Masaccio

I searched around the forum a little bit for this subject. Usually when it was brought up, people recommended something else. But I happen to own one already. What is it happiest doing? I find it quite heavy. Max drag 13.2 lbs. Relatively large line capacity. 30 lb. braid, 190 yards. I'm thinking punching and frogs? Thanks.

WRB would you say a little more about not being able to cast 12 lb. braid effectively with a bait casting reel using MH rods? Thanks. (Why not? What happens? ) Thanks. PS: I have the Shimano Zodias 7'6" Glass Medium Heavy, Moderate for cranking.

Yep. I was cranking the handle to engage. And by the end of the day, the rod was refusing to cast my mono efficiently. This explains a lot. (My grandma always did it that way.) Thanks also for confirming the handle spinning issue. I'll suck it up and get better at the "work-around" technique. I'm happy to know that I don't need to worry about replacing the reels. "They are what they are."

I've noticed an inconvenient amount of stiffness in engaging these smaller spinning reels after casting. Actually I haven't tested the 500 yet, but the 1000 was making me crazy. Is this just the "price of admission" for small spinning reels? he reel hasn't had all that much use. Moderate use, at this point, I guess. I haven't particularly abused it, nor have I done anything much to maintain it either. Also, the weight of the handle on the 1000 was spinning the reel beyond where I wanted to release it (shortening the line) before for casting. What happens is I reel in the bait, I get the line length where I want it for casting, and then the handle on the reel continues to spin the reel and shortens the line beyond where I want it. I guess this could just be me being a control freak. But in tighter spaces, it seems like the length of line you want before casting might be important. Thanks!

The Social Security bump for next year (published today) just paid for the rod. And many of those in-the-know seem to think that inflation has hit it's high, or almost, and will be decreasing next year. Things are looking better, barring nuclear Armegeddon. I might even be able to upgrade my sit-in kayak. Thanks. My only other St. Croix is the two-piece 5'6" ultralite. I think I'm going to love this one too. Haven't been out with it yet.

PS: the reason I'm asking about shallow fall fishing is because I can do that without worrying so much about wind on the water in a kayak. Thanks!

First thing, I can't put into polite words how great I'm feeling about ordering the St. Croix Legend Elite 6'10" Medium Fast. Between PayPal and my credit card making interest free payments irresistable, Christmas came early. Apparently Fall is squarebill time (by the way - there seems to be a disagreement as to whether square bill (squarebill) is one word or two.) Whatever, none of my rods seemed to really fit nicely the more shallow squarebill weights. Ran across an article on Bass Resource that described the St. Croix. Had to have it. NOW. Reels: interesting process collecting reels when you don't know what you're doing. I know a little more now, and I wish I hadn't ordered a second Daiwa Tatula 200. Much better to have gone for a second a Chronarch or a Bantam (angels singing). But I do have one Chronarch, so I feel covered. I don't have either the Tranx or the Curado K. What is it about the Tranx, anyway?? Is it the saltwater capability? I'll save for the Bantam. Gotta have one. Actual fishing.... I wanted to go today, but commitments and other priorities got in the way. Want to go tomorrow, but weather sounds severe for a kayak (without power), and more commitments. Always something. Hope springs eternal. Oh, Fall shallow fishing (creeks, shallow rivers). Does it work. The small stuff is what I want to go for.

Because eventually even you will begin to recognize the crap and the hype.

The page didn't appear. I'm new to LC. They seem very popular.

Exactly. Thanks for that. It's what I want to believe. Absolutely, but a different forum. I'd give up fishing, and a lot more, for that. That's a good one - paralysis by analysis. And analysis of my own fisheries. It's complication on top of complication. As most of you have observed - go, try, fail, try again. And keep reading, of course.

I hooked myself and I wasn't even dealing with a fish. Late for a fishing appointment, trying to grab my rods quickly and had a triple hook lure in the keeper. First it snagged on another rod, and trying to unsnag that, I snagged myself, but GOOD, on the back of my hand below the middle finger. First I had to get into my tackle back for my clippers to cut myself free. There I was with a treble hook hanging off the back of my hand. I was fine with it, other than the immediate problem, but my fishing buddy was ready to pass out. We tried various things, he even went home to fetch some wire cutters for me. He kept giving me this ridiculous story about how I should go the ER. Nothing doing. I wanted to fish that day. Well, the even wire cutters didn't work, but in my determined effort, they slipped a little bit and tore the wound enough that the barb was able to slip out with a little yank. The worst part was staunching the bleeding. Direct pressure finally did it and my friend had brought peroxide and bandages with him. It was mildly troublesome for a couple of days, and took forever to heal completely. But I caught my PB bass that day. Moral: Don't get in a hurry when fish hooks are involved. I would have appreciated a decent scar, but just a little bump to remind me. I've been waiting to tell this story for several weeks!!! Thank you OP.

St. Croix makes shorter Ultra Lights in two series: Avid and Premier for around $165. I pounced on this thread when I saw it. I gave away my St. Croix (either 5' or 5'6", can't remember) to a friend with a grandson, thinking they would have fun with it and I was all about the bass. I'm not kicking myself for the generosity, but I would have killed to have had that rod today, looking for trout or panfish. Not having a short ultra light rod is no joke in close quarters. I'm going to re-buy it for myself.

Also will grab a couple of the panther martins. They look great. Thanks, casts_by_fly.

Awesome. I have one of those. Thank!

