Bazoo

Went yardsaling a while back and scored a small box of mixed lures for $2. Looks like an old Rebel minnow, a couple Diamond Shads, a Redzone suspending trap, and what I believe is a Risto Rap. I haven't identified the spinnerbait yet, if anyone could help with that.

I break line by wrapping the line around the rod about 6-8 times, between the reel and the first eyelet. this causes the line to not pull on the reel, pull against your hand, and allows you to break even heavy braid. But with fluoro, it breaks the fluoro where it touches the first eyelet. Make no mistake, I hate fluoro. At least at this point. But I am trying to ascertain if it actually will help me catch more fish, OR, if it's just coincidence and hype that drives it.

I have heretofore turned my nose up at bladed jigs. I have tried a bladed jig a few times, and caught a few fish on it at my local pond. But, on the lake I fish, it seems like a lot of other folks fish them, and as a result, I figured they wouldn't do much good. So now I am wanting to give it a try. Should I skip the original bladed jig and move right to something more expensive like the bladed jig or the tungsten thunder cricket? The pros I watch seem to like the tungsten thunder cricket. Is it really any better? Is it just that most anglers opt for the cheaper bladed jig, and the sound of the tungsten thunder cricket just isn't as known to bass, and thus it produces? Give me some insight on bladed jigs.

I have considered it. I do get lonely. I would be completely fine if it was me and 1 other person. But completely alone, I think I'd go through an initial phase of not being able to handle it, but I'd be okay because I'd talk to my God and that'd keep me company enough. I'd come out of it closer to him for sure.

Im not stressed over losing the bait, rather, stressed over disturbing the spot. Bank fishing where I do, I come up on each spot, I have one chance to fish it before they turn off. Fluoro sinking causes it to snag much more than mono does. I can't drag a texas rig across the bottom at a crawl if there is sticks and rocks, and the places I fish is sticks and rocks. With a boat, probably be better I'd think because I could just keep on going down the shoreline and find another spot. From the bank, there is only so many accessible spots on the lake I fish. That said, I am going to try fluoro again, and see if I can warm up to it, since now I am quite confident in my use of mono. My presentations I know are good. So if my catch rate increases, then I reckon I'll know it helps.

Yes, that's what I'm talking about. I don't want a huge one, I wan't a smallish one, but that will add some extra length. I can't find what I want though.

Granted my experience with fluoro is limited, but I can't get unsnagged without breaking it off. It stretches out, sounds like a 22 rifle going off when it breaks. It also breaks at the rod when I wrap the line around the rod to break, which is my normal method. I can change methods of course.

I have a couple rods I'd like to add about 1" of length to the butt. Is there any add on butts that will add a bit of length? I don't know what those things are called, but I see them on some pros' rods. It appears they are to make a rounded cushion on the rod butt when fighting big fish.

Nice one! Congratulations! I've fished a texas rig a fair amount with ML rod. I use finer wire hooks, and I set the hook twice or really give them the business. I adjust my hookset for every lure/rod/line combo I use.

My main gripe with fluoro, is I pitch into brush a lot when using a texas rig, and snag sticks/rocks a lot when using a crankbait. In other words, I break my line because fluoro won't take any abuse. I am a line abuser.

How do they compare to an original Rat-L-Trap?

@Mike L could you elaborate on why you don't like/won't use mono? @Pat Brown I don't know that the other 299 anglers are making it. Some of them are doing well, but I'd guess a good bit of them are probably just making enough to cover their costs. Now... I don't know for sure, I am theorizing on the limited information I have seen. Winning $100,000 or $300,000 would certainly ease the financial strain quite a bit though.

I have a lot less experience with various rods than the guys here, but I do use all-around rods for most of my applications. I mostly bank fish. My favorite rod for all around use is a Lews Hank Parker 6'10" M/F. It's more MH than M. I am comfortable with everything on it. Jigs, texas rigs, topwater, traps, squarebills, 1/4oz roostertails, 1/4oz jighead/grubs, and flukes. It's balanced and it's soft enough in the tip to cast lighter stuff well. The first one I had grooved the tip after about 6 months. Lews replaced it. I am expecting the tip to groove on the second one, but I'll replace the tip and move on when that happens. The way the rod handles is worth that minor aggravation, to me at least. I couple it with various reels, the best being a BPS Pro Qualifier 2.

