casts_by_fly

You mean kinda like this?

interesting. That’s the first inflatable I’ve seen rate as class 2. It is class 5 if used in a commercial setting but a 2 for recreational purposes. I assumed it had foam floatation but it doesn’t look like it. They must have tested the heck out of it and engineered it so that it basically can’t fail in a recreational setting. Very cool.

Yep. What pat brown said. And you’re right- they ARE great early season cold water baits. Throw them across a grass flat where the grass hasn’t started growing yet and you just have a few clumps around. Burn it through there and when it catches a clump, pop it free for a reaction bite. Also, keep in mind that among lipless crankbaits there are a couple different types. A trap is more of a cast and retrieve with some pops type. A red eye shad type will yo-yo better because of the weight placement down low. A RES in the same weight as a trap will fish deeper (and faster for a given depth) compared to a trap.

I’ve been fishing gamakatsus for 30 years. There might be some that are a little sharper out of the pack, but if there are I haven’t bought one yet. And I’ve never had a dull one out of the pack. Every one has been ready to roll. The one contender that I’ve loved lately are the VMC redlines. I’ve been fishing them in a neko rig and they are not only sharp, but they just stay stuck in a fishes mouth. I remember Jacob Wheeler talking about that when they first launched a couple years ago and thought nothing of it. Now having used them and caught fish on them to over 4# with nothing more than a reel into the weight hook set, they are impressive. Expensive, but impressive.

For what you’re describing (which is a lot of what I fish), I’d still be throwing mono. Fluoro might be a little more sensitive and it definitely wins for abrasion resistance around rocks and trees, but for grass and mud I’d take mono over it for the ease of handling. And then I prefer mono to braid just in general. Braid is a specialist for me.

I keep a mental note. Then if I catch one that is picture worthy (a big one, a pretty one, the first one on a tough day, etc) I’m usually sending my dad that picture with a note of how many I’ve caught so far. I’ll usually send him a recap text at the end too. The exact number isn’t critical. Then again, I’m not usually catching so many so fast that I lose track.

Or imagine what a truck would be if it was a 2-stroke!

Yeah, I think I'm on the lucky side of the equation here. I'm still in my first year so can't speak to total costs yet but I've been fishing it since April and haven't gone through 6 gallons of gas yet so...

Nice. I've yet to make the journey to those two since they are 90 minutes or so, but have always wanted to.

I can't help on the Dobyns (I fish Falcons), but whereabouts in NJ are you? I'm northern and fish most of the lakes north of i78. Welcome to BR!

I feel this in my bones. Occasionally we get in my wife’s cars for a long trip and the first bump out of the driveway I hear a ‘clink’. We have to stop and clear it before the next 5 hours. Another biggie for me. Driving in Europe a ton (lived there for 12 years) this is just not tolerated. Lane discipline is a thing. Sitting in the left lane of a 3 lane highway doing 60-65 in a 65-70 mph zone is a poor choice. I get mad at people who park in the HP spots who DON’T have a badge or plate. If you have a placard or plate, then so be it. I don’t know your reasons for having it and don’t need to. Like you said, not all handicaps show. But if you don’t have a placard/plate then don’t be there. Not using turn signals is a peeve for me. The law says do it so you’re required to do so. There is no downside for you in using them. The indicator is right next to your finger- just use it. The only reason not to is laziness. Chewing with your mouth open and/or making noise while doing so. I don’t mean crunching a crouton. I mean that lip and tongue slapping/slurping that happens when you are opening your lips while also chewing. I have a best friend that chews like that all the time. My wife goes into it occasionally. We always have ambiance music on for dinner (I’d never say a word to her about it).

Supernatural for me also, though in 14# as my norm. If I know I am going to be throwing a walking bait as far as possible to cover a ton of water (ala AJay style) then I’m braid to leader with 30# 832 and a 16# supernatural leader on casting gear.

If I am throwing them around grass on a casting rod (normal size, not magnum or mini) then it is my falcon finesse jig/topwater. 6’10”, MH (more M+), fast action. Great for a true 1/4 oz of weight. 12 or 14# sunline and I can cast a fluke into tomorrow with it. Is that an older rod? I don’t know a 6’9” falcon.

With most riprap banks, there aren’t spots per se. a rip rap bank is usually blowing ball sized rock that has been spread evenly from the surface down to the bottom for the length of the stretch. usually to stabilize the bank or similar. Sometimes you’ll find a log that has washed in, but most are just a long stretch of rocks that looks the same. You have to cover the water. They might be at 1’ staring at the bank or they might be at 15’ staring into the blue. That’s why baits that can cover the water column from the surface down are useful for search baits. If you’re casting along the bank and you find them hitting your lure in the first 2’ of shore, then you know they are shallow and looking in/up. Then again, they might not be doing that so you have to keep making casts until you see where they are and how they are behaving.

