J Francho

Genny River, 10 minutes from my house

Character? Real life salmon man

Muddy, fish from a nearby pond while on lunch break Friday. Taken with a cheap camera phone, probably from Wal Mart, LOL:

Bad reviews? It got a 4.2 out of 5 in 22 reviews. That's pretty good, since most reviews only crop up when someone wants to ***** about it. Two guys had defective products, and another guy was using it for steelhead, LOL. I have the Daiwa version (they are made for Cabela's by Daiwa, was the 153HST), and a Black Widow version, and can tell you that this is one of the best budget reels Daiwa has made. The Daiwa Tierra is what they now sell in that similar price point, so check teh reviews on that as well. A LOT of guys are using them. My fishing buddies have both the STX and SX, and while they like them, in my opinion, they suck. Especially that STX - WORST brakes I've ever used in a modern lopro reel. Sorry Abu.

I find that lures that don't produce well is usually a result of me not fishing them in the best way, during the best times, or in the best places. I used to feel frogs were useless. Same for jigs, lipless cranks, and shaky heads. Once I was armed with better information and better technique, these tools became top rated weapons along with the rest of the arsenal. My goal lately is to see if I can add chatterbaits to the list. I had decent success with them a few years ago, but now I don't even bother. I'd like to see if I can't change that. So, to summarize, I guess there isn't anything I think is really "overrated." Maybe Senkos, but I still catch a lot fish on them too.

Great catch! Definitely get a good scale when you can afford it. I caught this one at lunchtime today on a jig. It weighed 4 lbs. 5 oz.

I use a palomar to a duoloc snap for cranks. I remove the split rings. The only thing I use an improved cinch for are spinnerbaits on 12-15# P-Line CXX. With that line there is no knot failure. Palomar or Uni for everything else.

Yeah, .dsaavedra's is freaking hilarious.

Well, what are you waiting for? Get on it man! Some lines have diameters listed, and some reels have capacity listed in terms of diameter, but I suppose the only real way to do this is with a line counter. http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0002054013743a.shtml

PM it then, LOL

But what dude? Post it!

I actually got written permission from Russ for that.

Russ, the cat in the sink is a winner. I love all the flowers - I take quite a few myself.

Not sure if they were magnums or not, but back when I had my little tiller walleye boat, the hard "satchel" style boxes from Plano. They fit perfectly in the dry storage compartments. I had three of them and they lasted for years. It was a lot like this, but beige and amber:

I didn't even see this thread :-[ Thanks all for the kind comments. I tend to update the main gallery once in a while, so be sure to stop at the home page (http://plan-b.smugmug.com/). Marty, yes, that is across from that small small parking area just past the golf course. I found that tree and another one to be a perfect spot. Here are few other portraits from that spot: I also take quite a few "fishing portraits" as well. I love doing these. Keep in mind, they are meant to exaggerate, excite, and capture the joy of catching not document the catch. Here is one that "got away," but I got him first Every image I've taken since 2005 has been digital, though I work like hell to process the raw files so they look like film when printed

im stubborn ;D , i always figure that if i have a full reel of the same line and i get a horrific wind knot and can't or don't want to spend the time to take it out , that if i just cut it off , i'll still have plenty of line left . so i really just choose to do it that way and am pretty sure im not gonna change . i just want to see if there is a conversion chart for the different line tests (lbs.) anyone , i think it would be beneficial to many besides myself . You'd want a capacity chart based on line diameters, not breaking strengths.

Yep, the venerable Daiwa TD-A platform is a great design. I have a couple of Sols, a Black Widow II, and a HSTA. Just a great design.

You're a good man, Muddy. But you are a bad man too ;D So how come no one is asking how to catch pike in the fall? I have all the dirt! LOL.

My "ultra light" rig is an Avid AVC70MM and TD-Sol. I used to have an old 9' Pinnacle ML/Mod casting rod, but very large steelhead broke it last winter. My father used to use an 8'+ UL rod for fishing live craws and crawlers for deep Lake Ontario smallies. Look up Charlie Brewer, and check out what he used for bass fishing.

Paul is originally from my neck of the woods, and what he says is what is working here RIGHT NOW. I will say that the jerkbaits that I am using (X-Raps, Pointers, Staysees) have been mostly responsible for the toothier varieties, LOL. It could just be a curse for me, though. If picks counted in the last two TX I fished, I would be the undisputed heavyweight fisher king. Big, bumbling, diving cranks wherever healthy coontail grows has been taking good bass. I've seen a slight slow down on jig production, but T-rig 7" worms have done well on sunny, high pressure days.

Mark me for baitcasting. Its just so much more comfortable to have both your hands at relatively the same height. Using a spinning rig all day wears on my shoulders and back. That said, I have two spinning rigs that I use pretty frequently for light line techniques, skipping, and for tubes in deep water. Anything that requires constant casting and retrieving is a <pun>drag</pun> on spinning gear, but for some things, its the right tool.

Neither, here is much better reel for less: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166-cat20331&id=0053216122487a&navCount=1&podId=0053216&parentId=cat20331&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=UJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601233&hasJS=true

it depends on the flow. If you casting upstream or quartering, Rooster Tails are not ideal. Panther Martins are much better for this, since it takes minimal water resistance to spin the blade. For browns moving into creeks right now, I like a bumble bee pattern. As it get colder, rainbow trout smolt is a good pattern, as is anby of the straight up flourescent yellows, greens, and oranges. If the flow is very fast and water is high, a Spin n' Glo rig is a better option. If you're into flies, ESL in #6 or #4 has produced everything from 'hos and straggler kings to browns and chromes here. Good luck Two browns (bucks) from last year on a bumble bee PM:

A "tight line" or "bottom" rig has been around as long as dirt. I don't think he can be credited with putting a sinker below a hook. He may have written about it first, but he certainly did not invent it, or was the first to use it. At any rate, I don't use live bait anymore, but even so, it isn't as simple as tossing the bait out there and catching fish. You still have to find the fish, and as always, there are some that consistently find bigger fish.