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So, if any of you saw or read my thread on the best bang for your buck spinning reel, Jon, otherwise known as bassin is addicting, sent ME a near perfect Pfleuger President 6730, for NO CHARGE. He shipped it last week on 2-day but it was delayed and I received it on Tuesday the 11th. When I opened the box and unwrapped the paper, I nearly peed myself. Not only did he send me the reel, at least over $100 in tackle or more was sitting in the box. This package included, a TON of Soft plastics, crankbaits, Jigs, shakey heads, hooks, topwater frogs, a spinnerbait, split shots, sinkers. Most of them were pre rigged too. Not to mention, he messaged me updating me on order status as if i was ordering from cabela's or bass pro. He is risking not having an extra rigged reel for a tournament hes is fishing this weekend, to send ME, a 14 year old he doesn't know at all, a FREE Spinnning reel And tackle. I would like to say once again to Jon, I thank you very much for this. You have helped me out a lot, saved me a BOATLOAD, and i use capitals for emphasis, a BOATLOAD of money that i do not necessarily have a lot of to be spending. You are a great guy to do this, I hope the good lord will return you good doing 10-fold. If any one else is seeing this definetly leave a props to this guy in the comments or a good note in the flea market section section for him. Very much deserved for a selfless act. I can't thank you enough Jon!!!!!!!

thanks for the kind video and words... I am just glad I am able to help. from your reaction, and true appreciation, it made it all worth while. and I do think, if you are able, one day you will do the same for someone..... and, you'll think back about "that guy that sent me a "boatload" of stuff. take care...and enjoy....

But probably one of my favorite pictures ever

I often say how great this BR community is, and this exemplifies that spirit of humanity. Kudos to Bassinisaddicting for his random act of kindness. Just remember gunsndrums1, to pay it forward when your time comes.

http://www.majorleaguefishing.com/news_details.aspx?id=14223

Always an interesting question. I like to fish for bass that other anglers either don’t know are there or are in remote areas most are not willing put the work in to get to. What I mean by “don’t know they are there”, is fishing “Trout” lakes and other lakes that get a ton of recreational use. Both often hold a fantastic population of healthy bass that live out their entire lives relatively unmolested. And the looks received by the trout chasers when they see a spinnerbait get launched to the bank are pretty interesting too. Many of these waters are very easy to get to and fish but by mid-summer, the fishing can be tough. So this requires a special approach; night ops. It’s a ton of fun; usually a good bite and I Never see another angler at night - Ever. It’s totally worth whatever it takes to always have the entire lake all to myself knowing that by noon time, the place will be like NASCAR with ski boats and jet skis. Mid-week nights (Tues, Wed & Thur) are often the better evenings on the really busy places. But the bass are there and are almost always willing to play. Just being out there is half the battle. So what’s my style ? I don’t really know what to call it, but I do know it often includes a head lamp. A-Jay

some people just dont have any morals or care about anything. It will catch up to them one day.

Braid has no stretch, thereby being more sensitive to feeling the bottom and fish. Fluorocarbon, despite the hype, stretches considerably more. That may not necessarily be a bad thing, as it's abrasion resistance and reduced underwater visibility are plus factors to consider. A better all around option is braid with a fluoro leader in my opinion.

Don't forget to get a suspending smithwick rogue.

No superstitions....but I thank the good Lord for each day he gives me....especially ones on the water

Every year around this time, I make a donation to http://www.fishingoutreachprogram.com and seeing young gunsndrums1 post reminded me just how much a small donation to a person or charity can mean, not only for them but for this great sport in general. I've posted a link to my favorite site and I'm asking that you do the same. There are many worthy causes that don't have a web site, but I'm encouraging you to stick to web sites. I truly believe many of the members here would not hesitate to make a small tackle or monetary donation to a site that they could search out first. The only thing that could take away from that good feeling you get when helping someone is to know that you were scammed. The more web sites we see, the more others will have to choose from and you'll also be letting your fellow members know that you care about others and one of our favorite pass times.