With that logic, why would guys use 30-50lb leader with 15 or so pound of leader? The reason is that the leader is the weak spot and you choose your leader based on the cover, lure, fish, etc. You chose your mainline based on handling at the reel and casting. 10# line to 6/8/10# is pretty common for spinning setups. Going lighter than 10# line starts getting really thin. You don’t need to go thinner for most purposes. You don’t usually need more capacity from thinner line. 10# has enough thickness for decent handling and doens’t feel like sewing thread that is going to blow in the wind. Some fish 15# for the same reason. On the flip side, in some applications you might be fishing 30-50# mainline but have an 80# leader. That would be a high abrasion situation like you’d find in saltwater, but you’re only using 50# braid for the casting distance. You don’t need 50# of force to fight the fish, but you need the abrasion resistance of 80# fluoro.

They would never bend out of tube like a metal arm! Then again they might not ever be in tune in the first place. You can catch fish on a pocket fisherman! It might not me the thing to throw a rattle trap 40 yards, but it will catch you a bunch of dock fish just fine.

Nope. I can’t do it. I’m a righty and all rods get cast right handed. Spinning rods stay there and I reel left handed and casting rods switch hands and I reel right handed. For pitching heavy cover with quick shots I’ve tried to go left handed instead of swapping, pitching, and swapping back. I wish I could, but it would take hours of practice which is more than I waste swapping in a couple years. I’ve also tried the backhanded cast where I use mostly my right hand still but also put my left on the reel. Can’t do it. Occasionally it would be useful when the bank is on the right of the boat and I want to effectively cast left handed. Not happening. So instead I make a long pitch like I have for 30 years. I’m happy to pitch any non treble hooked bait 60’ accurately, so again it would take more practice than what I’m losing to learn it.

Cover the water. Cover it quickly at first to see if they are there and active. If they are then great, if not then slow down a bit. Time of year plays into it a bit, but this time of year, a lipless crankbait will let you cover 0-15’ of depth and cover water while doing it. Once you find what they are doing (holding at a depth, chasing or not, etc) then you can slow down to something like a Ned that you swim through it. Just beware that it is snag city if you start dropping down into it (heavy riprap that is, like bigger than a basketball). That’s why a lighter Ned will swim over and around it. Great minds and all that.

That's what I was thinking as well. The creme are a little stiffer than a zoom trick worm, but I bet they fish close enough to be called the same. The purple creme and a black grape zoom are going to be near on interchangeable. FWIW, the zoom trick worm has become my go to fish catcher this year (on a neko, but I'm going to start rigging it otherwise next trip too).

The DT and OG series from Rapala are all silent. Given our clear water and relatively decent amount of pressure, my default is a silent crank unless the water is dirty which isn't often. Given the places you're fishing, have a look at the OG4. It is a small circuit board lip style crank with a flat body and a tight wiggle. Good shallow easrly season bait but also good for pressure and finicky fish.

Happy (early) Birthday! Go catch a few greenfish in the old town with your favorite fishing buddy and come home for a steak. Sounds like a good day to me! Now you just need some old Barolo, a Pomerol, or a big California pinot to go with it.

On my autopilot I had amazon strips installed on the front. They were $20 type and I hand wired them back to a switch. Mine never moved and even after some dock rubbing knocking the ends off and peeling off some of the silicon, they always worked. They were bright. There was no way a boat wasn’t going to see it in the daylight, let alone at night. At night they would light up the water to the point that I could see fish 1’ deep 10’ away. I didn’t use them when I was fishing at night, just if I was motoring from point to point. I’ve seen some button lights (not sure which) and they aren’t very bright. At night you can see them, but not from very far away.

we have a few of those things around here.

This for pressure. The difference from the highest pressure normally exhibited (around 31 in Hg) and lowest pressure (around 29 in Hg) in the atmosphere is 2" mercury which translates to ~26" water. In practice, the actual atmostpheric pressure range is usually no more than 0.4" mercury across a season (i.e. in summer the range is normally 29.8 to 30.2 or thereabouts) which is 5" of water. Bass move up and down in the water column more than 5" all the time so the actual pressure from the atmosphere is having a negligible effect on the basss. The atmostpheric conditions though and the trend/change in the barometer that creates them is more important. With one exception/build from me. On a bright night (half moon plus with minimal clouds) I've found that the bass will eat well through the night. And then at daybreak their bellies will be full and they will shut down for a while. The bite will pick up late morning to noon on those days.

That's what I don't like about the fillet- the texture. It's also missing a lot of the flavor that's locked up in the intramuscular fat in other cuts. if a fillet is more than rare I don't like it. Honestly, the best use of fillet for me? Making beef tartare. I love some good crispy chicken wings, but not many places here in NJ make them that way like they did in western PA. We've got a great texas BBQ place that does brisket and ribs and it is some of the best I've ever had. But one of these wins every time for me.