Tim Kelly

Here's the film for tying the knot the easy way. It's still a bit long winded, but your line won't break at the knot again!

LOL. Yet another good reason to use left hand wind baitcasters right there!

I have a Chronarch E5 and it's a good real. Would have bought the equivalent Curado if they'd made a left handed 5:1 version, but they don't. I'm pretty sure you could get a low speed gear set for a curado if you wanted, would probably save a few dollars?

Just the same as the screw hooks. Stuff the wire bait holder in the nose and the point through the body. If you don't get on with the wire keeper you can always buy the screw hitchhiker things and add them instead.

Kd knot is much better and 100% strength, but there's a bit of a knack to tying it. There's a film on you tube with a savage gear guy tying it the easiest way, but I haven't been able to find it again since seeing it originally. All knots will wear out eventually I expect, just as your line needs cutting back occasionally.

Apparently the Delaware fishes best with the last two hours of the ebb tide and the first hour of the flood. I believe they only caught a bit of that period over the four days. The tide times advance about 50 minutes each day. The following week the better period would have occurred while the anglers were on the water every day.

So rather than just saying the guy needs to practice more, what would your helpful advice be for the OP? Do you think a heavier bait would throw less well or less distance?

No, but I have the mojo 7'4" medium moderate glass crankbait rod and know what that's like, a medium heavy is going to be stiffer. Even my medium rod is happier with 1/2 than 3/8 and if the OP is new to baitcasting gear and looking for maximum distance then trying to throw 3/8 on a relatively stiff rod is not going to be as easy as it might be with a better balance between the bait and the rod.

The 8:1 tatula type R is a pretty decent reel, more expensive options are the SS SV in the high speed version, the upcoming Morethan Branzino SV in 8:1 should be good as will the new Zillions. You can pick up a previous model Zillion type R at the moment at better prices, and that's a great reel too. The Shimano Aldebaran BFS is a nice little 8:1 reel if you want something compact. Depends what you want the reel for, if you have a preference for braking styles etc, but for that budget there aren't many bad choices if you stick to Daiwa and Shimano.

Your rod is too heavy for the 3/8 baits to work optimally. The cheapest and most effective way to cast further with your outfit is to cast slightly heavier baits. Heavier baits cast further anyway and with you rod the whole thing will be a lot easier. Baits in the 1/2 to 3/4 range are what you want. KVD 2.5 would be a good starting point.

The St Croix mojo glass 6 10 or 7 4 are worth a look.

I think most of the moaning was not about the venue so much as about the week they were fishing it, or rather the tides they would be fishing. It seems to me that Bassmasters could have looked at the tide charts and booked the following week for the tournament, would have shown the fishery in a much better light and possibly made the result a little less certain?

Really enjoyed watching the Delaware tournament coverage. The final weigh in was hilarious. Dave Mercer normally has to work hard to get any noise from the crowd, but this time he was having to wait for them to calm down before he could speak! Great show. Ike did what he needed to do and was a big hit with the crowd in victory. Well done to all.

Bit like saying " I've got an F-150 and stick with it. I've tried a Ferrari and a Rolls Royce and don't like them." Sometimes an F-150 is the perfect vehicle, and it will get the job done in most situations perfectly well, but in the right place a Ferrari or a Rolls Royce are much better choices.

Hola! I'm from the UK and have been bass fishing in Spain a couple of time (Cijara). Great place to fish, you're lucky. If you fish Cijara, have you seen those you tube films of the guys using big jigging spoons? I think that could be killer on there, though you might want to put a steel leader on as the pike would crush it as well!

If you're using line straight through, rather than braid and a leader, micro guides make a rod blank much more sensitive due to having less weight hanging from the blank. I really doubt it makes much difference whether you use micro wave system or sic rings to get you down to the micro guides. If you are using braid and a leader you may or may not have trouble with the micros depending on the knot you use and how long your leader is. If you're gun shy on the micros, get the lightest rings you can afford in conventional sizes. I only use micros these days on my rods.

Ah, the famous "Pit Boss Rig"

Go to your cutlery draw, distract wife and pocket a couple of spoons. Disappear to man shed and pull out a hacksaw and drill. Chop off handles. Drill holes top and bottom of the spoon, split ring through the holes, swivel one end, hook the other. Add water.

A pretty decent unit if you want a stand alone unit. If you want to network units and maybe link them to the trolling motor and/or use specific mapping software they're less integrated than the Humminbird and Lowrance offerings. As a unit on their own though, they're definite contenders. Not sure how they're priced, but if they're cheaper than the H or L equivalent units they're worth a look.

Braid also has a tendency to tangle if it's too full on the spool, removing 30 yards can sometimes transform the situation. The advise above is spot on too though, it's a line management issue, so closing the bail manually and keeping an eye on the spool to see any loops before they cause tangles is a big help. If you're doing your bit well enough then I would recommend removing some line from the spool.

Juvenile pike often have a more stripey than spotty appearance, and that northern pike looks pretty juvenile.

The cost of owning and running a bass boat is phenomenal. I couldn't possibly afford one, so I always want to pay more than just my share of gas. People have been incredibly generous to me and I feel it's the very least I can do in return.

That really tickled me. Very good. Also involves humor, so probably won't be understood by most women.

Just no Merc stickers on it. I'd be more concerned about the ghost in the boat though.

If you're not running the boat at high altitude then I would think there's something wrong with the motor.