shanksmare

Here is on place that may be of help to you that is in Austin, TX: http://www.papachopsrodandreelrepair.com/ I'm sure there are many more in the area.

About 15 years ago I met a fellow while fly fishing for stripers on the Brewster Flats on Cape Cod. Thats exactly what he did. He had a couple dozen flies all with leaders attached. He had a short (1') leader on the end of his fly line with a large loop on the end. Each fly with leader attached had a short (1') leader on it also with a large loop on the end. He explained that his near vision was very poor but he could attach and remove flies with the loops by feel. It certainly worked for him considering his success that day. When the tide flooded it brought in sand eels followed by hungry 5 to 20 lb bass. The fishing was so good that we almost had to swim to shore since we dallied too long and were a mile from the shore.

I guess it depends on the shop and how often you frequent it. If they have the tip top you need, you can do it yourself. It is simple to do. You can use meltable rod glue, archery broadhead glue or even 5 minute epoxy. If you use the epoxy make sure it is the 5 minute type. Then it can be removed with gentle heat if need be.

I would take the rod to a tackle shop in your area that builds custom rods. They will be able to fit the proper sized tip top to the rod blank. It may cost you a few pennies more but you will save you the aggravation of getting the wrong size tip top. They will also have the rod cement you will need. Most will probably install it for you for free.

A 1/4 oz. Booyah Blade tandem bladed spinnerbait.

I recall a study done by Glenn Lau (I think) on the visiability of various lines. The braid was actually the least visible in the pictures. The mono and especially the flourocarbon lit up like a light bulb in clear water sunny conditions. I never noticed any difference bertween mono and flourcarbon other than the price and the fact that flouro is less managable when it gets colder.

If you just cast them out and reel them in at a moderate to fast retrieve they should work fine as far as drawing strikes. If you like to pause and drop the bait during the retrieve or slow roll it maybe not so much. But its hard to argue with success.

I watched a guy fish from the shore with a Clorox jug as a reel. Guy wore gloves to retrieve his line he wrapped it around the jug on retrieve. The guy packed up and left the channel while we were there he pulled a stringer full of fish out of the water with around 12 bass on it. Talked to a couple guys who had around 8 baitcaster strapped on their boat who'd caught 1 fish all day. I once read of a gentleman catching a huge striped bass off of Nauset Beach on a cod jig while using a hand line. But when I fished Nauset Beach or any of the other Cape Cod beaches for that matter, I never even thought of trying to duplicate his feat. Being in the right location is pretty much always the most important component of fishing. I believe it was rather eloquently stated years ago, "You ain't going to catch them where they ain't!". Back to the original post: Congratulations on your great success guys! You guys certainly have found a spot where they ARE! Its also awful hard to argue with success. I've gone past the $1 spinnerbait racks at Walmart many times. I glanced at them and kept going. So yesterday I decided I would pick one up and give it a try (in my pool at least). As I picked one off the rack and examined it these were my observations: It was light maybe 1/4 oz, more likely 3/16 oz. or less. The frame was small and of pretty light wire. The hook was small even for the bait's small size and of pretty light wire. The skirt was sparse and looked fragile. The blades(s) looked like they were made of stamped steel and small which sort of fit in with the rest of the design. Now comes the most important part of any spinnerbait (at least in my opinion) the swivel to which the lower blade (or only blade in the case of a single spin) is attached. The swivel used is not a ball bearing swivel. If you give it the "spin test" which Glen mentions in his excellent video, it does not even make a single rotation. So for me this was a sale killer. For the way I fish a spinnerbait it wasn't even worth $1. But as I stated earlier, if it works for you by all means keep using it. Do I think its the best spinnerbait ever? Not by a long shot. It doesn't make the top 10 or the top 10,000 for that matter - in my opinion. I've used spinnerbaits for over 40 years. I used to make my own casting the heads and trying different blade and frame configurations to achive various things. When I started using them they were difficult to find and before I made my own I got BPS spinnerbaits through the mail and relaced the blades and swivels to make them work for me. The largest bass I ever caught came on a 1/4 oz tandem Booyah Blade. But as I earlier stated if the $1 Walmart spinnerbaits fit your style of fishing and pocket book - then go for it. They just are not my cup of tea.

Here is what the web site says: Plus, for you who repair reels on your own, as a business or as a hobby, we have the most extensive reel parts inventory in the nation. We even have parts that have been discontinued. If you would like to order parts directly from us, you can call us at (417) 873-5274 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (417) 873-5274 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Mon.-Fri. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. I've gotten parts from them before. They are great people to deal with - friendly and very helpful.

I agree with gulfcaptain. In orfer to try them out I constructed one from materials (willow leaf blade, BB swivel, split ring and a twistlock centering pin) I had laying around using a BPS Stick-o. I only tried it once for a short period of time. I have to give it more of a workout.

