WRB-2.0

Try adjusting the spool end tension. Using the lure you are using disengage the the spool then take your thumb off the spool and let the lure free fall and hit the ground. The spool should stop spinning on it’s own without creating loose line. This can reduce casting distance slightly, but you are pitching lures less then 50’. I adjust my reels to cast freely over 50 yards, this requires a trained thumb and running the line over my index finger during the retrieve to maintain contact with lures and keep slight tension on the spooled line. Loose line ends up creating a backlash, you need to manage your line on both spinning and casting reels. Tom

With a buzzer you want it land softly on the water while raising your rod tip to get the lure moving towards you without sinking to start the blades. It’s a timing thing that take a few cast to master, Tom

It’s hard for me today to define a flipping reel. The last pure flipping reel was a Shimano Castiac that had a flip switch for instant hook setting. Any bass reel can be used to pitch lures. Tom

AI (artificial intelligence) is the current frontier being exploited to train robots to recognize situational developments and make intelligent decisions. In my retired world of warfare weapons this is extremely worrisome. With the latest ballon “fly over” who knows what is on the horizon. In out fishing world a lure could be thought to avoid snags and find the bass then act injured to entice a strike. Tom

Jason Cobb registered a 17.03# Share A Lunker caught at O.H. Ivie, maybe the Texas record could fall? Tom

When you meter bait fish in a tight ball that is a defensive school tactic with predator fish nearby or feeding on them. The stretched out cloud shape is the bait fish traveling without being defensive. Do you have Blueback herring in this lake? Tom

Our local lakes are around 2,000 acres with very little shore cover, mostly dead brush. The terrain is mountainous with steep and rocky narrow canyons. Every boat launches and runs to a cove or point, puts down the TM and starts pounding the bank. I like to deer hunt and learned to study topographic elevation maps to locate where the big bucks should be. Reading topo maps helped to understand what was underwater when bass fishing. A 2D map your mind converts into a 3D picture of the structure. 1959 Lowrance offered their 1st flasher a portable unit Fish LO K TOR. I was in high school and bought the unit because It could define what I knew was there on my maps but now I could see real time fish on the structure. Now I wasn’t pounding the same shore as everyone else and catching bass that only trollers blindly ran across. Humming Bird Super 30 & 60. Replaced the Lo K Tor. Lowrance 1510 & 1610 paper graphs where added along with the flashers to detail what the flasher indicated. Soft or hard bottoms, rocks, sand gravel, brush, trees, all kinds of structure elements were available to sonar anglers. Velexar was the 1st color sonar flasher unit, soon Lowrance advanced the pixel density to the point I put away my flashers and paper graphs. I feel blind fishing without sonar because spent 50 years looking at sonar returns to determine where the bass and bait were located, if a thermocline had developed or lake turned over. Now I am back seating occasionally and fishing basically blind unless the boater shares the sonar unit or let’s me have the front seat for awhile. I can catch bass pounding the shore blindly and my memory is still functional and can picture what’s under the boat or coming along the shoreline. Given the chance I move the boat to a off shore hump or some rock piles I know of and enjoy bass much more then simple casting toward the bank. Sonar was essential to me for decades because it opened up the entire water column to knowledgeable anglers. Tom

Just noticed this thread. Suggest going to Bob Mariottes Fly Fishing store in Fullerton, Very helpful knowledgeable personnel and they have everything needed. This where I got my hair supplies for tying jigs, can’t beat looking at stuff in person. Tom

Don’t be shocked if a red lipless or flatside wins 2023 Classic. Tom

Like rods I like to try out different reels mfr’s until finding what works for me, fresh and salt water. You will never know until giving choices a try. Not brand loyal, nobody is paying me to fish a product. Tom

Crawdads get bright red in hot water? I add 4 strands of red crystal flash to my hair jigs and seems to help. Black/red is a go to in low light conditions...why? don’t know but it works. Tom

Disabled Grabber tool is inexpensive and works good for picking up things like you TM rope handle. Hang onto your pedestal seat when pulling up the TM. Tom

Ceiling fan balance adhesive lead strips or Storm Suspend Dots or Strips. Adding weighted hooks use solder wrapped around the treble hook shank. Tom

