Fishing_Rod

Greetings All, A bit less destructive comparison would be a simple drop test on a hard surface, say a concrete driveway. Tungsten being a bit harder will have more bounce when compared to a lead weight. I hope this helps. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, @ol'crickety Bravo, well done! Even better under the windy conditions and being medicated too. That is the angling spirit on display! Also Thank You for sharing the results of your effort too! Standing ovation! It is way more fun when the catching is good, fishing is fun, but catching is where I want to be. Here in the SW desert we have had our typical series of storms rolling through. The result is the weather takes some dramatic swings. Example: snow at elevations above 6k feet then a few days later we are into 80s. This past weekend is another example where there was at least a 10 degree change within a few days. Fortunately the warming trend is not to be ignored by the anglers or fish. The real challenge has been the winds and the timing. Usually when the weekend rolls around the winds crank up. So it is either not safe to be on the water, when the winds are above 15 mph, or you'll get more paddling in than casting. So it has been my motivation to drive up to Tucson and visit several of the parks with lakes. This past weekend, one of the lakes was hosting a sailboat competition practice session. So I got to see that first hand in person. The bass did not mind, as they were willing to play, even within a few meters of some events. Great to see you enjoying your passions with impressive results! Wishing more continued angling adventure success to you! Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, I occasionally seek and review different knots to try out with hopes of finding something that has all the qualities I’m seeking. Easy to tie under all field conditions (windy is really tough for complex tasks). I should not have to have a special tool to fabricate the knot. It should not take too long to assemble. It should be useful for light weight mono to support both my fly fishing and general ultra lite angling. Minimize wasted tag end line. This is helpful for all types of angling as there is less wasted line. It is important for fly fishing as I want to make the most of the leader material. Along the minimized tag end line waste, the ability to gracefully cinch the knot is a plus. Having the knot cinch together at close to the end minimizes the rub, line burn, effect. Recently I stumbled on what I believe is known as the Jansik special knot. It may be a variant of it. It basically starts out with a double loop through the eye of the hook similar to Berkeley trilene knot. From there it differs as you take the tag end and loop back along the one side of the inner loop created. So far in practice tying I’m running a doubled line through the eye of the hook, then using only three twists along that one side of the loop and main line. The result is a tag end that is controllable so if you are diligent in tying you don’t have much of anything to trim. Also the tag end points towards the lure so there is less to create a snag hazard. Also when using 4 pound mono the knot is very compact. I did casual breaking strength tests. Both gentle pulls and harder shock loads to the knot. The results are impressive to me. I’m obtaining similar results to that of a double lined UNI with three twists and the double lined Pitzen knot with the same three twists. The knot is quicker and easier to tie than the others. So those are some of the helpful virtues. I hope to put it to the catching test soon enough. Be well and cheers!

Greetings All, While similar to the size and weight of an air gun pellet, I mainly use 1/32 oz bullet weights. Occasionally I’ll bump up to 1/16 oz. I use the 1/16 oz with the BFS reel or when the wind is not cooperative. Yes, this is for ultra lite angling. Generally the soft plastics are small in the 2 to 3 inch size on typically 4 pound mono. This is my approach to improved recreational catching. As for the air gun pellets, yes you can either drill or poke a hole. Which ever suits you. I’ve had reasonable results using a small drill bit, which is time consuming. Punching the hole with a small punch or nail works too. The commercial weights can be had at a reasonable price. The air gun pellets are not too challenging to fabricate. The bass, and other species don’t have a preference. So there is that aspect of observations through experience. Be well and cheers!

Greetings All, Well after several days and several attempts we were able to view the SpaceX 7-18 Starlink mission launch out at Vandenburg CA. Here in SE AZ the skies were mostly over cast all day today with a storm front moving through the area. As the launch time approached there was some clearing out in the western skies. Since there was no delay and the clock was continuing towards a launch we drove out to view the launch hoping for a glimpse. Here are a few photos. We were able to monitor the launch live stream and began to look. There is a bit of delay as the vehicle needed enough altitude before we were able to see it. Later you can see the booster section falling. It is the bright spot just below the plume. The photos are but a snap shot in time. It was really fun to see it in real time and know how fast that thing was moving across the horizon. Wow! Spectacular experience. It is also so neat to know that camera technology has come such a long way. Here I'm taking low light images handheld using just my phone! Amazing! Wishing each of you well and Happy April! Cheers!

