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Dis Shimano? The only thing I can think think of wrong with that is if you never owned one. It's why I dismiss those comments that dis any brand without at least trying it. Unless it's Lew's. I kid, I kid! (Thats a friendly inside joke for a few guys that know what I'm talking about). Often on the internet, you got guys that regurgitate what they've heard. Is it true? Sometimes. Mostly not, or what they heard wasn't the whole story. I bought a greenie back in the early 90s. We didn't get along. I took it back and got two Daiwas and a Quantum IR3 round reel. I still have that reel. The Daiwas are long gone, sold them years ago after years of service. I found I liked Daiwas. Funny thing, I didn't dismiss Shimano. I own several today. I didn't dismiss Quantum, but like I said earlier in the thread, they don't turn my screws. Neither do Dodge trucks, Sony electronics, or anything Android. There's no point go over and over how great you think something is to someone that doesn't care, or worse doesn't like - you're biting your own neck. Buy what you like. If it's something that turns your screws, tell us what and why. But don't sit here and troll for haters. It actually creates more haters, and looks petty. I can't imagine sitting in a boat with someone for eight hours having the kind of exchange that's going on here. Catching bass is hard enough without worrying whether you're using the right reel, wearing the right clothes, driving the right car.... With that, I bid this thread and all goodnight.

I've had it with tungsten. To dad blamed expensive for how fast I go through them. Three packs in two days. At $9.00 bucks a pack.....NO! I probably have enough to get me through this season, then it's back to lead. I know you might say, you have expensive rods and reels. That's true, and at the end of the season, I will still have them. Not so, the tungsten. Last trip I alternated between tungsten and lead. I didn't notice any difference, except I didn't cringe after losing a lead weight. As I have stated before, the lake I fish is seriously snag infested. Imagine if the lake you were fishing had the bottom entirely covered with barbed wire. Well, maybe it's not quite that bad, but it's BAD!...SO, it's bye bye tungsten and hello lead...GAME OVER! !! Hootie P.S...I like losing weight, but not like that....lol.

Better save those adrenaline rushes for catching a fish and not when loosing a sinker.

I use thick braid so the bass can see it, it kind of even things out.

This question has been asked lots... It has more to do with line diameter than the # test Edit: dang I got beat to it....

catch and release!!!

Hey guys, I headed out to my favorite pond this morning and the sky was cloudy with very little wind. I get to the pond and it is covered in muck but i was hoping for that. I was dying to break out the frogs! My fifth cast i nailed a beauty. She fought well and is one of my bigger bass this season! I caught her on a booyah pad crasher with a Medium-Heavy rod and 30lb braid. Sorry the photo is sideways It was a great birthday present!

And to the. OP, if you are concerned about unhooking taking too long, try unhooking the fish in the water, or in a net or cradle.

I used to be a shimano guy but finally decided to go all Daiwa route. Got a few Daiwa reels recently and also tried some aftermarket spools. There is a ZPI RC-002 spool on TD Z which remind me the DC system on shimano reel. Basically set the brake to 4 and free the spool tension knob you can cast without thumbing. The nice thing over the shimnao DC is you can totally turn the brake off and also be able to handle much lighter baits. The alphas has a megabass zonda BFS spool on one alphas but didn't have chance to try it yet.

The confusion arises when you think of 'line-test strength' in terms of Thin line and Fat line (Big No-No). 80 lb fluorocarbon mono and 80 lb polyethylene braid are both in the same heavy "80-lb" line-class However, 80 lb fluoro is FAT line (0.034") whereas 80 lb braid is Thin line (0.017"), exactly "half" the diameter. Regardless of the line material used, the surest way to ramp up Abrasion Resistance is to increase the line diameter. By adding bulk to the diameter you decrease the 'depth percentage' of the nick or fray. Although braid is said to have poor abrasion-resistance, the bulk of the blame falls on its very fine diameter. When dragging a soft swimbait through nasty emergent canes, I'd much rather have 50-lb braid than 15 lb fluorocarbon, both by the way have the same line diameter (0.014”). Roger

I use 30 lb. braid on my jig and frog set ups and have never had a problem. If I use anything higher it feels like I am fishing with rope.

