Sherlock 60

When I was a kid my brother and I would tie a safety pin on some string and mold a bit of white bread around the safety pin. We would catch bluegill all day long on those simple rigs. Ah, back when life was simple (and inexpensive).

This must be the 5th cold, wet and windy weekend in a row! Sunny and warm during the work week and then the temps drop 20 degrees! And this is after the April floods that messed up the fishing and boating for the entire month! Grumble, grumble razzle frazzle! Sorry - just needed to vent.

I prefer the peaceful sounds of nature while fishing.

Thanks guys! I've been laughing out loud for the last 10 minutes. This subject has never been a problem at all for me, but the power of suggestion will now come into play and I will most likely never be able to venture more that 50' from my pier for the rest of my life.

I use braid about 60% of the time and only use a leader when I am targeting muskies. Have tried braid both with and without a leader for bass and cannot tell any difference in the number or quality of stirkes.

Ok, Gentlemen, here's the scenario: Tomorrow in northern Indiana it will be sunny and 65 degrees; the boat won't be in the water for a couple of weeks so I will be fishing from the bank in a clear glacial lake. What would be your first choice to catch some largemouth?

I have one and it's a fine reel. Very light, good feel, very smooth. That being said, however, I prefer my Shimano Stradic which is $30 more.

Picked up a Scatter Crank in "Penguin" today (kind of like a greenish gizzard shad color) and will get it wet this weekend.

The Pro Qualifier reel would be an excellent match for the Crankin' Stick. I have 2 Crankin' Sticks, each paired with a 5.3:1 PQ. And I think the PQ's are on sale for $79 right now.

Straight braid here, too. I tried using a fluro leader a few times but it just seemed to be more trouble than it was worth. Plus, it was one more knot that could potentially fail.

5" Yamamoto Senko in Watermelon Pepper, Smoke Pearl Blue or Junebug. Rigged weightless.

I got a Veritas 6'9" ML this winter and thought it was just fine. This just proves it is all in the eye of the beholder and how a rod feels to the angler.

In addition to all of the above: 1) tie on a small ball bearing swivel; 2) I have used a Berkley Portable Line Spooling Station for years and recommended it to one and all. Lots faster and you always have the line going on the correct way whether you are spooling up a baitcaster or a spinning reel.

My favorite spinning reel for under $100 has to be the Shimano Symetre. I have a 1000, a 2500 and a 4000 ranging from 10 years old to 6 years old and I have never had a problem with any of them. For maintenance all I do is an annual lube job and they are just as smooth (if not smoother) than the day they were purchased.

I've wondered about this myself on more than one occasion. In my home waters a 3# bass is pretty rare, so I never use the net when catching bass or panfish. If it is a larger bass I lean down and lip the fish or put my hand under it's belly. The muskie fishermen use nets all the time, of course. The BASS pros never use a net so I presumed it was against the rules; the FLW guys use nets all the time so obviously it is not prohibited in FLW. Of course it could just be that it may seem to be more "macho" to not use a net.

I had two spinning combo gaps that needed filling/upgraded and added the following: 7' M Veritas paired with a Shimano Stradic 2500 spooled with 20# Power Pro for most soft plastics (Senkos, etc); 6'9" ML Veritas paired with Pfleuger Supreme XT Size 30 (already had the reel) spooled with 6# XL for tubes, grubs and dropshoting.

With my PQ reels I usually keep only two of the centrifical brakes engaged. Last year I finally realized the real purpose of magnetic brakes and now only turn them on when casting into the wind (which was really cool the first time I did it successfully) and for when I am using light lures.

Bomber Square A in Oxbow Bream (an old reliable); KVD 2.5 in Green Gizzard Shad; KVD 2.5 in Bluegill.

The 2.5 has been generally more effective for me. In fact, my most productive burst ever was last summer with a green gizzard shad 2.5 - 11 largemouth on the same crank in just over an hour. Why can't every Sunday afternoon be like that?

Use it for just about anything with treble hooks.

I guess you don't have muskies in Virginia. 80-100# braid is the standard line for muskie hunters. Any larger local tackle shop should carry heavier braid, along with the usual online sources as mentioned above, along with Basspro.com and Cabelas.com.

I spooled up some 6# (1# diameter) Spiderwire Stealth on my Symetre 1000. I figured the thinner diameter would make it less visible and easier to manage with ultralight jigs, etc.

OK. You all convinced me. I ordered the above from Cavitron a couple of days ago and am anxious to see what happens. Never caught a fish on a buzzbait before.

The best known fisherman in my parts uses 2# diameter braid when fishing ultra light tackle for any species. He swears by it and will use nothing else. I have always used 4# mono when going ultra light but am going to try braid this year. What experiences have you had with braid for ultra light? What test/diameter line do you use? Pros and cons?

X3 The best part is that he supported his local tackle shop, keeping the money in his local commuity.