casts_by_fly

You have to watch keeping a running cart as a guest. It stores in your browser cache and your cache occasionally dumps. So you lose it. Next time you purchase, create an account and then always stay logged in. I’ve never lost a wish list across a bunch of devices so long as I stay logged in.

Start the Dramamine a day or two in advance. For some people it takes a day or two to kick in. And once you start to be sea sick, there is no cure. So if you think you might be on the day, start the Dramamine a day or two in advance, bring water or Gatorade and antacids (for when you eventually puke), and know where the place to puke is. (p.s. my wide used to be in charge of R&D for the transdermal Dramamine patches)

Or sell it while it still has some value and doesn't look all rusty... the sooner you buy the new one the more total enjoyment time you'll have of it and the better the value!

The ultrex has both spot lock and course lock on the foot pedal (and mini remote). On top, the foot pedal steering is power steering so it works like a cable steer but mini motors make the force reduce to nothing. And you can turn the motor head in the smallest range of adjustment left and right if you want to get super precise (or are using live imaging). You'll get far more benefit from the ultrex than an addition unit.

Start with 40# powerpro or another 4-carrier braid. They are cheaper than 8-carrier and will be easier for a first timer with braid. I prefer 8-carrier for my own baitcasting, but its limp and I think that it will be easier to learn with 4-carrier. And if you have to cut one out, it's not the end of the world (unlike if you're going to cut out a spool of JDM braid or 131). the distance and lure weight will be a function of how you cast and how you have the reel set up. For a beginner, put the brakes on 75% of whatever scale they have. Hold the rod horizontal and bit the button. The lure should fall slow-ish and when it hits the ground the spool should spin no more than 1 rotation. That is a lot of tension on the spool and is more than needed for most, but it will teach you how to load the rod correctly. That will work for all lure weights- just adjust the spool tension for the weight of the lure so that it is the same fall and stop. Once you are loading the rod correctly, then you can back off the brakes to 50% and that should open up more distance and with less force (but you still need the same smooth motion). When you get into that groove consistently, then loosen the spool tension and little and use your thumb for a little bit of tension, especially at the end of a cast (I use my thumb to stop the spool on almost every cast). At that point you should be able to use most any lure within the rating of the rod and get good distance (25 yards would be a decent distance benchmark for now). As said above, snapping the wrist is a no-no- it needs to be smooth back and then forward motion. higher dollar reels might have better braking systems. They will almost certainly have more bearings and a smoother feel. The build quality should be higher with tighter tolerances and better materials (which usually means full aluminum frames at the top end). You might get more distance frm one, but only if you know how to cast in the first place. Going from a Abu black max to a revo SX (keeping it within a brand) won't double your casting distance. It might take you from 35 yards to 45 yards, but only if the reel is the limiting factor in the equation which it usually isn't. I'm all about upgrades. But make sure you're maximizing the setup you've got first. If you can only cast a 1 oz lure well, I'd say you aren't.

Unless you already have an ulterra, do the ultrex first. Just an amazing piece of equipment.

can't wait to hear your thoughts when you have them both in hand. Enjoy!

Just use the rage bug as your craw, bug, and beaver bait. Rig it normal, but choose to separate or pinch (or not) apendages. For instance, leave the pinchers together and remove the legs to have a single flappy bug. Leave the legs on and separate everything for the full on action. Take the legs off but separate the pinchers for a craw. Then you really only need to carry one plastic in 4 colors to cover basicalyl everything in that realm. It's also a good jig and bladed jig trailer, so save the ones that you texas rigged and tore up the head. Finesse jig or downsizing? Use your scissors to trim a half inch off the nose. Really downsizing? Do the same but trim the sides closer to straight than bowed out. I have a pack of scounbugs for when I want all of the action but need it more compact (heavy pads and milfoil). I have a pack of rodents that were for the same purpose as a trial. I could take both out of the boat and be happy. I threw in a pack of bronco bugs this year for some variety but don't need them.

I have worn a free TW tshirt 4 of the 5 days this week already. I work from home and they are my default workday shirt. If I have to be on camera I throw a pullover on top. Every qualifying order brings another home in whatever color is available in a large. Other than that, I don't dress like a fisherman when I'm fishing let alone at home. When I used to trout fish I always wore a button down short sleeve collared technical shirt with the big chest pockets. it was function and comfort over anything. In the boat I'll wear a sun hoodie but otherwise I wear the same wrangler technical pants that I wear around the house or to the grocery store. Yesterday on the water it was the fleece lined version (under rain bibs in 57 degree air temps and pouring rain).

can't wait for the reports and pictures! I hope you get some 1-4 mph winds for the week and the sun/clouds of your choosing.

good luck with that.

PRP therapy. Also bad tennis elbow, I think from too much in the gym. it wasn't torn, but it looked like a minor former tear that didn't heal fully. One round of PRP will hopefully be enough to heal it in a couple more weeks. Grass is still light for now, but I was going to put it on my bigger rod anyway. That worm needs a 4/0 or so hook and that's a good bit to drive through the mouth of a good one. And this lake has a few good ones (though maybe not an 11).

funny, I was thinking to rig one up to fish this evening when this thread popped through. I had my left elbow worked on last Friday and that's my rod holding hand with a baitcaster. No way i could set the hook with a baitcaster right now, but I can certainly use that hand to reel a spinning rod... So I was looking for a moving bait option for grass that I could throw on a ML or M spinning rod where I might ordinarily throw a heavier texas rig or a swim jig. Magnum UV speed worm for the win. I'll be sure to post an 11# catch with it later.

