PhishLI

Not according to this guy. He basically said that the DEC would enforce his will and vice versa. Yeah, they did. But get there at midnight on the right night after those guys tapout, and the Walleye come in super shallow to smash the bait boiling along the shore line in inches of water. I got 54 in one night last May wading in that zone. Funny thing is that it's hard to replicate what they want from a boat in the same area. Seems they get spooked by hull noise. I dunno. Too bad things changed, but I've plotted a work around. We'll see.

Park ranger at Ronk. Didn't care that we're all cool with the DNRs. BTW, he claimed that all waterfront between Victory and Parsnips is now county owned and nobody is allowed on it after dusk. No more warnings, he said.

Who knows what's actually true? I know what's been transmitted. It's probably revenue driven, whatever it is. There's a hardcase ranger patrolling Ronk at night lately. Try to park at Parsnips, then get caught throwing big baits for Walleye and see how it goes for you. My buddies experienced his threats 1st hand when they pulled up there. Didn't even get a chance to go fishing because he threatened to ticket them for just parking there. They're carding guys at Victory ramp and generally watching that place closely. I've been carded multiple times at freshwater spots in Nassau over the past 4 years. Prentice was always cool to deal with, as was that kid who replaced him. Stephanie, who replaced the kid, seems nice, and seems to know her stuff. She quickly responded to a poaching net incident. Within minutes. That's correct. They're usually willing to talk, and have expressed that issue, but they've all given me their cell numbers and encouraged calling them 24/7 if anything illegal's happening. I'll gleefully drop a dime on a Bucket Brigade FW if they have LM bass on a stringer, or anything else that's no bueno. Might not add up to anything if they're 50 miles away at that moment, but...

A dude met my brother and me last night for an unexpected trip at one of the very few lakes open here for bass fishing right now. This shallow puddle is fed by runoff and its level is maintained by groundwater, so there's no flow through it. We measured temps between 66-68*. The southern side had a bazillion bluegill and pumpkinseed on beds, but no bass. I suppose they're done romancing at this joint. The first 3 hours was an epic dinkfest, just like a party boat on a school. They were so small that a 1 pounder was a nice upgrade. Finally, some decent ones came out to play. My buddy got his on a G2, then my brother's came on a fresh Lancotti Psycho Gill painted in Ferrari red. I had a good'n shake off a crank next to the boat, but found redemption when a loony swimbait eating Crappie nailed my Shellcracker G2. We probably should've stayed a bit longer and caught the wave, but 3 AM was tapout time for our 50-something crew.

Those small laminate type realistic paddletail swimmers are my best overall producers. Fish Arrow J-Shads, etc.

The state trooper uniform gets everyone's attention around here, as does the sidearm which is typically a Glock.

Bass fishing is closed here between May1-Jun 4, but there are 4 places open for C&R. One's 4 acres, and all but dried up. Two are 8am thru dusk, and kayaks only. The last one allows boats with electric motors, but it's 70 miles east of me and is loaded with anglers right now, especially on weekends. My friend has a brother who's a DNR officer. Around here they're all state troopers, and they don't tend to have a sense of humor. The word came down through the pipeline that the DEC has given them the green light to really hammer anyone caught in the act, and they're also watching local FB pages closely. They're specifically not accepting the "just fishing for Pickerel" line this year. If you're caught with anything other than panfish baits they'll be confiscating your gear and issuing fines. Get lippy and you might get locked up. A 4" Senko will be considered a bass bait. My buddy was Walleye fishing with bass baits, as he always does, and got pressed seriously. Lucky for him his phone's gallery was loaded with Walleye pictures, so they let him slide. They also told him not to come back and be caught with anything other than tiny jerkbaits or cranks or they'd bust him next time. Even with this info being posted on FB, some dudes are still defiantly posting pics that clearly show that they're not at the open lakes. Nobody I associate with is that bold.

Meh. They're 17 grams and catch wind more than conventional frogs, so I'm not really getting the "launch" part. Its soft body does help with hook sets, but if you fish places that have Yellow Lotus, with their leaves that rise up above the water's surface, this frog's soft body will allow its hooks to snag up constantly. Bending them out beyond how they're shipped will not help your cause either in thick algae slop because they'll just grab everything. For me where I fish, I'll work them only in flat Lily fields and the edges of anything "up" because it's just not worth the hassle otherwise.

yup

You don't know what you're doing yet. Correct? We've all been there. Get that out of the way first before you start worrying about distance. That will come. You haven't received any bad advice yet, and this subject has been beaten to death. You'll find the same advice given over and over again by guys who know what they're doing. Use the search function and get your learn on.

