Fishing_Rod

Greetings FishTank, and et al., Golly, @FishTank your post is significant to me. I have several generations and continue to use the Daiwa Mini-spin and Mini-cast outfits. Mine are from the mid 70s through to ones purchased within the last 10 years. I have greatly enjoyed them throughout the decades. Although these days I don't hike around as much for my angling adventures. Still, I prefer using lighter weight gear that is well built. I managed to connect with many modest size fish using the small angling outfits. I generally preferred the spinning version due to the better drag. The mini-cast did not have a drag that was what I wanted. I found the drag did not have a gradual adjustment. It was either not enogh or simply too much. It was also not that smooth either. That is until my recent discovery of lubricating the drag elements on the spincast reel. A drop of oil was all that was needed for the drag to match the quality of the spinning reel. Yes, it took several decades but I got there. It is possible for an old dog to learn. So now I'm happier using the mini-casters in taunting fish. My only remaining wish is to figure out how to get the stink out of the plastic pistol grip handle. Even after all these years there is still a chemical smell when handling it. The spinning model has a foam grip, no offensive odor there, except for old fish slime. Appreciate the discussion. Be well and cheers!

Greetings, I recently had my day using BFS for the first time too. During the past weekend I was able to examine and purchase a BFS reel. This brings casting reels closer to my preferred UL spinning gear. Due to traveling a long way to be able to examine the reel I only brought six pound mono to install. My research identified instances where folks using small diameter line experienced line bind due to line getting caught between the spool and reel frame. I figured six pound mono would be safe and provide a reasonable experience to start from. Yes, I greatly appreciate the lower overall weight of the BFS reel. The particular BFS reel is similar in weight and line capacity to my 500 series UL spinning reel. It was impressive and fun to take on the bass, catfish, and tilapia using this little mostly polymer reel. There was very low user input needed to make distance with accuracy. I will eventually explore changing to four pound mono. For now I'll simply explore more angling adventures using the six pound mono. Good time, just wish there were more available and more affordable, low cost options. Hopefully to come to a store nearby. Be well and cheers!

Greetings, Thank You for the information. It has been helpful. I have only just this past weekend explored BFS angling. My initial experience has been positive and I find that BFS is closer to my preferred UL spinning gear. Admittedly, the purchase of a new BFS reel I loaded it with 6 pound mono and did not spool it with my principle 4 pound mono line, so I expected a difference due to line difference. My research and personal experience using 4 and 6 pound mono on casting reels identified the occasional line intrusion between the spool and reel frame. I figured since this was an initial experience I would use the larger line to get started with just to provide an advantage for a better user experience. It worked well during my few hours of successful angling using the new BFS reel. It handled rather well under the load and strain of a few large strong fish. I did greatly appreciate the drag clicker which is familiar to my UL spinning gear. It enhances the thrill of the fish struggle and surges. While the casting quality is very close with regard to distance with accuracy, this should improve with more experience, however the initial session was impressively fun. The retrieve is where I found a significant difference. I base this on a comparison of my 500 series UL spinning reel to the BFS reel. Both have similar overall weight and line capacity. The retrieve ratio both on the specification and in use have the BFS reel being faster. My angling applications finds it is not so important when working the lure but to pick up line slack. It is faster and easier on the BFS. I did not appreciate it until I realized how smooth the workflow was without having to manipulate a bail. Typically I use 2 inch curly tailed soft plastic grubs on 1/32 oz jigs so the bait package, which could be roughly 1 ~ 2 grams. So my use of a three inch curly tailed grub on a 1/16 oz jig is heavier than I typically use, so no direct comparison, yet. I will say the casting experience is close. I did not have to greatly adapt for an early release point to get the spool started up. I also didn't have to use much casting input as with other casting reels. I am enthusiastic to bring in a new aspect of angling. BFS has addressed a concern when using casting reels for me. I typically don't use many large or heavy baits, so with a BFS reel this brings casting more in line with my angling preference. I greatly appreciate the information shared on BassResource by the members. It was very helpful in guiding my decision to explore BFS for another new angling aspect. Be well, and cheers!

