CountryboyinDC

30 lb is what's on the majority of my reels, and I don't usually get any digging in. That's either Power Pro or Tufline XP. I have used down to 20 lb braid (I think I used Suffix for some reason) to try to get a crankbait deeper than I was getting with monofil. It didn't achieve that much and it did cause a couple of major bird nests before I just went back to monofil and copoly. 30 lbs, no problems, though.

I guess you could, that's definitely not UL, although I may have misread your intentions in the original post. If you're only putting a stop between the weight and the hook, @garroyo130 is probably right, it will take more than one to keep it from sliding back. If you peg it, put a stop on either side of the weight, 1 or 2 may hold. 1/2 oz is more than I've ever rigged that way.

For a really light rig, you could just make it a Mojo (split shot) rig however you like it. In fact, I think that you might be in effect doing that. If you put bobber stops on a barrel or other cylindrical weight, it will make the rig less cumbersome to put together than a Carolina rig, but you don't have to crimp the weight on small line (which worries me). You will lose one of the major benefits of the Carolina rig - the fish doesn't immediately feel weight when it picks up the bait. Ultralight gear isn't what I think of when I think Carolina rig anyway for a couple of reasons. 1) If the leader is any lenght at all, it's not the easiest hookset, especially if the rod is short. 2) Generally people want the weight staying on the bottom, and with any current or depth, the UL weight rating can be exceeded. That said, I must be one of the last fans of the Mojo and Carolina rigs.

I haven't started putting together my own, but my favorite river smallmouth spinnerbait is an Indiana/Colorado smaller spinnerbait made by War Eagle. I don't know that it matches any particular baitfish so well, the big blade is silver, the small one gold, which seems like a compromise, but it does well for me on the river.

First snow here in Dixie, or wherever it is that I am. Not supposed to be much over 7", and I don't know that the ground's cold enough for it to stick around. Probably just enough to make using the snowblower impractical and sure that my back hurts from shoveling.

@Bankc, I've tried that myself (in addition to it happening inadvertently) quite a bit, thinking it may be like a spinnerbait and trigger a bite, but it's never brought me any luck. I may try it again sometime.

I guess it depends on what you're fishing, but there's worse things. You can't really fish a buzzbait much of any other way, and David Fritts is a legend of just casting and cranking those crankbaits. Topwater plugs except the Whopper Plopper type don't generate much interest that way.

@bulldog1935, you must be one of the last anglers paddling any distance. JK, but in a short amount of time kayaks have gotten a lot wider and non-paddle driven. The old 16' Tarpons had a reputation for the front hatch leaking, but yours looks like it has the newer type. I thought all the CD Kestrels were SINKs, never saw a SOT. I'll bet it is tippy! Interesting rides for this site.

Glad you made it out just cold and missing only a few (very important though they were) things. Water that cold takes your breath away and is easy to cramp up in. I take along a change of clothes and a towel whenever I go fishing from a kayak. A buddy can be clutch too in those situations.

I think it was a little over a year ago that they stopped making rods in the US. That's not to say they rods are better or worse, but I haven't bought any.

You won't see that flag on Falcons anymore, unfortunately. OP, I have the Amistad taper on a Lowrider 20 (last of the US-made Lowrider rods), and I like it for frogs, but will use it for jigs or even a Carolina rig if it's what I have. I would also say power-wise, it would be very close to a St. Croix Avid MH/F I have, but I don't know about Dobyns lineups. FWIW, I like the taper of that rod, especially for frogging.

I may try that. Right now the spinnerbaits (and buzzbaits) are just in the pages of a bait binder I have. I only throw a couple of buzzbaits these days, and could probably get by with half dozen spinnerbaits in all honesty.

Nice write up @RichF. I guess I'll order the spinnerbait one. This will be the 40-11th attempt a finding a way to store them I like. I do wish they had a 2 "file" as opposed to 3 box. I just don't carry that many spinnerbaits. I waited a year for the smaller 3600 terminal tackle boxes to come out from Plano. Us guys fishing from kayaks have to wait for the neat stuff.

A bunch of unopened Seaguar flurocarbon for free? Sign me up. Unless it was stored in an oven (that was used to bake), not much could be wrong with that line.

This time of year it's easy to get that way, I'm glad it helped.

60' is deep for bass, at least where I fish. Let's say you can cast 150' or so. If you could get the bait to go straight down at the end of the cast (I know that's not what will happen in real life, even with you stripping it off the spool), you'd have about 162' of line out if your line was tight. Of course you'd want a little wiggle room, so let's add another 50'. We're only at 70 yard capacity of 14 lb mono. That's all theoretical, of course. If I were trying to hit 60', it would be with something with a lot thinner diameter than 14 lb mono, though. Maybe 20 lb braid, or otherwise you'd need a heavy lure to get it down there in a reasonable amount of time.

A Tranx is a big heavy reel, and I would feel more than 6XDs and the like warrant. A Curado with the 5:1 gear would be my choice of those 2. I use Lews BB1s (new generation) for most of my cranking. Regardless of what reel or rod I use, I can't get deep diving crankbaits down to their advertised depth without trolling or 'strolling'. The BB1 has good casting distance for most plugs 3/8 oz or heavier.

He definitely had that.

There's a man that's earned his eternal rest....what a life.

Someone in my neighborhood also sharing their thoughts of 2020. Saw this tonight walking and wonder if anyone flying out of Reagan or Dulles can see this

Rulers and bump boards have a similar issue. They stretch after only a few fish and so a 20 inch fish reads 17 inches. I get additional mileage out of them by moving the fish's mouth 3 inches off the stop and taking pictures at an angle so it doesn't show.

I don't have any experience with the Gen4 Revos, but I did have 2 Gen3 Revos that stopped running (STXs) with the thumb bar not returning to after you spin the handle. I still have 2 Gen3 Revos going, a Premier and a SX. I didn't get a lot of help from Abu, and I've been using Lews Tournament MBs since. The problem I was having was reported pretty widely on other forums, but I haven't heard much about the Gen4s. The Premier is a nice reel for $150 if it's reliable.

That's fishing ninja stuff. Actually, I can find places on the James by smell. The paper mill in Big Island, the hog farm just below Buchanan...... I do think it's a little overboard, but it's on the website and they tell you before you start. I will say that without a map, I probably couldn't find some of the places I went with the guide. I know the put-in and take-out, but in a 12 mile stretch with few manmade structures or unique features would be hard. But I'm a mortal, I'm probably who the ditty "Rangers in the dark, exchanging azimuths" was written, after observation of my land navigation skills.

I used to fish Speed Traps.regularly, until I got into the SPRO Little Johns. I still have one in the crankbait box. They dive a little deeper than a lot of square bills, you can maybe get 6' or 7' on a good long cast with 14 lb mono. I don't think they've been made in the US since I've been using them.

14 lb. Stren Original.