TLHSS

I find it refreshing when a company doesn’t market something to me that has nothing to do with catching fish. I’ll stick with my plain jane Vanford and my Orvis Battenkill click and pawl (no drag) reels.

Like some others have stated, I started fishing with a cane pole and a bobber. 30 years ago, I started my daughters out with Zebco micro trigger spins. When my grandson is ready to fish, I plan to start him out with a tenkara rod. Kinda a cross between the old cane pole and a fly rod.

Thanks for the heads up @bulldog1935. Unfortunately they don’t carry the reel model I was looking for. I can only find it for sale on the Gomexus site. @F14A-Bthe website said all US sales would be shipped via Fedex or UPS. Who knows if it’s still valid.

I’m curious if anyone has placed an order since the tariff changes? I’m wanting to know if the stated prices include the tariff charges, or will I be charged an extra 30% from Fedex/UPS when the item is delivered? Please don’t make this into a political post. I’m just trying to determine if an item will cost $34 or $44 dollars.

@TOXIC if they send you any 3" slim senkos that need testing, I'll take the hit and test them out for you Always willing to help a brother out! (The 3" slim senko is my all time favorite bait that seems to only be available in their on-line store. As an ultralight guy I love em!)

I fly fish the bluegill raiding bass beds. 😉

The one I have is a screw-in hoop. I purchased mine from Bait Finesse Empire.

I use the Jackson Super Trickster Telescoping Landing Net from shore. It’s a JDM net. Model STN-180. Closed shaft length is 11.9”. Extended shaft length is 5.9 feet. Only weighs 7.6 oz.

Listen to your wife. She’s right. Nobody needs 20 rods to catch fish. However, the bait monkey would disagree with me vigorously 😊

Good article. This matches what I read from other fish biologists concerning pond and lake management when the goal is trophy size bass. Thanks for posting!

Christos Anesti!

I'm a minimalist. I refresh terminal tackle and soft plastics "just in time". Nothing in storage. So the cost is very low, whether it's full price or on sale. And unlike others, I use a credit card for everything I purchase if there's no penalty. Always pay it off at the end of the month. Not using a credit card in this way is turning down free money. In fact, much of my tackle refresh is free based on rewards.

One bag of 3” slim senkos. Watermelon with red and black flake. That’s all I need. 😊

Like @Dwight Hottle, I also live in a condo. No matter how much I fish my yard always looks great 😊

The fish biologists I follow talk primarily about private pond management; not rivers. And what I read from them is based on science and experience with client’s ponds. So I tend to believe it, even if it doesn’t match past beliefs.

From the 2025 Illinois Fishing Regulations booklet: "Fish may be immediately released back into the waters from which they were taken, but permission from the Department of Natural Resources must be secured before releasing fish in other waters" So I would say you cannot release them in a small creek without permission from the Illinois DNR.

I would say it’s not allowed without speaking with the Illinois DNR. I don’t work for the DNR, but a quick Google search came up with this statement: In the fall of 2008, an emergency administrative rule was adopted making it illegal in Illinois to move fish from one water body to another without written permission from DNR, in an attempt to curtail the spread of disease.

I use snaps on everything I fish. VMC Duolock size 0.

Go out to YouTube and search "zebco 808 service". YouTube contributor OutFishing13 has a number of Zebco service and tuning videos that are very easy to follow. He will also respond to comments if you run into any problems along the way.

This was in my Facebook feed this morning. The reaction of some folks on this "poor business decision" was priceless.

When the big bluegills are on their beds, I love to fly fish for them. Tons of fun from the bank. Casting distance isn’t important, and you can use inexpensive and light gear. I use a 2wt and a click and pawl reel. I enjoy it just as much as spin bass fishing.

I’m 5’8”. I was as tall as 5’11”. All four of my grandparents immigrated from Greece. Mainland and Samos Island.

I only bank fish. At most, I carry one spinning rod, one fly rod, and a landing net. All my tackle fits in a 6th Sense Small Bait Bag (roughly 9 x 6 x 6). Contents are tools, measure mat, bait scent, one small fly box, one small Meiho box for soft plastics, one small Meiho box for hard lures, and one small Meiho box for terminal tackle. I also wear a lanyard that has nippers, my licenses, hemostats, and floatant.

Spinning: Graywolf 544 UL E-Glass Spinning Rod Vanford 500 Spinning Reel Fly: Cabela's CGR Fiberglass Fly Rod - 6'2" 2wt Orvis Battenkill I Fly Reel

I've done both. I purchased my Vanford used from ALF. Considerably cheaper than new, and I'm not sure it was ever fished. I have purchased new when models change, and the old models sell at close-out prices. I purchased my Orvis Battenkill reel this way from Orvis at about half the price of the new model. I recently purchased a Penn saltwater reel from Ebay that was a "salesman sample". Never fished but still considered used and priced accordingly. I haven't received it yet to know if this is another way to get good quality gear at a reduced price.