Greetings, I just did a direct comparison myself on Saturday with a budget $40 casting reel and a sort of a budget $80 BFS reel. Please reference the SRP Canal Using BFS thread. I fished part of the morning using the same bait and light action rod. I only changed out the reels. Both reels were spooled using the same 6 pound mono. The soft plastic bait was a three inch curly tailed grub on a 1/16 oz jig head. Yes, both worked to catch fish. It is important to note using the typical casting reel there is more spool startup resistance which compels a much earlier release point in the casting stroke. For some this is awkward. I eventually was successful in adapting and achieving casting accuracy with minimal effort. Using the BFS reel there is much less startup resistance and is much closer to using ultra lite spinning equipment. There is no bail to deal with and the retrieve rate is faster with the BFS reel. I believe there is a bit of an advantage to maximum drag with the BFS over ultra lite spinning reel drag. I'm talking with reference to like 1000 or 500 series spinning reels, small spools with limited size drag elements. I mention the 500 series reels as they are similar in line capacity and reel weights. I hope this information helps. While I'm always interested in learning, there is no room in the budget for expensive gear. Which is why I have the gear that I have. It works well enough and enhances my angling / catching experience. BTW I fish for recreation and I generally use ultra lite spinning gear tossing soft plastics on 1/32 oz jigs, basically crappie style baits on four pound mono. Which is why I decided to attempt using a casting reel for lighter weight baits close to that theme. Based on my adventure on Saturday the BFS reel is getting closer to my style of angling. I am looking forward to more experience using the BFS as it is. Later I may transition it down to four pound mono and see how things are with the lighter baits. Be well, and cheers!

Greetings, Sure sounds like an excuse for any of the following: - Potential new purchase? - Good exterior reel cleaning with lubrication. Handle, line guide (look at the reel upside down for a better understanding of just how much grime and foreign debris collects). A good cleaning is helpful, more so than just adding lube cause the hitch is due to something and it would be good to clear that first, then lube. - If you are comfortable to do so, reel maintenance on interior moving parts. Helpful for high mileage equipment. Be well and cheers!

Greetings, Tossing lighter weight baits using my bait cast reel has been interesting learning. I have found a combination of reel configuration and user adaptation was necessary to achieve success. As other have mentioned the setup for the reel is different. I find things work better for me with a minimal friction brake setting. I set my friction brake to just where I can feel a slight amount of side to side spool movement. This is a minimal friction setting. Then I start at either maximum magnetic brake setting or close to for the initial test cast. As you get comfortable you gradually dial down the magnetic brake until you begin to get line slack. The other additional aspect is the user. Tossing lighter baits requires and earlier release point. You have to get comfortable releasing much earlier than you may be accustomed to. The lighter weight bait has to overcome the spool's reluctance to start spinning, inertia, so you have to start the process sooner to achieve a cast. Keep your cast sweep smooth and avoid whipping motions, it is more of a swing to stretch out the line. Good luck! Start with gradual short casts and work your way up. Basically it is a relearning of a different timing for casting lighter lures. Be well and cheers!

Greetings, Welcome to the forum. Enjoy all those special moments together. I have found that by keeping to smaller baits and fishing them at a gradual pace, slow for many, that tends to increase the catching. I generally keep things relatively simple using soft plastics on small jig heads like you would for crappie, panfish, and bass. Fish of all sizes respond well to those. Since you are fishing from a platform on the water all you basically need to do is get the bait in the water and work it about 15 feet or less. Enjoy the time together and have a good time angling. Be well and cheers!

Greetings, It is a toaster out here in Arizona. I happened to make a trip up to the Phoenix metro area on Saturday. Just after mid-day it was well over 113 F in the shade, even hotter in the full sun. You have to be careful as the heat will cause problems. Still, it is possible to recreate and catch bass. Here is one canal bass caught in the early afternoon. It just happens to be my first bass on my new reel. My story is posted in the reel section of the forum. Lots of fun to put the reel under load and confirm everything works as it should. Even more fun using light gear. The heat is a serious issue so be prepared or simply avoid exposure. So let's be careful out there. However, it is always a good time to go fishing, even better to go catching! Be well and Cheers!

