Maggiesmaster

I take a lot of selfies alone with my bass; first, net the fish in a really big net with a long handle. After removing the hook, put the bass back in the net & keep it in the water ‘til you’re set up. Prop the iPhone on a good spot (such as a boat seat), set it to ‘selfie’ mode, with a timer setting, usually 3 seconds. Hit the button, take the fish from the net, picture snaps & release the bass. If you use rubberized netting, it’s none the worse for wear, and you’ll have a good shot.

Broke one of my favorites by setting the hook too hard on a nice bass—rod was too light for frog fishing; found that out the hard way!

I use both braid and mono—braid for worms, jigs, etc. and mono for crankbaits and top waters. In my experience, braid backlashes much less than mono. I soak mono with KDV conditioner and that helps. As others have said— if you hit a limb on the back cast, you’re screwed with both types of line😂!

I use the Shin knot for braid to leader connections; tighten smoothly & snugly with plenty of lube (spit!) and it won’t slip. At least not yet. Glenn, you don’t use a leader with your braid. Do you use yellow braid? I do, and don’t see how you can use yellow without a flouro or mono leader.

‘’As long as it’s kept at room temp. and out of sunlight, it’ll last forever.’ Bill Dance.

I’m in the market for a new worm rod. How does the Shimano Caius rod compare to others in it’s price point, such as Dobyn’s Fury series, etc?

Braid IS easier to cast than mono. One trick I do periodically is to remove the lures on my mono reels, then slowly let the line out behind a slowly moving boat and reel it in. KDV line conditioner works wonders on mono also.

Where do you get these?

I use a shin knot tying 10 lb braid to 6 lb flouro. It’s the easiest knot I’ve found, holds well and makes a tiny knot. I’m FAR from a ‘knot guru’, and can’t even tie a good palomar knot!

I’ve gone to 30 lb yellow braid with a 5’ flouro leader, tying on another leader when it gets down to about 3’ long. Yellow braid fades, but still is really easy to see. Braid casts a lot easier than mono and doesn’t have memory. I use a Shin knot to tie the braid to flouro. I still have mono on rods I use for surface lures & crankbaits.

I use mesh rod covers to keep lines from tangling. I make my own with mesh from Amazon, shrink wrap, a stovetop gas flame & an empty beer bottle for a mold. It’s on YouTube.

I’ve found the Shin knot better than the Alberto. It seems to be a smaller knot, runs through guides smoother and is easier to tie.

I lost a couple of rod sleeves the same way….don’t have a solution other than to leave them off in this situation.

Some apparatus that ‘welded’ the mono in a loop; looked like snake oil to me. Guess it was, because I haven’t seen it advertised in several years.

Quick story: A good friend (unfortunately deceased) and I were bass fishing, and he hooked the biggest bass either of us had ever seen. Dennis, bless his heart, could not tie a simple improved clinch knot even after I showed him a number of times. As he got the bass to the boat, the knot came untied! This was the only time I ever saw a grown man cry! Later, I was reading an ad in Bassmaster for a ‘no fail’ hook attachment, that cost $200. I said “Dennis, you need to buy this. Wouldn’t you have paid $200 for that big bass?” He replied “ nope, that’s too much, but I would’ve paid $100!”