Fishing_Rod

Greetings All, Interesting questions. Biggest fish in the lake/pond caught by me, probably not. I have caught a number of better than typical sized fish. I can say that based on the fish I have caught at the various locations. Here in Southern AZ there are only so many places available in the high desert. I've done a good deal of angling since the 1970s. That catch data collected over time has provided me a reasonable profile what I consider "typical". I am grateful for catching fish during most of my angling adventures. Each one on-line is a gift with some that are more special. Using ultra lite gear helps me with the catching. It simply provides more opportunity for strikes. I've found fish are generally more inclined to have a go at a smaller bait, presented in a more relaxed fashion. The waters here are usually quite murky so I don't get the benefit of "seeing" the fish. Also I'm a basic austere angler. Just the basic fish rod with tackle, no electronics, no electronic propulsion or mechanical advantage when I'm using the kayak. I'm simply enjoying the adventure of casting and discovering as I go. That methodology is working well for me so I've got no motivation to make dramatic changes. Now your mileage may vary. So approach angling in a way suited to your aspirations and objective. Yeah, I'm pretty happy with all the catches. I've got photo and video evidence of the typical catches along with some of the better than typical ones. All are smile generating. Best of luck to each of you in finding that local beast! Just be sure to take some good photos. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, I'm hoping each of you are well. Boulders, yes, rocks of all sizes and shapes out here in Arizona's water impoundments. Depending on which one you are at there may or may not be much in the way of vegetation. In my region of Southern, central and eastern, Arizona the fish in and about the "boulders", rocks, rubble, are usually willing to play. Knowledge of the area is helpful for picking and avoiding loss of lures / baits. I've had good success using faster moving baits occasionally. Usually when the coast is clear as those six treble hooks can really latch on to the rocks. More often I'll be scuffing the rocks using slower baits, mostly rigged weedless. Hopping or dragging are both productive. Choosing style for me depends on how much coffee for the day is involved. All kidding aside, slow and easy works wonders if you're able and willing. It appears to provide maximum opportunity for a strike. I'm usually not probing too deep. I generally fish 30 feet or less. I can make a reasonable cast either from shore or kayak and I don't have to wait too long for the light bait, 1/64 to 1/16 oz, to flutter down and eventually be able to work along the bottom. When in the yak, conditions may not allow for using the lighter configurations so it is more the 1/16 oz. The advantage is when things do bind up usually a position adjustment in the yak is all that is needed to pop free and continue searching. Using the lightest weight from the shore also minimizes the snag hazard too. Here is AZ it is a "Rock On!" theme for angling success. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, Helpful information with emphasis on safety! Bravo, well done. Here in Arizona we have elevated temps recently, even in the higher desert elevations of 4600 feet we were at 106 F the other day. Plenty warm for this location. It was much hotter in the metro areas such as PHX and TUS. Sufficient hydration is important year round and is critical when the heat index is severe. Always prepare appropriately, let's be careful out there. Take care for yourself and others with you. Keep a keen awareness for indicators of distress and don't wait to address them. The fish will not mind if you wait till conditions are more favorable to play! Because the majority of the SW has experienced a large number of wildfire emergencies we have seen a number of sources of canned water as part of the emergency supplies provided. Breweries and soda suppliers have all converted their operations to provide portable water in their typical beverage containers. I will have 3 liters of water to enjoy via hydration bag when goofing around taunting fish. More is available as needed. We are fortunate that the low humidity makes for effective evap cooling. So a frequent dousing of your garments (hat, shirt) can go a long way in managing some of the heat. Let's be careful out there! Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, Interesting comments! Keep them going. I'll toss in $0.02 worth (I hope). Over the years of angling adventures I've found more success when using baits from 1- 3 inches in overall length. I'm just a recreational angler and pretty much always using Ultra Lite gear. That size of bait package presents something that fits easily in most fish mouths where there is access to the hook point. It is just a higher percentage of having the hook contacting something fishy. I realized one time when angling where there was actually clear water to see the strike that I was the one ripping the baits. A fish would grab the larger bait but not have the hook point presented. I would feel the activity and haul back with tension. Well that soft plastic is not going to withstand that level of tension, so it rips. That reasoning led me to simply using bait presentations that are 4 inches or smaller. Since that epiphany I started paying more attention to the overall bait size. One summer I did tests at the regional waters where I would use a 3 inch Yum dinger and a 4 inch Yum dinger on the two fishing rigs. I caught fish using both configured weedless. I did catch more and larger fish on the 3 inch. The other benefit realized is the 3 inch did not get mangled as much as the 4 inch. Of course it could also be attributed the 3 inch Yum dingers are smaller in diameter too. Hey, just all observations. Your mileage may vary... Yes, most all the baits I use are in the 2 - 3 inch overall size just to make sure that hook point is presented in a higher probability of connecting. Keep taunting those fish! Be well, and cheers!

