SirSnookalot

My approach is slightly different, my line matches my rod as well as the reel matching the rod. The combo I use is mainly predicated on the water I'm fishing, not the species, in other words I'm using a little beefier out fit in heavier vegetation. This is exactly how I do it : Light power 4/10 rod, size 25 reel 10# braid Ml power 6/12 rod size 30 reel 10# braid Med power 8/17 rod size 35-40 reel 15# braid Mh power 10/20 rod size 40 reel 20# braid Heavy 25-40 power size 6-7-8000 30# braid Since I don't use an 8000 reel for bass and peacock fishing, 30# is overkill for me, but it may not be for some one else. My top side is 15# in freshwater, 20# inshore, 30# offshore.

If there were to be a sticky regulated by the moderators only, would that not be free advertising? How would sponsors feel about it?

The seaweed the last 10 days has been very thick, a southeast wind produces a lot of it and that's the predominant offshore wind this time of year. Yesterday it wasn't too bad on the beach (the inlet was terrible), the water was too calm for snook. Oh yeh there a big fish out there, just something about the way a fish fights off the beach, they hit that swash and it's like they'e stuck in cement, hard to move them. You have to walk them backwards and pull them out. No place I'd rather fish than the beach. I can understand coming to Florida and wanting to catch peacock, you had a nice one, but compared to what's in the surf, there is no comparison.

Yesterday was a goose egg, no snook on the outgoing, no fish on the beach and 1 cuda chased me but didn't strike. Even did some peacock fishing in the afternoon and didn't see any. Doing the same program this morning, hopefully better results, I like the tide change relative to sunrise better for today and tomorrow.

Have seen a few posts about inexpensive snap/swivels breaking or opening. If it does happen, IMO rare, what causes failure is probably due more to user error rather than quality. Like every component of the chain having the drag set properly takes the pressure off, nothing should break. From my observation experienced fishermen don't use them any way, it's the the fisherman that's fishing for smaller fish and gets smashed by one much larger and doesn't know how to handle it, locks the drag and something has to give. The advantage of using better quality is not the issue of strength, but spin. A barrel swivel with snap or not doesn't spin too much, the crane slightly better, power swivels are decent and BB tops the list. I've recently changed to D.A.M. BB, work every bit as well as my Sampos, better price. I use a #2 swivel rated at 40# with a duolock attached, the reason I use this size is the smaller the swivel the better control over line twist. I only use this set up for barracuda fishing, nothing else. I land these fish not based on the quality of each individual component, but in knowing how to do it. I'm not the only one, we have slew of people doing exactly what I'm doing and they land them too.

Snap/swivels, no. A snap is fine, without is fine too, whatever your choice is.

Depending on how much you spent on the reel it may not pay to fix it if something were to break. That is not an excuse for not maintaining it. I don't do much to my freshwater spinning reels except to oil the spindle, oil the handle bearings as well as the line roller bearing. Frequency goes along with how much the reel is used. If your reel is performing fine just have fun with it, do give it that drop of oil every once in awhile.

I fish the surf nearly every morning. Little different in South Florida, no breakers here and many of the species are caught well within 15-20 yds of the beach. Using only artificial lures I'm able to fish with medium spinning rods, up on the jettys I need a mh rod. The plan this morning is to fish the jetty on the outgoing for snook and tarpon, tide change about 5:30 I'll hit the beach, hopefully for snook and jacks. About 8 am I'll go to another jetty and fish barracuda on the incoming tide.

Yesterday I used 10# PP slick it was fine but I did have a couple of wind tangles, something I have not experienced with the US Braid after many months of use. Fishing some 340 days a year when I give an opinion it's based on quite a bit of usage, not a handful of times. I don't get technical enough to concern myself with 4 or 8 carrier lines, I just want to catch fish. There have been dozens upon dozens of peacocks caught with this line, the performance IMO has been excellent. I've taken the line to the next level, 40" fish that fight much harder and longer than peas, so far so good. This will be my line until it proves otherwise, can't see spending 2x more to land the same fish, especially when I like the performance.

Not that I'm connected, I'm not but many years I had friends in the biz. I would buy frames from a sales rep, then have them filled at an optician. At that time I paid $15-25 for frames that sold for $150+ retail, that was 20 years ago, but you get the idea. Yes Luxottica is huge, not only do they own lots of designer labels, they own Oakley and Ray Ban. Besides frames and lenses they own stores too, Lenscrafters, Pearle, Sunglass hut, Sears optical too.

One of the forums I'm on has separate forums for counties, then one for anything outside of Florida. There are forums for, shorefishermen, private boaters and head boats, another for kayakers, one specifically for sharks, and one for food preparation, freshwater fishing too, but nothing for sales. Are all of them needed, don't really know but each gets activity. A redistricting of the geographic area might not be a bad idea, Indiana in the northeast seems out of place. Perhaps a midwest forum, taking a few states from the NE and Central.

