PhishLI

This ambitious mutant perch thought he could eat a 4" 1.5oz Shellcracker G2.

This one is great. About $60, but worth it. Seals at the flap with magnets and has a secondary velcro mechanic connection. Totally waterproof. Will float. I dumped my yak, so I know. Holds plenty of stuff beyond a phone. About 3" deep front to back. There's a loop in the back for a lanyard. I use the plastic springy type with a carabiner clip on each end. They're inexpensive for a 6 pack from amazon.

Not much. I just had to have that Crappie Gantarel Jr or I probably wouldn't have ordered anything, but once I start... Got Picasso jigs. Some more Project Z weedless chatters. Several bags of 6" and 7" GY senkos in flavors that seems to be on their way out. More caffeine Shads, Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnows, 6th Sense Cloud 9 silent, Savage Pulse Tail Bluegills, and a resupply of Owner Twistlock Light 5/0 and 6/0.

Left to right: Marvelous Marvin Hagler (4), but he prefers Marvy, and Lillie (9). Bottom two pics. Kaya (14 1/2). Gone 9 years but never forgotten.

Yup

A Pickerel Story I don't hate pickerel, or any other fish, but I'm really only interested in targeting bass. There was a lake I passed nearly every day for years, but could barely see from the highway, and only for a brief moment at that. The surrounding woods hid it well, but what I could see told me it was bassy. Lily pads mean bass to me, and this place was lush with them. Once I got the itch to go fishing again after a decades long hiatus, this was where I wanted to start. At that point it was already late September of that year and, as I'd come to find out, this was a tough place to catch bass in. Thankfully, the pickerel were willing to play ball, and this place held some lunkers. It took me a while to crack the bass code here, and over several months pickerel were all I could catch, so I was thrilled to beat the skunk by any means necessary. With the season winding down, and the water temps cooling off, the big ones put up a heck of a fight. I'm cursed with a head full of stored numbers. Old defunct phone numbers, credit cards, whatever, but I'm bad with names unless I use a mnemonic device. Whatever pops out about a person, I'll attach it to their name and spare myself future awkwardness. Yesterday I stopped at a pond I rarely ever go to. Some guy introduced himself and wanted to talk fishing. I'd probably forget Tony's name before the conversation ended, but I'll never forget "Hairpiece" Tony. Back to the beginning at the pickerel lake several years ago: One night as I was just about to walk through the gate, I passed two older, big, lumbering guys dressed in chest waders. Getting a set for myself had been on my mind, as this place really called for them, so I stopped, introduced myself, and asked about their waders. The more pleasant of the two was happy to tell me all about his, discussed their proper care, etc, but the other guy seemed impatient and remained quiet. At some point the pleasant guy asked me what I was fishing for, so I told him "bass", then showed him my ancient tackle box from '77 with a B.A.S.S sticker still affixed to it. That's all the impatient guy needed to hear. His entire demeanor changed for the better. They spent the next half hour chatting with me. The newly transformed impatient guy now did most of the talking. He even generously gave me some of his favorite pre-rigged plastics to try for myself. The pleasant guy barely got a word in edgewise, only the occasional nod of agreement. Just as this chin wag began to wind down, I decided to show them a picture of a giant pickerel I'd caught there. That's when the formerly impatient guy got nutty. He went on a rant about how he despises pickerel, calling them snot rockets, and how he wished they'd all die. He was truly animated in his hatred for them during this seemingly minutes long screed. When the impatient guy finally exhausted himself, the pleasant guy just looked at me with a smile and said, "I like pickerel". What a pair they made! It was time for me to get to it, and for them to leave. They invited me to fish with them in the future, so we exchanged phone numbers, then said goodbye. I entered their names in my phone as "Danny hates pickerel" and "Harry likes pickerel".

I wouldn't discourage you from getting a 10' or 12' version of this type of boat, especially if you can trailer it. Anything larger than the 8 footer can be cumbersome for one person alone to load and unload into a pickup truck. My son in law and I fish out of his 8' Sundolphin several times a year. Not perfect for two grown men, but not terrible either. It's plenty for one man. When I'm not out with him someone else usually is, so loading isn't an issue, especially on steep, washed out, dirt ramps. He's 42 years old and a gym rat, so he's in shape, but it can be challenging to deal with alone depending on where. When he can't get a pal to come along to his favorite spot, which happens to be one of those ramps, he brings his one man SoloCraft instead. Just something to think about.