I used to throw 30# 832 on my crankbait rod, mostly because of the action it had and the fact I was throwing lipless crankbaits on it mostly. 30# will straighten most cb hooks, but you have to watch with the heavier wire ones like come on an OG6. I swap out those hooks for lighter wires. 30# 832 also casts a mile. Also note that if you're down in the rocks grinding a crankbait you might just cut your braid every now and then. I've lost a couple that way where the lure burries between two rocks and the rocks abrade the line and snap it. Not the end of the world on a boat with a floating crankbait. Shore or a sinking crankbait though....

always with braid. It will slip around the spool if you don't have backing on it. Also, it takes up a lot less space on the spool. No sense spooling 150 yards of braid on to fill a spool. 75 is plenty so fill the rest with cheap mono.

If you don’t want to drill into the boat, get starboard and 3M epoxy. Glue the starboard on and then screw into it instead. I’d go with the 12” up front since you’re running live imaging. the extra 3” is a big difference and when you’re sitting at the console the FF is right on top of you so you don’t need the extra 3” as much.

@gim- that has been the problem for the warriors all season and the past couple seasons- top heavy and no depth. Without curry, they don't have a true point guard to bring the ball down the court. Green fouls or gets ejected often enough that they need a backup big (or even a true big) in the middle. Adding butler was a good move, but still relied on the big three to stay healthy. The lakers were in a similar situation. Contrast that with the wolves and thunder who have guys in the 6-7-8 role that would be starters on lots of other teams. I'm shocked about NY and the cavs though. I didn't think the knicks would make it to a 7th game let alone be up 3-1. I saw a game as MSG a month or so ago and they didn't look playoff ready. Meanwhile the Cavs have been outscoring everyone but 10+ on average.

$150 for the Curado? That's not a bad shout and so I see your dilema for an extra $100.

have a look at the autoboat system. It's an add on GPS head for trolling motors. A couple hundred bucks or so. It would add spot lock functionality to your current motor for a lot less than a new spotlock motor.

You’re ordering JDM on the met right? A JDM met is the same price as a USDM curado 70.

I find my Mets to palm smaller than other reels of the same size. I don’t have the curado 70, but I do have the jdm met , jdm bantam, and chronarch 150 (plus a zillion). The three shimanos are quite similar. The chronarch is a bit longer. The chronarch and bantam are a little more rounded edges (like the curado in the pictures). The met is like they tried to scrape just a little more off the profile in a couple places. They kept the same basic measurements, but took some cutouts along the edges. If you were debating one of each or two Mets, just get two Mets.

Mostly less than 20’ with a little down to 30’ for bass. we get a thermocline in the summer around 15’ in a lot of lakes so that sets are hard limit. Then again, in prespawn when they are out deeper I’ll scope down to 30’ or so. Deeper than that and it gets hard to stay on the fish and get a lure down to them before either the wind blows you around, the fish move, or something else changes. that said, 3 weeks ago I caught a perch off the bottom in 62’ of water. I had gone over by the dam tower to show my father in law what it looks like on live scope. While looking, I saw a school on the bottom so tossed a minnow down. Ended up with a 15” jumbo, the biggest I’ve ever caught. It would have pushed 2# and there was a school of 20 of them down there.

Do you have a GPS and mapping fishfinder? if so, you can mark out the ledge with waypoints so that you have a target boat spot. From there it's just fishing. You could throw an anchor if you need to stay in one spot tightly. Deep crankbaits, big jigs, and spoons have produced on ledges for as long as there have been ledges.

smallies are spawn to post spawn. last wednesday I was bed fishing on one of the colder lakes and there were some fish paired up and some singles on beds. Water was 63-64. I'd expect most of the females to be largely done now but the males will be around. Largemouth last sunday were prespawn at a cooler lake (water temp was 68) though I did see one male making a bed. A couple days earlier a shallower lake around that warms quickly was 69 degrees. In both cases I expect there are lots of largemouth on beds right now and some of the females long done but depends on the lake a little. I expect the bite to start in March and finish in November so just go fishing.

Supernatural is my default mono. I have 6-16# on various rods. I just swapped the Aldebaran to 8# on the BFS rig and it’s a great line for that. I fish 16# on my do everything moving bait rod, 14# on my topwater and lighter stuff bait casting rod (things like flukes, walking baits and poppers, lighter chatterbaits, etc). I fish 10 and 12 on my crankbait rods. It’s JDM diameter for a given strength and it’s rated appropriately. Low memory, modest stretch, slick coating that ties good knots. Lower abrasion resistance so not ideal for pitching into wood but good enough for moving baits around wood. And it’s cheap. Easy enough to try a spool and if you don’t like it use it for backing. The moss green is next to impossible to see above water if you’re a line watcher.