Greetings, A fishing adventure in the metro Phoenix area at a Salt River Project (SRP) canal using a new BFS reel. I had the opportunity to make the 200 mile journey to metro PHX. Since the errands would not take long but needed to be accomplished I would use the remainder of my day angling. Now if you have not been to metro PHX it is really hot this time of year. We are talking weeks of temperatures over 110 F which pretty much heat soaks everything so the thermal buildup is something not to be experienced if you can avoid it. Growing up here in AZ it is something you just learn to deal with the best you can. At least in other areas of AZ it gets hot during the day and cools as the sun sets. Not so much in the metro areas. OK, I am a recreational angler that prefers using ultra lite gear and small soft plastic baits. On this adventure I'm using a light action 5.5 foot rod with my $40 casting reel loaded with six pound mono tied to a 3 inch curly tailed grub on a 1/16 oz jig head. Yes, tossing that on a budget casting reel is a challenge but it is doable. I've set the friction brake to where I can barely detect some lateral play on the spool spindle, so the spool is controlled by the magnetic brake and my thumb. Using this configuration I have to use a very early release point with a graceful motion to achieve a reasonable cast. Since I am angling across a canal no long bomb casts are needed. This is good enough to get the bait to the opposite bank just at the edge where I gently raise the rod tip to drag the soft plastic to where it gently tumbles down into the angled canal wall. Apparently this tumble entry seems to generate local interest. Hey, it works as I caught several bass and catfish doing just this. I fished this rig for just over an hour catching fish while strolling along the canal. The SRP canal system is also a linear park system where there are groomed trails along the canal. Nice wide open casting which helps with the lobbing cast action combined with the early release point. Not ideal but it does work. At close to lunch time I decided to take a break from angling and investigate a lower cost BFS reel option at a nearby tackle store. It just happens to be near where my late uncle resided. Golly have things changed since the late 70s and 80s. So built up, I only recognize the intersections from back in the principle agriculture days. The tackle store was a great shop. They had a right hand retrieve reel in stock so I got a good look at it and decided to purchase it. I still had a little bit of time before departing the area. So I spooled up some six pound mono onto the shallow spool and swapped out my other reel on the light action rod. Back to the canal only this time seeking an area where one of the freeways passes over. At least I would be in the shade although when the air temp is above 113 F, everything is an oven, even in the shade too. I got the reel configured for success. I made a test cast when I arrived in the shaded portion of the canal. Satisfied with the settings, friction brake, magnetic brake, and drag. I decided to go actually work the bait properly. On my second cast, as the bait tumbled into the water it was smashed hard! Immediately line peeled from the spool and the drag clicker sounded off as my rod arced over under load. The fish was charging down the canal taking advantage of the current. I'm just a spectator at this point. I'm simply holding in place to see what will happen next. While doing so I did manage to admire the smooth drag of this new reel. Since I wasn't confident of the reel's drag I simply observed and did not make an adjustment during the fish's run. I did not want to risk the binding potential. It worked well and eventually the fish yielded. The faster retrieve ratio is nice to have. My observations on tossing the same bait using the same rod between the two reels. The BFS reel requires much less dedicated user effort. Casting using the BFS is closer to what I'm accustomed to with my ultra lite spinning gear. Casting effort is close and I greatly appreciate that. I believe I have a better suited lighter action crappie rod that should be even better to use as it is lighter in overall weight and should better balance with the very light polymer BFS reel. For now the six pound mono is working well. I may eventually swap down to four pound mono after I have more time using it. It does cast well. It is much easier to make precision casts with low user effort and input. The low spool start up resistance does not require as early of a release point. This allows better cast control with accuracy. The very light weight of the overall package is very comfortable to use. I'm looking forward to more angling adventures with it. My initial opinion is that BFS may represent a better fishing system, better suited for my style of ultra lite angling. Be well and cheers!

Greetings All, Well Done DB! The entire region resembles a blast furnace. The catching was pretty good this past weekend here in Southern AZ. Although, while the catch numbers were great, the catch quality was marginal. Still I'm pretty happy with any fish "on-line" so time on the water was good. I surmise the elevated temps have bumped up the activity level with the elevated metabolism. There are plenty of food sources available. I see lots of minnows swimming about. Also there are plenty of bugs trapped on the water surface too (windy, and isolated storms forming). I was doing the yak attack at a local lake too in the triple digit heat. I'm guessing my 3 liter hydration bag could serve as that IV you mentioned. Critical equipment under those conditions. Same goes for hat dipping every 15 minutes to lower the heat factor too. It was a good time even with the heat. You just have to be careful and prepare accordingly. Good to see you scored well. Congratulations! Cheers!

