Tackleholic

I used 15# Trilene for years but became suspicious of it having too much stretch; at times when I was forced to break off, it was extremely difficult to do, also missed too many bites on long casts. I finally bought one spool of Sniper 16# to try and compare. There was no comparison; I'm now all in with Sniper.

Lots of good advice given, I could add a couple of "maybe" suggestions : Be sure your drag is tightened down. Shorten your monofilament leader or eliminate it. Also, heavy cover jigs are generally intended for short flips, pitches, and casts; if you are making long casts, your hookset percentage will probably go down.

Well said. My "just a dog" is the only thing in my life that takes precedence over fishing.

I have my first BFS setup on back order; Daiwa PX series rod and reel. Going to begin with 6# Tatsu and plan to drop down once I get the feel of things. I'm accustomed to using light setups, but this should familiarize me with ultra light. Something to do when things get tough or boring.

This first attempt was a guaranteed backlash; 2nd one should be ok.

I have a rod from that same series, 7ft light and it is not for sale. It's always on my boat with a jerkbait attached. I love it's action and the grip really fits my hand.

Nearly 40 years ago most of my fishing was wading small creeks, rivers, and streams; much of the time I was on the bank or had my back up against it. Totally frustrated with some of the difficulties, I went to a rod maker and asked him to make me something good. The result was a G Loomis blank, MF, cut down to 5'6". I caught nearly 1,000 smallmouth on that rod, using 1/16 and 1/8 oz. lures the first year I used it. I still have that rod, and it is not for sale. The guy who made it now lives near me and still does a few as a hobby.

Zoom Z-Craw Jr., color 420 California. No contest for me.

For deep cranking, I consider the reel and line as important as the rod; the wrong reel speed and line choice may contribute to sore arms in little time. My deep setup is a 7'11" MH rod with a Daiwa Catalina reel 4.9 speed and 12# fluorocarbon. I would tire in a hurry with a medium rod and 7 or 8 speed reel, using other line; probably not get as deep either. That's just me.

When wet wading sometimes I would get Leeches on me, even had them latch on to the leather on my shoes. Nasty.

Betcha your ankles itch.

Different from crabs, they are tiny ticks. I've had both, crabs are the hardest to get rid of; seed ticks and crabs come from different sources.

I'm about to order a Daiwa BFS rod and reel; my first venture into this. I'm looking for line suggestions. My first thought is 8 or 10# braid with a 6# fluoro. leader. My second thought is straight 6# fluorocarbon; straight braid is not an option due to ultra clear water. Any helpful suggestions appreciated.

Over the years I have had two places like that to fish, sure do miss them and the many smallmouth; wish I could go back.

Bowhunter63 is right. I have a couple dozen of these but have not used them in about 16 years; don't know why, they always produced.

I tried to buy 2 Daiwa rods but ran into the same problem.

Creek Chub Pikie Minnow, Arbogast Hula Dancer, Heddon Sonic, Bass Oreno, Tin Liz (if I still had any), Johnson Silver Minnow, River Runt, Johnsonite Feathered Spoon.

I have a lot of rods, mostly from the same mfgr., but I am probably going to make a change. In general, can I get some comparisons and opinions from those of you who are familiar with one or the other, or both. I prefer sticking with one brand. Thankyou to all. Price is not my guidline.

Sometimes pads are concentrated in very shallow water with mud bottom and no accompanying shade from the bank. This water heats up pretty fast and usually doesn't hold much of anything but Carp.

A stream in Illinois where I would wade for Smallmouth wearing only shoes and shorts, carry everything in a belt pack. I would continue for hours; never see or hear a vehicle or another person, only the wildlife. I would usually turn back after 30-50 Smallmouth and a few of other species. I now live in a great area for fishing, in Arkansas, but that Illinois stream was true paradise.

Hope I remember that in 2 years when this one goes.

Good point, I'll add that to my list of personal excuses.

It could be a good idea to let about half of the spooled line drag, weightless, behind the boat once the wind knots begin. Just noticed Tennessee Boy said it first; we're on the same page.

An option for the "old guys" is to take a year off to study and learn to use the new electronics until they are on par with the young ns'.

I agree with A-Jay; ten years is a good run for just about anything on a boat. I had a 4 bank charger which came with my new boat, it lasted 2 years. The replacement also lasted 2 years, but this time the mfg. repaired or replaced it, not sure which. Trolling motor battery went into it's 5th year before giving up the "Ghost"; I thought that was pretty good.