PhishLI

Nope. You can watch boxing matches. You can read boxing books. You can even train boxing. Everything is different once you step into the ring. Nothing comes close to experiencing something in real time. That's when you really learn.

No. Different strokes. You're perfectly fine. I've been banged up this year and have missed a bunch of time. I recently fished with one of the dudes who I like to fish with for the first time in months. He was so happy I was back, almost gushing, because his other friends fish differently and he finds it very boring. He's a younger guy, half my age, and I explained that not everyone plays the same game, and that's OK for them. He used the chess vs checkers analogy, but I said "not really". For them maybe it's monopoly. Maybe it's pinochle. There's nothing wrong with those games, if that's what you like. They're just not fun for me/him.

Good. He sounds like a wuss. Does he get pouty when the bite gets tough? I can't be around moody people. He sounds boring. Shooting fish in a barrel gets boring quickly. If you feel like you need a fishing buddy then try to find a hardcore grinder type. They're rarely boring, and are the only people I'll fish with.

I asked a Quantum question 4 years ago. Aside from a scant few positive responses, crickets. I went ahead and grabbed a Tour S3 PT anyway which started my current production Quantum journey. I'm glad I did. The Tour S3, Smoke S3, and KVD S3, which is essentially a Smoke S3, have been great reels. No weird sounds or glitches. They fish way above their price point right up against far more expensive reels. In comparison, the Curado K has nothing over them as far as actual casting performance is concerned, and is far touchier to dial in. My Vapor PT is freakishly smooth with a super light spool. My buddy who has a pro bass boat full of high end Daiwa and Shimano tried one. He has 5 now. His son could've gotten any reel on the boat when he went away to college with no questions asked. His father is a multi-millionaire. His kid doesn't read forums. He chose the Vapors. After I picked up the now discontinued Monster 300 PT a few years ago a bunch of the local swim bait guys followed and bought them too at blowout prices. No complaints from anyone, and I would know because I'm their go-to reel service guy. None of this really matters though. People will think what they want to. It doesn't matter if A-Jay has a pile of them that work fine, or me or anyone else. The guy who bought a clamshell plastic Quantum 10 years ago and hated it will have the loudest voice. I'll just chalk it up to the luck of the Irish with my stuff. 8 Omen Blacks and 2 Defy Blacks that have never been broken over 5 years now, and no problems whatsoever with Quantum reels. It's weird, right? I'll continue to fish mine right alongside my "better" stuff and barely notice that I'm fishing with junk. I guess the pigs I've caught on this gear deserves an asterisk though.

My brother and I have 4 between us that we scoffed up on closeout a few years ago. Nothing but heavy duty use. They've held up great with zero glitches.

Still busted up, so I had to sit it out for the past 3 weeks yet again. Haven't been to my favorite local spot for a month, so I ran up this afternoon to test out the machinery, and to see what this drought has done. It's way worse than I'd imagined. The water level is terribly low now. Feeder creeks are bone dry, pad fields are burnt out, and my favorite cove is now a stinking mud flat of decaying weeds. The bullfrog tadpoles, fingerling catfish, and yearling bass that usually live there under milfoil mats have been pushed 1000 feet up the shoreline. Everything has changed. It's pretty depressing, and with no rain in the forecast combined with mid to high 80s over the next week and beyond...I just don't know. I almost didn't want to fish. Almost. I was able to find a decent bass fish tossing a CrawZ into pads, my parts felt OK, so I decided to go back after dinner for a night mission, because night fishing is awesome. Nothing much was working, so I tied on a Livingston Bullnose Wake. It somehow gets through mostly topped out weeds nicely, and I couldn't keep the newly relocated micro dinks off. A crazy bluegill munched it next, then a nice 3-9 bass blasted it. Great fight on spinning gear, and it was good to see a little action again.

Not to argue, but I can and do this all the time, and I'm often bombing for distance. I can hear and feel the descent of the bait as the vibration of the spool and bearings is distinct during slow down. I can't remember the last time I had a backlash on splashdown, but I have a lot of practice fishing at night as I rarely fish during daylight hours. Also, night is when I taught myself how to use a BC, but only because I got my first one in late November of that year. Most of the guys I night fish with don't have much of an issue either, but they have the reps too.

Real question. So you feel that they're essentially interchangeable? Only marginal differences in braking attitude, curve, user input, and flexibility? Personally, I see them as polar opposites in those respects, and need to think differently using either. One thing I can say is this: If I want to replicate the SVS Infinity MGL experience with a Zillion G, I can simply put the brakes on setting 3 then to lean into managing the spool. At no setting can SVS give me the SV Boost experience, which is as good at it gets at this point in time, IMO. Casting a Met B recently only served to further cement this idea in my head, as wonderful as it is otherwise.

