AdrianLP

You mean when tying the knot? Because the end result of the fg knot is that the braid (mainline) is wrapped around the leader (and not vice versa). I usually do it this way, which is how everyone on YouTube sends to teach it:

I shall have to try that.

I don't think I've any nicks, I've looked before but wasn't super thorough in checking. I've no breakage issues when using straight braid. I usually use my spinning combo for unweighted and weighted plastics. Perhaps exclusively so.

I'm not using a crazy expensive rod (I might have spent $80 cad on it), I wonder if the guide material is causing the problem (maybe it's not very frictionless or something).

It happens as it passes through the final guide it seems. But if I tie the knot, and grab the line a foot or two at either side of the knot I can put it under considerable stress without it breaking (including jerking the knot under pressure). For all my knots, yes. I mentioned that in the first post.

I don't gut hook often, it's just non 0. Or hooks into their "tongue" (soft lower pallet) which can be difficult to get out, etc. I just want to reasonably reduce the damage I'm doing to the fish

I've tried braid main line to fluorocarbon leader several times. I've tried various knots (fg, Alberto, double uni). I'm no expert, but I can get some small decent looking knots. My braid is usually 8 lb or 15. I think my fluorocarbon leader was 12 lb. My leader was about 6', which means it goes through my spinning rod's guides. I've never tied a braid to fluoro knot that didn't break on the first or second cast. How do you guys tie your braid to fluoro leaders that don't break when you cast? I wet the line when trying the knot so it sinches well and doesn't burn the line. I pull the knot tight. I've also tried with 12 lb mono as a leader with the same result.

I'm just trying to reduce the damage the barb adds in addition to the hook. I'm live-release only. As mentioned, I tried barbless J hooks tonight with my wacky-rigged 5" plastics. That went very well, I was very impressed. What size do you use? For J hooks I normally do 4/0, but I'm thinking maybe 3/0 is sufficient. I just bought a collection of Circle Hooks on Amazon. I chose 3/0 for the size, but the product description says there are 150 hooks ranging from 1/0 up to 9/0. I guess I can experiment between 3/0 and 4/0, and also experiment by flattening the barbs on a few.

I think it was me that said that. Cbump said he saw almost no reason for using a circle hook. Do you find you miss many hook sets when using a C hook? I'm thinking of trying barbless C hooks. I know after fishing tonight I really enjoy barbless J hooks I don't know why I started saying "C hook", I meant Circle Hook. I got "C hook" stuck in my head somehow and typed it without thinking about it. Why can't I edit my own posts

My reason was to almost eliminate gut hooking and hooking fish's gills

I went fishing tonight. I caught 4 largemouth using a J hook that I had flattened the barb on (wacky rigged 5" worm). Two others struck, but I think they just got the tip of my plastic worm.

Can anyone comment on their attempts at using circle hooks for largemouth? How about barbless circle hooks? I tend to use a lot of soft plastics, would circle hooks be ideal? Has anyone who had used them often comment on barbless J hooks? They must lead to more fish loss, but perhaps it's only in a small amount of strikes? I'm getting to a point where I want to reduce damaging the fish as much as is reasonable. I want to catch fish, but I'm not losing money if I don't bring as many fish into the boat either.

I think we have the same couch :⁠-⁠)

It was just a cheap combo from Canadian Tire. At the price I can't imagine it had those washers, I don't remember it coming with any. How smooth is it to wind the handle? It's subjective, but is there much weight to turn the handle, or does it feel closer to 0 friction and effortless? Aesthetics in most things I do are overly important, not just in fishing reel choices. I'm not sure why, I've just always been like this

... and I know it's a bad reason to choose a reel, but I LOVE the appearance of the white Quantum Accurist PT with the gunmetal gray spool: https://www.sail.ca/en/quantum-accurist-pt-spinning-reel-796015-s1 I've no idea how it feels though, I've never seen one in person. I'm liking how little this weighs: Daiwa Tatula LT Spinning Reel

... and I know it's a bad reason to choose a reel, but I LOVE the appearance of the white Quantum Accurist PT with the gunmetal gray spool: https://www.sail.ca/en/quantum-accurist-pt-spinning-reel-796015-s1 I've no idea how it feels though, I've never seen one in person.

I had mentioned that my 8 lb. braid casts a LOT further than my 20 lb. braid using the same rod and reel. I figured wind resistance plays a big part in that. I know if I cast 100 - 150'. I *think* my priorities are (most important first): Reel smoothness Switch for reverse Ergonomics (though I don't notice a big difference between most) Inches per Turn (IPT)/Gear Ratio Overall weight Line Capacity Drag capacity Drag Smoothness Balance (with the rod they will be used with) Spool diameter Line lay I can't speak to, I've never had a reel that does what you mentioned. Of course I would prefer weight if the only options were a very heavy reel or a much lighter one. I can't speak to line lay, as I've never had a reel with washers for tuning. But it sounds like something a lot more picky that I would want to be. I don't think I've ever noticed balance issues with any rod and reel I've ever owned. I'm sure others would not have liked some I've had, I guess I just don't notice. I could easily do $300 - $400 Canadian ($221 - $295 usd), I'm just not sure it's worth it for what I do. What are the advantages of a reel that much more expensive? Keep in mind that I enjoy fishing, but it's more about time spent with family and friends. That being said, I have just bought a bass boat (to replace my Yamaha G3 which a tree fell on), and I'm no stranger to accumulating a small fortune in tackle, $3,000 trolling motor with iPilot (how do people live without a virtual anchor?), etc. I like the following reels because to me they feel as if they have near to 0 friction when winding (a gentle breeze would almost wind them for me). And when I've turned them very very slowly, and fast, I cannot feel the bearings at all. And I tend to be very picky and sensitive to those types of things. Pflueger President Pflueger President XT (I love the cork knob). This is assuming this reel is as smooth as the Pflueger President, I've not tested one. Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier (PDQ2000) Quantum Drive Maybe if I used an expensive reel I'd never want to go back to a cheap reel. I couldn't know. But in all the reels I've owned as an adult, I've never wished that I were instead using a more expensive reel. Perhaps I'm just easy to please that way.

