Paul Roberts

That... about says it.

If it has to be a spinning reel for .015 line or better, then you need a large-spooled reel, a 40/4000, or better. You might look at the wide spool reels; I believe Pflueger and BPS offer them. I have some of the (now defunct) USReels spinners and the 40 size handles .015 ok. Not sure what braids you've used, but some are softer, and apt to knot, then others are. There is a line out there called Windtamer, by FINS, that may help, although I've not used it.

I look for: a large main compartment, best split into two fore and aft, for tackle and a stuff-able rain jacket. A roomy front pocket with ample pockets to hold smaller sundries. Then, I want water bottle holders on the sides. I did not find a "fishing backpack" I really liked. So I went to outdoor and discount stores and found plenty. Lately, I've found them at thrift stores for a song.

Thanks, all. I take mine out of the bags and store them in boxes by lure type. That way I can easily see them when pulling stuff for an outing. Overflow, though, is kept in original bags in gallon bags like Fishes in trees. (All ElaZtech are kept in original bags in gallon bags, except when taken for an outing. Then they are in zip-locks in my on-the-water working boxes. They are not stored in those boxes long term though. Bad things can happen with ElaZtech and other plastics, including bags and storage boxes.) I keep colors, but not brands, together. Reds are particularly bad at bleeding. I'm esp careful with my whites and pearls. I've only recently added some Powerbait plastics, bc I liked the models and colors. They sure stink. Wasn't sure how they'd do with other plastics. Thanks for the responses folks.

Together in trayed boxes.

Had any issues storing Powerbait plastics with other plastics? (Not talking ElaZtech.)

X3 I was lugging a lead acid battery around -a 5lb brick- for years. I'm only running a compact sonar unit so I'm using the Nocqua 4.4ah. It's tiny and runs my unit all day and then some. It's one of the best upgrades I've made to my float tube and kayak.

I wouldn't worry too much about this; Color in particular. What's critical is being on willing fish, having proper depth and speed control, and good lure action. Exact "color" is down on the list. Clarity is about lighting, which is about visibility. Bass can see really well in almost all conditions. If they regularly live in turbid water, their lateral line system steps up a notch. My rules of thumb are: In high visibility conditions I try to obscure the lure. In low vis conditions I choose one that's more visible/detectable. To make a lure stand out, go with opaque "colors", esp ones that contrast with the surrounds. For me, that's black, white, chartreuse, reds. To obscure a lure, go with translucents, esp those that match the background: Essentially Earth tones. In hardbaits I carry some translucent "ghost" finishes. And I'll use some reflectives, like chrome, that can flash in shallow water. But chromes reflecting the water around them can obscure a bait too. I like chrome topwaters at times bc of this. As to specific colors/hues/finishes, I suggest choosing ones you like and... keep 'em wet!

-Sebile FlattShad 1/2oz -Strike King Grass King SB -Tom Seward's Natural Ike flat-side CB

?Should be fine. Whats important to me is retrieve speed, in inches per turn (IPT). Most reels in the 2000 up bracket have good IPT. It's when you get down into UL reels that they may get slow on you. Another thing I look for is spool diameter. Wider spools tend to cast further than smaller spools. This has been offset quite a bit by the advent of braids though. It becomes esp important though when using mono's of higher diameters.

I think us northerners are more apt to have a seasonal routine. Comes with... the seasons. -There's the rush to get the last open water fishing in. -The mid-winter tackle binge: buying, selling, upgrading, building rods, modifying, .... -Cabin fever sets in, which results in more buying, ... And some orneriness begins to set in. Then those dang Floridians chime in about how happy they are.

Agreed. It's one thing to get a demonstration. It's another to see it in fluid action. Full cast-to-catch segments are really important I think. I burn a lot of camera batteries making my video fishing journals. I try to provide the head's up background, then show the search, presentation details, and full cast-to-catches. I've learned a lot watching my own c-to-c bc it's so easy to miss things out there, even though I'm watching for those cues. Pretty cool having a camera strapped to your chest during a fishing day. A lot of added work though.

I've never had a problem with the paddle, and I have a small 10ft sit on top. Paddle lays alongside me, one end in a bungie strap at the bow. However, I do not paddle and fish at the same time. I paddle to get somewhere, stash the paddle out of the way, and almost always drop an anchor. I'm a position control freak as I fish so I'm almost always anchored. So easy to do, esp with an anchor trolley. I fish from a float tube too, which is highly maneuverable. Still, I anchor a lot there too. It's just too easy to drift and lose track of things.