Greetings All, Thank You for all the contributions to this topic and thread! Golly, I'm feeling better as I am really trying to put an honest effort to develop skills using bait cast reels. In the multiple decades of angling adventures I'd simply started with spincast and migrated to ultra lite spinning gear. That was my recreational angling ambition covered nicely with the UL spinning gear. Today, with the availability of more affordable bait cast reels, under $50, I decided I might give it a try. Then of course the lure of the of more advanced options such as shallow spools and BFS compelled me to investigate bait casting as it was more supportive of the UL angling I prefer. I can totally relate to each and every associated image everyone has posted on this discussion. @Ski Top marks for best representing my recent experience. Sorry no salt water angling here, I am empathetic to that situation in the photo. I made the over 3 hour drive to BassPro in Mesa to check out and eventually purchase a Micro Lite glass casting rod. I figured the glass rod action would be helpful for my BFS ambitions. Just for the occasion I also spooled the BFS reel with a fresh load of 4 pound mono. Of course when you buy something new you're motivated to try it out as soon as possible. Just down the way in Mesa are the canals which do have a variety of fish to include largemouth bass. I quickly setup the new rig and did what I could to toss that 3 inch worm on a 1/16 oz jig. The canals are not wide so you simply make angling or parallel casts. I did not welcome the over 20 mph winds with gusts greater than 30 mph. It is really windy when the long handled landing net is sliding across the dirt. Of course you know where this is going, what could go wrong. A relative new guy to bait casting, a new load of line, on a new slow action rod, and terrifically windy conditions casting a ultra lite soft plastic, all the makings for an "interesting" time. Yup, I did not dial in enough compensation, and I just went for it. I spent the next 15 - 20 minutes dealing with the line explosion. I was there and it happened to me. I did learn from it as it only consumed a portion of the new line load. Evidence old dogs can learn. There was a graceful conclusion to the day. I did eventually get things dialed in and was successful in making casts in those conditions and I did catch fish too! All that after paying my tuition price in wasted fishing line. Thanks to each of you for contributing to this enjoyable discussion. Be well and cheers!

Greetings All, "It depends" is an appropriate answer. Most of it is conditional based on the weather mainly the wind conditions. If it is too windy then I'm fishing along the bank. If it is safe to be on the water then I'll work the banks for a response test. My approach is to check shallow and work out gradually from there. Most of the waters in my region are on the murky side so it doesn't support too much sight fishing. I'm also not too inclined to disturb them as there are plenty of other options available (I'm a recreational angler so I'm just happy to catch pretty much everything that pulls back). Over the decades of taunting fish, I've never really had significant success with "fast" moving presentations. I'm usually in the year round "slow" and "sort of slow" modes when using ultra lite gear which helps improve the catching user experience. On those limited (really limited) occasions where I'm compelled to use a hard crank or topwater style bait, I'm more in that sort of slow approach. Again that works to support that "catching" rather than just casting. Just my $ 0.02 put in for consideration. Be well, Happy April and Cheers!

