Tokyo Tony

Uni for everything, uni to uni for leaders. Never had one fail, and although the palomar is probably a little stronger, I never have my drag set anywhere near the breaking strength of my line, so losing a fish isn't an issue. I like the versatility of the Uni - you can cinch it all the way down or leave a little loop in it for topwaters.

Jeez - that's California for ya. How much for a pack of smokes these days, about the same as a license? CT two years ago was $20, last year it was $20, and this year it was, once again, $20. I guess we're lucky? Truth is, I'd pay much more than that and be fine with it if they really needed the extra cash to manage the fisheries. I know I'll be getting my money's worth this year.

Thanks LBH - we did wear them the whole time, and we stayed close to shore the whole time too. Anyway, the F'ing lake froze again overnight, so the fishing was not good. We broke through about 75 yards of ice to get to open water, then headed back to one of those protected bays that should have warm water and many many lunkers, but it was frozen. We threw a few casts in a few areas, but all the good spots were frozen. After 30 minutes we decided to salvage the day, head back in, and go to one of our trout holes. In an hour and a half my brother got 8 and I got 10, all brownies except for one rainbow I got on a 65 Pointer. Really disappointed about not being able to bass fish, but at least we got our fix for the day

You need to grow a pair and just rip it apart. Hold it by the guides if you have to and twist hard! Haha, just kidding Like everyone else said, take it to the shop. Side note about two-piece rods: try to avoid twisting the two pieces together, and just push them straight together or pull them straight apart. That will prevent wear and tear on the connecting parts.

If you use braid you don't have to go with 30 pound test just to get the diameter up to 8 lb equivalent, or whatever the equivalent would be. You can use 10 lb braid that would have 2 or 4 lb diameter - that's what I do. 10 or 15 lb braid with my spinning reels, 10 for the light to medium rod power, and 15 lb for MH. IMO 8 lb braid and lower is too thin - it's like spider silk. And if you size up to 30 pound test braid or whatever it would be for 6 or 8 lb diameter, you're giving up one of the advantages of braid - longer casts. You don't need any more than 100 yds or so of braid on your reel for freshwater - just wind on some 8 lb mono about 1/2 or 2/3 of the way then fill the rest with braid. It's cheaper.

Well after I did my usual Saturday routine (trout fishing), I drove around to some of the ponds/lakes that I fish during the season so see if perhaps there might be some open water. Yes! I'm going BASS fishing tomorrow with my brother in the canoe, and I can't wait ;D There are some patches of ice out there, but 90% of the lake is ice-free, and there are some bays that are protected and that get a lot of sun. I'm hoping to nab a few. As I was driving around, I realized that a 1.5 acre pond where I sometimes fish for carp was ice-free. There are also bass in there, but I doubt that there are any much more than a pound. Anyway, I had my rod with me, and with a 1/8 oz finesse jig I caught my first bass of 2008 ;D It was an absolute dink (quarter pounder, no cheese), no question about it, but it was a bass, and I haven't been that excited about catching a dink, maybe ever. Anyway, you Yankees should check out some of your ponds before the snowstorm tomorrow - odds are there'll be fishable water. I'll post a report and hopefully some pics when I get back tomorrow night.

Shimano 2500 size is like a Supreme 8032.5 if they made it. I have an 8035 and it's a very tasty reel. Compared to the Stradic FI, it's definitely different. It's lighter, but the Stradic feels a little more solid to me and casts a little farther. I would hesitate to use the Supreme in saltwater, but would not hesitate to use my Stradic in saltwater.

It depends on how big the tarpon are you're targeting. You could catch a 5 to 30ish pounder on pretty light bass stuff, but if you do use bass gear, be prepared to hook into a big fish that takes all your line with it and never comes back, if you can keep him on that long. Of any species I've ever caught, the tarpon is by far the craziest ;D. As soon as they realize they're hooked, they just totally freak out and jump and do flips and everything. Seeing a huge tarpon clear the surface by 3 or 4 feet while turning 540 degrees and doing a double flip is in a league of its own. If you're lucky, you'll land 10% of the tarpon you hook into. If you are able to get a big one, don't take it out of the water. Leave it in the water for the pictures and make sure you resuscitate it until it swims away on its own.

Well in my town the females in the bars may not be acting like they're prespawn, but they sure look like they're prespawn

You guys ever notice how people who are just standing around relate to "cover"? I was just outside in the "smoker's area" and noticed that no one was just standing in open areas. They were either "relating" to handrails (laydowns), planted trees (brushpiles), walls (ledges), stairs (dropoffs), or each other (schooling). The people that were walking were using sidewalks (underwater "routes" between deep and shallow water), obviously, to get to where they were going. Just like you'll almost never see a bass just sitting in the middle of nowhere, you'll almost never see someone standing out in the middle of an open area if there is "cover" nearby. It's kinda funny if you pretend the people are bass and notice how they are relating to the different objects around them I for one don't feel comfortable standing alone in an open area. I guess our innate instincts are similar to other creatures in that respect.

I agree with you 100% on the Cane Toads RoLo. They're the best floating toads out there and make the most fuss with those boot feet. Make sure you guys buy the Floater Cane Toad though, most of them are not floaters. Still good, but most of them sink unless you buy the floaters. I also prefer a steady and slow retrieve, but with the floating Cane Toad you can pause it in pockets and it will stay right on the surface. I also like Horny Toads, but you do need a faster retrieve to keep it on the surface, and the action is more subtle. On the plus side, they are heavier and cast farther (and more accurately - they're very streamlined) than any other toad I've tried. I originally started my toad fishing with the SIZMIC toad, and they're definitely fish catchers, but I prefer the other two I mentioned over the SIZMIC.

