong with scouting on google maps to find somewhere that looks good. Right now is pretty rough fishing though with the heat we've been having so I would definitely hit a spot a few times before writing it off. I'm surprised how many Houstonians I've run into on here, one of them I've met and we go fishing quite a bit.

I've learned after fishing a pond/lake with lot's of structure what wood, grass, weeds, and rock feels like. For me it took getting snagged and losing some lures, but now I've gotten better at finessing through it or around it and I've done a lot better at not getting snagged as badly lol. Anyway, that's one way to learn I guess... If I had to describe how those feel though... grass and weeds are the easiest. With grass it's like the lure gets sluggish briefly due to the resistance as it goes through. Weeds are a bit more resistance, sometimes the lure will surge towards you a bit when released from the weed. Wood/sticks are a dull thud, rock is a sharper thud. Also, if are pulling over a stick, log, or rock, you'll often feel it when it drops back down on the other side. Can even feel when a lure deflects but that's harder to describe.

I've had some for a few years now, though I do add some new ones now and then since I use some, and some die. I use a quart or so sized container lined on the inside with newspaper. For dirt I use a bag I found at home depot that contains earth worm casings. They seem to really like it. As far as food: they will eat grease, newspaper, and coffee grounds. Make sure the coffee grounds and used and well dried before putting it in. They don't seem to like moisture, it can make the soil and newspaper mold which will kill the worms. They're pretty easy to care for really. Mine are Canadians and I keep them in the crisper drawer of a spare refrigerator.

Yeah I messed up on that. I was actually thinking more along the lines of buoyancy.... how the lure displaces water compared to what the line does. Since the lures displace more than the line the effects of the line density/buoyancy is probably fairly negligible in most cases. However with some topwaters, like poppers, I have noticed a bit of difference like when trying to walk a lure.

Good god... I wish I had a $250-300 price range on a rod... I can't even fathom that.

It's not just about density, but specific gravity! This is the reason we breath over 70% nitrogen when nitrogen is lighter and less dense than oxygen! Personally I've never noticed a difference in diving depth between mono, co-polymer, or fllouro... if there is a difference it's a matter of inches.

Don't worry about little stuff like that... adjust it by hand as good as you can, then fish it!

That's not at all true... I'm only 5'5" in real life. My knuckles/hands/fingers are smaller than the "average". You shouldn't be assuming using using such arbitrary assumptional measurements. You yourself said your fingers were "over an inch wide" in one of your threads which I have a hard time believing.

More opportunities, yes! The places I like to fish have drop offs close to shore. It'd be beneficial to throw towards the shore and pull it away from, rather than throw along from the bank and risk a hang-up!

Guess it depends on where in Houston you are. North side has lakes and such that aren't too far away, like Livingston and Conroe. I'm closer to SE side myself.

Nah, on newer reels upgraded bearings and such will only result in more backlashing under most circumstances since suddenly the bearings will exceed what the braking system can do, etc. The only ones I upgrade are the older round reels that don't have the braking systems, like old Abus and Penn reels. I have a penn reel I've upgraded the drag washers and gear sleeve on so that it can provide more drag in case I decide I want to do some salt water fishing or something.

I do that sometimes... in this case I was on a dock over a railing. I just had no idea it would be that hard to break, usually I am running a 12 lb p-line leader and I can snap that stuff pretty easily by comparison. Might try that next time... granted I am glad to have gotten my chatterbait back! Lol yes... good idea to be out of the firing line or at least prepared for it, especially at shorter distances.

I've had exactly one bite on a popper so far (and I missed cause fish didn't take it deep enough), and shame, cause it's probably my favorite top water lure overall. Also the only one I can walk properly so far. Problem with poppers (unless I'm mistaken) is that it's more of a shallow water/ bank lure it seems. Where I fish is 30'+ deep just 20' out from he dock, which is where I got an investigative, non-committed bite at. Or maybe it's cause of the pond pressuring. Idk.

I know the alberto is supposedly stronger, but a lot of things affect knot strength. Sometimes it's more what you're better at tying, or the one that your lines work best with that makes the best choice. But I've tried the Alberto a lot, many different ways, and so far it's the one connection knot that has slipped or broken more often that others I've tried. I'm confident the Alberto would have slipped or broken long before the chatterbait came loose in this scenario though. FG is definitely stronger than these, but I only use it for when I want a lot of leader, otherwise it takes up too much time to do. Also, when I tied this uni I opposed the leader side and mainline side wraps. Leader end I did first (on top) going with wraps I could do easier than the other way. The braidside I did opposite. I feel like actually works better cause it fuses the knots tighter when the line is pulled taut or tugged on (as in this scenario). Really though, it seemed like I had an immortal strip of fluorocarbon cause I could not break that stuff lol. I don't use it too often for a leader, but I felt like I was trying to snap piano wire.

