LrgmouthShad

? Mike I think there’s one on your screen

I wouldn’t say I have anything that especially scares me that I feel I can’t do much about. I’ve got plenty of stuff that spooks me but I’ll deal with it. Little spooked by heights Little spooked by snakes Little spooked by hornets Little spooked being underwater for long periods or being especially deep But I’ll deal with em ?

As I said, most of the time it is bluegill, sometimes it is not. I am setting hook regardless.

For the really small bass, I think they are trying to reposition your bait in their mouth and that is why you feel those rapid taps. Opening and closing their mouth

Thank you. Yes, most often that is the case with me too, but on the off chance it ain’t a bluegill, I am setting hook anyways.

I’ve got some weird opinions on this one so here goes. Most often that “tap tap tap” feel is a small bass or bluegill for me. That is not always the case. And most often a larger fish I will feel a variety of things including but not limited to a feeling of weightlessness, sudden tension, line swimming off, a single “tonk”, etc. Again, this is not always the case. Regardless, the larger fish seem to most always take the bait quickly. To best ensure that I catch those larger fish, I will sometimes just go right into the hookset even if all I’m feeling is that “tap tap tap”. If I miss, I most often write it off as bluegill or small bass trying to engulf the bait. If it’s not the “tap tap tap” that I feel, then of course I have a hunch it could be a better size fish. Bottom line is if I’m not trying to catch smaller fish, I go straight into hookset regardless of what I feel. Edit: I try my to do my best Catt hookset. So hookset means drop rod, reel slack, set hook.

Well yeah! Because for $60, what did I have to lose? I actually wanted one cheaper in case I break it. I agree that it’s worked great for frogs in particular. I get em really good frogging.

I lucked into it. Think it is an okay rod for the price. Works as good as I need it to. I was at Oneida Lake at the time and quickly realized I needed a Heavy rod + braid to get some of the fish in the eelgrass mats. Walked into DSG and went right up to the guy and said “I want a heavy rod”. He said “Uhhh okay did you have a brand in mind?” I thought for a second and said Lew’s. He walked me over to the Lew’s rods and I found it before he did. Bought it on the spot and then went back and started fishing mats ?

I walked outside and it smelled like Berkeley Powerbait ?

Someone else may or may not have suggested the same thing to me after posting this.

Pflueger spinning reels are what I used before this Shimano. So maybe that’s why I thought the Shimano suddenly stopped working when braid didn’t cooperate without backing on it. I just learned a whole lot today. Most or all of my equipment is looking pretty good now.

Update: I think you are correct. The braid is slipping. I started peeling off the braid and at a certain point it stopped slipping. So I need a backing. To be honest I doubted you and I am sorry for that. Thank you for helping me.

Best thing I ever did for skipping was leaving the tension where it is when casting and simply increasing the brakes as well as using vigorous thumb control. You can really sling baits up under docks like that with a loose tension.

I’ve been setting it for a long time so that I have a fairly loose fall with the particular bait that I am using, but I want to try this out where I just set it and forget it. I might even find that I want it looser, idk. We’ll see

I feel educated now, thank you, lol. Believe I figured out what you mean. I loosened and tightened and could notice that when I wiggled the spool between the frames with my fingers, there was a tension setting where it would just barely wiggle. Is this what you mean?

Hey ya’ll, For these techniques where many desire tighter drag, do you lock it all the way down or leave some room? If I lock all the way down to 20lbs, am I risking damage to my rod (Lew’s 7’3”Heavy Carbon Fire)

Hey ya’ll, Ive heard a lot by now that people like to set up their baitcasters so that there is a little “side to side play” in setting the spool tension and they do not adjust it much from there. What is meant by this?

If I leave a rod at home, it will be the one I need that day.

Of course you do! I’ve seen pics from just this year of you doing that ? That’s wild actually

That is where I started on that pond, seems to work most places but not there. Those bass do not like anything aggressive. They like plastics and little else. Took me longer than it should have to figure out.

Beloved ol muddy pond. I think I didn’t catch anything there my first six times fishing it. Now I’ve caught three over 6lbs in the past two years fishing there. I joined BR shortly after I started catching fish out of there ??

3ft ain’t murky. 2ft is getting there. THIS is dirty water

I would fish the pads shallow with a spinnerbait or if on a bluebird day, perhaps punching, work the dam area with several bait options anywhere I can find wood, and check out that creek arm with the same

Me too ?

You need more worm weights