PhishLI

...Uh...Hmmm?...(pondering clever retort)... I've got nuthin. You, sir, paint a truly terrifying picture! I might switch hobbies from bassin' to Macram'e. I suppose it's possible to have a heart attack whilst Macram'e-ing, but at least I won't drown. Unless I'm Macram'e-ing next to a lake watching someone else bassin' and have a heart attack. Straight into the drink!

Bass season is closed for the spawn on L.I. between May 1st and the end of the 1st week of June. The NYC bucket brigades hammer our waters mercilessly taking everything they can get away with including bass. They'll take a bluegill smaller than a saltine. Most are sold to particular restaurants in the city. So, I let the bass be, per regulations. The last three weeks of April were fire though! Got a few 4 pounders and everything below. But before then I'd convinced myself that aliens had beamed all the bass to a different universe. I couldn't, and neither could any of the local hardcores, get bit for nothin from December until then! Part of the issue is the two fall trout stockings in October and November. The bass crush trout and don't seem interested in biting artificials, even trout Hudds and such. The lakes are shallow near shore. The cold sets in. The deeper holes are out of reach. Kaput. I hit my spot running when the season re-opened. Fished before work and after dinner. Snuck in some lunches too. Zilch! Two weeks skunked. I was power fishing, thinking the bass wanted to eat and would chase. Wrong. Eating dinner one night I said to my wife "have an idea, gotta go". This is after I said I'd be taking a small break. There was no protest. She's a good one. Anyway, it had struck me that I needed to go in a different direction fast: Slow way way down. The lightest setup I had not used up to that point was a BG2500 spinner with Transoptic 8lb test on a 6'6" Tatula M. I was getting blanked on 5-6" senkos previously, so I rigged up a Zoom Fluke Stik instead, T-rigged weightless, Owner 4ot. I know, I know, not a real Texas rig without a bullet weight. I'm rusty. Cut me some slack! June 21st. 6:40 pm. I hit my lake. Chucked the fluke stik straight out. Instead of instantly popping it then dragging it then popping it again, I let it soak. Felt like forever. Was more like two minutes. Then ever so slowly I dragged it a little, then let it soak. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Fish on! Got her in. Maybe 2 1/2lbs. Had to kiss her! It worked. 6:47 pm The next cast I whipped it out left, parallel to the bank, a good 100ft cast. Let it soak, then soak some more. Dragged it slowly for a skosh. Soaked it again. Reeled in again and I'm snagged in weeds? But I'm not! Fish on! It's really heavy and fighting hard. She breaks the surface with a violent head shake. From 80 feet out I could see she was a montsta. Drag is screaming! At that precise moment two guys were approaching my spot from a path. They erupt. Holy this and holy that! Ya know. As I get her close she takes a hard run straight into some downed bushes and wraps me up. I'd been fishing with 30 and 50lb braid for weeks and here I am wrapped in branches with the biggest fish I'd ever seen personally. Nothing seperating us but 8 pound mono! I couldn't believe it. Defeated I said " I can't believe I'm gonna lose this fish". Next I said " I'm goin in!". Somehow, someway, just then, she erupted again and spun herself out. A miracle if there ever was one! Got her to the shore and she was football fat. Lipped her, wet my other hand and scopped her up horizontal. Had to cradle her with my palm to just balance her, and I have mitts. One of the dudes took my camera and got some shots. Measured just shy of 23 inches. I didn't want to wreck her jaw so I didn't weigh her. Against very bad odds this fish had somehow survived the bucket mobs. Just wanted to get this one in safe and unharmed. It was a good day. P.S. I went out the next day and bought 10 more bags of Fluke Stiks. Buy 5 and get 5 free! Haven't caught a single fish on em since then. Doh!

Thanks for the greetings, everyone! Nice place you have here. Happy New Year!

That's until that perfectly peaceful morning right before the spawn. You cast. You're reeling in. Suddenly a largemouth hits your lure like a freight train. It makes a hard run to a pad field or a downed tree. You feel your heartbeat in your ears. Every nerve in your body is alive as you draw it away from the structure. Your heart pounds even harder the last few inches before you have it in hand. You have it! You're shaking. Every joint in your body is firing with electricity. You weigh nothing. Might not be for you...