Me too. Way worse than in the knee. When I saw the ridiculous length of the needle for my foot surgery I was concerned. It didn't make sense. I asked the nurse why it was so long, but she she'd only say it's no big deal, nothing but a pinch. When the surgeon came in I told him I knew the nurse was lying, so I asked him not to lie too. He explained that it needed to be long to traverse from the back of my heel and deep into the nerve. He also told me it will be the worst pain I'd ever felt by a long shot. He juiced me up with nitrous. The pain was so intense that I actually laughed hysterically. Worse than that, I felt them cutting, and needed another poke. As long as you can't see them going in. I'm not a fan either.

Yes. It requires a specific SST.

If it isn't working for you, then ditch it. I use 12, 15, and 20 tied to a VMC clip with a Palomar, and usually a 6 turn Improved Clinch directly to a hook or bait. I fish in nightmare waters of thick weeds and pads and have never been broken off or had a knot slip using BG. It might be the strongest line in the galaxy.

12lb measures .0132". 15lb measures .0151" I just caressed both. They feel the same to my dumb azz. One's thinner. Don't hit me.

Nope. My son in law has had 2 spooled with 15lb 4 strand for the past 4 years. I replaced one's bail spring last week and lubed it. The line roller was perfectly fine.

Your back is working again?

I grew up down the road from Ronk, but I'm in Nassau now. I fish the prime spots from here to the east end. I may do an overnight at West any day now. Once you described Artist...I've put in the time at these places. Then you couldn't be at a better spot, but only if you're able to take advantage of it. Fishing the dead-end goose-chit ramp from the bank, and the dam-ends is merely scratching the surface. It's a tough nut to crack, but take your time, learn the rhythms of it, and your reward will be great. For real. Good idea. Go slow. Be safe. My suggestion: Go to DSG and get a pair of Frogg Toggs Canyon IIs chest breath-ables, and whichever boots you find comfortable. Get the Rana IIs hip waders if you're not ready for chest breath-ables. You'll need gel insoles for those though, trust me. Wading is a game changer in many places. The kayak forum here is great. Ask as many questions as you need to. My suggestion is short, extra wide for stability, and light as possible. The ramps at all of the places we're talking about are washed out and deeply rutted. Getting a 12' 120 lb old town down through that without breaking an ankle in the process is something to think about. It sounds easy until you actually have to do it.

The Premier is stout. it's fine.

Which model MH rod? Rating? If it's a light MH, and you're trying to learn a bait caster throwing heavy-ish baits, overloading the rod will cause sling-shotting and contribute to getting backlashes constantly. The reel may not be the issue if this is the case.

If you go this route you're going to have to pull the drive unit in many solid locations or you'll be relegated to fishing only the southern ends of many spots after June. They're all somewhat clear on the dam end, but quickly top out with weeds heading towards the north end. Think the Patchogue lakes, Upper Yaphank, etc. Factor in a quality oar and never leave without it.

Meh. They're a minor tweak, and not a revelation at all regarding casting bass lures, IMO. I wish my rods that have them didn't.

If you haven't yet fished with a rod this long on a yak, and especially with treble baits tied on, perhaps you should first visualize what it's like netting a fish that far away from you while in a seated position. It's different, that's for sure, especially when the rod is bent under tension and the fish becomes unbuttoned. You might want to test this out with a budget option to see whether this is for you or not.

My particular issue with plastic reels isn't durability, but re-assembly. I breakdown my reels several times during a season. Cycling coarse thread screws into and out of plastic is always risky, and there's a limit. There isn't at all with metal frames, and I haven't cross-threaded a screw since I was 9.

Whatever you choose, get something you don't need to trailer, because it will limit you to far fewer spots, or to places which get pounded regularly. There are a hundred off the beaten path spots that hold bigs specifically because they're hard to get into. Get a small small jon boat you're able to deal with by yourself out of a pickup bed, or the lightest yak within your budget. Even a 60 pounder can be a misery to hump several hundred feet through sketchy terrain. Some of the tougher spots to get into is where you'll want to be once you get bored with the usual easy-access suspects, and you will after you've figured this thing out.

Might be wonderful, but you don't need to settle for an unproven plastic reel at $100 these days. Plenty of proven metal framed options out there.

This isn't fun at all. Brutal. Looks like lots of blanks happening.