ironbjorn

As a kid seasons seem longer, houses and rooms seem larger, cars seem faster, etc. Everything is larger than life when you're a kid.

To be fair that doesn't seem abhorrent; it is abhorrent.

The rod is far more important. Get the Fury. Plus, the modern, orange lightning rod is garbage and the clear plastic reel seat will crack or shatter.

What part do you think is a gear issue...??? A jig hook is very thick. A thick hook + a thick weed guard means you've really got to crack them when you set the hook. Half @$$ing it will lead to problems. A jig + trailer is also a heavy combination. The heavier the lure, the easier it is for fish to throw it when head shaking. You should be able to fish jigs on 14lb mono just fine depending on the cover. The mono will let you bury the hook no problems, although not as good as braid due to no stretch. People fished jigs on mono well before braid and many still do. The only problem with 14lb is the some cover situations where you won't be able to horse a fish out. It doesn't sound like that's what was going on. You also have to consider the rod. What are you using? It's got to be stout enough to bury the hook. All in all, you had a fish jump and head shake with a heavy bait... Losing them this way happens a lot. Other factors previously mentioned can only add to the risk. And, again, I'm still lost on the gear part.

If Jack and Rose can do it, so can I!

They open tomorrow at 6am

Most bass rods are 6'6" to 7'6", usually somewhere between 6'9" to 7'3". 8' + is not common, and when you see it, it's usually for swimbaits.

Nothing is better than a Senko, and you'll (almost) never lose fish with a 1/0 Gammy Octopus Circle Hook, which works well with 4-6 inch Senkos.

It takes significantly more time and effort to create, edit, and upload videos on YouTube, which he does regularly. He's not too busy to log into a forum and type something if he can do that. I think he's either forgotten about this place or lost interest.

I don't know how some of you guys have good condition, functional gear that you've forgotten about. But I only buy exactly what I need and what I'll use.

It's not supposed to be flimsy, and it's not meant to be reeled closed.

I used to play trading card games when I was a kid. I was always the friend who was obsessed over "mint condition" and cared more about how my cards looked than actually playing the game. My best friend, in his wisdom, always tried to tell me that how the cards looked didn't matter, but how they played. A reel is a tool meant to be used. If your reels stay looking like they've been in the box, you're not really doing too much fishing.

Dobyns Colt 704c or 734c and a Lew's Speed Spool 6.8:1 or 7.5:1, whichever rod length and reel speed you prefer. Either will work on both accounts. $180 retail for the setup. ETA - Dobyns 4 powers read H but they fish as a MH and they're softer rods. The Colt series, along with the Sierra series, are more like a MF than the rated F; even more so than is typical for Dobyns.

Those weed guards do not and will not help you in grass. In fact they arguably make it worse. What they're somewhat effective against is snagging wood, rocks, and other hard debris.

I can count on one hand how many fish I have lost on a Gammy Octopus Circle Hook in 1/0 since I started using them about 5 years ago for my Wacky Rigs. They're that good.

Only the T-Wing is a noticeable difference. No human can honestly say they can tell the difference between 7.6oz and 7.2oz. The extra bearings are in the handle. I'd say they're like 95% the same. It depends on if T-Wing is worth the extra cash.

Silver Max doesn't come in a 7.

My son has gotten several used in good condition Fury's from me as I've upgraded to Sierra's and Kaden's. He's making out like a bandit.

I'm mostly a Dobyns rods and Lews reels nut. If I lost them all today, I wouldn't have a single problem with replacing them with Aird-X rods and Black Max casting and Trion spinning reels, nor would I miss a beat.

From work. This was eye popping but also funny and very true: I had to work today (the 4th). Our manager thanked us for coming in. One of the guys sarcastically said, "Thanks for giving us a choice because we definitely picked this over taking our kids to see fireworks." America, always about money, never about people. Even on its birthday celebrating freedom.

If a 2.5-3" Ned Rig will catch them, so will Road Runners.

My friend's dad Ted is one hell of a big bass angler.

I think you're missing my point. Of course some things are better than other things and would obviously demand a higher price. This is all fine. But what something costs is entirely dependent on market value and what people are willing to spend. These rods would cost half the price is people weren't buying them, but they are. Only food and water are essential, and perhaps shelter, but anything can be shelter. These sticks are worthless if people won't buy them. You can't eat them or drink them. My dad taught me this lesson long ago.

And again, things are only worth as much as people are willing to pay.

I don't think there's a mono on earth with less stretch than even the worst braid. That said, I'm not a fan of braid. I don't like it straight and I don't like leaders.