CrankFate

All I can say is don’t reel too fast. The reels we fish with today are fast. Once you’re pulling in 30-36” or more per turn and turning fast, the fish is going to come to the surface. So slow it down, just don’t slow down enough to get slack. I do not see fish breaking the surface when I reel them in, so I am going to say you can prevent them from breaking the surface by reeling slower. And also by using a less rigid rod, when the rod absorbs the bounce and shake, the fish do not come up.

Since this is the Covid thread and the vaccine thread....I just learned that someone in my office tested positive today. I just tested negative even though I talk to her a lot every day (and she never wears a mask). She has no symptoms and was tested during a regular checkup. Everyone else in the office is at least half vaccinated. It’s a small office of 7-8 people in pretty close contact. If no one else comes up positive, it’s at least nonscientific proof that these vaccines work.

Good advice.

Such is life. Or as one charter captain put it, “Mi vida. El pescador.”

I don’t know. I like rods that work for what I’m trying to do. I like the new light EVA. I have some with cork that I like. And now a days, I really like the Winn grips. I think I prefer the EVA and Winn to some extent, but I don’t know. Not usually make or break for me.

One of the sometimes marketed benefits of shallow spools is consistent IPT and drag, because there is a minimal difference between full and half full spool diameter. But yeah you’re right a full spool with thin line will be consistent, too. There was a time when widened shallow spools were being sold overseas to add to consistency in drag and IPT. They make a lot of spinners with taller spools than they used to now, I always assumed that is because of what you’re here.

Yes. I’m used to it. But I hit a lot of money fish over the last 10 years (after getting completely scammed by those running one relatively big contest), though, so it all works out. Its worth it once you see your kids get some of those money fish a few times.

And fishing. Brings out the worst in everyone. Including me.

Your fingers in the pic above are gigantic by comparison. Because that is trick photography. Your fish’s belly is only the size of your two middle fingers and the tail is extremely small. That tail is only 3 or 4 fingers wide. Also, look at the way my fist is dwarfed by the fish in my pic.

I’m going to just LoL over that. Just look how small my finger is in that pic. Compare that to all other bass pictures on this site and you will be able to tell that the fish is between 7 and 8 pounds if it is an ounce by looking at the size of my index finger. I did catch a 14 pound 2 or 3 ounce fish (it was weighed more than once) on a charter in Walt Disney World when I was there from the 2nd to the 9th of September of 2001. That size is independently documented around the Internet. No other person on this planet, except me, has ever claimed to have caught that fish. I am not a small guy. I was about 230 at the time I caught my avatar fish. Head to tail was from my hip to my knee. I am 5’ 11” tall. I am holding that fish close to my body. And it is a male fish. An experienced fisherman should be able to see that. I can also tell you that my wife was in charge of the cameras when I caught that 14lber on vacation in Disney world. When I looked at the camera as we pulled into the dock, I realized there was no film in it. After that, Walt Disney World added an extra benefit to their charter customers—-the boats were all equipped with working digital cameras. That was why. The charter guide was not exactly happy, because that was one of my, what I call “amateur hour” days. Even though I have come close to quite a few world and state records with other species of fish. I was far from home and not using my normal gear. That day I brought super light JDM finesse gear that someone gave me right before that trip. The reels had backwards handles and maybe 4lb test line. The guide was ticked when the first few bites I got broke my line as the fish inhaled the bait. I insisted there’s no way that these could be bass bites. “No bass could be this big.” He insisted that I use his heavier rod so I didn’t just waste my money on this trip. So I did, practically to prove him wrong. Long story short, 14lb bass on my lap 5 minutes later. He was even more ticked, then. Yes, I am very hard headed. And so was he. Fishermen. It wasn’t until he saw how well I took it after finding out there was no film in the camera that he might’ve started hating me a little less. He was a real fishing guide from the area and he was like, for the price they are charging people for this, the least they could do is make sure theres a camera on the boat. You can’t make this stuff up. It’s a small world....c’mon....you know the person who caught that fish would, at least, sometimes visit this site. One more thing—I should add that it was caught the absolutely worst way possible—while trolling with a live shiner.

Exactly.

Add a weight. Buy sinking braided line.

Sorry to hear that. These past few years have not been good for a lot of people. When a friend of mine was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer a year ago (he recently passed away), to make matters worse, his mother had a major stroke after hearing he was terminal and incurable. For what it’s worth, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Put it in a closet. Put it in the garage. I don’t even have a rod rack.

The shallow spool means that you never get deeper in the spool. A large half full spool will have a very different IPT than a shallow spool.

To date, the best fishing game of all time is Red Dead Redemption 2.

I got the call for # 2 today. Going in next week. Getting it in my right arm this time. The only reaction I had was pain at the injection site. They were telling everyone to get it in their non dominant arm. I’m getting it in my right next time, because I sleep on my left side and that was not possible for the next 3 days after shot # 1.

I’ll just throw this in there, on BFS reels the IPT is most accurate.

Do you hate the rod you want to sell? If not, I’d keep it. Some time in the future you’ll need it again.

I always start overspooled and work my way down to what works best for the reel.

^This.

No, it’s real. Rare and extreme. Most people who try their luck there never hook a fish. After years of trying. But they’ll tell you the size of some of the fish there defies all logic. l’ve caught those big males. 6-7lbs. And to make matters worse, they are Northern strain bass! The females that are bigger are a whole nuther game. Almost uncatchable. But that particular place has a lot of folklore to it, people who mention it by name online don’t even bother fishing there. After years of never catching a fish, when they can see them, most give up. How big did the offspring get?

No. Not in my case.

Just get a bigger handle. It’s almost as fun as catching fish.

I think everything transfers vibration or not. Hard light materials and tight tolerances all carry more sensitivity. Everything from the brittle reel seat, the brittle reel, the rigid guides and inserts all add to feel. As far as feel goes, there is data out there that says if you are sitting there for days at a time feeling and doing something, over time, you will recruit more nerves and muscles and they will get better at doing whatever it is you keep trying to do. Talent matters too though. Some people will get better at some things than others. I’m not going to lie. I don’t give much advice on how to get bass, because I’m not that good at it. I’m just very persistent.