Greetings All, I hope the summer time angling is going well for each of you. Interesting and helpful perspectives shared on this topic. I'm paralleling what Tom recently contributed on this thread. History is my foundation for a good starting point. Those successful areas identify key habitat holding fish. Something not to be ignored. Helpful in building more successful history as you find other similar conditions to catch fish from. This is encouragement to expand beyond just visiting historic success. I use this theme when visiting a new area or new waters. I'll begin my adventure by seeking out areas with elements similar to those of places I have found fish before. Lately with the high temperatures in the SW region catching bass has been relatively easy. Both bass and anglers are seeking relief in shaded areas. The reservoirs here in Southern Arizona have limited shade which tends to concentrate anglers and bass. Have a great time building more "history". I sure appreciate every bass I find "on-line". Be well, Cheers!

Greetings and Happy Friday All, I am of the opinion that every day is a good day. Every day I get to go fishing is just that much better. Going fishing and catching just makes for an exceptional day. Just my $0.02 put in for consideration. Be well, and Cheers!

Greetings All, In my youth with more sketchy reel drag quality it was simply necessary to disable anti-reverse to allow back reeling as needed. Since manufacturing improvements have been implemented since the 80s it is simply better to make use of the better quality drag systems. These day anti-reverse is always enabled. Additionally, many of the newer spinning reels no longer have an anti-reverse selector. The result of this change is better overall reel ingress protection from debris. I would like to add some personal experience, in that I've experienced more angling grief from a too tight drag setting than having the drag on the lighter tension setting. Just say'in.. Cheers!

Greetings All, Some great catching fun in the SE AZ sunshine. There was plenty of both catching and sunshine at Parker Canyon Lake. I managed to get a full day of angling adventures in my kayak working the shoreline to find all sorts of fun from bluegills, green sunfish, and large mouth bass. All fish were caught within 15 feet of the shoreline. Yes, I tried a few submerged reefs with no response, so we'll come back another time to see how that goes once all the weeds get going. I did tease about the standing reeds for a few bass. It was a bit different for me to use a heavier rig with 8 pound mono from my typical 4 pound. Still all said and done there were fish caught with all the rigs. I can't help but notice the trend of the larger quality fish caught on the 4 pound mono. The two most successful baits are the 2 inch curly tailed grub on 1/32 oz jig and a weedless short three inch worm. All three species took to those baits aggressively when presented near the shoreline and allowed to settle before moving. Most of the time within two seconds of entering the water the line would simply go tight and move off laterally. Simply wind down and help the rod load up to a modest bend. Those sharp fine wire hooks pin easily and generally stay that way as long as there is some bend held in the pole. While all fish on line are fun there are some that are additionally fun. I will say it is always a bit of an act to get a selfie with fish. There is the hot mess of managing the fish carefully. This time of year the fish are drying out as soon as they are out of the water, so to minimize the stress I keep them held in the water. That leave the other hand to position the phone on the front deck of the yak so a self timer shot is possible. Then there is getting the yak in a reasonable position with all that bright AZ sunshine. It is very exciting to eventually get everything set to trigger the self timer and hope the fish cooperates with the pose. Even with all that fussing about it was so much fun catching so many throughout the day and pretty much everywhere. It was also good to meet up with some very nice folks on the water too. The post holiday visitors were all very polite and cordial. I provided some encouragement that helped a few folks get on fish. Plenty of catching fun to share with all. We have to make the most of this short widow before the real heat sets in. There after it becomes a safety gamble as our seasonal monsoons get going and the storms are no joke dangerous. You would rather not be out on the water during monsoon without access to safe harbor. So get out there have a great time catching while the catching is GREAT! Be well and Cheers!

Greetings and Happy Friday All, Interesting I never really put that much thought to it before. I realized that I did remove the plastic / shrink wrap after I got the fishing rod home and tested it out a bit to confirm I'm keeping it. Recently I had purchased several of the Walmart OTX split handled spinning rods. I only removed the plastic shrink wrap from the portion I have direct contact with. The small cork fore-end and butt end segment are still shrink wrapped. I'm not really concerned or motivated to act on it. Although I may eventually remove them too. I have only just recently added a few split handled rods to my collection so it is a 'new' thing to me. I understand the intent is to lower the over weight. So far they are comfortable to use. So there you have another view point on the matter. Be well, Cheers!