Interesting responses, thank you everyone. It'd be interesting to see if Wheeler could still do as well if he used mono for everything. Part of that equation would have to be, instead of just changing, he would have to adjust to how mono sinks/lack of sink. I expect he'd continue to be at the top of the field.

I appreciate everyone's insight. I will remember to hit the outside of it. I didn't do that last time. It being in an easily accessible spot on the lake I fish, I can hit it every time I go up through there. I am not excited to look for some more of those spots on that side of the lake. Yes those with boats will use sonar and know about it. But the boat traffic is not really that heavy since it's a small lake with a no big motor rule. Basically trolling motor or idle speed only. In other words, most serious anglers go elsewhere.

I've never been spooled. Even when I caught a carp and a gar down at the river, not even close. I suppose if I was coming close to being spooled I could just apply tension with my thumb and it would break the line, or break the run, if I was able to have the wherewithal to notice. The lightest line I run normally is 8lb, though I'm thinking of trying 6lb. I run mono most of the time, and I respool a lot, so the time it takes to tie the knot will end up being 10 minutes in a month, which will be 2 hours a year, 20 hours over 10 years. I never let my line get down low enough I'll spool it when casting. I normally change it before I lose 1/4 of it. I keep up with my line pretty good. I have a note on my computer where I track each reel, what line is on it, when it was put on, and whether or not it has a backer, is tied to the spool, or stuck through the hole. Which doesn't add much time at all since I use the computer a lot and just add it into it when I think of it, so not perfect.

I found a bush pike from shore. The day I found it, I lost a trap and felt it out with a grub. I came back the next day and pulled 3 bass off it, 2 with a texas rig, and 1 with a fluke. That said. I don't have much of an idea of how to fish brush piles. This pile appears to be a few rocks that are mixed with brush. I've pulled in a few sticks from it. I don't know how large the brush part is. It appears to be in about 6 feet of water. I realized, I don't really know how to fish a brush pile, so let me have it, school me on brush piles. How often can I hit it? Every time I go by? A bunch of different fish will use it, not just the same 3-4, correct? How tight do they hold to it? Traditional lures to try? Non traditional or oddball lures to try?

I ran into a couple vintage Strike King Diamond shads. They are similar to Rat-L-Traps in size and shape. I haven't used them yet, but I expect them to work just like a real trap. Anyone have opinions good or bad about the Diamond shad?

Got this 4-9 a couple weeks back, on a Zoom grub.

Some of the times I've tied through the holes, I've had the line get cut when I tried tighten it down. A few times it was okay if I was real careful. The other day, on the water, I respooled and just stuck the mono in the hole and started winding. I guess if I lived in a place where I could potentially get into tarpon or other huge fish, I would be more worried. Course, a huge catfish could spool me I guess.

That makes total sense. Thanks.

Sorry to hear of this. I noticed his absence after my return. So I went looking. I always had a great deal of respect for Tom's opinions. He shared his knowledge with me many times.

There are a lot of other factors involved. Line used, rod used, positioning of the rod during retrieve (running depth), exact retrieve used. Assuming ya'll were running the exact same lures of course. I'd be willing to bet it was one of those vs the speed ratio.

If using mono, and starting with a bare spool, is there any reason to tie the line to the spool? Provided the spool has holes of course. I have heard of folks just sticking the line in a hole and start reeling, and I have done it myself on a rare occasion. I am more comfortable with tying an arbor knot, but I do change my line a lot and it would save me a lot of time not doing so. I always position the knot so that it's over one of the holes. I know with braid, you need to have a mono backing to keep it from slipping. What about flouro? Can I just run it into one of the holes the same as mono? Of should it be tied for some fluoro specific reason?

Okay, here is a noob question. Reels aren't rated for lure range are they? Any reel would handle 1-2oz right? Would not the determining factor be the rod, and to a lesser extent, the line. Any reel with any sort of brakes, and with proper application of the thumb should cast a 1-2oz lure, would it not?