Greetings All, Great information, Thank You for sharing. My BFS approach is coming from a more limited budget perspective as a casual recreational angler. I'm seeking simple low cost and reasonably available components. I'm using 4 lb CrappieMaxx mono spooled on my budget BFS reel. I just made the long drive up the metro PHX area to purchase one of the BassPro Micro lite glass casting rods today. I wanted to try a slower rod action with the BFS reel just to see how that performs. I had been using a rod from an ultra lite spin cast combo. While that worked, it was time to try something different. While there in the metro area I attached my BFS reel to it and taunted bass in the canals. The slower action of the glass took a bit of adjustment. The crazy wind speeds 25 mph with 36 mph gusts made it very challenging to toss the 3 inch worm on a 1/16 oz jig. Challenge accepted, as it all came together on several occasions. I am not advocating my configuration. Your mileage may vary. I am simply sharing information on what I'm using with my rationale for it. I am sort of new to this BFS and bait cast reels in general. Most of my angling experience has been with using ultra lite spinning gear. I am just beginning my exploration into bait cast reels and BFS so I'm creeping in using a very low cost approach to deliberately minimize the investment in gear. I'm also comparing the BFS configuration side by side with a $40 bait cast reel from a big box retailer. That conventional spooled bait cast reel simply has 4 lb Zebco bulk spool mono line. Yes, there is a huge amount of that mono on that reel. It tosses a 3 inch weedless worm with a 1/16 oz bullet weight reasonably well too. The timing is different due to the different rod and different release point. I'm having a good time learning to cast with the occasional catching too. I'm also not heavily invested so I'm feeling good about that too. It is nice to have the additional retrieve speed using the bait cast gear. That being said, there are times where I've got to remind myself to slow down. Fortunately it is spring time and the aggression level has increased recently with the warming trend. So I'm working the bait cast gear for the time. Note: as with many who are learning to use bait cast reels. I'm paying a tuition price in line. Yes, the dreaded, "I can't fix it, I've got to cut it" syndrome. So by using mono, my impact is minimal as it is not huge $$s invested in high quality line. For me and for now the various 4 lb mono is satisfactory and keeps with my simplified low cost approach. Wishing each of you well and Cheers! Keep the information sharing flowing. It is very helpful to learn of other's experiences and knowledge.

Greetings and Happy Spring All! @bulldog1935 Interesting you have a similar observation regarding the drag on the Zebco Omega Pro. I concur the only way to gain line under heavy load is to pump the rod and wind in line when the resistance is minimized. Otherwise I find I just have to hold till the fish tires as I'm not comfortable adjusting to increase the drag setting so I can reel in line. I'm only using 4 lb mono so the threshold is slim and I would rather not risk disaster. Thanks for sharing your stories. Special times with special folks! Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, I keep them handy and available. Unfortunately given the temperatures and conditions here in Arizona it is not practical to keep things in the truck because of the oven like environment during parts of the year. It is very hard on lubricants and polymers. The heat seriously degrades the fishing line too. Which is why they don’t reside in the vehicle. At the ready, I have several editions of the Daiwa Mini-Cast and Mini-Spin kits. One set is from the mid 70’s the other set is a more current version. All are great fun to use when goofing about Arizona. They are not heavy and travel well. The polymer travel box protects the reel, rod, and assorted lures during transit. Setup is quick and I’m usually able to be working the water within a minute. The cost of these kits is pretty easy on my budget too. The spinning reel is good to go out of the box. The spin cast reel needed some attention (older and newer versions). The drag setting was very touchy out of the box, either not enough or just too much all within a fraction of a turn. Then I realized the drag elements were dry so I tried a small amount of oil and that was all that was needed to improve the situation and now lubricated it provides better range of drag control settings. The mini-spin and mini-cast have been great as an ultra-lite angling travel option for freshwater species. They were so handy to me which is why I bought a newer edition just to make sure I’d always have a set. So far I just use each of them frequently when traveling. Old or new, great fun to use. Now that being said most of my principle angling equipment travels well too. I usually keep rod lengths at or below 5.5 feet. That length transports well in my double cab pickup truck or in my kayak. Wishing each of well and all the best for that traveling angling kit. Cheers!

