SirSnookalot

I had prepared a lengthy response, thought better of posting as it could be confusing. Basically when you don't catch fish in saltwater there is but one reason, the fish aren't there. Why aren't the fish there, again a simple answer, no baitfish in the area. Why are there no baitfish, now that can be complicated. A good portion of shorebound saltwater fishermen fish with a very small arsenal of lures, most I know have 1 lure tied on a few in a fanny pack for back up. Probably the #1 choice is a spoon, the variation is up to you, if the fish are there they will hit darn near anything. I prefer kastmasters and jigging type spoons for the distance. Not to get too far ahead other lure types may work better at times dependent on the water conditions.

I used to use Renegades for snook, caught as many on them as with any other hard jerkbait. Walmart no longer has them, but when available I'll buy Walmart Bombers for a few bucks, work just fine. I bought an inline spinner at a gas station for a buck about 7-8 years a go, still using it.

Any of those fish can be caught with a bucktail jig and/or a spoon, you really need nothing else. There is an infinite number of other lures that can be used equally as well. I use different lures not catch more or bigger fish, but just for variation, boring to use the same thing day in and day out. Some of my other favorites are hard jerkbaits, soft jerk shads on a jig head, gotcha as mentioned is a wonderful lure, topwaters and I really like Mirrorlure twitchbaits too. Any of these lures can be used in freshwater to catch bass and by the same token any bass lure can be used in the brine. Catching fish in saltwater is not about the lure, it's about finding the fish when they are feeding, they will hit just about anything then.

I agree. The DS is different in saltwater, generally speaking boats are drifting with depths over 60 or 80'. Even a moderate 2.5 mph drift your going to need 2-5 oz or more depending depth to hold bottom. Even at drift with that kind of weight as Francho said there is no slack in the line. Metal jig fish (butterfly jigging) is one of the hotter tickets these days over wrecks.

Have had many a gator chase after a fish I've caught, some even grab them. I'm not nervous around gators but that doesn't mean my guard is down.

It's always easier to do something in the comfort of your home rather than getting in the car. To me Illinois is Chicago..............great place, loved the time I spent on Rush Street.

There is no debate which is better, it's only preference. I may or may not be able to do everything with spinning but I can do everything I want to do with one.

Seems that way. From where I sit it appears the serious recreational fishermen are more in tune to the health of fish. To what degree will always be a debate.

He's fishing for a paycheck, get the fish and get on to another cast. As a recreation fisherman I see no point to it, I'm there strictly for the fun.

Don't believe the tension on the rod had anything to do with breakage, although when I transport my rods they are straight and I always back the drag off. There may have been a stress crack, a defect in the rod probably would have showed up sooner. Fishing off a jetty or sea wall we flip them up all the time, not just me but everyone. Most of these fish are 22-25", flipping is like a trampoline, you actually spring them up. Fish a little larger can be risky springing them up, I just lift them. That said there is a limit of course to what can be done, do it enough and you get a feel for it. When I can't do either and don't have a net the only choice for me is to break the fish off, better than risking my rod breaking. When I'm bass fishing from the bank I do it differently as I'm generally using a lighter rod, I hold the perfectly straight and walk back wards, drag them out. This is a common inshore technique from the beach.

Catches everything. I like DOA cal jerk shad 5.5 inches, I use nothing but pearl with a red tail. Of all the jig heads I've used I've settled on Strike King redfish jig heads as my favorite. I like the hook size and quality and the bait stays on them pretty well. I primarily use them for snook and tarpon, sometimes for bass, did fish for stripers this past week in the Colorado river, worked quite well.

Nice shark.

I see inexpensive Walmart barrel swivels used all the time, have yet to see one break. A barrel swivel does nothing to prevent line twist, it's only a line connector. The next step up is a crane swivel, better quality with minimal line twist prevention. I use Rosco #5 @90# (for wire leaders), but there some brands like Fisher that are so small they can go thru the top guide and are rated at about 100#. Power swivels are very strong for their size, I've used every thing from Eagle Claw to Spro, they all have worked just fine for me, much better anti line twist. Ball bearing is the top, at present I'm using DAM swivels, as good as any Sampo or Spro I've used. The smaller the better at twist prevention, mine are #2 or 3 rated at 40#, used on my barracuda rigs, I only use black never chrome. I do use some larger swivels for offshore, but the majority of my inshore and freshwater fishing is done without swivels.