This is worthy of mention, and perhaps I should've brought the subject up earlier as my 80 is a JDM model. The thing is this isn't an issue that has any real significance during use, IMO. From the centerline of the handle to either knob there's less than 1/8" difference between a 84mm and 90mm handle. This isn't something that jumped out and smacked me beforehand, and nothing that struck me as a negative when I fished with it again earlier today. I'm not getting a longer handle for this one as I don't feel it'll enhance my experience even a skosh, and I fish with more than one reel that has a 100mm handle. I understand the "idea" here, but personally I don't see this as an automatic hair-on-fire must-do thing with this small reel. Thanks! True, but I don't think the JDM buys are widely known about beyond enthusiasts, and most people aren't motivated to buy outside of the domestic market.

Well, good thing for me that I don't share the same philosophical predilection. I took the troglodyte challenge anyway, just for the fun of it, and won, so handedness is an either-or thing for me. However, as of recently there's no chance I'll be setting a hook holding a rod in my left hand. Hard to say in the long term either. If I can't, what on god's green earth will I do with all these goofy right handed reels? Such troubles... Truth?

It sucks being dinged up during primetime. I've only been out twice in the past 5 weeks, and I really shouldn't have gone when I did. It didn't help my rehab one bit, but at least I managed to get a really nice piggy, so the extra pain was worth it. Just when I was feeling like I could carefully get out again last week, I bashed my pinky toe on the coffee table. Took a few days to be able to get my foot in a shoe again, but as of last night my foot and the rest me were all systems-go. First trip of the year for the Phish brothers on our crusty trusty old jon boat. It's perfect for this choked out, shallow, electric only puddle. I'm avoiding it with rehab, but my brother really needs shoulder surgery. It was quite interesting gimping the boat out of the truck and down a hill. Nobody got punched though. Perfect night out. Chilly with a breeze. We couldn't keep the pickerel off. Too many to count. Thankfully I decided to net my big one. He nearly chopped off my favorite Jackhammer a second after I scooped him up. My brother got a mutant yellow perch on a Shellcracker G2 swim bait, and had a few bass shake off. I got going with a slim bass, and ended the night with a nice 4 pound chunk. Both bass and most pickerel came on a Berkley Grass Pig in Swamp Gas which sorta/kinda comes close in color to the golden shiners this joint is loaded with. It was nice to get some tugs again, and it doesn't feel like my arm's going to fall off this morning. Good times.

That's exactly the type and placement I prefer. I've never once had my line snag that type of keeper during casting/fishing.

Not yet, but it's on my short list. Soon enough. Somewhere out there on their Euro site I saw a high tech video animation of its inner workings, and I liked what I saw. Plus, its all metal frame and side plate construction makes it worth taking a shot as far as I'm concerned.

You can just buy one of these with its very own included hook. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Savage_Gear_Pulse_Tail_LB_Bluegill_Swimbaits_4/descpage-SGPTLBB.html 5/0 swim bait hooks are a bit too small for weed less rigging a 4' soft gill, but they're good for slender profile swimmers like RI Skinny Dippers, Grass Pigs, 4.8" Keitech fats, etc.

Typical Mag Z skipping. If you lean heavily on SV braking for this, then skip this one.?

Are you a cheapskate who demands that your spinners have an anti reverse switch?

https://www.jannsnetcraft.com/sizing-chart Download and print this chart. It shows hooks to scale in pictures and corresponding data for matching up and identifying your hooks. No more guessing. Pistol Pete:

No wood or brush, but lots of weeds: Straight braid or heavy mono.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Big_Bite_Baits_Jerk_Minnow_10pk/descpage-BBBJERK.html https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Strike_King_KVD_Perfect_Plastic_Caffeine_Shad_5_8pk/descpage-SKPCS.html https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Twistlock_Light_Hook/descpage-OTLL.html

Do a google search for Hook Bonnets. Install these on your hooks and you can chuck your baits in a clear tote without dividers. No worrying about them becoming entangled in a daisy chain horror show.