I wish we had more people that would keep fish out of some of the lakes around me. Tons of bass that are under the 13" slot limit that would be perfect eaters, very few over the 15" limit though because of all the small fish.

Well I got a chance to get out on the water this afternoon and this new strategy paid off! I researched a few spots before I hit the water and sectioned off a part of the lake that I was going to fish. It was very slow starting out. I worked my way along the banks pitching worms and jigs to possibly get a strike out of a lazy summer bass. The water temp was 82 degrees and it was hot out! After what felt like a few lazy hits and no fish, I was beginning to get discouraged, but I didn't give up. I came up with a new strategy and I decided to fish a nice point I had found in the part of the lake I had sectioned off. I quickly watched my graph drop from 8 feet to 21 feet and decided to sit on the flat and fish a deep crank up the bluff. Boy did it pay off! I caught 4 within 30 minutes and several more over the next hour or so before I had to pack it in. Thanks for the help guys! I'll keep working at it, but it helps to know that I'm on the right track!

I sure wish people would stop judging others who choose to keep a few fish to eat!! It's legal and taking a few each year does nothing to hurt the fish population!

This past week, a friend and I made a trip north into Wisconsin for a few days and floated a couple of rivers in personal pontoons. The weatherman threatened to cancel one of the days by predicting an all day rain, but he couldn't have been more wrong as both days were just perfect. Although it was warm by Wisconsin standards while we were there, the cool spring and summer still has the water cooler than normal. Normally by this time, the bass are in the full summer pattern, hanging out near the faster water but few were found there. We still caught a fair number of fish with a few pushing 18 and several over 16 inches. Sinking plastics, worked for both of us and I also got some on a topwater popper and I also did well with an In-line spinner. I just LOVE being up North. The beautiful rivers, the wildlife, the great smallie fishing and the adventure of the road trip just can't be beat.

You misspelled Conquest.

So I pulled into the landing today at a local lake. It was overcast with almost no wind. Perfect! I was planning on fishing by myself for an hour and 1/2 and then picking my brother and his friend up at the dock. I talked to a fisherman pulling in and he said, "Second lake we've fished today. Horrible luck all day long at both lakes." I said, "You should try Ragetail Toads and Senko's near the docks." He said, "I did! I've been fishing this lake for 10 years. He wished me luck and we parted ways. I got out there and immediately caught 2 nice bass on a Ragetail Toad during the retrieve and then a Senko. After that it was nothing for an hour. I then picked up my brother and his friend and went to the opposite side of the lake about 100 yards from the landing. I cast my Ragetail Toad and absentmindely retrieved it toward the boat as my brother fished a Senko and his friend used a Spro frog. As I was about 10 feet from the boat there was a pretty good strike and it must of missed. I had slack in my line and didn't feel anything. I looked down into the water near the boat and saw about a 40" musky. I said, "Hey, look at that huge musky! It must of just missed my lure!" That's when I realized it was still hooked. It was just swimming near the boat not really moving at all because the hook was keeping it in place. I told them to grab the net and as they did the fish started to pull away. I should have opened the bail but instead let the fish pull out line with drag. My brother's friend then attempted to net it and I said, "The net extends." As he was extending it into the water and the net touched the fish's tail it gave one quick thrust of it's tail and blew my swivel snap apart. (Once again going to try to find some Mustad Fastach connectors). So, I was bummed about losing the fish which would have been my first musky but I was happy for the opportunity. It was thrilling. Especially to see him swimming alongside the boat. I'm also the kind of guy that would like to catch one good musky and never catch one again. They are slimy and cost you lures. I've caught so many big northerns in my life up in Canada that I've had my fill of slimy fish. Well, we traveled 2 docks down and my brother hooked into a big one on his Senko. I got the net and it was a huge bass. We weighted it at 4lbs. I released it. It's his PB largemouth bass. I removed his face of his job. As we fished down the shoreline and all caught bass we passed a kayak fisherman. After we traveled about 100 yards we heard him yell, "Hey guys, bring your net!" We looked and he was fighting a huge fish. I turned the boat around with my Minn Kota Terrova and went as fast as we could with the trolling motor. I didn't want to use the big motor. We got close and my brother netted him. We measured him at 36" inches and weighed 10lbs. The kayaker said he'd just moved from Florida and his friend said, "Use this lure and you'll catch muskies on this lake." The guy had never caught a musky before. It was a firetiger Rapala Clack & Rap. The musky was born with a deformed gill plate and appeared to have been caught and released before. We released it and went on our way. It was really cool being able to help the kayaker catch his musky. And I guess his friend was right! After that we caught a bunch more bass and I switched to a KVD Sexy Dawg in perch (my new favorite lure). I caught some more bass on it and even had 2 more muskies jump fully out of the water attempting to bite the Sexy Dawg. I couldn't believe it. Going from never catching a musky to having 3 bite in one day and helping a guy net one! They say musky are the fish of a thousand cast. So I guess we are really fortunate! Especially almost catching 3 musky on topwater and having one hit so close to the boat and not even knowing he was hooked. I also caught about 8 more bass on the Sexy Dawg and topwater is my favorite way to fish. We used Senkos, KVD Sexy Dawg, and Ragetail Toads and had great success. So, it was all in all an amazing day! Really blessed to have friends and family to share it with and be able to enjoy mother nature. Putting my boat away I did get ahead of myself and put my motor too low when backing my boat into my garage. I ground off about 1/4" inch of skeg. Ugh! I guess I can't have a great day without something going wrong. lol.