Redfish will hit anything (spoons, bucktail jigs, grubs, topwaters, etc.), but really if you're fishing the Keys, NOTHING beats a white bucktail jig with a flat head and weedguard. You can tip it with a piece of shrimp and that will help. You can also use a red or white jighead with a grub, anywhere from white to white with pink tail, rootbeer, or black. Rootbeer and white with pink tail are my favorite colors. Oh, and gold grubs work well too. You can also use swimbaits (3" to 5") on a jighead. They sell bucktails and grubs and swimbaits in any tackle shop in S Florida. If you're going for bonefish, use a live shrimp or crab with a splitshot. Bonefish are the spookiest fish you'll ever see, so if you're able, you need to make really long casts and have someone pole you around very quietly. Incoming or outgoing tides are the best, and early morning is also best before the wind picks up. You'll see them tailing on the flats as they search for crabs and shrimp. Cast well ahead of them, let your shrimp/crab settle on the bottom, and wait for the bone to pick it up. They'll smell it from far away. Make sure you're using a reel with a quality drag - you'll need it ;D While you're there, you HAVE to fish for tarpon. Islamorada area is arguably the best tarpon water in the world. I'd also try to catch some snook if I were you. White bucktail jigs are fine. Have a great time, and make sure you post a report and pics when you get back!

Rigging it backwards allows you to throw the bait into or along cover and have it sink away from you. It also will have a different action that way, some say it's a better action. Size 4/0 EWG hooks are the best size, 5/0 is a little big. Note: all of this info is courtesy of roadwarrior's previous posts on the Fat Ika 8-) Edit: with the Kreature, I like 3/0 Gammy's the most, but 4/0 is good also. What do you mean you can't get it to run straight? Just make sure it's rigged right down the middle. The Kreature is a really versatile bait - last summer I started using it just like a frog. It has a really subtle topwater action when dragged across the surface that drives them crazy

Best movie I've seen in a while was The Illusionist with Ed Norton and Scarlett Johansen. Very well done, excellent acting, and I didn't even suspect the twist that came at the end. It really surprised me. The worst movie I've seen in a LONG time (and I've seen some really crappy ones) was Ghostrider with Nick Cage. He's a good actor, but even he couldn't make the horrendous dialogue work. The only actor in the movie who was impressive was Sam Elliot - he was awesome. But I almost didn't make it through the movie. Every time I was about to change the channel, Nick Cage would turn into Ghostrider and I would have to watch him ride around and kill bad guys.

If you hit the "quote" button instead of the "reply" when you have a PM open, it will display the original message in your typing area and you can just delete that when you're done typing

Wow Very impressive stats there Catt, I'm yellus ;D

Did my dream trip a couple of times when I was a kid, but I wanna do it again: An extended houseboat trip in the Everglades out of the Flamingo Marina with a 17' Egret flats boat and a canoe with a little outboard in tow, and enough beer and ice to last forever. We'd anchor in Little Shark River, take the flats boat out early morning to catch snook, redfish, tarpon, and seatrout along the Gulf shore in any of several creek/river mouths depending on the tides. Other days we'd take the canoe up into the little feeder creeks that open up into back bays on incoming tides and sightfish for snook and reds on the flats. Then at night we'd grill up the seatrout and any mangrove snapper we caught off the houseboat, have a feast, then use the carcasses to nightfish for big sharks. Of course, include in this trip every piece of high-end gear possible 8-)

Pretty though they are, I'm not a fan of the LC Live Pointers. However, the live Sammy's are awesome, and definitely a big fish bait. If you get a fish to hit it, you can be pretty sure she's a fatty, and those fatties seem really to like a big live Sammy ;D I caught some of my biggest fish last year on a black oversized (not sure what the number is) LC Live Sammy with the feathered treble

Terminator T-1 - they run the truest right off the bat, and are the most durable - they don't need much if any tuning. Those two attributes, IMO, are the most important when choosing a brand. You can always add different blades, skirts, etc., but that don't mean nada if you have to spend all day tuning it.

I know you'll hate the reference 4bizz, but: the baitmonkey. Can't get rid of: skidmarks, dingleberries, BO, VD's...just kidding Seriously, I can't get rid of anything - I'm a real pack rat. Even old lures that don't work, or that suck (e.g. $0.99 WalMart spinnerbaits).

Those are some nice fish - I like the light color on the second one ;D

Yeah I get some strange looks from fly fishermen that are a very subtle "What are you doing in our fly fishing spot?" 8-) Luckily, I found another spot that no one goes to because it's about a 10 minute hike to get there, but it's also got a bunch of fish. Until this winter, I never realized how hard these fish fight - pound for pound, they definitely fight harder than LMB (no comparison to smallies of course). And Tin, I will try that Saturday for sure unless jigs work well off the bat.

Thanks gents In some of the pix it's a Pflueger Supreme and an IMX, and in most of them its the Stradic FI and IMX. Both combos are a treat in my pantalones ;D Normally for the pictures I'd set the rod on the ground next to the fish for size perspective, but not when there's snow on the ground. Can't wait to get back out this weekend.

First of all, A couple things I can think of: You could use a bigger (meaning heavier) hook that should keep it right side up (Gammy superline hooks?) You could attach a little bell to the bottom of the hook, which some people do. It will add enough weight to keep it right side up. Also, make sure you're rigging it right down the middle of the frog so that it runs straight. I'm sure more people can offer suggestions too...

On the other hand, I also hate when it's obvious that you pulled up to a 4 way stop AFTER someone, and that person waits there as if it's your turn and doesn't wave or flash the lights. I always think to myself, "Are you waiting for me? You got here first!" Then I start to go, and the person starts to go and we both stop, then we wait again, etc