I bowl. I'm good. Not bragging, just honest. I've bowled a couple 300s, many 11 in a row games. Never had an 800 series in league. "Officially" Finally got it. Had 30 out of a possible 36 strikes in 3 games. Should have been in the 825-835 range if I didn't miss that spare in the 10th frame of the first game. DOH!!!

I dont know if youre mistaken about how much line you are going through or what because your reel only holds about 120yards so your estimate is almost 3 reels worth of line in a weeek and a half. Maybe you need to practice tying knots without 3 feet of line left over.

I like fishing the thickest nastiest cover I can find. The kind of places that other fisherman wont cast to for fear of getting stuck. I would prefer it to be unobvious, sunken and way off shore. I guess I would call myself a jig fisherman above all else. I do fish onshore but again I want it to be the thickest nastiest kind of cover. I would cast directly into the center of this:

Very Nice ~ My son's first fish picture is special to me as well. A-Jay

I agree that everything possible should be done to protect the resources we have available to us. I won't dispute that as it seems like a pretty common sense approach to maintaining the fish we love. I'll still steadfastly hold to the notion that a true vertical hold on green fish does nothing to harm them. Please see the example here: That's 11lb 1oz of goodness. Why do I post this pic? Because the guy holding it was commissioned to autopsy the most famous US bass ever caught. His name is Steve Pagliughi. He is actually a biologist living in California, sticking GIANT fish on the regular. He will also state that a TRUE vertical hold, as you see in this example, does nothing to harm a fish's jaw. I applaud the message in the OP. Fish care is important. I cringe when I see the "Jimmy Houston hold" pics with the jaw getting jacked and the fish sticking out parrallel to the ground. That is bad. I actually take photos both ways of big fish in an effort to get the best portrayal of a fish's size. I believe keeping fish out of the water too long for pics does much more harm than a true vertical hold. Just my opinion. Good topic for discussion.

Caught this 7.6 lb monster this evening just after sunset. From the bank, in heavy pads, on a SK Baby Rodent. Struck only 10 feet from where I stood, muscled her almost straight up vertically out of the weeds, and she splashed water all over the place. I've been bassing consistently for only about a year, and this is I think the third largest LMB I've ever nailed, so I feel compelled to share my glory! Glad my friend Larry was there to snap the photo on my phone.

I couldn't agree more - Who wouldn't want more money for less work. After all, Revis is going back to his favorite schedule; Jan & Feb off - no more pesky playoff to fool with. A-Jay

I hate watching guys hold fish out of the water while they talk about their rods, baits, etc. PUT THE DANG THING BACK IN THE WATER, IT CAN'T BREATHE AIR!!!

I think you mean albino trout lol

Curado I is here. My first Shimano and it won't be my last.

I don't catch fish big enough that it would matter. Brian.

The vertical hold does not break the jaw provided it remains vertical. Trying to hold it like the bottom pic without supporting the back end can and does injure the jaw.

You'd think that would be true unless your brain disengages from your fingers. I had just tied on a Lucky Craft Pointer. The area I was fishing had a bunch of northern so I put on a light steel leader to keep from being bit off. I cut what I thought was the tag end of the line and tossed it over the side. Unfortunately, I cut the main line instead and with the little added weight of the leader, the normally suspending Pointer sank out of sight. Oh nooooo.....

Yup, Mend-It and forget it.

I would die. Right there on the spot.