Greetings and Happy Friday All, Some very good points being contributed by all. Tom, awesome point about stretching weakening the line. I offer a basic option that has helped in the past when having to deal with lower quality fishing line. A simple soaking of the line in some water for a bit contributes some relaxation from the line soaking up moisture. Here in Arizona it is easily "warm" water just by a few minutes exposure. Much more exposure than that results in everything simply drying out. It usually doesn't take much water. Better if you are able to dunk all the line in water. Still if all you can do is simply expose it to some water that can improve things. I was out angling with friends where one of them purchased a rod with reel combo at the store to join in on the fun. Things were not running smoothly in the spincast rig. So the front cap was removed so we were able to dribble some lake water just on the spooled line. About 30 seconds or so of running some water on the line and then buttoning up things. The line soaked up moisture and relaxed enough to vastly improve casting quality. Usually a good sign when there is a smile as feedback. Oh by the way, the line eventually got stretched some by catching fish too. Be well, cheers!

Greetings All, I noticed this on several of the Walmart OTX spinning rods. I purchased several of different lengths. During the pre-purchase inspection I noticed the offset line guide inserts. Since they all appeared consistent with the other similar units I rationalized it was not a significant finding. That was a couple of years ago and all of those fishing rods have provided good performance in managing a good deal of fish catching. Recently I found some new OTX offerings in ultra lite action and shorter in length too. Those also have offset line guide inserts too. Since my personal experience has shown no factor or issues I was not reluctant to purchase. I did still perform a critical pre-purchase examination to assure everything looked in order. As always your mileage may vary. If the insert is solidly inserted you may find it is a non-issue. Most retailers will honor an exchange without too much fuss. Good luck, and be well. Cheers!

Greetings All, Angling in SE Arizona is challenging. First off it is mostly desert, so finding water with fish is difficult. Most of the regional angling destinations require at least an hour transit time. My personal limit is about 3 hours for a day trip. That amount of travel will get me there with a reasonable amount of time for proper goofing off before having to get back on the road. I just posted my recent "keeper" catch in the latest catch thread from my almost 200 mile adventure to Copper Sky park in Maricopa Arizona to taunt bass there. It makes for a comfortably full day. Nice that when you arrive you're able to simply enjoy catching fish. Yes, the family friend, our beloved old pickup has rolled over 200k miles for many such adventures. It doesn't seem to be too worse for the wear. Much beyond that three hour transit will require an overnight stay as it becomes quickly too much to handle in order to stay safe driving all that way and still be able to enjoy properly and not be too tired for the return trip. It is very unfortunate to see all the incidents on the freeways and highways. I'd rather not add to the statistics. Let's have a good time finding all those angling adventures but let's be careful out there too. Cheers!

Greetings All, Hoping each of you are well and enjoying the extended Holiday weekend. I had an opportunity to travel to Copper Sky park in Maricopa AZ for another go at fishing the lake (pond) there. A few hours of good angling fun catching bass all about the small body of water. As I worked the shoreline around the entire lake I eventually ended up to where the wind was blowing directly at me. That turned out to be a good thing in several ways. The floating debris collected against the shore and provided some cover with shade from the AZ sun. Something both anglers and fish appreciate where available. As I'm working the floating mat of reeds I notice something bobbing towards me in the water that is not plant debris. It turned out to be a ghost crankbait adrift. A few precision casts to encourage it in a better direction and I was eventually able to reach it. Nice! Other than some exposure issues the bait looked to be in good usable shape. It just needed some cleaning. Poking about the reeds a bit more I found a couple of interested bass before finding another large billed crank bait. The visit was great! I caught a lot of nice sized bass that were great fun to experience on-line. I also came home with these two keepers. The blue one in on the left has a chatter bait styled hinged bill. I'm not familiar with using crank baits as I'm typically a recreational ultra lite soft plastic angler. Over the years I've harvested a large number of abandoned crank baits so I'm going to have to make an effort to learn how to use them. I'll get these cleaned up and eventually give them a try. Cheers!