I have both of these reels. Occasionally I've gone back and forth in my mind daydreaming about "if I had to choose just one", which one? If I only boat fished it would be the Tat SV. With the right rod for it, and an understanding of the casting stroke required to make it sing, it'll cast plenty far. However, it does much more. Mindless skipping and pitching. Yes, you can do both with a K too. But even with a sharp thumb you'll be pulling out mild or worse overruns at the end of many, not all, skips or pitches if you're not on top of it. Not a big deal usually. The Tat is nearly immune to that though. If I was stuck on the bank the K wins in a landslide. Pick a rod, any rod. Fast, slow, parabolic, whatever, it doesn't matter. Two brake blocks engaged, lay into the cast, and sling a lure way out there. A mere 1/2oz will launch. Today I was chucking a shakey head with a trick worm. 15 grams total. 7'1MHF rod. The distance was remarkable. Brake dial at zero. Fantastic and fluid-coupled-smooth. I have Chronarchs too. I'm very happy with the K. The only way to get near that type of distance with that weight with the Tat SV is to have the brakes on the absolute redline, like 4, and loose spool tension. Very hairy. The rod will need to be a stiff, fast rod. Low stretch line too. Any sling-shotting and it's over before it starts. The casting stroke will need to be perfect. Your thumb will need to be perfect. Slip on a pebble during the stroke and thwap, instant backlash. The interesting thing is that it happens so fast, the blowup is limited. I've never lost line. I actually didn't have a fatal backlash for a year, and I'm usually, foolishly, minimally braked. And that was the only one. That was two weeks ago while bank fishing. I'm pretty sure that 3/4oz silver minnow is still orbiting. The truth is: If I had the brakes at 7 instead of 5 when I laid into that cast I'd still have that spoon in my box. 8 is like 2 brake blocks engaged on the Curado K, but with less distance in absolute terms. In practical terms, (most realistic bass fishing scenarios), not really that much, IMO. I'm glad I have a K and a TAT SV. They have different strengths. Both are useful tools to me at this stage. Maybe a Curado DC blends the best aspects of both? Hmmm? We'll have to see... Good luck with your search!

I went with the LT3000-CXH. This is the shallow spool 3000 version. Paired with a 7' Tatula MF rod, it's super lightweight. Spooled it with 15lb PP superslick. I haven't had a single windknot all season and I always have this setup with me. Line lay is perfect. I bank fish enough that I wanted the larger spool not for more line but for better line management and casting distance. This combo is a pleasure to use.

Shadow Raps and Shadow Rap Shad in perch have been the deal lately in my area. I went nuts buying all sorts of perch pattern baits as a result. We had an insane day last Saturday with them. The walleye eat the pattern too, so when the bass bite is off there's always a chance for a mondo eye. Congrats on your catch! Not easy for us northerners. That's a rare fish up this way. I caught two donks myself this year. No scale either time, but I have pics, measurements, and witnesses. More importantly I have the heart pounding memory. Electrifying!

My brother's thumb wasn't ready for the fixed inductor of the standard Lexa. It's something that you can get used to, but unusual if you're accustomed to Magforce Z. He picked up a Lexa CC300. It uses centrifugal brakes. Much happier now. He has a Curado K. He prefers the Lexa for bigger baits.

Thanks for the reply, Dom. Pretty cool that you find it casts farther than your K. The K is very good in that department, especially with heavier weights. Would you care to elaborate further regarding your reservations about the S3's brakes? Is it hard to find a middle ground between the internal settings and the external dial? Does one click send it off a cliff on the lower end settings and restrict braking too much just a click or two higher than that? Basically, is there a narrow adjustment window between an out of control spool and an overbraked spool? Is the braking system touchy? I'm interested in what makes the braking system not your favorite, if you can put a finger on it. Thanks again!

Hello all, I ordered a pack of reel covers for my baitcasters last week. They came today! Turns out I have one extra. What does this mean? I need a new reel! ? Any reason is a good excuse, eh? If I'v'e been a good boy I'll be festooned with fishin gift certificates come X-mas morning. Can't take it with me, so I might as well... Currently, I have a good split of Daiwa and Shimano. Chronarchs, Curados, SVees and a few Fuegos. The only oddball is a Flooger Patricarch XT from about '13. Went for 2fiddy back then! Equivent to, or close to, an ABU of the day? It's actually fantastic. A great trouble free long casting reel. Picked it up NOS at firesale $, so even sweeter. It's on a Mojo crankbait rod where it shall remain. Anyway, I'd like to try something new. Something other than Shimaiwa, Lew's, or Abu. I've been frogging with a Fuego 8 speed. I'm looking to add another frog setup so I can keep a popping frog on one rod and a standard frog on the other. A few lakes I fish have vast pad fields when they're ripe. Some of those fields are in deep coves. The action has typically come on really long casts to the backs of those coves, so I'm looking for a bonafide long caster. The vids on the Quantum site by the marketing staff suggest that the S3s were built specifically as a long casters. Oversize spool, zero friction pinion, Lapis Lazuli tension washers, yada. The ACS 4.0 makes sense. Who doesn't like external tweaking? The new reel will land on a 7'4-7'6" MHXF froggin stick, so no llght weights will be chucked. Primarily 3/4 ounce and up. I'm curious if actual users have any real world feedback to share within a similar application. Also, if the S3s have other noteworthy capabilities on different power rods with different lure weights and you've got stories, I'd be grateful to hear about those too! The good and the bad. I've read the fluff TT review. Whatever. I held it at the Suffern show in March. Felt fine. I'm hoping for specifics, and vs. "X" other reels is good if you'd like to go there. If you think I'd be miserable in comparison to what I have, please, kick it to me straight! Happy Holidays to everyone!

