SirSnookalot

Yes and more than dozen other people I know, but not what most people are used to seeing. Very common down here in Florida to see pier fishermen carrying a bucket with the lures hanging on it's lip. Many of them (not myself) have a steel leader attached to each lure, they keep a swivel/snap on their mainline but not on the lure itself. I'm slightly different, I only use wire on my home made barracuda tubes, a #2 (45 lb) sampo snap swivel is on my mainline at all times on my specific rods used for that species.

There are no industry standards, some companies' rods fish heavier some lighter. Doesn't make a difference as long as YOU know what you're using and what the rod can handle.

Have not used a spinshot hook, the concept looks interesting. When it comes to fishing about the only thing I'm anal about is a neat, trim, clean looking setting up. No swivels, no snaps and tag ends are cut on the short side. I don't think I catch any more fish I just like the way it looks. Taking the time to retie or change leaders is part of fishing for me, I'm not racing.

I can only comment on spinning gear, any reel is fine as the retrieves are not constant but twitches and pauses. I generally use a med 7' rod, in open water a ml works fine and for snakeheads in muck I may use a mh. Not bottom fishing so sensitivity is not my issue, I use the same brand I inshore fish with. I like what I use.

Yes and no, but more no. I'll keep 30# braid and mono for some household tasks (tied up some orchids with mono this week), lighter lines which I mainly use get tossed out if less than about 30 yds. I buy specific line for leaders. This thread is kind of coincidence, as I was taking inventory this morning on line I need to buy I threw out a bunch of line I have no need for. Not quite hoarder more of a pack rat, it's hard for me to things away.

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Don't find the weather forecasting too bad here. I first look at the present conditions and the forecast of my home area, I then do the same thing for the location I plan on fishing. I fish both on the coast and inland each day, the weather will vary quite a bit.

Backing isn't necessary to avoid braid slipping on the spool, putting electrical or masking tape on the spool first is all that's needed. Whether I use backing or not I still put tape on first, even braid ready spools.

Disappointing ? Any time by accident catching a larger hard fighting fish or something out of the ordinary does nothing but get my juices flowing. The 50" fish I catch are not by accident, I target them. Sure these fish are fun or I wouldn't be doing it, but so often I leave to go peacock fishing. Catching 6# peacock is much more unusual, that's why I go fish for them.

I always use a leader with braid, not primarily for stealth or even abrasion but getting line tangled up in a treble hook. Braid can be a nightmare to untangle, a leader is much easier IMO. At present in my freshwater rotation are 4 different braids, 3 with slightly different shades of green and 1 orange, now faded some. As far as color, I don't favor one over the other. Some people prefer a more visible braid as they are line watchers, I am not. I'm always looking around while retrieving to make my next cast, just the way I do it.

Best is totally subjective. I don't feel there is any difference between a bass rod and an inshore one, I use inshore rods as my hand is in front of the reel on the foregrip. My most used rod for bass is a 6'6 med 6/12 Shimano clarus, I like this rod a lot. What I like about it is that it's underpowered, fishes IMO more like a ml. Using a reel in the 7 oz range the combo is a feather and an extension of my arm, matches my fishing personality. This combo never leaves the trunk of my car, not a bit of rod maintenance (guide repairs, cork problems) in years, an occasional cleaning with a magic eraser.

Nice gar ! I've caught quite a few down here. Many times they get snagged on the side of the head while attacking the lure, as said they can be difficult to hook. Very good strike, feels like cuda hit.

I've caught a few on artificial lures.

My take. Yes there is a difference in an open water catch compared to pulling a fish out of heavy cover. It isn't the line that pulls them out it's the rod. Using spinning gear my max line is 15# braid for bass, no dig in and the line is plenty strong. Learning how to land inshore fish in saltwater has made me a much better lander of bass, I use techniques that I don't see bass fishermen employ. One thing I do if needed is to have my hand on the rod shaft and pull the fish out of cover with the rod. IMO many bass fishermen try and emulate professionals they see on tv. Dragging a fish in on top of the water in a matter of seconds, if I chose to do that I'd be using heavy lines too. I'm not as hell bent on landing a fish as I am in having fun with it.

Reels used in salt water need more attention given to them, none of them are perfect and most will require some kind of service at some point. My Pflueger arbor is used in saltwater, gets a lot of use. I did recently replace the line roller bearing and the reel is back to performing beautifully. I was using a supreme in saltwater for about 18 months, moved it to fresh, wasn't worth gambling as it's not salt reel. I have 3 supremes, they work just fine, next time around I'd probably get a president for freshwater fishing.

We all have shortcomings and I guess that's one of mine.

If you can't afford to lose a lure you shouldn't be using it in the first place, smart economics is not to buy it. Certainly not a condemnation of expensive lures (I use some myself) provided it's in one's budget. I wish Matt all the success in the world selling his lures. This is not an issue of fish species or venue, lures can be cut off or hung up where ever one is fishing. Whether I fish freshwater or saltwater I have toothy critters, rocks, trees, vegetation, barnacles, etc that can separate me from my lure, can happen at any time and it does. As long as my line and knots are in good order my lures don't go flying, not having to worry about backlashes makes spinning my ticket. I do believe in shock, that's why I always use a leader regardless of fish species or where I'm fishing. Fish Chris has probably caught more DD bass on spinning gear than most have caught with b/c gear. Personally I look at a rod and reel as the delivery system to to get my lure into the target zone. As I may have a little trouble in understanding the perception of how others fish, the perception on how I fish seems to be problematic. Rest assured I have no problems with what I'm doing.

Good luck, possible anytime fishing offshore.

If wasn't seeing Aaron Marten's name on this site quite a few times I'd have no idea who he is, I don't follow pro fishing. I early some one saying having their index finger on the rod, I noticed today when I was out bass fishing I did the same thing, I was never aware of it before. We do have 10 minute + battles, yes it's not bass fishing.

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The OP made no mention of the intended reel, 20# braid on spinning is just fine with a 1-4 oz. lure, it's what I use everyday. Braid on b/c could be a problem with a heavier lure, I don't much about that as it's just about all spinning here. The conventional reels are mostly used for bait fishing, those can get pretty heavy duty. A mh-hvy rod with max ratings of 2.5 or 3 oz. using a 13 oz spinning reel is by no means a light outfit, quite capable of handling some good sized fish. Not being familiar I did have to look up the stats of what appears to be a popular reel, caluctta 400. The calcutta weighs 11.7 oz, 24" IPT, max drag 17.5, my cabos are 13.2 oz, 33" IPT with a max drag of 30#. The cabo does hold less line but 250 +yds of 20# braid is more than enough. I would contend I'm not fishing light, this is one of my everyday combos. I do bass and peacock fish every day too, for this I do not care to fish heavy gear. I'n not anti big gear, for me it's big gear for bigger fish and small gear gear for smaller fish. The fun comes from the fight, not the over powering of the fish.

I hold the rod exactly the same way for bass and peacock fishing.

Great report kikstand, which I could say the same is happening here. I've caught 2 snook this week and only about a dozen since the first of the year. Mullet are just staring to run, had a nice 8-9# jack this morning.

Yep

Pretty much my approach. Fishing every day I feel there is only 1 absolute factor I need to know, dealing with the moment at hand. If there is one thing I try and do is fish with my eyes and ears, I'm opting to cast where there is activity vs blind casting. I try to avoid long casts, sometimes you have to because that's where the fish are. So many times my lure is so far out then I have fish busting just a few feet away, can't get my lure i fast enough before the fish are gone. I move a lot when I fish, I use but 1 rod.