Greetings All, @casts_by_fly Bravo! Glad to see your successful ambitions realized. Well Done! Thank You for sharing your story with results. I've found this approach to be consistently successful for me. I find it is very comfortable in catching fish and also for a full day of angling adventures the overall lighter weight gear is easier on me too! Wishing you and others continued angling success! Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, My angling adventures are more ad hoc in nature. First question is do I have enough time to go fishing? Then it is based on the decision, is it too windy to be on the water? In general I aspire to keep things reasonably simple and portable either way. So no real physical check lists, I do what I can to live in the moment and keep a focus on what I'm doing. So it is a mental verification. When all looks well and good, then let's go! Be well, and cheers!

Greetings All, Interesting question. Fantastic answers provided. I aspire to address both quantity and quality with every adventure. I’m happy just to be “on-line” with any fish that is interested. This past week has been wonderful pre-retirement training. It was great to be out at the regional waters when it was not a weekend or holiday. As such I believe that contributed to my success with both quantity and quality. In the case of catching there were plenty of mutli-species action the ultra-lite rods were bending and drag was screaming. All good in my book. Even with all that fun there were several better than typical bass over 17 inches on the UL gear with the 4 pound mono stretched out via some dramatic and energetic fish struggles. Of course there were the obligatory branch, rock, and weed snags to deal with as drama enhancements. It was interesting to be fishing during non-typical times and conditions for me. I’m happy to say I had all this fun at several urban parks along with my local high desert reservoir. I’ve posted some of the adventures with photos in the Western Bass Fishing section. Please keep in mind the regional context for better than typical sized fish. Yeah, I’d like to experience quantity and quality catching in other regions too, someday! Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, This is just a continued adventure that I'm living. I had to be up in Tucson to meet up with my MD to review my health situation. I'm happy to report I am stable and possibly on the edge of improvement. Well, with the early morning MD visit concluded in a good way, it was a touch too early for lunch, so a quick shopping trip at Sportsman's Warehouse was in order. After that a yummy bowl of ramen noodles! Yay! Chopstick licking good, aye! Now I still had my yak secured in the back of the ole pickup truck. With a full belly and 3 liters of water I was ready to get in some urban angling at Chuck Ford Lakeside park. I had never kayaked on that lake before. I did confirm it is basically a large shallow lake, possibly 15 feet at the deepest. By dropping my anchor are various locations I was able to get an ideal of the lake features. I've got an understanding where there is a harder bottom versus the silty muddy areas. Now for a good portion of the first hour I was seriously thinking I was going to write this adventure in the books as a total skunk! I had gradually worked my way to about halfway around the lake in a counter clockwise pattern. No real worries as there were about 3 anglers at the entire lake so it was easy to avoid any encroachment concerns. I was on the east side of the lake when I got a text from my supervisor. Hey, I'm on leave! That sort of soured my mood for the moment. Oh well, nothing I can do about it till I get back to a computer. By this time I was over on the east side of the lake and working the shorelines, cast after cast. Then out of the blue the cast had settled and I felt this odd resistance. It was like more than the drag from the silty mud in that portion of the lake. I paused for a moment and watched the line and the tip of the rod. There was this very slight movement. I wasn't really sure if it was a fish or just my yak moving from the breeze. I gave the rig a bit more tension and then I noticed the tip pulse, OH Yeah! No skunk today! In short order I caught four bass ranging from 1.5 lbs and smaller. Plenty of good fun on the ultra lite gear. I was feeling much better and continued to deal with the tripple digit heat of full sun. A wet hat his comforting. Drinking plenty of water is helpful too. I got about three quarters of my way around the lake when I made a long cast paralleling along the shoreline of a sort of cove. The bait settled quickly to the bottom and I was just starting to pickup line when I felt serous resistance. It is unusual to snag a weedless worm. It does happen. Lakeside is a an urban lake and pretty devoid of most snags. I can usually use an exposed hook jig without too much fuss. I started to lift the rod and add more tension to see if I could free it from what ever it was caught on. Well, what it was caught on did not like