David P

Try having a PB of 9.98lbs. Like me. Great fish man, Congrats I know that sucks. I was 5oz shy and that really hurts. Branuss, i'm sure you'll break this PB in the next month or so.

Man, I know how it feels, I just got my first 9 yesterday too. Great feeling huh! Sucks to be so close to 10, but oh well. Congrats man.

Those 3 letters stand for the category the rod falls under. MBR - Mag Bass Rod DSR - Drop Shot etc...

I've caught several fish on baits with a chart tail in dirty water, i threw the same bait for a few weeks in the same place following and once the water got clear, they stopped hitting it, haven't caught one sense. Changed the same color without the tail and started catching again.

What's the water temp like there? Another little something I realized and experienced yesterday. The fish looks bigger in the water / splashing around and jumping. I swear I had a easy 10 and possibly pushing 11 or 12 yesterday. Once I got her to me, and held her, I was worried that she'd fall just shy of 10, which she did by 5ounces. Don't beat yourself up too much, that's just fishing.

There's a bunch of things that can add to your casting distance. Rod is one of them. Adjusting the brakes on your reel and casting control knob (this will cause more backlashes especially for beginners). Lighter line. Heavier bait. The better quality the reel, typically, the better performance you'll get from it. Baitcasters are better with heavier baits in general. I use spinning for all baits under 1/4oz and above 1/4oz i use a BC.

Would that be the puffy kind or the crunchy kind? ;D The spicy hot ones. They go nuts for those things!

I'd say 6 - 7 1/2lbs

I told you guys, I caught it on a cheeto.

Dobnys 702S ML / Stradic 2500 If I could have only 1 rod and reel all together, this would be it.

Dobyns 702s ML / Shimano Stradic

Got to fish the Delta today, finally. I'm happy to have a new PB and all, but 5oz shy of a DD just hurts! 9lbs 11oz

Shimano Citica w/ rebate is $90. Cabelas Prodigy was on sale for $60 something not sure if it still is and I've heard tons of great things about it.

Being that they're located in California, that's where I order ALL of my stuff from. Takes 2 days to get to me, and free shipping over $50 you can't beat it. Unfortunately, living in California, means I have to pay tax, but I still save on the shipping! Not to mention, $10 sweatshirts and free shirts, can't beat that!

I've ordered barely anything from Cabelas, and I still get their catalogs all the d**n time! They are in my bathroom, with my Bass Pro magazines.

Hey, I think I've fished that spot on accident while trying to find Phoenix lake in San Rafael. Ever been to Phoenix lake?

I rent boats at my local reservoir, 12ft and 14ft aluminums. I bring my 55lb thrust, and have had NO problems at all. These are old boats, that are beat up, and not in the best shape, and I haven't had the slightest problem.

Pline fluorocarbon is very manageable. I was using 6lb fluorocarbon, but had some breaking problems, stepped up to 8lb and no problems with breaking, and it's quite soft.

Looked like it had a hair lip.

There's a few spots in SF, one is Lake Merced, near the Cow palace. There are other reservoirs, many of which you can fish, but require a parking fee, permit fee, and all of that good stuff! He's only about an hour or so from the Delta which is a huge bass fishing spot here, and about 2 hours from Clear Lake which is incredible as well.

My first tournament was a club tournament with only about 10 boats. I won big fish of the tournament 7lbs2oz ;D

That's the new 6" hudd Those ones posted earlier, do look like those harassers more then anything.. But w/ a different tail

Trying to put 12lb CXX on a spinning reel is just a big no no. On a baitcaster, the memory doesn't matter as much, but memory plays a big role in using a spinning reel. Go with 6lb or 8lb CXX for spinning, and use that 12lb for your baitcasters for heavier baits.

I've been fishing from shore for a while, just look behind you before casting, make sure nothing is going to get in the way. Really shouldn't be a problem at all.

Man, you deserved that trip! It's been a rough winter for just about everyone. Glad to see things are picking up. Congrats.