MegaStrike Cavitron, no trailer

You don't need anything too specific for a flipping or pitching. A good quality reel with a metal frame and good drag (as in adjustable and smooth with decent power). Locked down drags are unnecessary and needlessly hard on equipment. If you'll be doing some pitching good free-spool is helpful. A 50 size reel is plenty capable. I prefer a fast reel for tackling up slack or reeling down quickly. The right rod will move the fish up and out so there is no need to winch them.

Keep it simple to start. Use the same stuff you had success with in the smaller boat or from shore and try to find areas that match what you are used to. Not every body of water follows the 'book'...So most times you need to figure it out on your own. If you have issues finding fish after a while, look at what the other boats are doing...But focus on the DIFFERENCES in what they are doing versus what you had been doing. Be patient and willing to learn, don't try to copy other boats...Learn from them. A lot of people get discouraged because they think having the boat will now free up all the limitations they had...In reality, it only gives you more variables to figure out! Apply what you already know, keep an open mind, and learn. You will get the hang of it eventually .

I have caught all kinds of fish on the Fat Ika but nothing like this (warmouth?). I caught several large mouth with this bait today but this took the cake. Funny thing is, it hit harder than anything else I caught.

Awesome thank you! That is what I expected, I just wanted to hear it from someone else haha. Thanks again!

Caught this one the other day. Just shy of my pb which is 6.2. this one was 5.12

Matt lures Century 22 Triple Fish Black Dog Dirty Donkey CL8 Mike Shaw MS lures Jerry Rago Brock Hiroshima 3|16 Lures Should get you started. Tom

I know people who fish them like a normal Texas rig, I just like to use them when I'm trying to fish a little more vertical in thicker stuff, like pitching into holes in matted grass or punching straight into the thick stuff.... For more open cover I would rather use other style baits....

Speckled Trout maybe???

A 17 foot bass! Wow how much did she weigh

They have the gear set available here... http://tackletrap.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=898_792_793&products_id=4011

Search function. This topic has been beat to death http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/141227-why-use-50-pound-braid/?hl=%2Bwhy+%2Bheavy+%2Bbraid

Don't forget the ramp doesn't open till 8 am. They opened it around 7:40 this morning but normally they wait until exactly 8. Caught a few on a jig there today, nothing special though.

The link I originally posted didn't seem to work so I deleted it. This might work better: https://fishshop.shimano.com/vip/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441848573&SKU%3C%3Esku_id=1689949372101560 On the line lay - I've seen chatter about that on TT but never seen anyone prove that it's an issue...especially when only going from 6.4 to 7.0 gearing.

