papajoe222

Actually braid is more sensitive than fluoro at any depth and will give you a better hook set when fishing deep. To the OP I would suggest the best of both for the clear water you'll be fishing, braid/fluoro leader.

I have two of them and I can tell you that I was pleasantly surprised at the sensitivity of them. I always thought that most of the sensitvity would be reduced at the inheirent 'dead spot' If you're looking to sell one or both off, pm me.

A classic example of how a lure catches an angler (the voice of experience speaking). What are you looking to imitate?

For me, it's boredom brought on by not being able to go fishing, so the monkey gets held at bay from March to October. All of my reels, rods and electronics over the last ten years have been purchased in Nov. Dec. or Jan. I think I'll just rip those out of my calendar next year and see if that doesn't eliminate the spending.

Great job and I hope you don't mind if any of us use it. I decided to video my outings this upcoming season which means I can enter the information in a log at my leisure. It also means that I won't be relying on memory for my entries which is the main reaso I discontinued keeping a log last year.

Constant changing weather forced me to change tactics often, many times during the same outing. That accounted for more unproductive time than what I normally see. For that reason, I give the season a B- On the other hand I give myself an A for being able to adjust and for being persistent. When I average them out, I come up with an A+. Then again, I'm an optimist

Yea, I caught the Yankees vs. Red Sox game the next day too.

As a Vietnam vet, I felt shunned upon my return and subsequently shame for volunteering during the height of that conflict. To me, a thank you from a fellow American is appreciated and IMO, long overdo. I also understand where Mr. Clark is coming from as my feelings as I fought reflected his. I wasn't fighting to protect the freedom of the American people, I was fighting for my brothers. It wasn't until years later that I understood that in spite of the reasons for our participation, I had been supporting American values. My personal greeting to other vets is rarely thank you. Welcome home says it all.

I drove a party bus for four years after I'd retired. The things I saw and sometimes participated in made even this old fart's cheeks turn red. I remember one 30th birthday party that I had to pull off the road because my eyes were glued to the show going on in my mirror.

My wife and I just returned from an enjoyable trip to the Quad Cities just a few hours from Chicago. I couldn't shake the feeling that the trip, though enjoyable, lacked the makings of a memorable one. The locks on the Mississippi there are winter home to many eagles that feed in the open water there. Pending snow and overcast skies kepth them away. At the Princeton exit off I-80 stand four 150ft. high masts,one at each corner of the intersection, that fly some of the most elegant American flags I've had the honor to gaze upon. As you round the curve heading west, they come int view as if from nowhere.The masts were bare on that day. I never realized how much I look forward to seeing both of these sights on our frequent trips there until they weren't. That made me thankful for God and our servicemen and women, past and present, for the freedom these symbols represent. If you are gratefull for your freedom, I urge you to thank God if you are so inclined and every serviceman, women and veteran you meet.

I've tried a couple of low profile baitcasters for deep cranking and truthfully, the one thing that made the biggest difference to me in a reel with a low gear ratio was a longer handle. The lower gears (4.9&5.1) did make it easier to crank deep divers, but the addition of a longer handle really added to it. My feeling is that adding a longer handle to a 6.1:1 that retrieves around 26-28IPT could serve both purposes with one reel.

I just finished a rod build for lighter weight tubes and jigs that I'll be pairing up with one of my Sols and was wondering what the lightest/thinnest line is that any of you have used with this reel. I'm more concerned with line jumping the gap between the spool and side plates than I am with it digging into the spool. Thanks.