Greetings All, We are doing what we can to forward the warmer weather from the great SouthWest to our friends in the cooler areas. We keep varying from cold to warm as the seasonal storm systems pass our area. We are cheering on everyone to angling success as soon as it is safe for you to do so. Some of the early season results are posted in the regional sections of the forum. Here in SE AZ, the wind is a deciding factor. Mainly if it is safe enough to be on the water or not. We get some strong winds with even stronger gusts. I’d much rather do more casting than paddling. Oh, and I prefer to stay dry too! Cheering you on to angling success either on or at the water. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, Wow, what a variety to learn about. I would love to give each of those a go and make some memories. Growing up in rural AZ my first lure was a Z-Ray. If memory serves they were manufactured in Tucson AZ for many years. That bent piece of metal wobbling about caught pretty much everything to include many sticks and rocks. These days they are not made in Tucson anymore as they are a different company. I still use one on occasions. Low cost, simple, effective, a great value. Successful for multiple species too. Thanks to each of you for sharing your memories and insights. It is what makes BassResource a valuable repository, fun too! Be well, and Cheers!

Greetings All, As a networked resource there are occasional negative impacts due to resource availability. That can affect the communications (the connection to and from your computer) and also the service (server’s) ability to honor your request. Www = world wide waiting? They do what they can to keep things running along smoothly, there are those times where even the best plans go amuck. Be well and cheers!

Greetings All, A recent update to share. Yes, it is possible to catch fish from a kayak when the winds are blowing. I usually try to avoid being on the water when the wind is above 20 mph. I would rather do more casting than paddling. So glad my makeshift anchor is reasonably effective. As we approach the start of spring, the lakes in SE Arizona are in that wonderful overlap of both stocked trout fishing and with gradual warming weather some improved bass fishing too. We do have our storm systems that move through the area, and it does make for interesting angling conditions. Here are a few photos from a recent visit to Parker Canyon Lake. All in all a great time. I got a good workout paddling and casting. Nice there were those occasions of catching too! Fun at the high desert lake. Be well, and Cheers!

Greetings All, I have an update to share from a recent goofing off angling adventure at Chuck Ford Lakeside Park. I was casting along the bank and realized some interesting flight patterns in the area. I realized it was the Heritage Honor Flight practicing for the upcoming air show season. It is not often you get to see two F-35 Lightning IIs flying in formation with a vintage WWII P-51 Mustang and a P-38 Lightning. Wow, what a sight to see. I did my best to 'Zen' shoot some video of the flybys. Here is a screen grab to share. That was definitely fun to experience. Also great fun to experience was the fish catching too! It is always a challenge when fishing in windy conditions. Using ultra-lite gear adds to that challenge. Well, challenge accepted! Be well, and Cheers!

Greetings All, It is obvious we are passionate about our angling adventures. Each of us have to choose the approach that we use to pursue this. Much as there are those who aspire for tournament success, or just recreational success, we each have motivations driving our actions. Over the years we have seen the influence in technology used for angling. There are different lines, and materials used for rods, now all the changes to electronics. Each has brought different aspects with concerns to angling and impact to fisheries. I would like to echo and emphasize better fish handling practices overall as that is an area we can promote and should be able to agree on. Regardless of the technology used. It is regretful that many angling videos display such poor fishing handling technique. This unfortunately influences others to emulate the same poor behavior. It is possible to admire and release a fish in a timely fashion. A graceful release is preferred over simply hurling the fish which has been overly exposed out of the water for an extended period. We can all do better. Hopefully all anglers can embrace this theme, regardless of technology, as this is a fundamental to preserve our angling treasures and resource. As for sophisticated electronics, sure they are helpful. There is a body of evidence building to show the advantages of being able to find fish quicker and target them till you find something successful. Each individual has to choose if that is appropriate for them. Contributors to this discussion have shared their perspectives and I have great respect for each. Angling for me is purely recreational, and I wish to keep it that way for me. I enjoy the sport and I enjoy the simplified experience of it. None of my gear is all that fancy. The only electronics I have with me is my cell phone. It is for communications so I can share photos of my catches, right? I enjoy keeping it simple as it enhances my angling discoveries. I find fish by casting. I figure out the water depth and ground composition by my kayak anchor. It works for me and I'm good with it. My only wish and hope is that we all enjoy the fishing with proper respect for the environment and for handling the fish. This way we can all continue to enjoy angling. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, Frayed Knot! (just kidding and having some fun) I am always open to consider something I've not had the opportunity to experience. I am comfortable with the capabilities provided by my current preferred knots. They are easy to fabricate in field conditions (not too complicated or difficult, don't require additional tools to fabricate), hold well under constant load or shock loads, and minimize waste. When I'm knot exploring, I'll examine how difficult it is to fabricate the knot using mono. I typically use mono less than 8 lbs with a majority of 4 lb. I aspire to use it for fly fishing and conventional angling. Because I use lighter weight line I frequently retie so fabricating the knot elegantly is helpful. Although, I may as time permits examine more of the nail knot type attachments for personal suitability. My reluctance is the necessity of a tool (nail, straw, knot tool, etc.) to fabricate. I do what I can to keep that simple theme. However, for the sake of education, I'll explore to expand experience and knowledge. Having a low fuss factor is preferred. Just one of the reasons I explore the forums and gather helpful experience and suggestion to try. Be well and Happy Friday! Cheers!