As far as packaged hot dogs go Sabretts down here in Florida are pretty decent. When I lived in Detroit there was only 1 brand for me, Vienna out of Chicago. Some of the golf courses had some good Italian dogs on the grill. I preferred my dogs from the deli cut right off the link, those or knockworst, little big for a bun..........lol.

Not all brands are made that way.

If I were bass fishing with 20# braid I would not be setting the drag at 7#. There are some that use 50# braid with a diameter of 12 lb mono, conventional wisdom puts the drag about 4 #, yet many lock the drag down without issue. Even setting 1/3 of 50# braid puts the drag at 17#, most bass size reels don't have that much drag. Braid pretty much allows one to be a bit more aggressive with the drag if they choose. A good portion of people set by feel, they probably don't know the exact number anyway.

Why not ? Many spinning reels have as much or more IPT than a b/c. Using the same class rod it's just matter of turning the crank.

I've got 4 Shimanos, binding has never been a problem. Mine do get wet from water spray never been dunked, they perform just fine. My distaste for Shimano stems from CS and bail problems, easy fixes but annoying and time consuming. I am considering another 4000 stradic but not at $180.

We are reading about some activity in the workplace stated by 1 person. I'd like to read about the events told from a different person's perspective. Would the saga be told the same way on a ladies knitting forum in their every thing else section? Wanting more than 1 light in a room is anything but a whine, but a desire for nicer working conditions. Cutting wires a prank, no that would have been vandalism. Taking the time then causing the expense of unscrewing 48 fluorescent bulbs, is an act of sheer stupidity. Certainly not funny if you're the one paying the bill. I do agree about whining, but I don't see the women as being the main whiners. You can research any newsworthy organization and the numbers indicate women get paid 72-81% of men's wages. Some jobs do offer the same wage, however it's much less likely that they get hired, they have to take jobs that pay less. The days of women having a baby like dropping a deuce on the bank, then going back into the rice paddies is over. I support the time afforded to them. From feeling ill during pregnancy, to the pain of child birth, to getting their bodies back in shape, not to acknowledge and sympathize is another form of disrespect. Men don't understand pregnancy, pms or child birth, they don't experience it. Heck they've done the hard work all you have to do is teach little Johnny to throw a B/C. High divorce rate, the more reading I do the more I understand. That being so many of these women in the workplace are single mothers, women generally get custody of the children. Yeh some of them got one tough job, I'd be cutting them some slack not hindering them. I sense as much about fearing women as I do in treating them as second citizens.

Along with being mean there seems to be a contempt for women, especially in the workplace. Not only as A-Jay eludes to, many women go home at the end of the work day, clean the house, wash clothes, manage the children, do much of the shopping and iron their old man's tighty whities. Then listen to their husbands whine about how they can't catch bass or how hard they work siting on the couch after dinner belching on a beer. A woman's role can be quite demanding and they do it for 75% of what men make. Are many of these women working because they want to, probably because it takes 2 paychecks now a days to make ends meet. I think they deserve some respect.

I buy bucktails, main difference is the profile of the head. Probably don't work any better than anything else.

I use them nearly everyday, been making my cuda tubes with them for many years. Best product I've used for line twist. I don't have the need to use them for anything else.

I don't add them, however some of my spoons come with swivels and I don't remove them. The type of spoon would dictate the need for a swivel, most of my spoons wobble back and forth creating no extra line twist. There are spoons like a j-spoon, drone spoon that turn over, a swivel is a good idea on them. I recently bought a 3/4 oz Little Cleo, without a swivel it turns over way too much to my liking, most likely it will get see action from me. Not a bad spoon just didn't suit me, I did catch few cuda with it.

Other than the ones I make myself I like using a bonefish flats jig for bass fishing.

Poppers don't have to be light, many weights and sizes are available. The distance comes from the profile of the lure, a 3/4 oz pencil popper is going to cast further than a frog of the same weight, less air resistance. That 3/4 oz pencil popper won't cast as far as a 3/4 oz kastmaster, thinner profile and less resistance. When I'm fishing a popper I'm matching the lure to the rod, for bass fishing I like a chug bug, I think they get some pretty good distance too.