I can understand why some people like or prefer tiny reels. I don't get all gooey over them myself, but I'm a reel addict, so when a super deal came my way for one, I had no choice but to say yes. However, I had one specific concern beforehand due to how I palm a reel and cast. I'm righty and prefer left-handed reels. While my right hand is placed below the reel for bomb casting, for fast-casting short work I keep my right hand in a semi-palmed position. This doesn't work well with my hand size/shape and some reel ergos. The current Chronarch is an example of this. Here, if I don't concentrate, I tend to rub the rim of the spool with my thumb, which doesn't work for care free fishing. I thought the TW80's narrow 19mm spool might be a problem in this regard, but it's not at all. Its frame's shape and my hand worked out just fine. YMMV. Right out of the box I could tell this wasn't a typical Tatula regarding smoothness. While some people put a very high value on pristine gear train smoothness, sometimes seemingly over everything else, it's less important to me personally, especially if there is something I find special about a reel's casting performance. Different priorities here, and especially where price is a factor, I'll let some things slide. Anyway, the TW80's gear train is super smooth. If you've played with or own a new Zillion 1000 G, then you know it's a freak in this regard. A fresh TW80 feels similar, and I'll assume it's because of the new gear cut Daiwa's been touting. Whether this reel remains this smooth is yet to be determined. I suspect that if it does slip a bit after bagging several big fish, wherever it lands will be acceptable to most people, but I won't know until I know. Right now it's mounted on a 13 Omen Black 2 7'1" MF, and spooled with 8lb Sufix Advance copoly. I can sling out ¼oz wakes/cranks and ¼oz transfer weighted jerks nicely and consistently with this setup, Same with light plastics. Distance isn't world beating or anything particularly special with these weights, but quite good. Consistent and predictable is what sticks out for me. It's very Tatula-like in that respect. What surprised me was high-arc casting distance with heavier baits like 6" senkos and ½oz cranks. Once again not world beating, but surprisingly good. Spool diameter is a factor here, and smaller diameter spools are typically a negative in this regard, but this setup got heavier lures out there surprisingly well. The pond where I fished it has clearly defined pad lines and points. I'm very familiar with what's a long cast and what isn't. I was able to send those heavier baits farther than I expected. That said, if max casting distance is your priority, then there are better choices at the price point and below. If you fish from a boat or a kayak, then that doesn't really matter much. I'd like all of my reels to be built with as much metal as possible, and with its metal frame and engine side cover this reel ticks that box. It's also generally tighter, or less clackity, than a Tatula CT. You do get your money's worth. The drag is just fine. Typical Daiwa. Standard Mag-Z braking. When I can drift off into zombie casting mode without constantly monitoring a spool I'm a happy guy. I was able to just relax and fish with the TW80. Typical Daiwa. Personally, I'm more of a Tatula 150 type. I think it's just a fantastic, unheralded, yet larger all-around reel, but I don't regret getting the TW80. For the time being it'll have its place where it seems to belong, on a lighter setup. Eventually I'll try it on a short MH+ stick with 50lb braid for pitching jigs. Perhaps in this guise it'll make me a miniature reel convert after all.

It depends on which 10"-12" worm you're talking about. If it's one of those jumbo senko types, then heavy. If it's a ribbon tail like a power worm then any MH I happen to have with me. No problem using a stouter MF either. Bullet weights are a no-go here. I usually go weightless, but I do use tungsten pagoda/nail weights also, usually one or two 1/16oz inserted toward the head between the hook's bend and the spring keeper.

If you're 6' tall 190, maybe 5, or a shade less. If you're 6'9" 245, then maybe 7lbs ish. You'll never know. Nice fish regardless.

? I don't think so, but it was oddly bent up and over the toe next to it in such away that I got woozy nauseous once what I was looking at really registered. Glad I didn't puke right on it. I grabbed it in a panic, gave it a yank, then it snapped back into position. It's healing up nicely though. Sore, but the swelling's mostly down. Sneakers today. I'm sure the dose of roids my orthopedist had me on helped it along. Just happy I didn't go down on impact and blow up my shoulder again. Rehab's going well and I really need to fish.