getting poked! I've talked about how when you hook a big fish it is very different in struggle behavior when compared to smaller fish. There was no influencing this fish using my UL gear with 4 pound mono. It was just time to buckle up and enjoy the multi-minute ride. It was roughly 10 minutes before I could even see what it was. It was just sliding the yak easily along for those few minutes. I'm glad the wind was not complicating things for me as I was holding frequently at close to max tension, especially when there were the incredible strong surges. Oh, and I was not anchored either. I did manage to get it eventually into the net, it was kinda cramped in the net. Yeah, this is a much larger than the typical large mouth bass from lakeside. What a beauty! 20 ish inches in overall length and it was a pudge, heavy. A pretty massive jaw bone too. The hook did not penetrate the bass' upper crusher. However the sharp hook was simply snagged on the crusher plate and held firm. When I got my hands on a the bass to remove the bait, all that was needed was to simply release tension and give the bait a touch along with gravity, it fell to the back of the bass' throat where I could simply lift it out from there. Yes, being held by just a snag on a hard spot for several minutes and quite a few direction changes too! That is a great rig, good quality drag, better than typical knot (Toit knot), 4 pound mono, and a fantastic hook! OK plenty of good fortune too! YEAH BOY! What a total HOOT! Not today skunk, not today! Hee, hee! Be well, and Cheers!

Greetings All, I hope each of you are well over this extended holiday weekend. I managed to make the short run up to Tuscon for some fishing because the winds were not friendly enough to be on the water. Nothing like red flag conditions and being out in the wild lands during a holiday weekend with all the recklessness going on. Not too many folks want to take on being out in full sun at almost triple digit weather. So there is something to be said about finding an easy fishing spot at the urban waters with those conditions. This is the case of being at the right place at the right moment with the right gear. Being the ultra lite guy I am having a great smooth drag is extremely important. Using 4 pound mono there is very little tolerance for errors. One of the reasons I have had such a rough time finding decent reels at a good price point. Many of the reels these days come with carbon fiber drags which have terrible qualities for UL fishing. Most anglers are not using UL techniques so that type of drag is better suited for those applications. Me, I'll take a smooth drag with fine adjustments. I recently found a $16 Okuma reel that is very light in weight, has oiled felt drag disks and comes in 1000 size. It also has a large diameter line roller too. At that price point I purchased several of them. I loaded them with fresh line using the sock method. I got them put on the rods just before heading out to Tucson. I arrived at Chuck Ford Lakeside park about mid morning. I initially was tossing about the 1/32 oz grub on a jig and caught a few smaller, 12 inch or less, bass while working the shoreline. Most of the shoreline has no shade and not many features either so you have to cast about to find the different areas which hold fish. After about 20 minutes I migrated over to a steep section and changed over to one of the rigs that I had a weedless worm tied on. Since this was a first cast with the new line and new reel I didn't quite know what to expect. The line and lure sailed out easily with the modest effort cast, which turned out to be a pretty long bomb cast with assistance of the wind. As I was watching the line settle on the water it immediately started to tension. I only got the bail closed before the rod started to bend and the lightly set drag slipped and screamed. WOW! First cast with the new reel and first fish too! My initial suspicion was I tied into a channel catfish as this was heavy and strong based on the long pulls and relentless struggle. A lot of line peeled before I even was able to gain any back. It was very much like watching one of those salt water angling sessions where you know you are connected and you are simply there for the ride as you've got no leverage in the matter until the fish relents. So I simply enjoyed the moment. It turned into a protracted moment as the fish was in no hurry to see me. I was OK with that but I've got to admit the excitement was pretty high. All I knew was it was strong and most likely larger than typical. Yup! It was. What a HOOT! Yes, the catching is pretty good right now. Most of them are not this size as this is larger than typical. It is crazy hot out there right now. Please be sure to take precautions if you do go. I worked through 3 liters of water in the time I was out there. Having that hydration bladder is wonderful as it allows for easy water access as you need during the day. Good gear (soft plastics, knot, line, reel, rod), and good fortune all make for a special moment! Be well and Cheers!

