PhishLI

This is your answer. An ultra slick line, similar to the Varivas that's been posted, bites in on itself far less than average 8 carrier braids, which is why I made reference to Power Pro SS in my earlier post. You'll be quite surprised at the increase in distance with very light baits. Exactly. This is my situation in the lakes/ponds I wade, and often in 4 feet of water or less. They're just a monolithic weed from end to end where bass can be and are anywhere depending on where the bait has fled to and set up in on any given day. I get my fair share of bites parallel to the bank in cover and close to my position, but a high percentage come at or near the end of my longest possible cast. My catch count would be split in half if I were unable to reach and probe those zones, so anything that increases my reach like this line does is aces in my book. I actually had two spinning rigs out with me on my last trip which is something that hasn't happened in years. I'll go further by saying that of all the tips I've picked up on BR over the years, this recommendation of Varivas by @bulldog1935 is at the top of the list where exceeding expectations is the standard. A game changer for sure.

This line in this test is quite a bit thinner than Power pro Super Slick 15lb and feels much smoother which is also part of the equation. Between those two qualities, light baits go significantly farther without the feeling you get from coarser lines which seem to bite into themselves and shorten the casting distance. This stuff is for real with very light baits. Tie on a weightlessly rigged Fat Ika and the casts are absurdly long especially if you've spooled the line up to the limit. Do that and spool lip friction is less of a factor as line is payed out on the cast.

@bulldog1935 turned me on to this 16.7 lb (#0.8) Varivas line shown below and I don't hate spinning gear anymore. I'm enjoying it now. Can really sling a finesse TRD on a 1/15oz head much farther with this line, and as the weight goes up the distance is crazy good. Tatula LT 3000 on a Daiwa XT 6'6" MF.

Same here.

Hard to get mad at an old timer, but I'd wanna go on a rampage until I said my happy word, Goosfraba. Call customer service and make some noise without sounding like a kook, and if you can, avoid directly implicating the old guy. They might just make you happy in the end.

I spray mine with permethrin every few trips. You don't want chiggers either.

Heavy weeds keep the water here pretty clean. Tanic, but clean. Locally I've had terrible luck for years with bright colors or flashy blades. With soft baits, variations of blue get the most attention followed by green. However, in different lakes 25 miles east of me, which are quite similar and just as weedy and clean, they like variations of golds and sungill flavors, but won't touch the blues. Try feeding them several different color presentations and let them tell you, but over time. Don't get fooled by a one-hit-wonder-day with a specific color then go crazy buying baits in that color. Go nuts after you've confirmed that you actually have a winner.

I got this rod for that duty on the yak: Daiwa Tatula Elite Casting Rod 6'9" Heavy I like a shorter rod for seated heavier work and easier nettings. Easier to pitch with while seated too. This sale price and a Fuego CT will bring you in very close to budget.

I have the gen 1. It gets wonky over 2 ounces but can handle 2oz ok.

Even with the tool?

Bingo Here water chestnut has much smaller leaves of about 3" that lay flat on the water, tightly side by side, and roots together into a floating matrix of what feels like cables. Try to wade through it, or rather trudge through it, and you'll end up dragging it with you. I don't think a fish could bust through it to get a frog once the mat is fully developed. Very tough, and the triangular leaves are spikey. The DEC removes it manually here, thank God. It's unfishable in a few feet of water depth.

True, but I have an opinion based on experience with these unusual long shanked hooks. The standard Twistlock Light and Twistlock Light weighted are my primary hooks for baits from 3 1/2" paddle tails to 6" worms. The reason I chose the 5/0 in 5" worms is because its longer shank puts the bend through the egg sack of a 5" senko which extends the worm's life. Put the bend through the ribbed part ahead of the egg sack or at the margin of the egg sack and ribs and it's likely to tear just from casting and retrieving it. Also, the 5/0 works better in 5" dingers. It sits perfectly in the hook slot to where the hook's point skin hooks the face of the slot towards the head of the worm.

5/0

Eco Pro Tungsten Swing Shad Swimbait - Tackle Warehouse

Agreed. I tested my Essence 7'6" MHF rated to an ounce by power launching 1.5 oz swimbaits with it. No problems.

WWK Wacky Weedless | VMC (rapala.com) Fusion19™ Weedless Wide Gap - Berkley® Fishing (berkley-fishing.com) Both use leaf-spring weed guards. Wire weed guard types, single or double, will quickly foul up in our weeds.

So, the neko hook with the two prong fluoro weed guard, or the Gammy with the same type suck here. They'll snag up in an instant. More misery than fun. I've been through them all. Go straight braid for no stretch hook setting power. They don't care here. They're not line shy, especially not in heavy weeds. I've had 30 bass days throwing a wacky on 30lb J Braid green letting the worm settle right down into milfoil and coontail to get bites or skipping right into brush.

Where are you in NY? Are your waters loaded with this? If so you may be limited to the VMC or the Berkeley. Those both have leaf spring type weedguards that come through thick weeds better than anything, but you'll be better off with either crisp M or a MH rod. I have zero issues setting the VMC because those are the rods I'm using. The benefit is that I can fish above and in those types of heavy weeds and right along pad lines. I'm usually running straight braid, so I can sock it home.

Ah, well he's cooked.

Funny you should mention that. Last night on the way home I was thinking of the time I was hanging crown and had a 2 1/2" 15 gauge nail hit something hard then curl back out and blow through my thumb. I patched it up and kept going. I was thinking that this couldn't be much worse, but yes it was. My last grasp for inspiration came from thinking about civil war soldiers having limbs sawn off without the benefit of anesthesia. Those were real men. I thought of them, called myself the P word, then got it out.

I caught that at least once. I thought he said he was hooked himself when he scooped it up.

Got on a little roll last night with the Livingston Bullnose working it through high weeds. Had a feeling things were about to really get going but then I caught a treble to the bird during the crazy shake, fully buried through the bend and connected to an angry bass. Too dumb to use my fish grippers, but wise enough to always carry sidecutters, so I didn't end up driving home with a bass riding shotgun mocking me all the way. Had about a 1/16" of the point popping through and was able to cut around it with an Xacto blade, then grab it. I nearly quit a few times but gave myself one final pep talk, bit down, grunted Raaaaa!, then twisted that sucka out. My dog covered her eyes. It's remarkable how much force it took. Very unpleasant. Yeesh. I hope I've finally learned my lesson.

Killa!

Eh, who cares. I've heard the J Braid I've been buying and using for 6 years sucks, yet it keeps on working great for me. I've heard my quiver of 13 Omen Blacks are subpar junk, but I could give two chits. Utterly reliable, ZERO issues, quite sensitive for how I fish, and I really like their feel. Anytime I mention my Quantum Tour S3 or Smoke S3, which are actually fantastic reels, a guy shows up to post a video of his making an unfortunate noise on the cast just to show that they're junk no matter what anyone else says or thinks. I could go on. Big Game anyone? I've literally tried stuff with a bad rap just because I needed to see for myself, and nearly every single time I'm left wondering what the flying puck are these people thinking. For the most part, fishing things are very rarely as great as they're touted to be, or rarely as bad as they're claimed to be. Some people just like to be dramatic. Newbies might mindlessly repeat that drama, but nobody who's been happy with whatever's getting crapped on will have their minds changed by that noise. Nobody.

Up a ranking and still in the hunt.