Your'e pretty much spending the bulk of the money on the frame, not the lenses. A small handful of companies make the majority of brands of frames and lenses, Safilo & Luxottica 2 of the premier companies. Costa may be one of the very few independent companies, I'm not sure. I wear progressives, whether regular or sunglasses they cost me $250 to about $450. I can buy the same frame and the same lens for $250, I don't go to the $450 store anymore lol, I found a new place to shop. Do I wear prescription polarized for fishing, no I don't. Why, they cut glare but they don't see thru choppy water. The nature of polarized lenses always make things darker, sometimes too dark depending on the angle of the sun. I wear flip ups on my prescription glasses, I'm constantly flipping them up an down, sometimes I see better without the polarization. The axis on my prescription has to be perfect, I've taken glasses back to have them remade. Fitting of the frames is extremely important as well as measuring the lenses to your eyes. That's why I will not buy eyewear from online source, despite to some very attractive pricing.

I noticed that there are 500 yd spools and green too, under $30. I may order a larger spool.

I only use braid and leader for bass, inshore and off shore ocean fishing. The same knots are used where ever I fish, the species is irrelevant. Braid to leader........alberto Braid to swivel........double wrap improved clinch Leader to swivel.....ordinary clinch Leader to lure.........loopknot

Based on the price I assume it's 4 carrier. At first it was a $10 experiment with 10# for bass and peacocks, either I liked or I didn't, well I did. I liked enough to take it to the next level for bigger and stronger fish, proved itself there too. Line and knot strength should not be a issue with any braid (except that tuffline super cast which I didn't care for), for me the issue is twist and windknots. Amazing how this line doesn't twist too bad even without a swivel, when I do use one it's a DAM bb swivel. It caught me another 40 incher yesterday. For 10 bucks there isn't much to lose, I bought another spool of it yesterday for another set up. Don't take any thing I say as recommendation, do your own experimentation.

I'm in a quandary myself over my next reel after losing my combo in the water last week. I loved my Pflueger arbor 50, it's discontinued and can't find it any where. I'm using my spheros 4000 until I decide which will work just fine. When ya buy a new rod ya just gotta have a new reel, right? I have it pretty well whittled down to reels, a Pflueger arbor 40 (11.2 oz,18 drag, 29.7 IPT, 8/195 yds) and Daiwa lexa 3500 (12.2 oz, 17.6 drag, 41 IPT, 10/240). No question in my mind either will be fine and probably more anal than I need to be, the reel will be a dedicated only for barracuda. Do I want a reel that only weighs 11.2 but the other specs are good, or do I want a reel with a lot line capacity and 41 IPT. My gut says arbor, my curisoty says lexa, or just stay with my spheros for free.............lol.

I do think the knot isn't tied correctly. The few times my knot has slipped or unraveled has not been right away, been after many casts, the knot looked and felt just fine initially. I know it's my own user error, I tie it too many times without failure, when it does fail I'm the cause.

Interesting to read some of the comments, why some haven't been deleted is a mystery to me. I personally favor any political conversations, it is against policy so I'm not going there. Getting back to the issue, after 11 pages I've lost interest. The final outcome isn't going to affect my life one way or the other..............Go Lions !!

That's a nice pea !

Can't agree with Diggy more, in fact he is the one that first mentioned it. Using the US braid both in fresh water and now for salt too, I'm sold on it. I've had 10# on since Dec on a reel I use almost daily, even with inline spinners and no swivel there hasn't been a windknot or any significant twist, pretty rare for me. I've got about 2 months of 20# on 2 reels for barracuda, my tubes constantly spin 360 degrees, most braids twist up pretty bad, but not the US Braid. I don't know what's different about it, both strength and knot power haven't been a concern, it's been a star performer. Price is attractive too.

I can leave a leader on 2 weeks with no problem if it isn't scuffed up. I make 8 wraps up and 0 down using 10# braid and 15# leader, using a duolock on this set up. I have had a few failures on a salt set up (not in fresh) tying the knot exactly the same way. I'm convinced it's my own user error as I put a new leader on each rod each day, once in a while I just screw up.

It can happen but it's not likely. Heard a story the other day, a rod was left several days inside a car in the hot Florida weather over the seats with no support, it has a bow in it as I was told. Under normal usage, fish nor proper storage should effect a rod. I have rods many years old that are as good as the day I bought them.

I've been looking for a new cuda reel, as long as I was there I was checking freshwater reels too. I was most impressed with Pfluegers, Cardinals and Mitchells, I found them to be smoother than some other brands in the same price range or even more money. I have history of near perfect performance with both Plueger and Abu. I honestly don't feel my drags are overly tested for freshwater fishing, the environment is much friendlier as well, durability has been good. Shimano gets a lot of play here, only 1 Shimano I would consider, a stradic. Anything more is passing the diminishing return of investment IMO, any thing less is inferior to some of the other brands in their respective price range, again my opinion. Stradic is a fine reel, for me is overkill for freshwater.

From bass fishing any way. Pictured below is what I face around here nearly every day this time or year. If I don't have this sea lettuce I have muck, high weeds, and floating grass. Now with days at 90 degrees most of the time the bass have become lethargic and me too. As the saying goes in Florida, when the bass turn off the snook turn on, believe me it's true.

Not a bad thought. Based on my repair history and customer service with 2 4000 stradic fi's, not likely I'd be buying the newest Shimano north of 200 bucks. I think the reels are pretty good, but mine have been too injury prone. I'd have to be in a pretty good mood to spend even $150 for a 4000.