A Memorial Tribute to a Dear Uncle This is a tribute with a fish story. My dear uncle passed at the end of 2023. I miss him as I do all my other departed family members. He lived a full life and was full of life too! We had many opportunities to talk about it too. Both of us are first generation immigrants and each of us came from very different areas of the world. He was fluent in so many languages it was difficult to count them all. Fortunately we managed to share a few common languages. He has a mastery of each of those languages, me I just understand basic vocabulary and rudimentary grammar. I’m still working to improve my English (American). It was always fun to sort though all the cultural references when we talked. Angling was a common pastime for both of us. We shared many angling stories during our time together when visiting for holidays and other occasions. He is the only one on my wife's side of the family that goes fishing. His wife recently bestowed me with his fishing gear. The collection is modest and I am grateful to have meaningful tokens from him. He was mainly an urban angler and he would often try for the stocked fish in the metro area’s lake parks. Mostly his equipment was geared for the large catfish. As I was adding the gear to my equipment I noticed a single 5.5 foot graphite rod. It was an earlier generation Quantum graphite rod. Hey, this is much like the current Quantum graphite rod I use for my Ultra Lite angling. This is a much stiffer rod with more power than what I use. As luck would have the next day presented me an opportunity to spend the afternoon out at Parker Canyon Lake. So I found one of my spare spinning reels to mount on it and we went fishing with it. Since it was just after Memorial Day, most of the crowds had departed and I had a nice afternoon to remember and honor my dear uncle by using his fishing rod. Here is the first fish that was willing to play on this revered fishing rig. A novel bass catch as the lake is current full of many active small bass about the entire lake. As I was being blown about with the modest winds I managed to position my kayak in the proper direction to make a decent cast towards a cluster of large rocks at the water’s edge. Well, I am so glad that pole provided me additional power to manage this bass. I felt the very lite bite as I quickly added tension as a response. I didn’t not expect the rod to stop in mid swing and the drag to scream! Wow, ultra lite thrills on 4 pound mono. Dear uncle(s) definitely helped out with this one! This time of year is great fun as the fish catching is pretty good. All the species are willing to play as long as you do your part to present them an opportunity. The day even concluded with another better than typical bass. I managed to find this one on the way to boat launch. What a great way to conclude the day remembering and honoring dear uncle. I am eternally grateful for the kindness that all my dear departed uncles have bestowed to me. As I have wished for them and each of you, Best Fishes! Be well, and Cheers!

Greetings All, Yes, the overall weight of the system (rod and reel) does influence the response of the signals. The signals, vibrations, are essentially some level of movement. A heavier system, more mass, will have more inertia needed to get it moving. @MN Fisher identifies his approach to lowering that overall system weight. I use a similar theme favoring 1000 or 500 sized spinning reels for my ultra lite gear. I will point out there is a significant weight difference even between reels of the similar sizes. The build materials influence that overall weight. So have a good time shopping and comparing the different offerings to find what best suites your needs. The lighter weight rigs are kinder to my arms and hands throughout a day of angling. I’m doing what I can to recreate with minimal effort. Yeah, I don’t want to work that hard to goof off. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, I appreciate all the information shared on this thread. I just wanted to add that I recently stopped in at Sportsman's Warehouse just to look at their newest Tucson store. Nice that it is a bit closer to me than the older one on the far west side. While there I happened to find an Okuma ultra lite combo for about $60. It is their Cellio rod with an Aria A spinning reel. A quick addition of some 4 pound mono and we tried it out at the local park lake with good results. The little 1000 sized reel is a nice light weight pairing to the very light weight rod. Using it for several hours was not an issue and very pleasant. The reel is not sophisticated but it does have an outstanding drag. It has very nice adjustment qualities and even better release characteristics, especially for Ultra Lite application where a quality drag is very helpful. The drag is very consistent in operation with a good startup, meaning it doesn't take a huge amount of effort to get things moving and when they do move it remains predictable with a consistent level of slipping. Lower quality drag components take a huge effort to get moving then slip like crazy once things are moving, where they no longer maintain that predicable level of resistance. The little reel does have some amount of movement before the anti-reverse grabs. This is not an issue for me but it may be important for some. The few bass (roughly 1.5 lbs) and catfish (approx 2.5 lbs) that were caught on it did not provide any negative feedback regarding the quality of the rig. It put a good bend on the rod with some healthy tension on the reel. So far so good. Continuing with the evaluation. Best wishes to each of you, be well, and Cheers!