When I'm teaching a beginner how to set the hook when using an articificial bait, this is what I tell them: When you detect a hit, drop your rod tip (if it isn't already down) and reel up the slack at the same time, then just bring your thumbs up to your chest as quickly as you can. If they actually are able to complete the manuver, they either missed the fish or never had a fish take the lure. I also teach them to always be facing where the lure entered the water. That, to me is a basic hook set and if your fish become unbuttoned, you're either giving them slack during the fight, or your equipment (line or rod) is to blame. Rod tip speed and the amount of line you move during the hook set, IMO, are the keys to success. When 5 1/2ft. broomstick rods and stretchy mono were what was being used for worm fishing, a lot of fish were lost because not enough line could be moved to overcome the stretch of the mono. IMO, that is when a 'cross their eyes' hook set mentality began. Some of the pros were using heavy mono to reduce that factor and the rod industry soon after started offering longer rods, but that hook set remained.

I have a very similar bag that I've been using for a couple of seasons. I like the fact that I can switch out the boxes with ones containing seasonal favorites, or whatever. I just grab six boxes out of the boat, add terminal tackle to the side pockets along with sun block and bug repellent JJ's or whatever and still have room for a bottle of water.

I've tried them on just about every plastic I own. The give the bait a different look on the fall and work well with action tail worms, Senko style worms and bigger grubs. They also keep the bait moving belly down through the water as some big action plastics roll on their side or twist when worked fast.

I'm in a similar situation. Some of my equipment is newer, some I've had for longer than I can remember. If I could remember half of what I've learned over the years, it wouldn't make much difference. I spend a lot of time on the water and get much more enjoyment out of it when I don't try to figure everything out and just fish. Catching fish was always my goal and though catching is still important to me, enjoying the time, either alone or with friends or family, is my goal. I also found that sharing my love for the sport, whether actualy taking someone fishing and teaching them first hand, or the way we share on this site can be as rewarding as actually fishing. Enjoy your upcomming trip and don't forget to take time and thank the man upstairs for the opportunity.

I got into rod building so that I would have technique specific options and Baston has a great blank I built one on specifically for tubes. It's a Forecast SP841 and I believe that designation is applicable to their Rainshadow line as well. I did mine as a casting rod with a spiral wrap this winter and can't wait to use it. If you're interested, GetBit has them in a kit on sale now until they're gone.

" I wonder why I keep a picture of a 5 pounder laying next to a rod, that's anything but a photo op." For the same reason I have pics of all my reels inertnals when I first disassembled them. Well maybe not, but I still have them because I'm lazy. It's a lot easier to download them all to my hard drive when the phone's memory gets a little to full than to individually delete or put them in folders. Besides, If I were doing that I wouldn't be spending my time bonding with a bunch of guys I'll likely never lay eyes on. I have my priorities.

I have been searching for this ammo for months to no avail. My Savage bolt action absolutely loves ths ammo (40gr SP) over any other. If you can put me in touch with a shop near you that carries it. please do so. I'm down to my last 100 rounds and competition will be starting before I know it. Thanks

The best way I know, without the use of a side imaging unit, is to run parallel to the weed-line casting ahead of the boat at 10,12 and 2:00 with a bait that will contact the bottom, but not penetrate deep into the weeds. If you don't contact weeds with your 10:00 cast, you need to swing shallower and if you're still contacting weeds with your 2:00 you need to move deeper. The other thing I've done, but involves actually motoring down the weed-line, is use marker buoys to outline the edge and then return to work it.

I prefer to carry one size craw trailer and trim it to the size needed. The other option is to thread a bigger trailer onto the hook. It not only shortens the profile, but still adds the added bulk and bouyancy of the extra plastic.

I use a swivel to attach the leader to braid and try to keep the hook at least 12in. down from it. How much distance from the hook to the weight varies.

Ribbon tail worms are a great weapon, but not one to replace a stick worm. They are an action Bait and that action comes from moving it. Color and size preferences vary by water color, forage base etc. as with most baits. My motto when trying something new: K.I.S.S. OH YEA, don't forget black

I love summer because I have fewer aches and pains when fishing! I gotta start heading south around Labor Day.

Except for soft plastics, all my tackle is stored/carried in 3700 or 3600 boxes. Plastics are separated by type in one of three Flambeau super half satchels. I prefer hard sided containers to bags or soft sides. The remainder of my extra tackle is on a peg board system.