Left and right gear sets are different. If you were planning on ordering direct from Shimano, their web site shows the 51MG7 drive gear out-of-stock until 9-25; the pinion gear out-of-stock until 10-25. You can request email notification of when the parts are back in stock (Shimano has done a very good job with their parts web site).

yea so how come when people talk about quantum all they do is bash? let me guess, when its about shimano its not allowed but when its about quantum it is ok? you have to play fair. the only reason why i bash shimano is because those shimano guys that never used a quantum say that zebco sucks. truth hurts.

River monsters, bass special haha

Gonna try to go to prairie lee tomo

Way to go Bud, keep up the good work! Man, September is coming quick!

Nice to see you're still getting some quality fish BR1AN!

can of worms, small hook and a split shot, you will catch as many as you want

Do you want a new size and shape or a custom painted that is known to perform good? Tom

Pizz customs has quite a few and he can paint just about any pattern you would want

Hiroshima Customs makes really nice baits. I don't own any but have oogled over a couple items. 3:16 Lure Compay is another which I own a couple of baits. You didn't specify a price point but anything "custom" in the swimbait category be prepared to spend some $$$.

This might give you an idea Dam0007, I've got a 50E that DVT put in a 7 to 1 gear set for me, carbontex drag, and orange Boca bearings. Then, the 102mm Hawgtech swept handle was added. I do prefer a smaller spool. To me it makes using lighter weights easier when a delicate presentation is needed. The drag has the power for sure. I really like the Carbontex drag washers! The handle is a little weird to get used to being so large, but nice when a bigger fish is on. Plus, the me the Boca Bearings allow you to be more precise on repeated pitches.

Electric trolling motor, ever wonder why it's called that and not a bow thruster. Tom

Trolling isn't allowed for organized bass tournaments because it's mistakenly considered a low skill method of catching bass. Like any presentation there are differing levels of expertise including trolling skills. I use trolling as a method to teach new anglers how to fish crankbaits, deep divers. I can control the depth and speed the crankbait is running to optimize strikes, this gives the angler one thing to think about; how the lure feels running properly when a bass strikes. I can watch the anglers rod tip working and know when something has changed like a weed fouling the hooks or hitting bottom or a bass striking. Trolling covers a lot of productive water at the proper depth by constantly keeping the boat at a specific depth following a break line. Spreaders were first used as trolling technique, today called A-rigs for bass fishing. Trolling spreaders is very effective way to catch and locate bass. Trolling maybe outlawed during a bass tournament, not pre fishing or fun fishing. Long lining or strolling is another type of trolling, it's not a cast and retrieve presentation, it's cast move the boat to let out more line, then retrieve. You are trolling when letting out more line by moving the boat. Tom PS, world record smallmouth bass was caught trolling!

A-Jay

I caught a 7.3 largemouth that hit a 2lb largemouth that hit a LC pointer. So technically I caught it on live bait. But it still counts to me!

I have been getting great numbers of bass, a few 5 lbers and a 6 lb 6 oz. Still haven't seen one over 7 since spring. Pretty good chance I will see several this fall.

James Patrick Page ~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcIn4dG6fBc A-Jay

I have had a few instances. Last year lost a Stradic ci4 2500 on a Pinnacle Perfecta Rod when I didn't strap it down good in a buddies boat. Got to the lake and it wasn't there. After fishing, drove the whole 1hr 45min home slowly looking roadside. Somebody got a nice combo. Couple years ago, I knocked a buddies Abu combo off the coleman 2 man. Replaced it, and then a year later the pond levy broke. We went out and retrieved it. Rod was shot and so was the reel. He sent it in to Abu to see about cleaning and repair, and for $20 they replaced it. He ended up with a better rod and 2 reels. Jeff

I have tried just about all of them. A few have made it to the regular rotation, most did not. The "winners" for me: The Devil Spear and The Jerk The ......." I caught some good fish on them, and I'll use them if I am out of my regular stuff " category Pit Boss Craw Fatty Bottom Hopper Grass Pig Subwoofer The..........."tried them, don't hate them, but don't really need/want them" category Juice worm The Deuce Sick fish Slop craw The ............."tried them, and couldn't get rid of them fast enough" category Rocket craw Smash tube Hawk hog Wide load Beat Shad And lastly the..........."I have not tried them yet" category Backslide Flat Dawg