deep

Bigt89, you don't want a 301 for what you're looking to do. A 200 size should work fine, not to mention much lighter,

Thank you WRB, that was far more detailed than I hoped for. If you don't mind me picking your brains a little more, I'm sending you a PM.

I believe there's a theory about using the (baitcaster) reel to winch in your fish, or something like that. Having personally casted and retrieved 4 oz plus baits for over 10 hours in a day for several days in a row, using a very heavy rod (compared to bass gear), I can tell you that I'm not fatigued at all. I use all lefty casting and spinning reels.

Are you looking for a 300 (shimano size) reel? The smaller Daiwa Lunas (all but the Luna 300 which is comparable to a Shimano 400 size, confused enough?) have externally adjustable magnetic brakes. I got mine (Luna 253L) for $125. Another (Luna 253) sold for $150 last week on swimbaitnation. The gear ratio is 5.1:1, and the IPT for the 253 size is ~23.5. The Curado 300 D/E, and the Revo Toros also have "easy" access to the braking systems, but you probably already know that. They go for a bit more than $150 usually.

These 5 see the most use: Mattlures MH/ Curado 301E: small swimbaits Okuma H/ Cardiff 401A: medium swimbaits GGR medium/ Calcutta 401TE: big swimbaits Powell Max 733 spinning/ Symetre 2500: small jigs Powell Max 753 casting/ Citica 201D: big jigs (I don't really fish anything other than jigs and swimbaits..)

WRB, could you elaborate a bit on these? It's always useful to learn things about florida-strains although I don't run into them usually.

I haven't been there for over a year, but plan to fish it more regularly this summer. I'm looking for info on water color and temperature. Are the fish (bass) all down deep or suspending? Schooling? Chasing shad? Anything helps. Thanks.

I got mine from Ebay.

You should consider buying a thermometer.. I have one that cost me around $4 and works fine for me.

Love this post!

What Hillbilly and the 2 other guys said. http://www.trophybassonly.com/12e55000.jpg "This is perhaps my most outstanding catch. I believe this was my youngest "ten plus". Her eyes were not bugged out at all, (a characteristic of age---not size) and her fins were thin and sharp. This is the classic trout eater." - Fish Chris

I have snagged and got some walmart-type baits, and some decent ones- half of which I recognized as my own. And also, a LOT of line. I got a free football jig with a beaver-type trailer yesterday- looked brand new. Where I fish, I'd be lucky if I snag an Ugly Stik! I have a friend though who throws some big baits. I'm waiting for the day when I snag a free hudd, or maybe a 316 FS shad that he said he lost ?

X2 Go over to his blog, or his youtube channel (same name as his blog). Another 2 videos I liked- good stuff. He does a lot of night fishing with big baits, and is a regular guy like most of us.

Largest LMB is 9 lbs 7 ozs on an 8" huddleston deluxe ROF5 in rainbow trout pattern. Caught her from a little public lake called Sugar Hollow. Never caught a smallmouth.

I went scouting a new lake (it's a pond, really) today, that was reported to have some nice bass in it. I didn't figure I'll be doing any serious fishing, so I just took a spinning rod, and a couple of 3/16 oz Baby Boo jigs and some Rage Craws. Third cast with the jig, and I set the hook on what feels like a big fish. She comes up, jumps once- looks like a 7-8 pounder- and then she goes down into the submerged trees I pulled her up from. We play tug of war for 15-20 seconds, and then she gets lost in the jungle that is down there. Seriously, it looked like a #$%2%^ jungle underwater. For a couple of seconds, I contemplate whether I should get into the water (bank fishing), and try to get her out. And then of course, my 8 lb line breaks. It was turned into sewing thread by that time. Heartbroken! I only have only caught two 5# and a handful of 3# in the last month. 8 foot rods, 25 lb lines and open water fishing have spoiled me; big time. I have forgotten how to fight a big fish on light line. Not that I could/ would have done much good with all the stuff she hid into. Anyway, I don't have a scale (YET!); so even if I landed her, I won't have known an 8# from a 10#. It's all good, I know where she lives, and next time, you bet I'll have some heavy artillery with me,

Rest in peace, wild Bill. That lunkerville episode is one of my favorites.

That does make sense! Thanks.

Yes, I always place a finger on the line too. Fluoro sinks though. I don't know how I can see the line jump? (I'm a line-watcher when I fish braid)

Great video A-Jay. Thanks for sharing, I feel compelled to give a more detailed response. Before I start though, I must say I think the northstar jigs are good, no questions. Now, as for the California Swim Jig, it is one half of a system. The other half being a roboworm EZ Shad. And it does come through grass very well, almost with a 100% impunity. I was surprised to find that. Would the Northstar Flip and Swim jig work in place of the Cali Swim Jig? Probably. But, almost certainly, I'd have to make adjustments, either to the jig, or to the trailer to fit the system. And I don't have the knowledge/ experience to make those subtle adjustments. When someone of the calibre of Matt Allen tells me that something works for him, I listen to him. It may or may not work for "me", but I will try it out firsthand. The odds of catching a big bass are bad enough as it it, don't want to mess those odds up any more. Now onto regular bass fishing casting jigs;I use mainly two sizes- the 1/4 oz for spinning gear, and the 1/2 oz for casting gear. For the 1/4 oz size, the booyah baby boo jig- the color of the skirts, the head style, the weedguard- works for me, the way I fish. For the price (I got 50 of them for $1.20 each), I don't think they can be beat either. Do they have wire-tied skirts? No, they don't. But I don't really care. I can't keep a jig beyond 10 fish anyway. Would I try some other brands? Absolutely, if I could get them that cheap. For the 1/2 oz size: I like the "grass" head style of jigs. Last summer (2011) I bought 3 or4 jigs from Chris (northstar), and I had a little trouble with the weedguard and trailer keeper. So when I was looking to make an order this winter, I emailed him first with a couple of questions. He never got back to me. Well, Dominic/ Backwater4 made me the jigs, with exactly the sort of skirts I want, at a great price ($2 per jig including shipping). Are they better jigs? I don't know, but they have worked very well for me so far. Thanks Dominic. (He posted a reply to a WTB ad I posted here.) When I lose them all, I might place a northstar order, or a siebert outdoors order, or I might hit up Dominic again. I haven't decided. I use 1/4 oz swim jigs too, both the strike king KVD, and the NorthStar (that I got during a TW discount). They both work for me.

Hmm, maybe I didn't look hard enough then. I didn't see any clearance items marked, so probably they haven't separated it from the rest, like you say.

I haven't used fluoro in ages, so bear with me if this is a stupid question. When fishing a bottom bumping bait on slack line/ line with a bow (due to wind, current, etc), do you think you can feel more bites using fluoro over mono or copoly? I know technically the answer should be yes, but what are your experiences? Thanks,

What was it that Mike Iaconelli said? Jokes apart, I'm sorry to hear about the fish dying. That is sad. But isn't that nature's way of trying to put things right?

No, probably (almost certainly) never going to do that either. What about you?

A friend and I caught a dozen dinks in two hours the day before yesterday on senkos and small jigs. Fish were in the 10-15 feet range. I can't find the really big ones anymore, but I know where to catch a few decent ones (in the 3-5 lb range), Will try again for them next week.

Mine didn't have any baits on sale yesterday. Didn't check out the rods/ reels though.