Lucky??? Nope... Blessed??? Absolutely... I always say a prayer for safety, and thank God for the opportunity to be out in nature, enjoying his beautiful creation... I also try to keep swearing to a minimum(not easy for a sailor), it seems the bite shuts off at about the first efinheimer... Mitch

I bought into the fluorocarbon thing about 5 years ago in many respects because it is marketed as being "low stretch." I have a couple rods with no stretch braid, but also wanted to string up a few rods with straight fluorocarbon as a main line. I took a trip to Rainy Lake to target smallmouth. Lots of long casts, clear water, finesse plastics and spinnerbaits. Two of us in the boat, lots of fish and I had several long casts and hits. Whiff, whiff, whiff... I usually don't miss that many fish. My fishing partner wasn't missing and he was having a good time letting me hear about it. So I switched back to braid on one pole and mono on the other...and started getting solid hook sets again. Made me wonder about how much stretch was in fluorocarbon. Part of the reason I bought fluorocarbon was for its low stretch properties. Its no fun setting the hook with a rubber band. And yet that's what was happening to me. So, I decided to conduct my own independent test of 9 fluorocarbon lines versus 9 other mono or co-polymer lines. Many Fluorocarbon lines are specifically marketed as "low stretch." But compared to what? So, I decided to test them head-to-head in an effort to find out which lines truly were less stretch than the others. My results are below. I used only 8 pound test lines in this experiment. You could do a number of different tests but the one I chose was to max the lines out and see how they stretched when pushed to their outer limits. I used a 12 foot length of line and hung an 8 pound weight from it. Lowered it slowly. Most lines would reach close to their maximum stretch after about 20-25 seconds, so at 30 seconds I took the measurement in inches. Results are listed from least stretch (in inches) to most stretch. I don't have a horse in this race and am not sponsored by anyone...just an amateur in pursuit of a good low stretch line: All Lines Tested Trilene XT (Mono) 21-1/4 inches of stretch Yo-Zuri Hybrid (Co-polymer) 22-1/8 Sufix Seige (Mono) 22-5/8 P-Line CX Premium (Co-polymer) 23-1/2 Maxima Treazure (Co-polymer) 24-1/2 Trilene XL (Mono) 24-3/4 Tectan Superior (Mono) 25-7/8 Berkley Sensation (Mono) 26-1/8 Sunline Sniper (Fluorocarbon) 26-1/2 Gamma Touch (Fluorocarbon) 29-1/4 Original Blue Stren (Mono) 29-3/4 Gamma Edge (Fluorocarbon) 31-0** Bass Pro XPS (Fluorocarbon) 31-3/4* Stren 100% (Fluorocast) 31-3/4* Seaguar Tatsu (Fluorocarbon) 32-3/4 P-Line 100% (Fluorocarbon) 33-0* Seaguar Invizx (Fluorocarbon) 36-0** Berkley 100% (Fluorocarbon) 38-3/8 *Line snapped once and was re-tested ** Line snapped twice - length estimated Broken Down By Line Type 3 Co-polymer lines average stretch: 23.4 inches 6 Monofilament lines average stretch: 25.1 inches 9 fluorocarbon lines average stretch: 32.2 inches Line Diameter Line diameter can have an effect on stretch, but 9 of these lines all had the same diameter (.009 inches). Those lines are broken out below. The overall results are similar for the 3 different line types. P-Line CX Premium (Co-polymer) 23-1/2 Maxima Treazure (Co-polymer) 24-1/2 Tectan Superior (Mono) 25-7/8 Berkley Sensation (Mono) 26-1/8 Sunline Sniper (Fluorocarbon) 26-1/2 Gamma Touch (Fluorocarbon) 29-1/4 Bass Pro XPS (Fluorocarbon) 31-3/4* Seaguar Tatsu (Fluorocarbon) 32-3/4 Seaguar Invizx (Fluorocarbon) 36-0** Overall observations I had heard for years that Fluorocarbon line had less stretch than other lines, boy was I surprised with these results. Newer Co-polymer lines being marketed specifically as “low stretch” for the most part seem to be accurate. Monofilament tends to be somewhere in the middle, although those with a thicker diameter (i.e. Trilene XT .011 and Sufix Seige .010) did stretch less. Line diameter may have an effect on the stretch of certain lines, but overall, lines of the same diameter seem to reflect that Co-polymer and Monofilament lines still stretch less than Fluorocarbon. Fluorocarbon lines tend to break easier when stretched to their maximum breaking strength. Curious to hear other people's feedback and if they have had similar experiences. -Fry

This may be off topic, but those handle wraps aren't the ugliest thing about Steve's NRX. The thread wraps leave a lot to be desired. I'm embarrassed if I have one gap in a wrap, let alone the multiple gaps just on the hook keeper alone. If these blanks were offered, I have no doubt I could build a rod far superior to the OEM NRX offerings.