Greetings All, I have been exploring it as a direct connection, or as I know it as a terminal connection, attaching line to lure (bait). While it has holding strength = slow pull, gradual tension increase. It does not appear to deal with shock loading = rapid tension spike. This is the similar issue I explored with the palomar knot too. I found it great for holding strength, not so good with shock loading. Note this is through years of using the knot with mono filament from 2 - 10 pound range. Especially when jig fishing you'd set the hook and pop, sadness. Through additional testing and field use this is why currently the doubled Uni knot is my preferred knot. < The doubled Uni is a direct line to bait connection.> Basically a Uni knot with line doubled through the eye of the hook. In my case I found that using a minimum of three wraps is usually good enough. It is my understanding that the "double" uni is what is known as a line to line connection. I hope that clarifies the labels / naming. My supporting evidence from this past weekend's use of the doubled Uni knot to secure a soft plastic bait. A four pound large mouth bass on an ultra lite rig with four pound mono. I really appreciate field testing. Cheers!

Greetings All, I am taking a moment to share a recent experience visiting and angling at Sahuarita Lake. The city of Sahuarita is south of Tucson by a short drive on I-19. This urban lake is part of the Sahuarita park system. The lake and park are well tended with frequent stocking by the AZ Game and Fish Community Water program. During the warm weather months catfish are stocked. In the cooler months trout are stocked. It is a wonderful city park and should be enjoyed if you are in the area. I happened to be running some errands in the Tucson area so after concluding my responsibilities there was time remaining to taunt some fish before heading home. The lake perimeter has a lovely sidewalk with benches and tables available. Temperatures there can be difficult to deal with for those not prepared or familiar so keep that in mind for your visit. Since my visit was short and associated to other activities I only brought basic angling gear. I was successful in finding a few fish to connect with using soft plastics. While the lake does not have many obstructions there are enough reasons to use weedless configurations rather than open hooks. Here are a couple of the bass from that angling adventure to share. I'm holding to my opinion that any fish on line is good. These and the others that I found were great fun "on-line". Be well, and Cheers!

Greetings All, I have an update now that I've gathered some field testing over the weekend. I have found the shock load capability of the doubled double Davy to be less than that of the doubled Uni knot. Over the weekend I was out taunting fish of different species and sizes while using weedless soft plastic baits one rig was secured using the doubled double Davy and the other using the doubled Uni. Throughout the day I was catching fish all along the shoreline using both rigs interchange frequently. I managed to connect with something sizeable and added tension when I responded to a fish swimming with the soft plastic bait. I didn't have an exceptional amount of tension but the connection broke and it was on the line using the doubled double Davy knot. Not an encouraging experience, still a data point. I intend to continue to test the knot but it does appear to have limitations below what I had hoped for. BTW, I did post a photo in the recent catches thread showing the four pound large mouth bass caught on the other rig just after breaking off. Seeing the performance of the doubled Uni with the four pound mono filament is impressive considering what that four pound bass put me through to get it to the net. Best fishes all, Cheers!

