PhishLI

I've never noticed them while wading at night until the water's almost 60.

I first visited a nearby lake years ago during the late winter and early spring, and after several frustrating go-rounds I'd convinced myself it was merely a puddle totally devoid of life. Then, on one sunny afternoon in late April I was amazed to find the banks alive with bluegill too many to count, as if they were transported from another dimension in an instant. They seemed so carelessly grouped up in spots, so totally at ease, but just outside a submerged bush a massive chain pickerel suspended there motionless and watching. A few sunnies faced off and were sparring only inches away from this submarine of death but it remained still, waiting. I needed to move on, and I knew what would come next, but from that moment on hopelessness was replaced by hope. Go get 'em!

I'll take a guess for him. Hope he doesn't mind. The downward spiral of this thread started not because of any particular details, no matter what you say, but because you were determined to make sure that those who enjoyed this guy's "come out of nowhere win" just enjoyed it a little less. Simple as that. I don't know if you care or not, but I still like you anyway, and I'm sincerely sorry for your back pain issues. I'm not a moody person in the least bit, but that might make me cranky too. I'm a sinner though, so I'm only partially sorry for calling you pops, pops. Please excuse me now. I need to go order my Milliken dashboard bobble-head.

It's the cross we bear...

The larger size is Title Shot "Original" 1/4oz 4/0. The small is Title Shot "Shorty" Jig 1/8oz 2/0.

I'm liking these instead of bullet weights. They come through weeds and slop so cleanly. There are magnum versions too. Fin-tech Title Shot Jig 2pk - Tackle Warehouse

It was chilly enough last night to where the smell of firewood was in the air again. It's a strange thing to say, but I'm happy about it. Hopefully the cold will knock back this unusually early algae bloom we're seeing. Heavy rainfall on Sunday night helped to wash a dash of it over the dams, but heavy rain rarely helps the bite in super shallow water, and that's just how it played out last night. They wanted to eat, but not aggressively. Lots of nips on the bottom, and light swipes and slurps at treble baits up top. Had a few barely-hooked topwater eaters shake off but got me a few in the end. A Whopper Plopper 75 in Perch cranked so slowly it was barely ploppin' was the shizzle.

The vibe I picked up on several years ago was that it was persnickety Pflueger loyalists who noticed a drop in quality compared to the older model, not Daiwa people. My son in law lost his 10 year old President overboard a few years ago but didn't replace it with a new one due to the spate of complaints he'd read about them. They were all he'd owned since forever, but he still wouldn't risk it. This worked out great for me because he saw himself only as a light-line finesse fisherman before the loss, but my relentless pressure for him to get a bait caster in order to fish heavy cover finally met opportunity. He no longer motors past the juice without a thought, and I don't think about strangling him anymore. He's primarily a jig fisherman these days which got him his 7 1/2lb NY PB last year, and I now get to fish the pads when we're out on his boat. So, I'm thrilled Flooger is seen to be less than it was, even if it's not really all that bad.

Might be a worm gear/pawl issue. If you crank the handle while applying thumb pressure to the spool with nothing tied to the line and cannot recreate the problem, it's probably the line guide/worm assembly, but it's only triggered by a lateral load imposed by weight or resistance on the end of the line. Have you ever lubed it or the worm gear bushings? Next, pull the side plate, then pull the yoke/pinion assembly. With the crankshaft facing up, rotate it with your fingers in the same direction as you'd normally crank the handle. It and the worm gear should rotate freely and easily with no sticking points, and the line guide should traverse left to right and not bind at any point either. If it does, and if you're not comfortable going any deeper, then send it out to DVT. Delaware Valley Tackle - Home

Search this for day one coverage of the winner's catches. No promos that I saw, and all naughty words bleeped out. UNBELIEVABLE Day sends Me to the TOP of the Leaderboard!! (Bassmaster Open Toledo Bend)

I missed spots before I got it to work. It was close!

Is the weigh in frozen for any of you who are watching? It's 3:40 pm and I can't get it to roll.

I had a few hours to fish yesterday if I could make it down there by 5am, but my last-minute bait-tweaking OCD made me late yet again. By the time I waded through a creek, up a hill, then through some woods towards the lake it was 5:30, so the rising sun was already illuminating the clouds above the eastern shoreline. The path I chose brought me to a spot where I often like to start, and as I got close enough to sort of see the shoreline, I was disappointed to find a huge flock of geese parked right there, but that wasn't what it was after all. Huge flotillas of fluorescent green algae were set up against the western shoreline from one end to the other. I tried wading through it out to cleaner water, but it was thick as cotton candy right to the bottom, so my game plan needed to change completely. The crazy heatwave we had here 10 days ago quickly gave way back to our typical chilly April overnights, but it left behind consequences. One was this awful algae bloom, and the other was that males had already begun making nests, just as I'd suspected after all the short strikers here during my previous session. However, all the beds I found yesterday were abandoned. It's simply too cold in the shallows now, enough that I wished I'd worn my Long Johns. The bass will be back on beds soon enough, and hopefully the algae will desist long enough for the weeds to take hold. Last year a few typically very weedy lakes farther out east never sprouted as much as a chute where the algae bloom took hold early on. Timing is always important, but with rollercoaster springtime temps it's even more touchy than usual. I couldn't get much going yesterday during the time I had, but I'll take what I can get.

Correct. They say Jacky Hammer?

Banax also makes some of the Quantum reels. The Smoke and Tour PTs are excellent reels. My Brother has a few 13s including the A3 and Z3 big bait reels and has nothing but praise for them.

13 is built by Banax.

Unfortunately, what plat doesn't give here is the schematic breakdown sheet. With web searches those part numbers often cross reference which leads to sizing.

The man...The legend...??

One county over where boats are allowed there's a small lake with several coves and very few docks scattered throughout. In one cove without any docks there lives a nut case who tees-up and fires golf balls into the water if you park in "his" cove to fish in it. Words have been exchanged and the police have been called, but he just won't quit. The officers say to just stay away from the zone because he's batchit crazy.

There you go! Any Elite Pro currently fishing at the Lake Murray SC Bassmaster event would be fist pumping while thanking God and their mama for that fish! We knew you could do it!

Would you share the link to them here?

My TW80 is JDM and didn't come with a schematic. @Bass Rutten's might be usdm. Perhaps he'll add the info you need, or just take 10 minutes and pop it open and measure it. Are you fishing it in the salt? If so, why not just leave the bushing. If not, why not just leave the bushing? A bearing in that particular position won't be any smoother than a greased bushing.

If lighter fish are your average, I'd opt for a fast if you're keeping the stock hooks. Spinning MF is quite moderate already. If you have issues hooking fish on the smaller side, consider going with lighter wire hooks.

Medium light is too light for the WP 75, IMO. I throw it on a crisp MF casting rod. It'll overload a typical ML spinning rod.

For anyone interested in the tournament winner's practice vid, search this: I WRECKED my boat...this is NOT how I wanted to start! (Toledo Bend Open)