VTFan

I suppose you could and be perfectly safe. As for me, I've always ran the line through a couple holes and tied a slip knot. JMHO.

As someone else said, deadsticking is not in my DNA. I can't even fish a drop shot with any success because I feel like I'm fishing with a cane pole. My hands have to be moving the bait. That's just me.

Almost 69 here and I too miss the old days of BASS. Somewhere in our 'spare/junk' room I found a box with some of the old BassMaster magazines. I told myself I was going to pull them out on a rainy day and read but....never have. I for one miss the days when the likes of Dance, Martin, Houston, and those guys fished.

I can relate to this problem. My brother and I fish a lot together and we have noticed what works for him won't work for me and visa versa. To us it's all in what you are comfortable with. My brother can catch bass on a drop shot, I can't. I can catch them on crankbaits, he can't. So try to pick lures that you are comfortable using and concentrate on catching bass with those. Just my opinion. Good luck.

This coming from a long time spinning rod hater, I'd spool it with braid with maybe a short leader. The reason I was a spinning hater was the wind knots and line twist using fluro or mono. Braid solved that problem for me. Also just a reminder, teach him to close the bail by flipping it with his hand and not with the reel handle. Just my opinion, I'm sure others have better ideas. Have fun!!!

Here in Virginia like some other states it's been H.O.T.!!!!...and humid!!! So it's either early morning..which I'm not an early morning person, or late late afternoon. No night fishing for me...don't do snakes. Lately the bait that's working for me is a black/blue buzzbait. A year ago I could catch bass on a wacky rig pretty much year round. Now I can't even buy a smell with a wacky rig. I think the fish have gotten smart LOL!!!

At this point in my life...68 yrs old...it's just damage control but yes, I do wear them for protection from the sun after all these years of not being concerned with the sun.

Personally I found if I only wrap the line once around the middle guides with the hook on the keeper then all I have to do is take the hook off the keeper and give the rod a little twist and I'm ready to go. Just what works for me.

We ran into this situation last year except the hydrilla was up close to the surface. We were catching bass that day throwing a weedless wacky worm. The worm would pretty much stay on top the grass and the bass would ambush the bait. It was fun that day.

Spinning...30 lb Power Pro hi-viz yellow braid to 15-20 lb. fluro leader using FG knot with Rizzuto finish. Hasn't failed me yet. Casting...straight 30 or 40 lb. Power Pro braid.

Very true!!!

I agree with the above comments. I would bet you'll be saying a few choice words using that fluro on spinning gear...wind knots galore!!! I hated spinning gear all my life until I discovered braid to fluro or mono. Now it's my finesse go to.

As for me, I just open the bail if it's a spinning reel and pull the line off down across the yard. Keep in mind if it is spinning gear I'll be using braid. Then when I put it on another reel once I tie on to the reel and close the the bail I hold the rod out straight while pinching the line between my fingers and reel in. Baitcasting gear is much simpler. Just pull off line from one reel down across the yard, tie on to next reel and pinch between fingers and reel in. Hope all this makes sense. LOL!!!

Many years ago when I was learning to cast a baitcaster I remember watching Bill Dance one day and he said to make a normal cast, then pull off another 5 to 10 ft. of line and then put a piece of electrical tape on the spool and reel in. That way if/when you do backlash you only have to dig out to the tape, not the entire spool. That little trick has saved me more often than I care to think about.

I can!! I can also relate to having a treble hook break also. I was just lucky it wasn't on a fish of a lifetime!!

Melding two pieces of worm back together works just fine. I've actually had them break somewhere else other than the melded seam. Melding the head of the plastic where the hook eye tears it can be tricky with a lighter though.

I usually take a lighter to broken or ripped plastics and just meld them back together, sometimes to the point I'll take two different color plastics and make one lure of mismatched colors. Then I don't know which color the bass are preferring LOL!!!

Mepps spinners, Creme worms that came pre-rigged with a couple hooks and a spinner up front. I think they still make both of these. Might be worth trying out for old time sake.

I haven't fished these in a while but used to all the time. Don't know why I got away from them. I guess like most things they aren't made with the quality they used to be. Those things used to be killers.

I'm guilty of most of them. Not making multiple cast to the same spot being the main one but also guilty of a couple more. Have to try to do better. Thanks Glenn!!!

Matt Stephan, Tyler Berger, Steve Rogers, Brian Latimer, Fish the Moment, Ott.

I tried Matt's hair dryer/heat gun method and it worked like a charm.

If I have two stick worms that are about to break in the middle I'll go ahead and break cut both in half and melt the opposite colors together making a half color of each. Makes it interesting because then I don't know which color the bass liked LOL!!!

I had forgotten that Yum made those things. I've never caught anything on the Eel but the smaller tadpole I've caught bunches, even now.

JMHO but I'm using straight 40 lb. PowerPro braid on my baitcasters and 30 lb. PowerPro Hi Viz yellow w/17 lb. leader on my spinning gear. All my casting reels are Abu Silver Max's and the like and I can cast a mile with the above mentioned braid. Like I said, this is just my opinion.