I once, bucoo years ago, hung a 7lb carp on a Zebco De-Liar. It wriggled and ripped a big gash up the throat. Carp have soft throats, and that De-Liar hook was mighty small and thin. I'd also weighed several LM's from 4 to 7lb on the same scale, without damage -that I remember. I much later bought a 10# Chatillon scale for bass that had a large smooth hook, and I weighed a lot of bass with it. (Never did floor that baby though.) I have no issues weighing bass by the gill slit. But I much prefer either net weighing or jaw clamp. A really heavy bass wriggling while suspended at the isthmus gives me shivers to think about. Smaller bass I wouldn't be too concerned -unless its still fighting! I did catch a bass a couple years ago that had a hole punched through the soft "buccal cavity" tissue between its lower mandibles. Obviously someone had weighed it. Since water pressure is how bass suction feed, I thought that was a poor alternative to put a hook compared to the gill slit.

Exactly. This is too fun. Great comments. I'm laughing pretty hard here, going through them all. Ya know, I actually like the thing! I don't want one, but... it's different in a creative sorta way. Unlike the colored blank and seats that a (to remain unnamed) components retailer keeps touting. I am shocked at how ugly they are. To each their own for sure. I just don't get it. I refuse to get it!

I guess I've never been able to tell if one color is really better than another. That said, I've been sitting here tricking out the colors on some cranks here.

I've enjoyed some of Ike's shop series.

Any time you can go. Don't be afraid of any time.

Interesting article. They are suspecting stress related to time of year or water temp. Nothing in the literature to suspect this previously. Will have to wait to hear more.

My ritual never really ends, bc ice cover is a fairly short period here; Except this year! Still in the teens overnight here. I usually modify lures and may build a rod or two when we're iced up. I've come to prepare for the next coming seasonal window before it hits, as if I can feel 'em coming. And I go ahead and make the rotations, whether I have an outing imminent or not. I base my tackle on rods-reels-line and they are in a rack with current ones stacked in a corner in seasonal order; That is, the previous seasons get buried behind the current season. Despite the cold winter weather sitting on us, I've been getting my Early Spring stuff together: Fresh lines or leaders, trip boxes put together. My boats are a float tube and a yak, so... not all that much maintenance there. I try to be pretty much ready to roll ahead of time.

I'm also old enough that I didn't learn to fish from the internet. Learning was a much slower process then: fishing, reading, fishing with others, fishing, reading, fishing with others... . Process is the same now, except that the internet has given us access to so many other's experiences and expertise, and the communications tools to more quickly understand them. The rate at which we can learn is unprecedented now. I use the internet a lot, for many aspects of my "fishing". (But still read an awful lot too.) As J Francho put it, the internet is a great reference library for just about any fishing technique question. I've been with BR for a long time now, bc it provides access to so many other fishers, from all over. Not surprising that the internet sources mentioned so far are instructional: BR and Tactical Bassin',. Most fishing YT channels are simply not instructional. Most are entertainment, offering essentially vicarious fishing. Which is fine, here and there, when I can't get out. I can usually glean a few things from them. Some instruction-focused channels: TB is pretty much spot on with seasonal pattern explanations. They seem to understand those fish. Jon B (at least early on), NDyakangler (adds some good instruction here and there), Fish the Moment, SaltStrong, and InDepthOutdoors. Jeff Little had something promising going a while back.

Working on two topics: Conditions (C&C), and Presentation. But the flu has been making its way through our home the past couple weeks. I think... I'm back. Tis the season!

That's what I figured. I have like to pause mine.

I looked at the Punker's and saw the original wood ones! Outta my league. I actually own one Sammy 115. I bought it a few years back, at your suggestion actually. But it sat almost vertically tail down in the water, meaning I'd have to keep it moving to keep it walking. I like a long glide and a pause. Oooooo! Yes, tis still winter here. I have some Sammy knock-offs that I ended up modifying to get them to sit just nose up, and they can put on a long glide and pause. So far, I'm using the Zara Jr here. Some of those glide better than others.

LOL. What's sad is... didn't even cross my mind. Must be the Mr. Roger's, or Bill Nye, side of me talking there. OK... let me rephrase that: mass, momentum, length, and taper.