Greetings All, Very interesting reading. Thank You all for sharing your perspectives. I'll toss in my $0.02 on the matter. Yes, there are significant issues with inconsiderate people. Some are ignorant, all are irritating. It is a challenge to maintain an "even keel". After all I am out to there to have fun. I do what I can to simply let it pass or I'll go find a better location away from them. Yes, that is additional effort on my part. It is adds to the frustration when it happens as I figure out the fish catching solution. So it goes, I'm there to untie knots, metaphorically, rather than add to my knots. @ol'crickety and others that use smaller watercraft. When the conditions allow, I'm typically using a simple 10 foot sit in kayak with a few bits of gear. It is under 50 lbs so it travels well and is not a big fuss in and out of the truck bed. A few minutes with the ratchet straps and all is well. There are those moments to muse about a bigger boat? Naawh, the simple elegance with ease is very nice. It keeps with the theme of simply enjoying catching fish. Here in Southern AZ the weekend forecast shows some areas possibly seeing 100F, so the outdoor recreation drive will be kicking in. As a recreational angler that means time to seek those coves and weedy areas to avoid the crowds and possibly taunt some fish. I do what I can to keep a healthy perspective with a focus on that precious quality time. The rest of it is "noise", for me it is better to tune it out, even better if I don't have to listen to it either. Wishing each of you well and wonderful angling adventures. Cheers!

Greetings All, I realized this bit of marketing information may help to support an opinion on the merits of different colors. Notice the label used as a description for each variation of line color. I hope this helps. Be well, and Cheers!

Greetings All, @MAN I have had a go at that Ozark Trail combo with very good results. I've had it for about a year or so and during that time it has connected on tilapia, bass, trout, and catfish with good results. The reel is a bit worn (noticeable gear grind, with increasing free play) as I've put it through the paces, it is ready to be examined closely and possibly serviced. The rod is in great shape, much like new. No issues with the line guides or such. The line that the rig comes with is usable, it is not all that supple and may be a concern for some. It did prove to be reasonably tough and resistant to some abrasion. I usually use lighter 1/16 oz - 1/8 oz baits with this rig and I'm sure with different line the handling and casting qualities would be different. Still, at $10 price point, it remains a great value. Especially if the ambition is to go fishing for a small investment. I bought several of these rigs as I was curious about them and they are a bargain too. Initially I intended to buy them for the just the fishing rod. My initial impression of the reel is just not what I'm accustomed to. The polymer spool, the quality of the drag, and the gear grind along with gracious internal tolerances. I figured it would be fun to give them a go. After purchasing them, I did decided to simply use it just as is. So for the better part of a full year, I simply used it where I could. Now in retrospect, they are a good value at a modest price with availability too for general purpose angling. I've managed to see them at pretty much all the stores in the region. It is a bit heavier overall than I generally use with my typical angling. The rod has a slower action than with the lighter weight graphite alternatives. It has been great for those canal angling adventures where you never quite know what you'll connect with. Be it small or very strong, this rig has handled it well. I managed to experience tilapia strength and endurance when canal angling using this rig. Between the tilapia and catfish I was not sure which would be the first to spool me as I needed to walk along the canals to manage the struggle. The reel's drag is better suited to that type of larger fish on heavier line. Probably not so good if you need a smoother drag when using lighter line. That is better suited by another reel at a higher quality build level. It was also rather nice for trout during the cold weather months when used with spoons and lures. The slow rod action worked well for those dramatic and dynamic trout strikes with in-line spinners. The rod flex helped keep things on-line. Glad you brought it up. I figured I'd add about $0.02 worth of experience with it to share with others. