BassinLou

Now that is the Bassin Ninja look for sure!! LOL....

The sun is unforgiving. The South FL sun is brutal, especially in the summer. I am not recognizable when I go fishing, I cover up so much. Buff, Costa's, sun gloves, Columbia long sleeve shirt and pants, socks, and shoes. The only the thing you can see on me is the bridge of my nose. That's the only section of body that I apply sunscreen to. Lol!! I have been sunburned before, long ago and it hurts!!

Congrats...sounds like you have a new favorite bait. Funny how that works huh?

Best of luck SNOOK, hopefully you receive great news soon.

Congratulations!!

I hope you enjoy the reel!! Best of luck.

Normally its about a week or so, unless your item is on back order, then it might be a while.

A peacock bass would do repeated surges. A mayan you feel that tell tale machine gun feeling on the rod tip.

More than likely you had a mayan cichlid on the line. What you described is exactly how they fight. It was probably a very nice one.

Do the exact same thing while its attached to a rod, and see if the vibration continues.

Is the reel attached to a rod when you feel this vibration?

The video posted above shows exactly how the brake drum must be oiled as per what the manual recommends. Very simple and fast to do.

I have been really enjoying all 3 of my Curado I's. My frogging reel does get a lot of use so before each long outing (6-8hrs of constant use) , I lightly oil the brake drum and have had 0 issues.

The locations in my avatar basically tells it all. If you have a boat, we may have crossed paths in the glades at some point.

Welcome squirtbait. Good to see another South Fl angler around.

Another option that no one has mentioned yet is the custom route. You are looking for a rod that will handle various techniques. You have a healthy budget to start with. Batson is one of the site sponsors and they have reputable line of blanks and other rod materials that are great products. It wouldn't hurt to talk to those guys and see what they can do for you. They might even come under budget and you will have extra $$ to spend...

I usually start with what was successful with me the last time I was out. As I am fishing I am studying the water for signs of life. If I see a lot of activity and I started with a frog for example, I will stay with it. If I have been fishing for 30-45min without even a swirl, I will slow it down and start jigging or pitching. Where I fish, the fish turn on and feed during some point of my outing. The flurry can last a couple of hours or 20 mins but you have to pay attention for when the feeding begins.

Scary....

Sorry to hear that. Hope you get the care you need soon. Unbelievable that an emergency clinic is booked for 3 weeks. You really do have an oral emergency.

There are several pretty good brands out there. My personal favorite are Koppers Livetarget FGH 55 and 65 T's

To the OP, I see you are from Kansas, but that's it. What bodies of water in Kansas are you fishing? More than likely another BR member can steer in you in the right direction because they fish the same waters. Just an idea.

Not necessarily. In my case for example, I like to cast the frog very far. If I miss a fish or it comes off early in the hookset i find if the resistance isn't right the line will spool back on loosely. Again... only in certain situations, this isn't always the case.

To the OP, like several members have mentioned already. What lure are you primarily using? I have Curado I and I use it for my frogging applications. 0 backlash, with 2 brakes set and 0 on the knob. The weight of the frog and proper adjustment to the reel minimizes backlashes. If you are using lighter baits, especially with 50lb braid, several adjustments may have to be taken into consideration. Lastly, digging. If your 50lb braid is digging, you spooled it very loose onto your reel. Tying braid directly to your spool will cause the line to spin on your spool. You need to use a bit of backing to secure that braid. Keep at it. You are experiencing a learning curve. Best of luck.

Spooling up with a few feet of cheaper mono as backing will secure that braid does not spin on the spool. Eliminates placing super glue on the spool.

This is a great point! Imho, when I first started fishing as a kid, (long time ago..lol) information was not easy to come by. At least for me. I was self taught, My exposure were a few fishing show's and the occasional magazine I would come across at the library or a waiting room somewhere. All my equipment was cheap because it took me forever to save up to it. But I had an absolute blast doing it. I guess that's why I appreciate my gear so much today. Fast forward to today: Internet alone: you have youtube and fishing forums. TV: multiple fishing shows and fishing channels. Magazines: although this arena is quickly becoming extinct, you still have multiple fishing magazines. Books? Plenty of those too!! The point I am trying to make, taking books out of the equation, is advertising. Anglers are being bombarded with advertising unconsciously and consciously every waking moment. Why do you think we get so many rookie anglers here on forums such as BR asking for the "Best" fill in the blank, all the time? They are trying to sift through all the overwhelming amount of information that there is out there and don't know what choose. Yes... there are plenty of cheap and affordable fishing equipment out there. Let time be your guide. Buy equipment you can easily afford, you will quickly learn if you have the fishing bug or not. If you don't have the bug, or fishing wasn't "your thing" then you didn't spend alot of money on gear. But... if you did get the bug, over time start improving your gear, and time and $$ will dictate what you will get. Fishing is an evolving sport. You will always be changing something every 5-10yrs. If you don't you are honestly missing out on pretty good technological advances that fishing equipment has to offer.