Don’t think you can skip a buzzer, not a easy lure to cast accurately do to it’s blade aerodynamics. You want to keep the cast under 90’. Shad spawn is a good time before 9A when the Shad are still in the brush. Single buzzer with gold blade and chartreuse/white skirt Shad profile 3” trailer. Double Buzzer with Chrome blades pearl white skirt no trailer. Tom

Why use FC leader, weaker knot strength and you need 2 knots...use a premium mono or copolymer line equal diameter to FC and increase knot strength 25%. 10# braid 5# Maxima UG, 15# braid 8# UG for finesse presentations. 7# Sniper is close to 5#UG and 10# Sniper is close to 8 lb UG. Tom

Wasn’t long ago the red was invisible to bass now it highly visible, got love how fickle bass anglers can be. Tom

KVD is a icon in bass fishing. A few years ago we had a bass fishing show sponsored by Anglers Marine in Anaheim California called the Bass A Thon or BAT that had top pro angers doing seminars and mixing with the attending anglers at various tackle displays. Both KVD and Rick Clunn we’re doing seminars and both are good crowd pleasers. I was visiting a few old friends when KVD joined in on the conversation like one of the guys. He was comfortable and wanted to learn about our local big bass techniques. The fact he was at ease talking with anglers he didn’t know and had nothing to gain impressed me, he truly loves to bass fish. KVD will continue being a factor in bass fishing, it’s in his blood. I miss the BAT and hope Anglers Marine restarts the event.

I cast using my right hand. Spinning the stays in my right hand, bait casting the rod gets switched over to my left hand. This how I learned to cast and retrieve lures in the mid 50’s. For me it’s all about comfort and trained fingers used to detect strikes. Strike detection isn’t a topic discussed often but requires all your senses including line movements detected by your finger tips. My left hand fingers are more sensitive then my right hand fingers do to decades of feedback. Tom

It’s no longer raining in SoCal and pre spawn. Now is the time to go fishing with your wake bait in SoCal. Tom

Feedback happens in different ways. Negative is almost always a written reply. Positive comes in several forms, the like button lower right corner, a solution flagged and PM’s. All kinds of feedback is good as long as it’s not a personal attack.?

KVD will be missed he is in a class by himself, a true sportsman in every sense. Tom

Pool with #5 & 8 horrible but... right numbers wrong teams for me? Tom

Reset everything. 1. Check the Prop center line height to the planning pad height. Should be 3.50” with prop shaft parallel to the pad surface. If not remount the engine so it’s right. 2. Check the plane pad surface, it must be flat uneven surfaces. 3. Remove the fin! 4. Take everything out of the boat, livewells empty. 1/2 full tank of gasoline. 5. Test drive your boat and slowly trim up the engine until it’s on the pad, about 35 mph. Slowly increase power without more any more trim, your boat shouldn’t propose at this trim setting! If. It. Starts. To propose trim down a tick. Problem should be solved now. Start to add tackle and weight evenly, more weight to the stern area like a full tank of gasoline. Tom PS, what prop SST or aluminum and pitch?

Palomar knot (named after a fireman who lived in Palomar) uses 2 line wraps around the hook eye and single line hitch to tighten the knot. If the double line around the hook eye gets crossed over (by twisting the loop) the line get flatten weakening it. The San Diego Jam knot* uses a single line around the hook eye with 5 to 6 wraps around the line snugged up then slides down the line until it stops and clinched tight. If the sliding wrap is too tight it can over heat from friction flattening the knot when clinched tight at the hook eye wrap. Nearly all knots fail from being tied incorrectly at the hook eye evidenced by a curl at the line end. We all occasionally experience knots failure, do to operator error. Tom *double SD Jam knot uses2 wraps around the hook eye.

Cold front bass fishing isn’t easy. Air temps don’t indicate water temps but winds can cool down the water column. Pre Spawn bass are catchable because the need to eat before spawning. The moon phase is a positive driver. Being a jig fisherman that is what my 1st choice is, works at nearly all depths except surface. Dress for the conditions so you are comfortable and go fishing. Tom