Tim Kelly

FC is great when you're dragging a worm or fishing any slack line presentation, you get much better bite detection and it gets blown round in the wind less than mono and much less than braid. Personally I just don't believe it has anything to offer when fishing a crankbait. I would use P line CXX as it's indestructible! The downside to FC is that if you snag up and have to pull for a break it damages the line. You can see it gets a sort of craze to the surface. Mono is much more tolerant of that sort of thing. Mono also appear to actually stretch a little less than FC, despite marketing claims, though I believe it actually stretches more readily at lower loads, which FC might not do, which might explain why people perceive FC to stretch less in actual usage. FC is slightly less manageable on baitcasting gear than mono, but mono like CXX is pretty springy too. I think the extra weight (density) of the FC on a baitcaster spool is what makes the reel slightly more prone to backlashing. FC hates being backlashed and any loops of line need to be carefully released before they get a kink in them, and casting a spool with a loop of line under it, where you can hear the loop spinning on the spool during a cast, will weaken it significantly too. It's all horses for courses. FC is great, within it's limitations in the same way that braid and mono are limited to some jobs which they excel at while others there are better choices. For square bills I would give 12lb green P Line CXX a go. If it's super gnarly where you're throwing try 17 or 20. I am moderately convinced that the green colour is tougher than the clear or the fluorescent too by the way!

I've fished a few lakes on the Rideau chain around Westport. Plenty of fish, but not the size Karl Kolanka catches in his lakes. He seems to be on some much better sized largemouth where he goes.

I think Strike King claim to use VMC hooks, they're usually more expensive that Mustad. Maybe Kevin out to bring his sponsors together and broker a deal between the two. LOL Just strikes me as odd that he promotes a range of lure which he wouldn't use straight out of the packet. All that time fine tuning the action, but nobody mentioned hooks?

Strike King KVD cranks and jerks are supposedly designed and endorsed by the man himself right? There are a million videos of KVD swapping out his trebles for his preferred trebles, so why do the lures with his name on have trebles he wouldn't use himself? Any chance SK will upgrade their range to full KVD spec?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tow-Tuff-600-LB-Trailer-Dolly-TMD-600AFF-/262739678875

Thank you. Will get in touch if it looks like there might be an opportunity while I'm there.

I've thought exactly the same thing. Lack of blood flow causing necrosis where the skin is pinched for an extended period. There's a system I've seen with a long piece of plastic tubing that goes under the gill flap and out through the mouth. This looked to me better than running a wire through the gills or piercing the jaw with a wire as the tubing is thicker, so would spread any pressure to some extent. Edit: Found it. Procull conservation clips.

I'm a big CXX fan too. Does the Seaguar seem similar John?

Try running solo and see if it still has the same issues. If it does, put the old prop on and re-test. Your set up is about what seems to work for most people, so you need to eliminate some of the variables to see whether the problem is with the motor or the set up.

Many thanks Teng.

Bonjour Teng. I have never fished in France, but an going down to near Bordeaux in May. Do you know anything about the fishing in that area. Ideally for bass or zander (sandra)? Is it even legal to fish in May, or is there a closed season?

Hello Miguel. I haven't been to Spain for a couple of years, might be going to Lisbon in June. Is there any bassing near Lisbon? How difficult is it to sort out a fishing permit?

I don't know specifically, but the springs on the inductors are of different strengths for different applications, some are even fixed without springs I believe on some of the finesse reels.

I think the SV system is a combination of spool, inductor and magnets. They all look very similar, but function slightly differently. I expect you'd find an SV spooled reel would cast differently to a non SV, but there is undoubtedly a lot of marketing involved.

I powder coat mine to make them stronger, but if you want to paint and epoxy them, I'm sure the epoxy would be as good or stronger than powder coat.

Is the spool tension too loose? The spool might make a noise if it's flopping from side to side in the frame. Tighten the spool tension knob until the side to side play has just gone.

I find Martens very entertaining. Suggs on the other hand can swim home. All that puffing and panting and thanking the lord would wear on me very quickly.

Hope you have a fantastic trip. If you ever feel the need to come back at a better time of year, drop me a line.

I would love to offer you a trip out. April though is the trickiest month. It's the closed season on the rivers, so only really canals and some lakes available, and it's spawning time where the fish become very difficult to catch. If you come over at any time other than the March-June closed season I'd love to take you out.

Just for sport. We really don't eat what we catch traditionally. other than trout and salmon, but even that is rarer now. We have had a bit of an issue with the recent migration from eastern european countries, where they are used to eating what they catch. It has caused tensions. I follow rugby and cricket, not really football at all. Sorry not to get the reference.

I think the UK record is a bit over 6lb. That one was a high four. My biggest was 5lb 4oz, the exact same weight as my biggest smallmouth! Blades?

Yes London UK. No smallies though unfortunately. I have to put my hands in my pocket and fly over the big pond to play with smallmouth fins! I'm very lucky to have some very generous friends who take me out when I come over, which has been every two years in recent times. I fish the Thames here a lot, mostly for perch, but also pike and zander. The manic expression is what happens when you try to use a camera's smile detector to take the picture for you when you are on your own. LOL

Just to add to the pedantry, you're describing the balance point. The fulcrum is the point where you actually hold the rod, so at the reel, assuming the reel is palmed. The position of the balance point, relative to the reel seat, is a way of describing how tip heavy the rod is, relative to the fulcrum.

Of course. You are demonstrating where the actual balance point is. Earlier in the tread there was a statement about the reel weight effecting the rod balance. While it effects where the rod balances, you actually hold the rod at the reel, so that's the fulcrum. A heavier or lighter reel can't have much effect on the rod's balance when it's at the fulcrum, so the only way you can judge a rod's balance in a practical way is to hold it at the reel seat, where your hand will naturally be, and see how it feels. If you feel the need to make the tip lighter you have to add weight to the butt as a different weight reel won't change the felt balance of the rod.

The balance point doesn't really matter though as you hold the rod at the reel, so the balance around the reel is the only thing that makes a rod feel more or less tip heavy.