Goofy looking? Absolutely! My father has had several sections of his face/neck scooped and skin gratfed. Not fun and not prettty. If that's not bad enough, skin grafts don't always take the first time. I'm not gonna fool around with it if I can help it. I'm not looking for love while I'm fishing anyway. Plus my wife wouldn't like that!

If you're bumping up to the $125 range, you can spend less and grab a Citica. Hard to beat.

I picked up the 10 lb and 12 lb a few weeks ago. Put the 12lb on the three BC reels. It measures at about what most 15lb mono does. A youtoober I trust did a vid on it. Claims the 12lb had a break strength of 18lbs+. I've only fished it in the cold between freezing and 40 degrees. It has plenty of memory, but not wicked like some floro. Wants to jump off the spool a bit at the start in these conditions. BTW, I soaked the filler spool with KVD L&L the night before I spooled up. Once I chuck a heavy lure with good resistance a few times it settles down some. I had a pickeral chomp down on the line. It was across it's jaws and teeth with the hook on the outside lip when I got it in. Thought it was a goner with the thrashing, but the line held up just fine. So far so good.

I'm not gonna to try to convince you either way regarding that particular St.Croix. I own a St.Croix Mojo CB stick. Nothing against St.Croix. I will suggest you take a look at an offbeat choice in the Powell Inferno 7 MHXF. 703MH CEF. I fish a nearby puddle I call Senko Lake. I've caught fish on a number of different types of baits there, but nothing comes close to a weightless Watermelon BLK flake 6" senko. I've also done well with 10" Power worms and Zoom Fluke Stiks in that color. Soft stick baits rule there, for me anyway. No boats are allowed in this lake. It's ringed by trees with occasional gaps where the shore is fishable. Kinda tough to overhead cast though, but not impossible. A little pitching here and there. It's best to wade. That really doesn't add up to much more than target casting and bombing. Sort of tough to skip waist deep in water. So, I really dug in for a rod to throw light plastics with, including Avids. My first thought was that a medium action 6'7" -6'8" would be the ticket. Less chance to swat a branch on overhead casts when I didn't want to wade. Those rods worked, or, I made them work. Stepped up to some 7' mediums. Same thing. They worked, and I figured that was it, but was never really thrilled. The Powell purchase was a "just by chance" thing. In one cast I knew it was a winner for me. An Ahhhh moment. Finally. It's rated to 3/4 ounce, so a lighter MH. Speaking of light, it's a light stick. Combined with a Chronarch CI4+, it's a featherweight combo. It balances an inch in front of the reel nut. Very comfortable. Love this combo. It will really launch a senko when called for. Another lake I fish is really a "boat only" spot. Skipped whacky Senkos kill it here. Lots of overhung trees and docks. Here I pair the Powell with a Tat SV. Skipping senkos and finesse jigs is a pleasure all day with this combo. Not as light as the Chronarch/Inferno combo but still light. However, it does use micro guides. I use straight Sufix Copoly and avoid the leader knot issue. Light line and a good FG should be fine, I just haven't bothered. The copoly is working out for me. Maybe it's odd to put pricey reels on this rod, like ketchup on steak, but I think it's a great stick for the $. Plus, if it gets killed somehow it won't be too painful. I'd replace it with another in a second.

My brother had the heavy and swapped it out for the MH for the reasons that concern you. Much happier with the MH. Throws those exact baits and others in that range nicely. A Hudd 68 is about the biggest we'll throw in LI waters. He paired his DX with a Lexa CC300.

No problemo. 7 rods, 2 large tackle bags, and my Scooby Doo lunchbox. Gotta have snacks.

The goal: To not knock my son-in-laws hat off during a sidearm cast=Learn to cast with my left. I'm a righty. I cast with my right and reel with my left, except for the righthanded Chronarch I have. I got it specifically to learn to cast lefty. I have a long way to go. I will prevail. The SIL has a Sundolphin that's 8.5 ft. A control freak, he needs to drive. This puts him in the back. Fine for him as he's a spinner only type just dinkin and dunkin wacky worms around. Dude is a bass catchin machine! Anyway, as long as we circle the lake clockwise, I'm good. Skipping and sidearm heaven. Somehow he ends up driving us counterclockwise often. So I'm left with overhead casts and pitching. Oh, the horror! He aint gonna change. I'll learn eventually. In the meantime he can wear a fishing helmet.

