T-Billy

My old Quantum Iron round reels are great catfish reels. Absolute tanks, I expect they'll outlive me. I bought one of the Energy PT baitcasters when they first came out. Maybe the longest casting reel I ever owned, but it got geary within a year. Haven't bought a Quantum since. I don't hate on 'em, I just haven't felt compelled to buy another.

Well... They are Horny Toads...?

The 7'4" Tatula has a great taper for 3/8 and 1/2 CB's, and is sensitive enough, but man it's a heavy rod. The weight is my only complaint with it. I just bought an Ark Invoker 7'4" composite H MF but haven't had a chance to fish it yet. I'll give it a workout wednsday night. The Ark has just a bit more power than the Tat, and a very similar taper, but it's lighter and better balanced.

Nah. Not until you see @TnRiver46 catch a big one on a spinnerbait!!! ?

I used to use Lucas Red n Tacky grease and was pretty happy with it. Last year I gave Shimano drag grease a try, and I like it better. Reels run smoother and it migrates less, so they run smooth for longer. TSI on the bearings.

Never. Well... except for flouro, those are all bad spools. ?

I've fished two of those three. Plus green pumpkin, and pumpkin seed, probably a few others. Sometimes they like those other colors, sometimes not. They ALWAYS eat black and junebug. Sunny, cloudy, clear, stained, doesn't matter.

BFS reels and shallow braid spools for standard baitcasters sidelined my spinning rigs. I only use spinning for crappie now.

Fed Ex dropped off #15 on my porch yesterday. 7'4" H MF Invoker composite this time around. Just a wee bit more backbone than the Tatula chatterbait rod, but lighter and better balanced. That tatula has a great taper for CB's, but it's heavy and really wears on my ol broken wrists. I've been happy with every single Ark. Not a dud in the bunch.

That monster on the bottom rivals the beast that mauled my A-rig last spring!!!

7' MH XF. Light, sensitive, durable, $129. @Catt converted me to the XF club for wormin. This is the only rod I throw em on anymore. From weightless sticks to Ol Monsters, this rod will get it done. It's also my favorite for light trig's, finesse jigs, and skipping.

SMASHED a chatterbait in 2' of water, then came up and thrashed on the surface twice. Thought I had a wall hanger LM. LOL. Channels spawn in June here in OH. They're very aggressive and absolutely hammer baits while they're up shallow doing their thing.

I drive a crude oil transport for a living and pull a boat on my days off. I get confused backing up without a trailer at this point. LOL. This technique works well, especially for someone new to backing a trailer.

They're killer on a mojo rig too.

I only fish black or junebug worms so in my case it would definitely be location.

PP is one of the best of it's generation, but there are better options these days. $ for $, 832 is tough to beat.

It's hard to pick one thing. When you've been at this for several decades, you oughta be a pretty well rounded fisherman. I can tell ya, pitchin heavy cover, and rolling a chatterbait around after dark are my favorite ways to get 'em. My weak area is offshore for sure. The little impoundments in my area just don't set up for it.

This is an important skill to have.

Could it be a matter of volume? What's the difference in volume between the two lines over a 100' length? Same elasticity + more force applied to more volume = more stretch? Just a thought, I'm in over my head here.

???

The author wasn't trying to conduct a controlled scientific experiment. He was just trying to get an idea of the amount of stretch to expect in real world use. The scienc-y comments were tongue in cheek I think. I found it interesting and was surprised at the amount of stretch with the heavier line.

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Grub on a jighead is hard to beat. + They're dirt cheap and you'll go through a bunch of them. Cast upstream or quartering upstream. They'll always be facing into the current.

Put some braid on that Bass X and go punching. See what YOU think about it. I like a fairly moderate rod for pitching in the jungle. I find the Ark, Tharp Series "Guntersville Special" to be awesome for both pitching heavy cover and throwing an A-Rig.

Dunno about best bang for the buck, but it's my favorite in my small stable of Dobyns. It is outstanding for swim jigs, paddletails, and spinnerbaits, and pretty good for jigs and Trigs.