LionHeart

I took it as a comment against leaders in general. Should have read it more carefully.

Pretty bold statement. Gotta disagree with you on that one.

Never heard of the rizzuto but just watched the video. Really good looking finish knot. Definitely trying it.

I use the FG a lot. Here is the secret. You have to pull the knot tight, and I mean real tight before you trim the tag end of your leader. Just grabbing the line and leader and pulling hard with your hands ain't enough. Before I trim the tag end of my main line or leader line, I measure out the length I want my leader to be and tie on a lure with a heavy hook. At this point I'm all done except the tag ends have not been cut. Now I hook the lure around something heavy in my garage and walk to my driveway with the rod. I then wrap some of my braid main line around a screw driver handle or something that the braid won't shred, and give a good solid pull. Whatever you want the knot breaking strength to be, that's how hard you need to pull before you cut the tag ends. This knot slips as it cinches down. Make sure to wet the knot first also. This method takes a few extra minutes but is absolutely worth it in my experience. I hope this made sense. I probably made it sound more confusing than it is. Bottom line is, pull the knot super tight before you trim the tags. My 5 foot leader will stretch to nearly 6 feet after I'm finished pulling. But the knot will be solid. I've been using J Braid 4 strand 50 lb. And Seagur Red Label 20 lb.

Would be really miserable to have that 'red bait casting reel' and not be able to fish it.

I have as much luck with strike king as any other. It seems like for me the spinner bait bite is either on or it ain't. I go back and forth from thinking spinner baits are terrible and wonder why they exist, to loving them the next day.

Foggy morning about a month ago. Had to use GPS to find my spot. It was a unique experience sitting out there feeling completely separated from everything. Very peaceful, and a little eerie. It stayed like this for about two hours and almost at once, it was gone.

I think you're good to go on gear. I'd put a fast reel on one of your 7'3 and get started.

Many people believe bass get lure shy, and I agree. I've also read that every time a bass gets caught, it gets more suspicious of every meal. Is this true? Dunno but it certainly makes sense. Anxious to hear more replies on this one.

Thanks for the heads up! Just saw it from Sportsman's. My trigger finger is super itchy now. I'm pretty in love with the Tourny MB's. Don't suppose you've used one? If so, how would you say they compare to the BB1?

I really want the BB1 but just a little over my budget. If I could find it on sale I absolutely check it out.

The 6.8 (28 inch per turn) imo is just about right. At the end of a long cast, a 5:1, or <26 inch per turn really seems to struggle getting the bait moving. I find that I have to really turn the handle like crazy to getting the lure going. Just from reading here on the forum, I'd say my preference is a little on the faster side. Something like a 6.4:1 would be possibly more ideal, but I'm hooked on the Tournament MB and it is 6.8 ratio. This is just my preference, and it is probably different than most, but with a reel spool <1/2 full at the end of a long cast, a 5:1 feels really slow to me. Again if I had it to do over, I'd get no less than 2 cranking setups. 1 for the big stuff, and 1 for everything else. They'd both have > 26 inch per turn reels. Give the quantum 6.4 a try and I think you'll be surprised

Crankshaft is a great rod for deep cranks. I often regret getting rid of mine. I'm have been using a 9ft. Lews David Fritts Perfect'. It is great for launching 1 oz. plus size crank baits but I've been questioning whether I have what it takes to lob 10xd's all day. The thing about using a 9 foot rod that i had not considered is the swing weight a 2 oz lure has at the end of such a long rod. A lot of people say a longer rod gives the angler more leverage. It's quite the opposite. I was using a 5:1 Shimano Calcutta reel but to risk going against popular opinion, I think that is too slow of a retrieve at the end of a long cast. Something in the mid 6:1 is much better imo. Own multiple Lews Tournament MB reels and they are tough to beat. Will likely get the 6.8 for my deep cranking rod. If I had it to do over, I'd go with Cabelas Crankshaft for the rod and Tournament MB 6.8 for the reel. It would be one sweet set up.

Thanks for the info man. I will take another look.

Seagur Red Label is the highest quality flouro I have used and it coils pretty bad if it sits on a reel. I have tried Reel Magic but can't say I noticed much difference. I have heard KVD is a bit better though. My plan is to take care of any chores now that would keep me from fishing once the weather warms up. A faulty plan I'm afraid. Those kinds of chores are endless.

Been using Seagur Red Label in 20 lb just because I had 1/3 spool left over. I got no complaints.

I scout by using Google earth and iboating app. I Don't think I've ever put 'boots on ground' without bringing at least one fishing rod.

Thanks for the info. So when I see a red lure such as a red craw colored crank bait that is made to dive to 15 feet or so, it will appear more black than red at depth? Just trying to make sense of this. If this is true, I guess the red color is intended to attract the fisherman more than the fish?

Thanks Catt. In the last few minutes I've been reading quite a bit about crawfish color change throughout the year and conditions. Pretty interesting stuff. I guess my biggest question is why I don't hear about many people using the color red for jigs. Is it just simply not as effective, or do I just not hear about it? I'm lucky enough to live pretty close to a Cabelas so I go in on my lunch break some times, and I'm sure they must have red colors for jigs but I can't say I remember ever seeing it. 100s of trailers and types of jigs, but no red.

Have never seen jigs, skirts, or trailers that are colored red like a craw dad. Do any exist? If so, where can I get them? I realize not all craw fish are red but you take a look at so many crank baits on the market that are 'craw....' colored. It just seems strange to me that a lure that swims like a fish is very effective when colored like a red craw dad, but a lure that is supposed to mimic a craw dad most of the time is never colored like one. Am I missing something?

This is a very discouraging time of year dude. This weekend I had the whole Saturday to myself. Even though I had put my gear away and resolved to be done for the year, I thought 'myeh, why not?' I walked the bank for 5 hours and fished about a half mile of bank. Not a nibble. Still had a lot of fun, but will likely be my last trip till weather warms up. Even if you do get a bite, realize that you just got a bite, and do hook up, the fish just Don't put up much of a fight in the cold. Kinda like pulling in a boot. Really sucks some of the fun out of it imo.

I totally get where you are coming from but tough to use a reel for long without getting a few scratches. Honestly I Don't know if I could enjoy using my gear if that stuff bothered me. I'd also be afraid any touch up attempt may make it look worse.

I would have guessed in the mid to lower 4 lb range. Safe to say 4 though. Awesome fish. Congrats man. How'd you catch it?

Thanks for the laughs man. It actually went very similar to that. I was super excited to give it to her. I had done considerable research and was so proud of it. Of course, we were very young in our marriage at the time, and I now see the error of my ways in gift buying for my lady.

Since he sold the boat, does he even fish any more? I sold my boat 5 years ago and just got back into fishing. My point is, without the boat, his interest may have changed for a while. Men are pretty basic for gift ideas. We want something that will make our life easier. Tools are always good. I remember one Christmas when I was deployed, I bought my wife a very nice floor steamer. I thought it was a great gift because she always talked about how difficult it was to clean our floors. As a man, I would have loved the gift. I quickly learned that was not a good gift to get a women. We still joke about it. If he still fishes... game on. A really nice digital fishing scale is something I think every fisherman would want. The suggestion to a guided fishing trip ( really good one, just make sure the guide specializes in the kind of fish your husband fishes for) would also be great. The possibiliies are endless regarding gifts for a fisherman. Most of us have a hard time not thinking of things we want.