My advice would be to go to a fly shop and explain to them what you will be fishing for and where you will be doing it and your budget constraints. They will be able to advise you. They will most likely allow you to try several outfit to make your choice. A side benefit of this is a free casting lesson. You can probably save money buy ordering online, but if you make the wrong choices and have to buy stuff twice .... The fly fishing industry of late has really made things confusing with the popularization of switch and spey rods and long bellied fly lines. I would look for a 9' rod unless you are fishing in very small brush surrounded streams. I would get a floating line with a 30' head section for most conditions. The weight of the rod will be determined by species and location of your fishing. Have fun. Beware its addicting!

The shape of the weight makes no difference. I just happened to have one available when I made it forty or so years ago. The bank sinker has a built-in attachment for the bolt and hooks.

The Bridge Net that Sirsnookalot speaks of is probably the best solution to your problem. An alternative solution could be constructing the following fish retriever: 1). about 15' of parachute chord 2). an 8 ounce (or thereabouts) Bank Sinker 3). a couple of very large hooks (about 8/0 to 10/0) the eyes on the hooks must be large enough for the bolt to fit through 4). a 1/8" bolt about 1" long with 2 washers with a nut 5). a very large snap swivel Take a drill with a 1/8" bit and open up the loop on the sinker so the bolt will fit through. Drill another hole near the oppossite end of the sinker. Put a washer on the bolt then a hook. Insert the bolt through the enlarged loop of the sinker. Put the other hook on the bolt, followed by the washer and the nut. Tighten the nut with the hooks pointing away from the sinker. Insert the parachute chord through the hole in the fat end of the sinker. Insert the parachute chord through the swivel porrtion of the snap swivel. Slide it to within a couple of inches of the sinker and secure with an overhand knot. To use you just clip the snap to your line and lower the sinker with hooks on it into the fishes mouth. A quick jerk will hook the fish and it can be lifted up the wall or to the pier using the parachute chord. You can wrap the line around the sinker and carry it in your pocket (carefully, it may be prudent to crimp the barbs on the hooks down) until needed. It worked off of peirs and bridges for large striped bass and bluefish.

Detecting bites on a slack line fall can be pretty simple or you can make it unbelievably compicated. If you follow ww2farmers advice it becomes a rather simple process. You watch the line and watch for some indication of a hit. Do you detect a tick in the line, is it moving off to the side, does it feel spongy when you lift the lure (bass swimming towards you). You can also run the line over your index finger (which as ww2farmer says is far more sensitive than any rod regardless of cost) to aid in bite detection. If you decide to go the "fall rate" route, well things get a little more complicated. A 1/4 oz. jig falls a lot slower than a 3/4 oz. jig. Naturally different trailers make the jig fall at differant rate. A grub slow the fall down a lot less than a beaver style bait. If your fishing a dropoff the fall time will vary with the depth. Both methods will generally work, one method is relatively simple the other not so much. If you decide to fish a jig on gelspun braid it will fish differently then the same lure on mono. When you fish the jig on mono, the line has more water resistance so the jig tends to lift up off the bottom as you move it. Since braid is much thinner in diameter, it has less water resistance and the jig tends to drag along the bottom moreso than it would with mono.

Catt, My cousin used a set identical to yours for many years deer hunting in the scrub oaks of SE Massachusets. Mass. mandates the use of shotguns only. Like you he alternated buckshot and slugs with a buckshot shell generally in the chamber. If presented a close running shot he was ready with the buckshot. If he was presented a longer standing shot he would eject the buckshot and use a slug. He used a 12 gauge Ithaca Model 37 Deerslayer. I personally never used buckshot. It's use is fine if you confine your shots to 25 to 30 yards. Longer shots can present problems. Buckshot are round balls so frequently the wounds made by them close up and you have little or no blood trail. Years ago a group of guys showed up at the R &G club ro which I belonged to sight in their shotguns in preparation to a hunt on Nantucket Island. They shot rifled slugs at a 4' x 4' target. After about 6 boxes (150 shells) they had managed to hit the target once in the upper right hand corner. On Nantucket they used buckshot and all got a deer. So it can be very effective if you choose to use it.

Bass,... striped bass that is! It doesn't get any better than a dark of the moon night with a big swell coming into an outer Cape beach during the early fall run. I can envision the white water on the bars and the bass which it promises will be there ...

Here are some instructions from Barlow's. Installing the duo lock snap on the Shakee Blade requires a little technique. The pictures below show the sequence for installing the snap. Installing the snap is much easier if you use needle nose pliers.