I'm going back on the Paulinskill tomorrow. It's a new place where it actually forks. The first time was a complete bust. It was a tough day anyway, but I didn't even see any fish in the water. I kept trying for about three hours, and I had a great time exploring and wading (without waders) and stuff, but no fish. I used a tex rigged 1/16th head-weighted (worm that snaked very appealingly along the bottom. The rod I used was too heavy, so I'd like to try that again with a lighter rod. I also wanted to ask if anyone used the small CoolBait spinner. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Coolbaits_Lure_Co_The_Down_Under_Weedless_Underspin/descpage-CLCWU.html A small willow underspin attached to a minnow-head for smaller plastic trailers. I keep loving how this looks in the water but I've never got bitten with it. I also have two or three itty-bitty jigs that I could try.... I don't care what I catch - anything would be helpful. For the Coolbait: I used the black/silver, 3/8th oz. For the Coolbait: I used the black/silver, 3/8th oz. Shallow water

And thank you for your comment, PhishLI. It really helped me actualize what's been going on in my head. A very important aspect of fishing is never mentioned. That is, what excites your own personal imagination. Maybe that is a "given", just like looking at your plastics in actual sunlight is a "given." I don't think so. These things are so important, yet in all of my reading and research did I read the importance of looking at plastics in natural light. In a way, it's a "duh" point but when you're trying to figure so much out, it's not a "duh" point at all. It's a point that can easily be missed. This isn't a phenomenon peculiar to fishing. It exists in any art form that one is trying to learn. The "duh" points often aren't taught because the teachers themselves have forgotten that they themselves had to learn them (since they have progressed so far as to have forgotten their own basics). Fishing is based on inspiration, with a solid background of instruction. One doesn't exist without the other. Many of us lack the background of instruction. When we decide we want to learn to fish, we think it's all about instruction. That only goes so far. Hunting is about self-actualization. That is a step of courage and determination.

Nope. Not at all. I like your groove statement. I was sitting here just thinking about that. There is a certain value in buying into all of the commercial guidance. It has a way of teaching you really basic stuff, very useful. But if you really want to become an angler, you pass the point of expecting this sort of instruction to be "the answer." I passed that point today. I realized that I have to project my own preferences, likes and dislikes, proclivities and determinations into my own fishing, and make those work. That is the beginning of becoming a fisherman. I love reds, browns, purples, golds and watermellons for fishing, for example. I realized that to judge a plastic, you have to look through it in genuine sunlight. Only then will their secrets be revealed. I have way too much green, of a bilious nature. And thank you for your comment, PhishLI. It really helped me actualize what's been going on in my head.

Too much information is the bane of anyone in any passionate pursuit, especially just starting out. My experience is that much of the "accepted information" is BS. I'm in another hobby that requires real knowledge and know-how, and when I read most on-line "advice" sources, they are all so shallow and easily lead a novice more into making more mistakes than having success. At some point we (including me) have stopped wanting to take the journey. There isn't time for journeys anymore. I think maybe that's the truth that I was getting at when I started this thread. You just have to put in the time like everyone else. It doesn't matter how old you are, how much time you have yadda yadda. It is what it is. I really like the concept of fishing being "hunting underwater." Thanks CrashVector. I've never been a hunter. But yeah, the mindset is the same. There's one true path, your own dedication. Either you accept it or you don't. (If reincarnation is an option for this 70 year old, I want to come back as Chris Beaudrie.) Such a great attitude. And his frog technique is a thing of beauty.

Nah. I'm pretty happy when I can spend a few hours organizing. Reminds me of what I have and forgot about, how and where I want to use things, where the tackle "holes" are, what I lost and might want to replace.... Also, watching the Bass Master Tournament. These guys aren't pulling in fish after fish either. Just saw a really cool catch by Beaudrie with a walking frog in thick mat.

Yeah, I just spent another wonderful day getting familiar with all of the stuff I bought when I was just starting out. I've got it all catalogued on my computer, and organized so I know what to look for. So now I am just faced with understanding my fishing conditions at any point, choosing the tackle for that, and getting comfortable with throwing it. Oh, and having a good time!

All of you guys hit major spots ("express or implied") in my OP. Best takeaway for me are the "Just do it" answers. Overload is a problem though. Yep. I like this. Casting skill is what I've been practicing to build confidence, and a certain knowledge base, that doesn't depend on fish. Not only how to cast to a spot, but if the retrieve works the way you thought it would, how well or poorly you're doing on your knots, how well the baits hold up, characteristics of your line choice, lots of stuff. And incidentally catching a fish or two in the meantime feels kind've like a bonus.

I hate to admit this, but there's no fast track to successful fishing (is there??). Even with the excruciating amount of experienced knowledge available these days, I'm thinking that the best way to take advantage of it is skimming. Fishing should be taught as a college course. Fishing professors would know about the level you're at and what you need to be concerned about to insure quick progression. This is a great example of why we should treat our teachers A LOT better in this country. Teachers give us the guidance that we need to take the most direct path to knowledge. Some of us have built-in teachers (Dads, Moms, whoever in your family who, lucky you, have given you help). What about the rest of us who have to sort through this incredible morass of knowledge and figure out what is appropriate for us? I guarantee you that if you are early or even moderately on in your fishing and you follow the sage words of indisputable fishing experts, that you will fall way short of your expectations when you've followed all the "rules." That was the rant. I feel like that I'm hooking into fishing by reading a ton of stuff, buying every recommended lure and rod that I can afford. And only AFTER doing that do I begin to appreciate how I, personally, might enjoy fishing. Right now, I just want to take a simple soft hollow-bodied nose-hooked fluke or shad jerkbait out to a lake or stream and just throw the sucker. Okay. Yeah. I wouldn't have been able to say that a year ago. I thought about deleting this post because it's really just a personal process. But maybe it will ring a chime for some other novice followers.

If I could go back, I would want to spend so much more time doing it with family members who also loved it.

Hard or soft jerks? I have some soft flukes that I wasn't going to think about until Spring. And a lot of Rapala hard jerks.

Great motto. Thanks! Great Motto. It's been great being here.