If distance is your primary concern, the largest spool you can get away with is the answer. You can put a 25 size reel on a 10' pole but get litttle increase in distance over a 7 footer as the spool lip friction as the line gets closer to the arbor will ultimately govern how far you can throw a lure. All reels aren't created equal. The oscillation type and spool length will impact how well line leaves the spool too. Take a look at a Daiwa SS if you want extra distance. Old tech, but still in production. Line flies off the spool amazingly well. All things being equal, they'll outcast just about any reel of comaparable size. And the drag is world class.

I have several Fuegos. I like them alot on MHF and H rods. Mostly 7' and up. Not a big fan on 6'6"-ish medium or on a 7' MHXF. I can throw with them all day on the lower power rods, but it requires a certain consistency of stroke and more concentration than I'd like to expend while keeping the brake dial on the lower limit. Personally, I'd go for a centrifugally braked reel on your ML 6'6" set up. I think you'll have less grief. Magforce Z doesn't do well with any type of snap. Trouble happens more on a short medium power rod if you're casting with differently weighted lures close to the rod's limit. It's hard to avoid. Crank up the brakes and you'll be fine, but you might not hit your target if it's out there a bit. Just My opinion.

No. Just a slight click at most in either direction. Do this: Reel the line in and tape the tag end to the spool. Set the brake dial at zero. Click the thumb bar down. Give the spool a fast spin with a finger. How long does it spin?

I'll second that on the Aird rods. My brother picked up the Daiwa AIRX701HFB to get his feet wet pitching jigs. 54$ on Amazon. I was suprised at the build quality, feel, and weight of the rod. Very light. He's even chucked 1 1/4oz swimbaits on it too. No problem.

Thanks! Trust me, he came and is still coming. I'm already hiding tackle from my wife! Thanks, Russ!

Hello Everyone, I grew up within walking distance of the biggest lake on Long Island. Totally hooked on bass fishing from the get go. Saved my paper route money and bought a Daiwa 1000C and 5'10" medium Ugly Stik. Hot stuff for a 12 year old in '77. Armed with a Super Vibrax inline spinner and an Arbogast Hawaiian Wiggler, I was on fire. Last day I fished was Sept. 3,1980. Caught a big pickeral tossing the wiggler into the pads. Electrifying! Glad a fishin pal was there to see it. Nobody would've believed me otherwise. So what happened? Life. Mostly all of a sudden I had a girlfriend. A bit older. Much more interesting to a 15 year old than a fish I tell ya! Then another. Cars. Motorcycles. School. Work, to pay for it all. But i always guarded my rod/reel combo, knowing that the day would come. Then it did. My daughter brought her new boyfriend/future husband to a family picnic. During our first converstation he mentioned "bass fishing". That was it! The day came, sort of. Another year went by. I had a crazy workload. Finally, I tore down the reel and greased it. Replaced a guide on the old stick, and it was on. Got my permit 9/20 last summer and hit a local spot by myself. Surrounded by trees and water, every feeling I had as a kid gone fishing was back in a state of absolute perfection. A true and wonderous time warp. I brought my brother out with me back in April of this year. His pride and joy Victory Viking now collects dust in his garage while surrounded by fishing poles. He's all in. When his riding pals call on a nice day he's usually already waist high in the water. New friends, new family, Chronarchs, Curados, Tatulas, flippin sticks, jig rods, rods rods rods, etc, etc, etc...I'm back and I love it.

My Tat Sv sat for about 2 weeks between uses. I was hitting a lake with a bunch of skip-able docks, so I brought it. Couldn't detect any issues while skipping. However, on long casts it was making a new noise. Ignored it for a while that day, but it bothered me. I've only used it in freshwater. It was dunked once while wading deep. Tried to hold it up but a whopping pickeral wouldn't let me as I tried to unhook it. Anyway... Tore it down after the dock skipping trip. Handle side spool bearing was frozen, essentially a bushing. The spool shaft was a little scored. Polished it. I pulled the sheilds from the bearing. No corrosion or gunk that I could see under 30x magnification. Soaked it in PB Blaster. Worked it loose. A drop of Bantam oil and all is well for now except for a little more slop than I'd like between the inner race I.D. and the spool shaft O.D.. Performed the same cleaning and lube on the sideplate bearing which was otherwise fine. Gonna chuck some Hawgtechs in cause I'm curious and they're affordable. Anyway, It happened to you. It happened to me. Bet it's not isolated to us. Love the reel otherwise. Going for Walleye and Bass in the rain today. The Tat is coming with me.