I've been fishing for over 60 years. Most of that time I spent fishing with fiberglass rods. During that time I had never broken a glass rod, until recently when I inadvertently stuck one in a fan. It was also a fairly rare occurance to see someone break a rod in the days of fiberglass. However with the coming of graphite rods that all changed. I have managed to break 6 graphite rods (3 fly rods, 2 baitcasters and a heavy conventional surf rod). So I would say that graphite is a lot more fragile than glass. The more expensive the graphite rod, the higher the blank modulus and the more fragile it is. I prefer s-glass rods for all reaction type baits (spinnerbait, chatterbait, crankbait and swim jig). Glass rods usually have a more parabolic action than the faster action graphite rods. A parabolic action allows you to use a wider range of lure weights and still be able to cast them well. Graphite rods, especially the faster action graphite rods, seem to have a much narrower range of lure weights that they handle well. If you go much above or below this range its like throwing a potato with a pitch fork. Just my opinion for what its worth.

There is definately something wrong with your reel. I have 2 Battles, a 3000 and a 6000. Neither one of these reels make any such noise. I also have not experienced any problems with bails closing prematurely. I purchased my 1st Battle after receiving rave reviews from employees (full time flats fishing guides) at a couple of tackle shops as well as several of the regulars where I used to often fish. My initial impressions of the 3000 were as follows: 1) Built like a tank, a great solid, smooth reel at a very decent price (under $100). Nice drag. 2) Line capacity was actually far less than advertised. Advertised capacity 205 yards of 15# braid - real capacity about 115 yards of 15# braid. 3) Wind loops - I would get many many wind loops for no apparent reason. An employee at BPS clued me into the solution that has all but eliminated the wind loops. Only fill the reel spool to a level below the gold edge of the spool. I was later going to purchase a Stradic 6000 and the clerk talked me out of it and he also gave rave reviews to the Battle 6000 which I purchased and use in saltwater. The line capacity like the 3000 was far less than advertised. I use the 3000 in SW also. I also have a Boca 30 reel. It is also a nice inshore reel. With this reel you can fill the spool to the brim without issue. For surf casting the beaches of Cape Cod at night for striped bass I used a Daiwa BG30 and a Penn Slammer 560 without issue. The Slammer got most of the usage but both were bullet proof. This environment will turn lesser reels into junk in short order. Friends of mine use Stradic 6000's, BG30's and Van Staals(one of the bennies of catching a world record fish) with great success.

I too like the NSCB original swim jig in 1/4 oz size. I like black/blue, white/shad color and green pumpkin hues. I usually use a TriggerX Slop hopper in similar color for a trailer. I usually break off 1/2" or so off the head of the trailer. I fish it with a W&M Rick Clunn 7' heavy action s-glass rod and 20# Sufix Siege mono. I continually give the rod little twitches as I retrieve the jig with a slow stop-go action. (Randy Howell has a video on power swim jigging thats similar to what I do). I use it pretty much anytime. If its cloudy and or windy I lean towards the chatterbait. If its calm and sunny I lean towards the swim jig. Sometimes they just won't chase and I use a worm or Super Fluke on a weighted hook. When I first started using a swim jig I couldn't buy a bite. I'd go up and down a bank with a spinnerbait and murder them. I'd switch to a swim jig and nada. The proper (for me anyways) swim jig, trailer and retrieve made all the difference in the world. Switching to a rod with a parabolic bend and nylon mono fined tuned the whole approach and increased my success.

I have read several of the reviews that TT has done. I must say that I take what they say with a grain of salt. I purchased a PQ about 4 years ago. I use it 4 or 5 days a week. I fish for 3 or 4 hours each outing. I like using reaction type baits so I am continually casting and winding. I fish from the bank and like traveling light so I only use one outfit. Since I'm fishing off the bank my outfit takes a bit of abuse. I have had to replace the pawl and worm gear on the reel because of this abuse. I put a few drops of oil in this reel every month or so. I break it down and clean it maybe once a year or less. Is this reel the best thing since sliced bread? No! But it is a tool. It works well enough and I see no reason to upgrade to anything more expensive.

I use a Super Spook a lot for snook here in FL. I remove the middle hook entirely. I replace the front and back hooks with #2 Owner ST 41 trebles. The plug is still balanced properly and you avoid the nuisance of the front and middle hooks tangling. I use 20# PP line with a 2 foot 40 or 50# leader (I'm sure 25 or 30# would work equally as well). The front hook very rarely fouls the leader with this setup.

I had issues using a "chatterbait" while using braid and a fast action graphite rod. I would pull the lure away from the fish before they had a chance to engulf it due to the sensitivity of the setup. I switched to mono line and a glass rod. Problem solved!

You might try fishing at night. Of course the most important aspect is being there when the fish are there. Many spots are tide dependent. Where specifically are you fishing? Right now I've heard that the Cape Cod Canal has had some good bites on early morning east tides. Whereas up in Plymouth the bite has been rather slow. If you are going to try fishing with live eels, I would suggest not using a fishfinder rig. They will make a tangle that will get you reaching for a knife. Simply use a single hook on the end of your line. If you kill the eel first then the FF rig will work fine. The waters warm faster in the back bays than the outer surf so they may be more productive now. Good Luck! Have fun.

My experience indicates that Sirsnookalot is right on. Synthetics are hotter and cotton is cooler here is the hot FL sun.