Longwood? Isn't the ratio of girls to guys 20 to 1? And you want to go fishing? Welcome aboard. Wonderful having you with us. Lots of Commonwealth guys and gals on the site so join in with your questions and input.

Flouro stretches also ..get yourself some yo zuri hybrid in 6 and 12lb and go fish problem solved

BUMPUSES!!!!!

Figured i would give another update... Just started week 7 which is really week 6 because we missed a week for snow but anyways....i still love what i am doing and i am pretty much teaching the entire day with creating lesson plans and the like. Had my first formal evaluation and my faculty supervisor was impressed and said she has no concerns on my teaching so far. All in all it is a good time and i am looking forward to the next 5 or 6 weeks and getting my masters and certification.....

a lot of hatcheries have them and sometimes you will hear them called golden trout but the only golden trout are the ones in the east side of the sierras...and you catch those in a place like this

Huge bucket list item for me! As soon as my youngest starts school and I don't have to pay $13k in child care... It's getting checked off!

Welcome to BR!

Am the only guy who has never lost a bait to a pickerel? I catch tons of them in norther PA and NY with 12# , 14# 20# flouro and 20# and 40# staight braid. Have never been cut off in 20 years by a pickeral. Now pike and musky on the otherhand have taken a few from me

Oh, that is a fact right there! Why G Loomis do you no longer offer blanks!?!?

I failed to mention all the research that goes into selecting the rod in the first place prior to step one. We both know that if the blanks were commercially available you would have Mr. Hovanec build it for you.

Nice fish. Be careful having your wife catch a bigger bass...been there done that lol.

If you're looking for a weighted swim bait hook - check out Falcon Lures Bait-Jerk Superline Hook 5/0 & 6/0 works for me If you're looking for a straight up ewg - check out the Owner Wide Gap Plus - Beast of a hook - same sizes. Also a Trokar Mag worm hook - same sizes - but this one is a little longer with a little less "gap" A-Jay

Nice fish, GREAT pic!

Every year I sponsor an annual kids fishing day for my Church. Last year I had to work unexpected and they still had it without my presence thanks to plenty of help from the dads and moms. Simmons Sporting Goods has always donated to the cause and brought a few smiles to the kids. Also another event that is always worth while is Cast For Kids.

Numerical weight doesn't mean much with rods, obviously lighter is nice, but a lighter rod can feel heavier if it's improperly balanced. The Dobyns Champion rods may not be the lightest on a scale, but the balance is absolutely on point and makes the rods feel far lighter than most others that weigh slightly less on the scales. The split grip Dobyns are not exception, still balance very well. Just something to take into consideration when looking at rods.

I go fishing with a younger guy that I met on this forum, which is good. Then again, I convince him that he needs Megabass stuff, which is bad.

Get yourself 2 734's, 705cb, 766 and a 735 and 743.,,. You're covered

I can tell whether a reel is right without decimal points or three-letter-acronyms. I do it by feel. I think the best feeling reel was a Daiwa Sol, so now I have a few more and some Alphas (JDM version). I think that the IPT is about 23, from the 5.8:1 ratio.

I have not used that reel and am not familiar with it's performance. I use a Callcutta 200D for deep cranks. The 5.7:1 ratio, smooth powerful gearing and large comfortable knobs make cranking big baits All Day actually pleasant. I could start a day with another reel, but an hour into it, I know I'd be back to the 200D. I would warn anglers that allowing another to tell you what a "New Standard" is may not be the best method. Having some knowledge, experience & time on the water provides plenty of self confidence to make that call for yourself. Finally, your standard and my standard can be vastly different and yet still both very effective. A-Jay