PhishLI

A 5" SK Caffeine Shad or a Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnow both weigh in between 11 and 11.5 grams, which is over 3/8oz, when rigged on an unweighted 6/0 Owner Twistlock Light. I fished both baits last time out, and I'm basically fishing in a huge pad field. Both can be cast 120' no problem with a standard 7'3"-7'6" MHF assuming you have a decent reel with a reasonably light spool. Which reels do you own? Which rods do you own? Personally, I'd never go below 30lb braid fishing pads. I've seen 20lb pop too often in them, but not 30lb.

Who knows? 2 minutes is too long not breathing, especially for a bigger fish. Unhook it, then soak it for a minute or two, then take your pics and soak it again before release.

I've got no choice, and I love it. I zone out and time just zips by when working the pads. So many possibilities. Taken last week, and it'll only get thicker from here on out.

I'm most often fishing with a stout MHF or a HF and straight braid, so even if I don't see a lost fish, I can feel whether or not it was heavy. Once they're past 5 1/2lbs, there's a unique strain I feel from the back of my wrist to my elbow that tells the tale. The stiffer rods and no-stretch line don't absorb much, so the load gets transferred quickly to muscles. Conversely, with a M spinning rod, light line, and light drag, it's much harder to tell what I have until I see it as the entire system absorbs so much. Seems to hold true for the pros too who almost always proclaim a biggun before they see it with spinning gear even if it's a 2lber. That aside, and as haunting as it is, I'm good with seeing a lost fish as it reassures me that they're still in there to be caught another day.

You're right. It hasn't.

This is quite true. One of my wading crew is Chinese born and speaks the language. Our county has a policy that no bass can be removed from our waters period due to the thin population, and he's totally on board with C&R. But because he speaks Chinese, and they tried to recruit him, he was able get the scoop from one of the poaching crews who come out from New York City to strip our waters. They sell bass to Chinese restaurants where they display them in large fish tanks for their customers to choose from. Finally, he set up a sting with the NY DEC to bust both the poachers and the restaurants they sell to, which happened. Even with that, it hasn't stopped them. They even come from New Jersey now. IMO, they are the #1 reason our bass population is so small. They're clever and relentless. Thank God the Russians are primarily focused on carp, or I'd have to switch hobbies to basket weaving.

Lakes topped out with weeds is the norm here. Even so, some of my best producers are wake baits. Larger types sit lower into the water, so they might snag up depending, but usually I can find lanes they'll come through. However, smaller types like 50mm or 70mm wakes often get through cleanly if I avoid cranking them down, and they're one of my best producers when fish are feeding up, and they often are especially in low light and at night. Silent types work best for me here, so if you're thinking about trying some, try some silent ones too. If you'd like to try a twist on weedlessly rigged plastics, try a creature on a weighted swimbait hook. I started with a Bandito Bug on an owner 6/0 Twistlock Light 3/16oz weighted hook, and it was killer, but easily wrecked. I switched to a Zman ProCrawZ on a 5/0 Gammy 3/16 oz weighted hook(#296415-3/16) and got similar results, but with far greater durability, and due to the buoyancy of ElaZtech, a different rate of fall. It fishes cleanly through the heaviest of cover and pads, plus it casts like a bullet. In my mind, it's like a jig without some of the problems I encounter here with a jig, and it's a new look for the fish. I add rattles to some of them with Zman's Rattle-Snaker. It's become one of my confidence baits.

Welcome aboard, Long Islander. Now there're four of us here.👍

This is the earliest I've found gills on beds. They were everywhere. Zero clouds, but I finally broke my full moon curse with this Shell Cracker G2 eater.

Looks like a Lifetime Tamarac or Teton which is 10'. 53lbs which is why I got it. Pretty bad in the wind, and don't stand up on it, but gets the job done.

Keep your center of gravity. No leaning except for back towards the seat. Hoosket only with your arms.

Breathable yet waterproof. However, breathable doesn't mean you won't feel like you've pee'd your pants from sweating on a hot day, because you will. In the summer I wear ultra light parachute material type Columbia Silver Ridge pants under the waders and they're damp after a wade. I don't like to wear shorts and have my bare skin touching the wader material, but that's just me. Once I get out of the waders, I turn them inside-out down to the booties, put them in my back seat, then run the AC on the way home. Any moisture felt on the waders when I took them off is completely dry after the 10-15 minute drive home. Once home, I turn them back out and hang them from a bracket I made which is attached to my elevated deck, then rinse them off thoroughly. Next, I dry them with a fan, then they go back into the garage and get hung. The neoprene booties are integrated and sealed to the waders. 3rd pic down shows the gravel guards folded down into the position they'll be in once you've put on your separate wading boots. There are small clips on the tips of each guard that you'll secure to the bottom lace of each boot.