Up until yesterday, my go-to knot for connecting mono/fluro/co-polymer to my braid line has always been a modified version of the Alberto knot. It always served me well, minus a few times when it slipped for whatever reason. Well, as of yesterday I know have a new leader connection knot favorite and I'm officially switching it for times when the FG knot is not needed- the uni to uni! I know a lot of you already use it... I've known about it for some time, knew how to tie it.... I just never got around to actually using it. Night before last I was messing around and decided on a whim I wanted to tie it and see how it compared to the Alberto. I had 10 lb. Seaguar Red Label flouro secured on as a leader in no time , and it seemed to be very solid. So yesterday evening I rigged the lure up and took the set-up to a local pond I like to frequent to see how it did overall. Tossed it around all day without any issues with slipping or fraying. Last thing I was throwing was a chatterbait, and this is where things got a little sketchy. I got it snagged on something underwater, badly. Finally figured I'd have to break the leader... so I grabbed the pole in the middle, turned the drag up all the way, locked the spool with a thumb and started to step back straight to cleanly snap the leader and not damage the pole. But I could not break it no matter what I did! I was actually worried I might end up hurting the reel I was putting so much pressure on the line. I took a break, muttered a few obscenities to myself, then tried again. I really did not want to cut the braid and leave it in the water if I could avoid it. So I gradually applied more pressure than before, and fiinally with a POP it came free. Thought I had broken the leader finally, but nope! The chatterbait had somehow gotten loose and I reeled it in without a mark on it, hook was perfect, line looked fine... weirdest snag I've ever experienced. So this taught me two things: 1.) That the uni-uni knot is apparently awesomely strong. 2.) Seaguar Red Label is some unbelievably strong leader line! 10 lb test my butt! Lol. Even though it looked okay, I still cut the line off and retied just in case. So... there's my story of how I changed connection knots and inadvertently tested it under the worst conditions...

Hm, wallets and sanity... two things women love to deplete! .... I'm just kidding ladies! Don't stone me! ?

So I don't need to twitch it or anything. Cool. That's what I was wondering.

Topwater is usually the first thing I toss in the morning... popper, then whopper plopper, then maybe a skitterwalk or similar, until I'm convinced it isn't going to happen on topwater. Then I consider other baits, like middle-column and bottom. That topwater explosion is addictive. I've gotten it a few times and I secretly want more of it... MUCH MOAR!!!!

My local Walmart was liquidating these baits because they apparently got ordered by accident. I could not pass up a 3 pack for $2.60. Color I chose (out of three choices) was Houdini, which is a green flake on top with an off-white bottom. They seemed to be pretty killer for the water I plan to fish them in, which is fairly clear, with occasional cloudiness on off-weather days which stirs up sediment. However, I am not well versed in swimbaits and could use some help on this subject. What works for ya'll as far as retrieve goes? I've dabbled a bit in flukes, but the weather here has been so weird here this year that it's been a real struggls thus far getting many catches. I think something like this may give me an edge since I don't many using these sorts of baits. So thanks for any advice you gurus can give.

This is why I'm glad to have my own pond.... free of BS pollutants. Over 40 years of happy catfish consumption here! Pond is so clean we even eat the bullheads/mudcats that appear... even they taste good!

Don't underestimate the channel cat! They are fantastic fighters, especially on lighter gear. I love that fight. It's been better for me than any bass so far.

Guess I'll be in another minority boat here... I prefer using hard lures like lipped crankbaits (especially square bills) and topwater lures. The topwater hit is the best. The two I am yet to have any luck with though are frogs and buzzbaits. But there's something about feeling the thump of a crankbait and watching it wiggle through the water that makes me smile too. The one hard bait I don't care for thus far are lipless cranks cause I have lost more of them with no results than any other lure type aside from maybe bottom plastics. I guess this style would fall into the power fishing category.

Oh man I'm sorry.... that's really sad. Cancer is a terrible illness. I've lost people to that as well. The pain lessens over time but never quite goes away. I'm not sure of whom you are speaking since I haven't been here all that long, but doesn't make it any less tragic to read about. I will offer my prayers to them, and I pray that you, his family, and other friends whom he was closest to, can find solace in your loss. Those we lose are never truly gone. They live on in their teachings, our memories, and in His kingdom forever. He has answered the Father's call to go home, and now lives free of ailment or pain. Though he no longer walks among us, know that one day you will see him again. Until then, mourn his passing but remember the good times you shared.