Greetings All, Happy Friday and welcome to March. I have several decades worth of experience using the different styles and eras of Zebco products. I started in the 60s with a mostly all metal 202 all the way to a more current Zebco Omega Pro Z02 (it is the smaller reel). It would be nice to find the old metal 202 but at least I still have the original fiberglass rod it came with. I do have and still occasionally use a vintage 33 from the early 70s. This is also mixed with the tiny 11s, and the mix of underspin ultra light units too. I will bring them out to respect and honor the memories of when I used with my dear uncle. Plenty of fish caught with them along with some awesome memories. The thread included a question regarding the Omega. I have an old Omega 191 from the 70s. That was a great larger reel that worked well for those Gila River catfish. I brought that one out and cleaned it up with new lube and grease. The line pickup pin is still in great shape even with the little amount of care I gave it back in my youth. I appreciated the smooth bearings back then as it was a great improvement. These days I’ve got a contemporary Omega (Z02 and Z03) and they are very smooth indeed. I appreciate the Omega Pro (Z02) as it is just a bit lighter in weight than the standard Omega Z02. Again I bring out the spin cast reels to honor my dear uncle or when I’m not so happy with my performance using the bait finesse system (BFS) reel. I have found the current generation of Zebco to work well. Yes, they are built with different materials and bring some improvements too. The ceramic pick up pins are pretty durable when using mono. The only issues I’ve addressed with other folks reels are occasionally the pins will slip position on the mounting arm. That causes some reels to miss catching the line. This usually happens when folks are in a hurry trying to take the front cap off and forgetting to retract the pins prior to disassembly. My 33s (standard, micro gold, and platinum) have all proven to be durable with my frequent use. Helpful to clean out the internals frequently to flush out the schmutz build up for good operation. My only real complaints are the occasional line lay issue with regular class reels. It is frustrating to make a wonderful cast only to have it abruptly cut short from line bind. Fortunately like all solutions, bring money! The oscillating spool of the Omega and Omega Pro versions does a great job with the line lay so I’ve yet to experience the line bind problem. A bit faster retrieve would add more utility too. The Zebco are great during the active panfish periods where you can’t catch and release fast enough. Those easy flick casts along the shorelines make for a terrific time. Also the sound of drag peeling brings back so many good memories. Yeah, I find the Zebcos work great with a bit of maintenance, mostly a good rinse and cleaning is usually all that is needed. On the higher end models there is very little intrusion to the gear area and I don’t do much there except some oil and grease on an annual basis. The common Zebcos have been a great value for me across the years from the 60s. The premium ones are worth the investment as they perform even better. Sure I use a lot of other reels too. The Zebcos represent foundational angling adventure to me. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, @MN Fisher I had previously tried the MK knot you shared. Since your post, I revisited it just to explore it some more. It is a handy knot for sure and holds reasonably well. It has the virtue of being easy to fabricate too. I compared it to my typical use of the doubled (line passed through the hook eye, then folded back and passed back through in a reversed direction) knots. The two in particular that I use frequently with good success and holding qualities are the doubled UNI and doubled Pitzen with my four pound mono UL applications. Usually three to four wraps provides good results for me. My field and home testing of both slow steady pulls and also some shock loaded pulls showed the MK knot to almost match, not quite there. The MK knot does have the virtue of a single remaining tag end to clip. The other two doubled line knots have three remaining tag ends. Thank You for sharing it. I never knew what the name of that knot was before, now thanks to your post the reference is clear. I intend to continue exploring the MK knot some more occasionally just to see how it performs with the warmer weather conditions. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings All, The anti-reverse switch is not a significant issue for me. I rarely use the feature, when I do if the reel has one I'll use it, otherwise it is easy to simply tug on the line or release the bail to extend line. I have to clarify that I typically use ultra lite gear so no heavy drag settings and a simple line tug accomplishes what I need. I do appreciate the simplicity of reels without the AR switch. As other have mentioned there is one fewer opening for shmutz to intrude. I did learn how to back reel successfully, it was never a preferred method. Generally I did not find it helpful and simply added to the overall fuss factor. Having a reasonable to good quality drag properly adjusted was a better solution for me. This is to include those critical moments prior to landing a fish. Those are the times where both hands are involved in independent activities. One hand managing the line tension the other hand reaching to manage the fish. So no remaining hand for back reeling. Keeping it simple works better for me. Just my $0.02 put in for consideration. Your mileage may vary. Be well, and Cheers!

