RRocket

Those are just special days, eh?

If it works, no need to change. As always, part of the trick is figuring out what the fish want in your area. Once when I was fishing a popper, I had zero hits. Out of boredom, I started flat out ripping the popper...like they do for fishing Peacock bass. And the fish wouldn't leave it alone! So yea, do whatever works best for the occasion and don't change a thing...until you have to.

When I was shown how to use a popper slowly, a good "rule of thumb" for me was to pop...then wait until the wake/ripple from the popper completely dissipated from the water surface before even considering another pop.

Oh I wouldn't use detergent. Just the high temp wash and agitating from the water jets for a cycle.

Excellent. Thanks for the direction!

There appears to be a clear, hard epoxy over the thread.

That's my thinking. But I don't know how to go about this.

Since my dishwasher doesn't damage my plastic containers, I'd presume they would be top rack dishwasher safe? Anyone ever use the dishwasher?

While heartbroken is a bit strong, I'm quite upset that an angry Bowfin broke the tip off of my from Japan Shimano Expride 265 UL+ tip. These are micro guides, and the rod blank of the tip on the broken end is .057" (1.45 mm) diameter. As for the guide, the inside diameter is .095" (2.4 mm) I realize that the rod will no longer be "the same" after a repair. What are my options here for a DIY repair? I'm a totally newb and totally clueless on rod repair. Thanks for any advice and direction!

The Decoy DS-15 is really good too!

Well done!

I had asked some buzzbait questions last year and found there were many buzzbait fans here. A "new" buzzbait was introduced by Teckel and I'm just wondering what the aficionados think about it?

Please PM me when you're ready! II'd be interested in taking some off your hands. That's pretty much what the Chatterbait Willow Vibe is...or maybe even a Decoy Zero Dan Flash. Have you tried those?

Same here! Kastking makes a coupe polarized fishing glasses with readers for under $50. On the other end of the pricing spectrum, Bajio also makes many different readers.

Check out the Shimano Vanford if that's the case.... Excellent reel.

Chatterbait

I don't doubt you and it's possible (probable?) my numbers are out to lunch as I was going from memory. EDIT: Their webpage description is wrong! My memory was right, but their description vs. Spool label vastly different. Thanks for the correcting!

Is it though? Both mono I currently use are thinner, and the Spro Finesse Braid is, shockingly, half as thick at .005".

All I fish is mono. The thing I've found is Stren, Trilene, etc seem stronger but that's because they run a significantly thicker line for the test. Stren is .011". Trilenene .010". My current favorite is Sunline Supernatural at .009". If you have a hard time seeing, the "Metered" version is excellent: 12" of Hi-Vis yellow followed by 48" of clear. Lately I've been playing around with KastKing Tripolymer Advanced Monofilament. Diameter is .008". (All diameters are for the 8lb you use) I've also been toying with trying Argent Gliss, which sports properties of mono and braid (allegedly). .010"

You're welcome.

Agreed. Perfect for a Grab and Go.

I like to pack lighter than most, so I'm really quite impressed with these and they suit my needs perfectly. So I thought I'd share in case anyone else likes packing small. The black one I use for my hooks. There's 10 slips, but hooks are thin enough where you could put 2 hook packets per slip. That would be quite a variety IMO. As it is now, I have 1/0-4/0 Owner Twistlock Light hooks. And the Hyabusa Spin Muscle is my wacky and drop shot hook. Since I had extra space, I added hook accessories like Geecrack Neeko Hack, small and medium in same sleeve. Plus a packet of Decoy Silicon Gripper. I still have 3 open sleeves. Weight as packed is 156g (5.5oz) The white one I use for my weights. I mostly fish a Free Rig. First couple sleeves hold my 5g and 7g tungsten slim/dropshot weight. Next is my 5g Decoy TX Dan weights. Then 1.8g Decoy Coil weights, Decoy 1.8g Slide Weights, some plain old tungsten .9g Neko weights and some Ryugi R-Snaps. I have 2 sleeves open. Weight as packed is 228g (8 oz) The vinyl on the outside reminds of a school binder. The Velcro closures are sturdy as are the sleeves. Quite thick! You can also buy extra sleeves if you'd really like to pack these up! Each wallet fits comfortably in a hand. Overall, an easy way for me to have a relatively small footprint while still bringing my "base" load out with room to spare.

Am curious if anyone uses Spro Finesse Braid on the regular? My intention is to spool one of my UL rods with 6lb. Maybe. For anyone who has used this, your thoughts would be appreciated.

Doesn't look too different from a Strike King Gurgle Toad....though smaller. That's a bit wide for Ned IMO. Try a Z-man Baby Goat. Excellent flapping legs, but in a slimmer profile. I fished those on a Ned with great results.

I too have heard similar about importance of sinker and set up style, though I have no personal experience. And what you say mirrors my research. Seems as though many prefer large coin style (or ball) sinkers on a compact (but strong) snap. This to ensure good contact. The coin style seems particularly adept at being shaken/jiggled to free lures...I'm guessing because the whole side of the coin can contact the lure and give it a decent tap. FWIW, I'll be using a coin style when I build mine. Fun and timely topic. I had recently seen a modern interpretation of a lure retriever. I don't know if it was Kickstarter? But it appeared to be beautifully conceived and designed. Would travel down the line with excellent force and speed..and the nose had a magnet which somehow anchored and grabbed the lure. It was expensive ($75) but it was suitably beautiful (like a nicely made reel) and I think I'd spring for one if they work! But I can't for the life of me remember the name of it!