Greetings All, A weekend of extreme angling, let me explain. First, I was teasing blugills using my fly rod at a recently refurbished local pond. The bluegill are potato chip sized and are great fun when teased using the "fish whip". Besides I'm grateful for the practice too. I manage to place the fly next to a small stand of reeds and I see a flash with the tension on line. Tiny and mighty! The next day I'm cleared for a full day of goofing off angling. We are having lovely weather here in SE AZ with temps in the mid 80s. I enjoyed the entire day catching all sorts of fish all along the shorelines. I realized when doing a time check that it was later in the afternoon and that I would need to be departing. OK, there is just one more cove to explore. My weedless soft plastic landed near the base of a flooded tree. Instantly the line tensioned and was peeling from the reel with drag screaming loud. Wow, what have I found?! Of course the fish took the line across the trunk and over past the other side of the tree. I'm in total "Hot Mess" mode as the kayak is being dragged into the tree branches and I'm still struggling to keep the ultra light rig with four pound monofilament clear of snags. Since one hand was committed to the rod tension, the other hand was paddling and cranking the reel when possible or simply dodging branches. If that were not enough drama and stress I could feel the angle change on the tight line, this fish was going to clear water. Yup! It did on the far side of the tree, a good size bass, very strong. I simply was not sure this was going to end well for me. As I'm thinking that the fish changed things up and began to swim right back towards me. It didn't stop till it got to the other side of yak and was hauling me out toward the cove opening and deep water. OH golly, there may be a happy ending. The fish eventually relaxed some and I was able to convince it closer to the kayak. Normally I would have my full sized landing net when in the yak. However, someone was eager to go fishing so my backpack still had the very portable livewell net that I use when shore fishing, awe that should do just fine, right? It mostly fit. A nice way to end the day with a four pound bass in hand. So glad the line and knot held. It was also a great test of the Walmart OTX UL 5.0 foot one piece spinning rod, yes it passed my test. Lessons learned: > Remain calm no matter what happens. > Always fish that last cove of the day! > Use good line with a good knot. > OH and bring enough landing net too. Best fishes to all, be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, I typically use a doubled Uni knot for my ultra lite, 4 pound mono, terminal connections with great success. That knot has demonstrated some impressive performance and helpful virtues to me in my many years of recreational angling. However, when I'm using a fish whip, fly rod, I use the Davy knot. Mainly because in creating the Davy knot I am able to minimize or eliminate line waste. The Davy Knot allows a proficient fabricator to tie the complete knot without the need to trim an excessive remaining tag end. Here in SE AZ I'm not typically expecting very sizeable fish when I'm using a fish whip, so the Davy knot is appropriate for the application and is quick, easy on me, and doesn't consume much leader material to tie. I have also used the Davy and double Davy on traditional spinning reel applications for UL bass, panfish, and trout applications too with good success for low tension load applications. I recently did a more focused investigation of the Davy knot using it on different sizes of mono and braid. I would like to share some of the findings. The Davy knot did reasonably well on the different types of mono I tried. Casually comparing the holding strength between the Davy and my typical doubled Uni showed the better holding power of the doubled line advantage. The Davy is not recommended for use with braid. However, using the double Davy the braid results are positive. I did not experience any knot slips when employing the double Davy with braid. There are plenty of internet references on how to properly tie a double Davy knot. It is simply an additional line wrap step to encircle, cinching, the other line aspect of the Davy which prevents knot slip with braid. I realized I should consider examining the doubled double Davy on mono both for the slip resistance and also the doubled line terminal connection qualities. My initial results have been encouraging. My interpretation of the doubled double Davy knot is simply an initial doubling of the main line through your terminal connection, then simply use that doubled main line to fabricate a double Davy knot. Hence the doubled double Davy knot. The doubled double Davy had similar strength compared to the doubled Uni knot and was faster and easier to fabricate. Also a favorable quality is the ability to gracefully cinch the knot minimizing line friction until the knot properly collapses together. Again just sharing my initial findings. I hope to put this information through actual field use. Just another excuse to make time to go fishing / catching! My hope is to confirm both the holding strength along with the shock load ability for a good comparison of the doubled Uni and the doubled double Davy. It was both the holding strength with high shock load resistance that compelled me to use the doubled Uni over other popular knots. Hopefully later on this year I'll be able to share additional findings. Best fishes and Cheers!

Greetings All, OK, life has been busy so I regret the delayed response. Here is one of the many that were caught in the Mesa area canals. It is amazing how heavy they are. I only grabbed a convenient photo that showed the $10 spinning rig next to the tilapia. The strike is similar to that of a bass taking the curly tailed grub on the jig head. No special technique other than to cast diagonally across the canal. Allow a couple of seconds for the bait to settle before beginning a casual drag or sort of slow retrieve. Just enough movement for some curly tail action. The struggle is more like that of catfish and carp, just kind of a protracted freight train moving out that you happened to snag along the way. Very determined and spirited. Typically I refrain from laying fish down on any surface, these were a bit heavy and required extra effort to carefully manage them. Also since I did not bring a net, it was a straight line lift out of the canal so I could clear the hook. So glad the line and knot held throughout the day. This particular one flopped off the line as I was reaching for it to clear the hook. I took the opportunity for a quick photo before putting it back in. I did not realize they would strike a soft plastic. So when I caught the first one I thought it was random chance. Then after a while I was catching them frequently. You do have to look carefully as there are bits of debris in the canal that are snag hazards. Also there are a few access points where you can better reach the fish with less risk of falling in. It is recommended to simply use a long handled net for this type of angling adventure just to keep everyone safe. The Wally World OT brand provided a very good value with reasonable quality to properly handle the canal tilapia and bass. Happy to say I got my money's worth on this bit of kit. I very much enjoyed the experience and opportunity when I'm up in the Valley of The Sun. If you do see this type of adventure realize the intense sun is a real concern so prepare appropriately. Let's be careful out there! Best fishes, and Cheers!