Greetings All, I had an opportunity to visit Tucson's Chuck Ford Lakeside Park recently. SE Arizona has had a good deal of weather variety this year. During my visit it was a surprising 27C (80F). So it was shorts and tee shirt weather. After the recent snow storms this was a pleasant change. The warm weather also appears to have triggered some bass activity too. In previous visits I only managed a single bass during the colder periods. During this visit I managed to find five large mouth that wanted to play. A good time working the shoreline. It was great fun to be on-line and in the warm sunshine. Right now in SE AZ we've got the best of trout fishing and bass fishing going on. As long as the wind is at a reasonable level there is plenty of angling adventure to be had. One of the other anglers there also working the shoreline tells me he had similar success working a frog. So that is another option to try for some SE AZ angling fun. Be well, and Cheers!

Hi @Don51 and et al., Thanks, yes as good as could be under the circumstances. I'm usually fighting the clock on these extended travel destinations. It is just over a three hour drive to get to the metro PHX area. Worse when traffic is not favorable. I do what I can to keep that "recreational" focus and make the most of anything that happens. The canal system is not too popular for fishing. Which is OK by me as it is comfortable, convenient, and enjoyable to have a place to wander about freely. Many years ago when I lived there for my early college days I did not realize fishing in the canals was permitted. In a way I'm making up for those lost opportunities. I am the jerk on this end of the line waiting for that jerk on the other end. 😄 There are the opportunities when I have particular shopping errands (like when seeking/considering fishing supplies) or assisting elderly family members in metro PHX area. After getting that sorted out, any spare time is for me to goof off some before making that long drive back. I was really surprised that being out in the full sun with the air temps in the 70s could feel so hot. It is only going to get warmer... Be well, and Cheers!