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, @Motoboss The drag on my newish lower cost, less than $85, BFS reel did rather well recently when I managed to hook up on a channel catfish. It is the only bait cast reel I have that has a click drag, you can hear a slight click when the drag releases. I got to hear that muted clicking while connected to the catfish. The drag was smooth in operation, it did not surge like many of the carbon disk type drags usually are known for. Some of my spinning reels with carbon disk drags have a very high startup required to get them to slip. Once they slip, then they exhibit the surging, stuttering. Probably not too much of an issue when using stronger line where you have a bit more tolerance. The UL configuration with the 4 pound mono has enough drama for me. So I prefer a more consistent performing drag. I'm happy to see this reel did well. I am continuing my search for a fish that will really put the drag to more extensive test! I use 4 pound mono so I usually don't have much on the drag setting. Generally I'm not needing to apply a lot of leverage. There is only so much that is practical on a UL configuration. Many of the locations I fish at don't have a huge amount of snag hazards. I'm hoping you get to test your configuration with great success. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, I'm typing out an update as I recently had the opportunity to drive back to the "Valley of The Sun". Arizona has been going through the traditional spring seasonal weather patterns passing across the area, usually resulting in high winds. Keeping me off the water, too much paddling not as much catching. I used the recent weekend to drive up to the area BassPro store and purchase a "Rod Runner", a fishing rod caddy. I'd been contemplating one for some time and realized they are available through BP. It though it would be handy to have an use when angling from shore. This was just another reason to go and try it out. Fortunately there are plenty of canals right there near the BP store, literally minutes away from the checkout register. And then when using a different rig, which was very handy because of the new caddy. Now I've got a more convenient way to enjoy strolling and casting! It should be very helpful for those urban angling adventures when wind keeps me from kayaking. OH, it is spring time in AZ, yes you can feel the heat in the full sun. This is with a temperature drop due to the weather system passing through. "It is a dry heat, though." Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, If time and motivation allow, "Go Fishing!". That would be my response as an answer. We have had that situation here in the desert SW frequently recently. With the various storms moving though we've had plenty of temperature swings. We are trending warmer and the fish catching is good. If you can, have a go at them, you may find some very willing and interesting reactions! Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, Currently I am just using mono. It satisfies all my needs for recreational ultra lite angling. I typically use 4 pound mono for small soft plastic presentations. Finesse angling works well with the qualities of mono of the lower cost bulk mono available at many of the large retailers. I'm typically not fishing any deeper than 25 feet. I have explored braid in the past and eventually returned to using mono. The cost and performance were concerns. Some of those concerns no longer are an issue for me as I've gained knowledge along the way, thanks in part to BassResource. Even with the additional information I am not compelled to go back to using braid simply based on cost and convenience. If things change I may consider it, for now mono works well for me. Obviously opinions will vary and you can decide based on what you hold as important qualities for your angling style. I will share that back when nanofil was introduced, I tried it with reasonably good success. I did have to realize the slip factor both on the spool connection and terminal knots. I did not identify that there were issues of fish being shy about striking a lure directly connected to the braid. Presentations to trout and bass on clear waters, streams and lakes, were successful. I also explored using it as a fly line leader / tipet. Back then there were only two colors available a darkish brown and uncolored white. Tried them both and found similar fish catching success so I didn't realize any significant different in fish catching. I have not tried or been compelled to try fluorocarbon lines. I usually don't use a leader, except in the case of fly fishing. Also the cost and concerns with spooling on spinning gear. I also simply prefer not having another in-line knot to contend with. While it may be fun to explore, I've not found a reason to with the current information available and how it applies to my style of UL recreational angling. Just my $ 0.02 tossed in for consideration. Be well, and Cheers!

Those are some great meals! Bravo and Yum!

