PhishLI

Yes, a few actually, and they all have a few things in common. They're less than a mile from the coast, with some quite close, and they're loaded with bait. Because they're near the salt, a bunch of Osprey, Cormorants, Pelican-ish flying machines, humongous turtles, and Stork-like creatures are constantly culling out juveniles and less wary fish. Poachers, as much as I truly despise these sneaky bastids, do the same. What we're left with, when one can put things together, are decent fish on average. It's rarely a dinkfest, and some really big bass and pickerel swim in all of them. Forever bigs. Ones you'll never forget, and more so because in most cases you've really had to grind it out to find them.

Your situation occurred not because of the line, but because your brakes were set too low, and your thumb was off the spool while the lure was in flight. That's the only way your line could've gotten that loose so deep into the spool. If you had the limpest line of all spooled on, which is braid, a loop would've been thrown up, then it would've wrapped around itself once and locked the spool which would've probably sheared the terminal knot. The memory of .018" diameter line doesn't mean squat when you're throwing a 2 1/2 oz bait and when "you" are calibrated to the setup and it's tuned correctly. You're not throwing a jerkbait here where line memory overcomes the lure's resistance in the water. Once nylon mono gets wet, coils are not part of the equation with heavier baits. Many people throw big baits using fluoro which is typically harder and stiffer than BG or other mono by quite a bit. Don't get spun out by conflicting information and a few random hyperbolic comments. What happened was your error because the reel, rod, and big baits are all still brand new to you. The line had little to do with it. Guaranteed you would've blown up a $35 200 yd roll of any other "better" plastic line just the same. Figure out your brake settings for the conditions you're in and keep your thumb in contact with the spool.

So, no payola and grimy backroom deals? How boring?

Last year it was held in August, and it was a smashfest too. Sick lake!

It doesn't have to though. Through trial and error, you should come to understand where your brake settings need to be to keep this from occurring. I mostly fish at night, and I'm often ripping high arc casts, but I know where my settings have to be whether it's calm or windy. I don't need to shine a light to change those settings or make a production out of doing so. I simply count the clicks on the dial either up or down. If I'm chucking a bait directly into the wind which is wind catching by nature, like a large plastic swim bait, I'll just stay heavy on my thumb throughout the cast. By doing this, other than having to pull out a few loose loops occasionally, I haven't wrecked a spool in years. If you put your mind to it, blowups don't have to be a regular feature of your fishing.

The answer to your question is simple. He's dialed in to this spot or the other spots he's taken you to and you're not. It's hard to explain "dialed-in". Most people who are couldn't explain it if they tried. It's not just one or two things. It's several points of developed awareness coupled with data. It isn't just bait and location. Until it all clicks, you'll struggle in tough places, and your catches will often boil down to random dumb luck. Stick with it if you have the desire to. Maybe it'll click eventually.

Up until last season we were closed here for the spawn from May 1 thru June 15. Stupid that they changed it, but they want the money from licensing fees. I stay away from the spawning areas no matter what. Some big LM were bagged last year. Stay tuned. And across leagues. Walters won a NPFL event just before the Sabine.

$ signs for the town talks I suppose.

Yes, because MLF is C&R.

KVD's at 28-01. Nuts!

KVD at 25-08

Smashfest! 24-11 for the leader, Cliff Pace, by 10:00 am. Connel and Wheeler are nipping at his heels.

The news said haze from the Canadian wildfires would be upon us driven down by northern winds, and once it rose, we had a gauzy red moon overhead. Ran up to get some swings in, but by then the wind was gone and the water was like glass. No action dragging baits, but the weight-tweaked 6th Sense Trace floater got some play. Most of my swim and wake bait bites this year have been slurp-and-runs, but I finally got a big kill-shot blowup when the bigger of the two smashed it nicely. Very cool.

Night fishing under a full moon around here is typically a recipe for hurt feelings. I refuse to be seen blubbering uncontrollably in public, so I'll usually find something else to do, but last night was different because of the cold front that landed on us. Sometimes odd combinations of historically unfavorable elements mix to produce favorable outcomes, so I decided to give it a whirl. By some miracle, the bucketeers were wrapping it up just as I got there, and I had the entire place to myself for once. Just as expected topwater wasn't happening even a little bit, but I got plenty of soft nips and bumps dragging the bottom. The rattle augmented swimbait-hook rigged black and blue Zman Pro CrawZ concoction continues to get their attention, but I could get none to commit. Then a band of puffy clouds moved through and temporarily softened the moon's electric white glow, and they decided to eat. This was short-lived though and, as if a light switch had been thrown, the hard bite evaporated instantly once the clouds blew away, so I called it a win and boogied.

No. The 70 is the Tatula 70SV, and the other is the latest compact frame 100 SV with what's considered to be a 70 sized spool. The 70 has an even smaller frame with a narrower spool.

The only thing the commentary team can do to spice things up is to recollect about long gone tourneys that were even more torturous. I'm currently watching grainy old videos of paint drying instead.

Besides that, I think you've earned a nice rest. I needed a nap myself after viewing your catches in pictures.

Sensational! Perfect! Don't forget to toss our little shell cracking friend!

I seal both ends of the wrap with painter's tape so no water can get under it and cause a stain on the handle, then take it down to the lake and sling some weight nice and hard at the rod's stated limit. If it gets past this infant mortality test, the shrink wrap comes off.

As far as I know, you have little to no experience with swimbaits. Why not just listen to people who know what they're doing with these baits and just slow down and see what happens? Clearly you have an idea in your head about how this bait should look when swimming, but this isn't in line with how it was designed to work. There are burner baits out there if you like, but if this one's rising and blowing out, you're cranking it way too fast.

Nah, you were just testing your wetsuit. Glad you're OK!

I understood it right off the bat. Between the DMs and public posts, I've come to understand Ohioguy-speak. ? This takes a minute. The issue is resolved.

Poor Scott Martin. 2 fish for 1-12. Ouch.

This is what 20lb Big Game looks like spooled up and fished. It is what it is. Don't worry about it even though it looks a little rough. This chit is as strong as a M....something really strong.

But you were thinking about it, right??