Greetings and Happy Lunar New Year All, It is the year of the Dragon and I had occasion to have an angling and sight seeing adventure. The winds were above my comfort zone to be out on the local regional waters in my kayak. I also was excited to make the most of my day so a long three hour run to the PHX metro area to look about and see if I could wrangle some fish out of the Salt River Project (SRP) canals. February is a bit early in the year to as it is on the colder side. However, it was well into the 70s (F), 21 (C) up in the East PHX metro areas. I was guessing the concrete lined canals with the lower water conditions might warm up a bit sooner. My guess was correct as I arrived at one of the locations and found a bunch of carp swimming about in clusters. So those seeking carp fun here is your opportunity. They are big and hungry. I did manage to find a few bass through all the walking along the canals. Some accurate casting towards the debris field allowed me to connect on a few. Yes, there is everything from buckets, tents, bricks, blocks, shopping carts, and a luggage cart that I spotted in the mile long walk about. I started with a skirted jig and found quickly that was way too much for the low clear water conditions. Only one large bass was even remotely interested and was too timid other than to look at the offering. Fortunately I through to bring my Ultra lite gear with me. A walk back to the vehicle for an equipment exchange. Ditch the bait cast and heavy spinning gear for the UL gear. A curly tailed grub on a 1/16 oz jig and a seedless 3 inch worm. Both were the tickets. The first cast with the 3 inch seedless worm scored the 16 inch bass about 3 seconds after entering the water. Yeah, I waited an extra second to savor the feeling of the strike. The curly tailed grub found a slight shorter bass hanging around the shopping cart. So glad the breeze did not carry the jig into the cart. It came uncomfortably close. I was not quite sure it was a strike or snagging the cart initially. There was a little bit of give on the line as responded with tension. From there it was simply game on and keep the four pound mono tight. On this trip I did manage to remember and bring the long handled landing net. Very helpful as the water is only about 1 - 2 feet deep in most areas so it is a long way down that steep canal wall. Using the landing net rather than hoisting on the line is a better way. I ended up having to depart earlier than expected. There was a serious automobile crash which had the interstate closed for most of the day. This pushed most of the east bound interstate traffic off to an alternate path and that was clogged up. I took a very different path home, away from the interstates and through the mountain areas of central AZ. I was able to capture some awesome images of back lit cacti and revisit the several 10% grades on AZ highways. The last time I took that road it was in my old refurbished Pontiac Sunbird and I was loosing speed and dropping gears quick. These days my old pickup truck didn’t have issue with the grade and with the air conditioner running too. Aaah technology with torque. Pretty neat, bass catching with landscape photography too! A full day of fun in the big city. Nice to visit, glad I don’t live there. Be well and Cheers!

Greetings and Happy Lunar New Year All, A bit of a winter time update since we are in the middle of February. The region is in between storm systems and slightly above seasonal norms, yeah 69 F (20 C) for winter time. Also the winds were less than 15 mph (24 kph) so it was comfortable to be out on the water. During the winter months the Arizona Game and Fish department stock the lake periodically. I guess I arrived just a few days after one of the recent stocking sessions. The trout were happy to play and it was great fun catching and releasing them. I stopped counting after reaching double digits. They were happy to pounce on anything you put in the water. I started with metal spoon type lures and that was great fun and all too easy with the cast, retrieve, catch, and release. The wobbly metal spoon couldn’t handle all the use as one of the hooks broke off. That is OK as I replaced the OE hook with a better one. The trout were not the only game in town with the warm temperatures. Tossing a few soft plastics about provided some slower but stronger fish catching. I managed to tease several bass out of the dark areas. Great fun on UL gear. Nice to find those in between catching trout. Yes, the trout enjoyed chomping on the seedless rigged worms too. The bite comparison is very different. Trout tend to peck at it much like pan fish. They usually don’t seem to commit to the bait on the first peck. This compels you to resist responding and simply wait for a full on bait attack before reacting. I got a full day of fun on the water working about 2/3 rds of the lake casually casting about here and there. A very enjoyable angling adventure. This was the second such quality adventure there in about a month’s span. A great time in the high desert lake. Be well, and Cheers!

Greetings All, I'm paralleling what @Bankc does and use technology at hand. The phone is convenient and includes much of the data mentioned. I admit it is a casual record for my reference. While I am diligent with details in my professional endeavors, this is recreation so a more relaxed approach is used. Useful? Yes, it brings smiles when I have occasion to reflect or when I backup my phone files and look through them from time to time. Even more smiles when I show them to friends and family. It isn't bragging if there is evidence, right? I am a recreational angler, so living in the minute is important. I keep that recreational perspective in that it is after all for fun. Minimal effort, maximum enjoyment, total success! Be well, and Cheers!