Hi @bulldog1935 and et al., Yes, do it again, only better, right? I'm getting it sorted out. Now I just make sure to tuck in the paddle rather than having it just laying across my lap. Live and learn. Oh, so ready for the weekend to get here as I'm stuck dealing with document purgatory... Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, Just casting till it turns into catching. Yup, when there is a catch, that is a data point. Repeat for several decades. I'm just recreating so I deliberately keep it all at a very basic level. No electronics, just out having a good time taunting fish. Over time the data points help establish opinions on more favorable location(s) for catching. Plenty of tools available to help your ambitions if that is what you seek. That does add to overall cost and complexity. You can decide what supports your objective(s). I hope you have fun with it all. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, Thank You to each of you for the helpful and interesting contributions on this thread. Good information to know especially as I am only just beginning to develop an understanding of bait cast reel operations and use. Yes, a relative new guy at this along with BFS too. I trying to develop the ability to cast those lighter weight bait packages using either the BFS or a traditional bait cast configuration. So far I'm doing, OK. I'm at that learning phase where there is a very deliberate and diligent approach most of the time. I still have those occasional "moments". The other weekend when the wind wasn't blowing at such a crazy level, I managed to get on the water and use the BFS for a bit. Things were going reasonably well as the spring activity level is quite high. Then during a moment of indiscretion I set up for a low angle side cast hoping to put the soft plastic in the right spot next to an over hanging tree limb. Nope! Not going to happen when you manage to snag the bait on the end of your paddle. Oh bother... Just calmly set it aside, I'll fix it later. I'll just use the other fishing rigs available. During this "learning" phase I'm building a familiarity using mono. At some point when my comfort level supports it, I'll explore braid. Till that time I'm taking notes on the information from the group. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, Great information offered by all. I find it helpful and interesting. Much has been said about the challenges to "feel" or detect the bites. I concur. I usually fish with the low and slow theme. So I'm generally in contact with the line and there is some limited amount of tension. I usually use Ultra lite gear so I'm in the 1/32 oz or 1/16 oz range on 4 pound mono. If I'm not touching the line then I'm watching the line. Most of the time I'm doing both. I mentioned the limited line tension. Because I'm not using a really heavy bait package, the distant end it not significantly anchored by a heavy weight so the approach is to just actively monitor. Yes, this is really difficult in windy condition. When that happens, it is often time for a different approach or simply to use the 1/16 oz weight and hope for the best. At some point, before the fish rips the rod from me, I'll add some tension, even if I'm simply just testing the situation at the other end. Adding just enough input to see if I can feel anything. I try to do this with the goal of minimum movement of the bait. Most of the fish I catch are detected during a pause in movement. I'm sitting there looking for that response. Often it is signaled to me by the line (tap, twitch, or moving) or by seeing the tip of the rod flex (UL action is on the supple side and helpful for that bite detection). Using UL gear compels me to "wait for a reason" to do something. I'm not the kind that swings at "everything". I tried that approach years ago and it just didn't suit my style of recreational angling. I suspect that through angling experience you do develop an understanding when you identify a fish on line. Also because of the UL gear, it is more of sweep when I do get that reason to respond. I have no idea of how many missed opportunities I've experienced. I have on those occasions where I'm able to sight fish and the water was clear enough, noticed many times where I could see the fish pickup the bait but I was in no other way detecting the action. Those are the times where I'm using small weightless presentations. That is really challenging to maintain any kind of line tension when the bait is just sitting still. So I just make the most of what I've got. Usually I'm not reacting till I see or feel their response, they have been good at letting me know. Then it is all about the sharp hook, good knot, and maintaining reasonable line tension all while enjoying the ride. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, Using weedless soft plastics is a lot of fun for me. Yes, it does have a pretty good catch to cast ratio around the different waters here in SE AZ. That ranges from reservoirs, park lakes / ponds, and canals. I appreciate the lower fuss factor being weedless. Most of my time taunting fish is split between using a curly tailed grub on 1/16 or 1/32 oz jig or the weedless soft plastic ranging from weightless to 1/16 oz. The limited size and weight of the bait presentation results in more activity with fewer snags. The lighter weight does require a bit more time to get to depth, but it often is worth the wait. The slower drop appears to make it "approachable". I'm generally using it from 0 - 25 feet depths. I spend more time in the shallower range. Like tools, it is good to have and know how to use a variety. There are also some that have more utility than others too. Have a great time exploring the different angling tools and find the ones that provide more catching. Be well and Cheers!