J Francho

They’re pretty portable if you mount the head to a track mount and use a deployment arm for the TD.

I still don’t know what everyone means by “fight harder.” All the explanations of why don’t make any sense unless you say what it is they are doing. Does a smallmouth pull harder than a largemouth? How do you measure that? Is it because the jump more? Is it because the react differently when you pull hard on them? Are you losing fish after they’re hooked? I’ve caught a lot of smallmouth and largemouth. I don’t consider either of them “fighters” in the realm of freshwater fish.

This is nice for lighter lines.

Tackle plays the biggest role in how hard a fish fights. Fish don’t fight, they struggle to get free. There’s a balance between tackle weight, and the fish you’re catching. You want more fight? Use lighter tackle or fish for bigger species. Smallmouth anglers typically use lighter tackle.

It's really easy to find music you don't like, much harder to find some that moves you.

Having a line guide that moves as drag is peeling is definitely a feature I'd want on a reel with a wide spool. There aren't any reels appropriate for bass fishing that have a spool wide enough for this to matter. I have seen some reels where the line guide doesn't move while drag is peeling, and the line lays a little weird when you reel in without drag slip.

Swimming against the current is just swimming, only slower. It's like saying someone runs faster because they only run uphill.

Rattlin’ Rap?

I have no problem throwing up to 3 oz. baits using 20# CXX. I’ve caught many northern in the sub 20# range. Bigger baits and bigger fish might be trouble.

Nice job!

This.

My longest casts came from a $50 All Star Select 6’ rod, an old Daiwa TD-S type reel, spooled with 10# Trilene, and my favorite one-eyed Sammy. I’m talking bomb casts. I don’t have the reel or the rod anymore, but I have the bait. Something about that combination made for stupid long casts.

I’m stuck in between the hip crowd and the break a hip crowd.

I've had them completely rebuild a reel seat and grip on an out of warranty rod. I believe they charged me $65.

That wrap on the tip is from line twist. Troll out the braid with nothing attached and reel it in under tension to untwist.

Yes.

One retie per trip isn't bad at all. I think I retied at least ten times the day I caught this fish. I've used the braid leader deal, and it works, too. Caught this off a bed. Triple Surgeon's knot was what I used to tie up quickly.

Comparing and measuring something are two entirely different concepts. That's all Catt was trying to get at. I can feel the difference between some rods doing exactly what you describe. That's not measuring anything, though. It's comparing. I have enough rods that I can do this type of "bubble sorting" to find my more sensitive sticks. I know, it's semantics, but this is the internet.

There are no wipers in Erie. It's a pure white bass, and a nice one.

Define fight harder. Not sure why current makes them fight any harder. They're just burning calories doing nothing. Maybe if they turn sideways and use the current it feels harder? My experience has been that most five pound plus fish dig harder for deep water. Three pound fish or less do a lot of thrashing and jumping. The only difference between river and lake smallmouth is they seem to have a slender body and wider tail when they live in a river.

Always. If I hang up, I lose the weight.

I'd go with the 2500, simply for the extra IPT.

Things that make big wakes usually make noise, unless it's a barge on the St. Larry river.

It really came down to comfort for me. I was running a Bullet with the old style bucket seats, and my Mustang just seemed to get in the way, whereas a regular vest didn't. So long as you're wearing a PFD, and have a kill switch attached, I think you're good.