Owner Beast Flashy Swimmer with CPS 2pk | Tackle Warehouse There's also a 6/0 3/8oz in the standard Flashy swimmer that'll work is slim bodies. Owner Flashy Swimmer with CPS 2pk | Tackle Warehouse

If you're going with braid mainline and that weight, the latest BB1 pro wins for laying into the cast to air it out. Mine's on an ARK essence 7'6" MHF and max distance is impressive and pretty effortless. Its tall spool plays well here. It's also the smoothest Lew's I've handled. With braid mainline, the Elite can be touchy in the beginning of a power cast unless you can learn to regulate your stroke. Figure that out and it'll do fine. If you're going with plastic mainline, the Elite has the edge, IMO. Mag Z plays well with it after the apex of the cast where you'll need to be more mindful of a fluff up with the BB1.

If you love the rod, why not simply replace the tip top guide with a zirconia, alconite, or Sic ringed guide and don't worry about it? This is easily the least expensive route to keeping and using something you really like with whichever line you choose.

It's not in the traditional sense. No Tatula from the Elite down uses discreet pinion bearings like higher end Daiwas like the Zillions do. Why they advertise this I don't know. This doesn't mean that one side of the pinion is left unsupported under load, because it is. It's supported by the spool's shaft which is then supported by a bearing. Not equivalent to Daiwas free floating spool arrangement, but Tatulas with a metal handle-side sideplate tend be very smooth and seem to stay that way whether they have hyperdrive or not. Just don't remove the spool and spin the handle fast. If for some reason the 150 fits a niche for you, don't let the lack of Hyperdrive keep you from getting one. It's a nice reel.

Thankfully you have that canoe to hide your face during the walk of shame back to the KatieMobile,🤣

Ideally you should get breathable stocking foot waders that require separate boots, but I suggest going somewhere that you can try them on together with the heaviest socks you'll be using during cold weather. What you should avoid is having too tight a fit around your ankles or the feet. Not good for the seams. Regarding comfort, boots can be all over the place. Try several different brands if you can. I went through several different brands and settled on Frogg Toggs Pilot 2. So comfortable for me, but that's me. I need 4 X wide shoes and have high arches, so some brands and styles just didn't cut it and were terribly uncomfortable. I'm unaware of breathable waders that don't come with a belt, even inexpensive ones. Get one if the waders you choose don't come with one and use it always. Adjust the suspenders so that the crotch is snug up to your crotch, but not tight. This will save the crotch seam from being stressed in cases where you need to step up or down into the water, or when you squat to pick something up. Bring a jug of water with you. Before you put your waders on, dump some water in each boot. Before you tie the laces of each boot, dump some more in. This will wet the fabric and reduce friction for your walk to the water which will extend the life of the integral neoprene booties. Keeping your toenails trimmed will also help. Doesn't matter what you spend, you'll have seam issues if you treat your waders poorly. They may come to you folded in a box, but after use you do not want to do that anymore. Hang them by the suspenders or lay them flat somewhere after you rinse them off, and you should rinse them after each outing. I hang them by the suspenders to dry in my garage and that's where they stay until I use them again. Remove the insoles and flood the boots and dump them out several times. Rinse the insoles too. This will get small rocks and sand out and will keep the boots from eventually stinking like lake weeds.

The 150 is larger than the CT. The 200 and 150 share the same frame with the 200's modified for a taller spool. No, however, they are quite smooth. My brother has four and I'm on my second.

Every 70-150 can do that easily and beyond.

The Curado nameplate is well known. That's all. Notice that nobody has chimed in to say that the K is a great 3/8oz squarebill reel? That aside, why do you think there's a Curado BFS, Curado 70, and Curado 150? Because as you go down in spool size and weight, capabilities change regarding casting lower weight baits. My point is not to bash the K. I have one and know what it does well and what it doesn't. I made it to steer you away from an unnecessary rod purchase that would not address your particular issue.

As they do, weathermen lie, but I got some swings in before the rain became too much. Blew several hooksets on a frog but then switched to the poop and got one on my 5th or 6th last cast. Dude thought he was a Smallie and went flying a few times, so that was cool.

Go to J&H in Oakdale where you can pick it out yourself. They sell line like crazy, so you'll probably find fresh stock. Same with Causeway in Merrick on Merrick Road just south of Twins and just east of Mill Pond.

This one has been great for me. 5 grams. Uses a beetle spin-esque rigging arm. Dirt cheap too. .98c at Wally's.

Snuck in a quick half hour before dinner and got one skinny dude on the Heavy Poop which was just what I needed after the shellacking I took Monday night. Several windy overnights at 40* really cooled things off and I didn't get a sniff, so anything was good after that. Got a second wind after dinner and a dog walk, so I shot up for a night sesh. It was a tough bite again, just bluegills on wake baits, but I found a solid one finally dragging a Green Pumpkin Saffire Caffeine Shad.