I'm also watching another thread on this site where someone asked about using a 1,000 class reel, and everyone is in support. So I guess it depends who you ask, on which day and in what mood they're in. I'll look into the reels you mentioned, though for what I do I'm not sure that it's worth spending 5 times as much as I had planned to spend.

I've only a Conservation license, so I can't target musky anyway. I've never seen a trout in my neck of the woods. But if I do go for either, I've my baitcaster with 50 lb. on it, and my older Revros which will have 15 or 20 lb. on it. I figure my new reel will be almost exclusively for plastics. I ran with 8 lb. braid on my Revros last year, and the casting distance was amazing compared to the 20 lb. I had used with the same reel and rod the year previous. I didn't have any break-offs with the 8 lb. last year, but I bought a spool cheap from AliBaba of 12 lb. 8-strand braid with small diameter (roughly $8 Canadian for 500 yards), so I thought I would try it to see the difference. Some people swear by < 10 lb. braid, others say you need 12 - 15 lb.. I thought I would check out the difference for myself. As for the cheap overseas line, I've used a few different spools of it and always found it suited my needs well. I don't expect any largemouth I catch to need more than 8 lb. of course, I just thought the heavier braid might be more resistant to cuts against sharp rocks or other obstructions. Other than that I loved the 8 lb. braid I used last year on my spinning setup. Of course some argue that a lighter line might actually be more cut-resistant. After all a lighter line is more flexible and pliable, so it might be more likely to deflect whereas a heavier line may not be. Where does one buy a shallow spool which has a large diameter? Or can you buy inserts for a spool as to eliminate the need for backing?

I've fished for decades, though usually with only 1 or 2 rod/reel combinations at any one point in time. So I don't have a lot of experience with comparing reels and lines side by side on the same fishing trip. You did, and I asked why that was your opinion. I assume you've some reason to hold the opinion that you have.

I fish for fun, I don't do tournaments, if I lose the odd fishing I still make my property tax payments. So losing the odd fish isn't a huge deal. Frustrating sure, but not the end of the world by any means. Why 15 or 20 lb.? Last year I ran 8 lb. on my spinning reel with no issues. The casting distance with lighter line is crazy! Using the same rod, reel, and plastic worm, I find the casting distance of 8 lb. braid is about twice as far as with 20 lb. braid. Keep in mind my new spinning reel will only be for largemouth in shallow water, and pretty much exclusively plastics. I will still have my Daiwa Fuego CT baitcaster and Revros reel (which will have 15 or 20 lb. braid) for heavier applications. Varivas and YGK make 16 - 20 lb. braid that has similar diameter to 8 lb. braid of some other manufacturers? Or similar diameter to 8 lb. mono of other manufacturers (which seems typical for braid).

I currently have a baitcaster with 50 lbs braid which I use for topwater largemouth bass, spoons for northern pike, etc. I also have a cheap Revros real with 8 lbs braid which I use primarily for largemouth bass. The Revros was fairly inexpensive, but it does everything I need and I find no issue with it. I fish on the St. Lawrence River, most of the time I'm in 10' of water or less. I'm considering buy a new reel. I think I might go with a Pfluger President XT. I'm undecided if I want the PRESXTSP25X (1000) which holds 110 yards of 8 lb. braid, or the PRESXTSP30X (2000) which holds 190 yards of 8 lb. braid. I plan to start with 12 lb. braid on it. If I prefer the 8 lb. braid I'll switch my new reel to that. I only want the new reel so I can test 8 lb. braid and 12 lb. braid during the same trip without having to re-spool or have multiple spools. When all is said and done I'll change my existing Revros spinning reel to something a bit heavier for Pike. Maybe 15 or 20 lb. braid. My question is, given that my new reel will almost solely be for Largemouth in 10' of water or less, do I really need any more than the 1,000 series reel? Given numbers I've seen elsewhere, I think the 1,000 series will hold about 77 yards of 12 lb. braid. I'm not one of those who ties his braid directly to lures, so I won't constantly be cutting and re-tying my line. So line length isn't an issue that way. I figure casting distances are usually 100 - 150', and bass never really use my drag, so that leaves 150 - 200' of line on the spool at worst case scenario. The 1,000 series has 8 lb. drag, which I think is quite reasonable for any bass I might catch (not that I've ever needed drag for bass). Some say that line twist is worse with a smaller reel, but is it so bad as to take into consideration? I guess my primary reason for wanting a smaller reel is so that I don't need to use backing if the braid I purchase is much shorter than the reel capacity. Why spool 1,000' of line if I really only ever use 100 - 200' right. I'm also considering these reels (I like reels which feel as though they have near to zero resistance to wind): Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier PDQ2000 Quantum Drive

I'm not a big jig guy, but why do you think jigs are more versatile? A jig is pretty much a senko with a weight. You can add a weight to a senko. Aside from having a skirt, which not all jigs have, what does a jig do any differently than a weighted senko?