Nope. Mag Z for the Tat and Linear Mag for the CC

You're new to this. 20 lb braid was not a wise recommendation for you at this point. 30lb, maybe, but 40 will be fine. You'd probably be better off starting with a softish 12lb mono until you get your legs under you. A fluff-and-recover with mono is typically a wrap-around-the-spool and break off your bait with braid. 4 on the brakes on that reel is for expert level casters, and even then that's the hairy lower limit. Keep it between 10-12 for zombie casting until you understand what's happening.

Daiwa Tatula XT 7'3" MH. Light. Tough as nails. Great hook keeper for T-rigs. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-DAIWAROD.html?from=basres

Welp, I'll never get that one outta my head now. Henceforth, and forever more, I'll be adjusting my beans.

I'll be on a lake next month that has Alewife. I picked up a LV in color "MS American Shad" for the occasion.

The K is fickle with baits under a 1/2oz, especially if you're really slinging them. Dinking out casts 50-60 ft? Not so bad. It's not the versatile workhorse people seem to reflexively regurgitate that it is. The Standard SLX handles lighter baits far more predictably, as do many other reels near or below the K's price point. The SLX MGL is even better yet.

Yes, but what you or I consider "like reeling in air" would probably leave @BaitFinesse connected to a Lithium IV drip to stave off convulsions?

Couple of things here. Much of this can be ascribed to the condition known as Fishing Forum-itis. It's analogous to someone with a hangnail googling the condition, then finding themselves convinced that they need a head transplant. Besides my core group, I fish with a bunch of different people, and pretty much have a talent for talking to strangers anywhere about anything. I'm chatty when I'm in the mood, and pretty much up to snuff on what's happening reel-wise. One brief compliment in passing given about someone's gear will usually have them ready to gab. The truth is that everyone seems to love, or like, what they have, whether they're strangers or friends. I can't recall one guy hating, or even complaining about what they were fishing with except for one, and that was a guy with a cheapo Kastking that he couldn't get dialed in even after he'd given it the full Boca treatment. "Kastking Jared" also watches Bootytrain on YT, so he was concerned about mushy thumbars, etc. YouTube-itis. He has a Scorpion DC now, so his condition has stabilized, for the moment at least. It's true that certain issues do exist in particular reels, but the vast majority of users do not notice or care about them even a little bit, if my sample size means anything. Whatever might be going on is accepted as normal, or not problematic, or impactful enough to do anything about. If there isn't an outright malfunction, then all is well as far as most people are concerned. The few who end up here or elsewhere seeking answers will realize their worst fears come true, but that isn't many in comparison to the hordes. Ignorance is bliss, or just maybe there are more important things to focus on, for them anyway.

I keep me trusty old Mylec and Hanson mask parked in the vestibule. Love it when city slickers come a callin'.

I just walked my dog. It feels like late October out there.

A few weeks ago I was fishing a Magdraft Freestyle in trout rigged on a 6/0 Beast hook. I was throwing out to a drop off where I know there's a laydown, so I was playing the odds, even with 20lb Big Game. Eventually I ended up snagging hard and resigned to breaking off. I wear cut proof gloves made for handling expanded metal, so I wrapped the line around my hand and started pulling. Now I could feel that the hook was really buried. I had two sweatshirts on, so I wrapped it around my upper arm, and really pulled with all my weight. The tree felt like it was starting to move, then bang, I broke off. But I didn't! Got my bait back with a chunk of tree stuck to the hook. I'm still mind blown at how strong this line actually is.

Please share a link to the the air pump you use to inflate those smallies. TIA!

If you wish to know for sure if the bearings are dry, you can lube them in place. It'll take a few minutes. Remove the palm sideplate and place a drop or two of oil at the junction of the outside diameter of the bearing's inner race and its shield. The oil will get in and wet the assembly. Leave the spool in, then replace the palm side plate. Next, remove the handle, then remove the spool tension knob. Place a drop or two of oil between the outside diameter of the bearing's inner race and the shield. Replace the tension knob and handle and give it a few spins to spread the oil. If the reel is still making noise on the cast it's not dry bearings. You're doing a full clean and oil anyway, so this experiment is harmless.

The Simms Solarflex Sungloves are OP.