BassinLou

My previous frogging reel was this exact same reel. Good reel. It caught me loads of bass. I gifted it to a friend of mine and he tricked it out a little. New handle and knobs. Really looks nice. My only regret about this reel was not getting it in a 7.1:1 ratio.

Dobyns are great rods. I am fortunate enough to have 2 of them. As you may be aware, Dobyn's have 3 lines of rods. Savvy, Champion, DX lines. Each of these lines have technique specific rods that basically address almost all types of fishing applications. In my case, I own a Savvy 703 and Champion 736. I enjoy fishing with these rods very much. Each have served me well. My other rods are St. Croix's, which are great also. You will not be disappointed with Dobyn's imo.

It only takes a second, and your life can be changed forever.

My frogging and flipping reels are 7.1:1 Curado I's with 102mm Hawgtech's. Talk about some serious cranking power. Love those combo's. BTW talk to Ron over at Valley sports one of BR sponsors. You will be surprised how much $$ he can save you on nice reels. Good luck choosing a reel.

Never heard of that one before. I guess the thought might have been inspired by the donkey rig.

Exactly what he ^^^^^ said. To the OP you also asked which frogs to stay away from. In my personal opinion, stay clear from ***. They look good and the moving legs may be enticing, but after that they can't compare no where near the quality of the above mentioned frogs. Again... just my personal opinion.

Just what Catch and Grease said. I just trim the legs an inch, and that's pretty much it. I don't bend the hooks out, because that just invites the frog to hang up easier in the vegetation and/or fallen timber. It works for many but its a pita if you fish in the thick stuff like me.

Jacob!! So nice to hear from you its been a while. Since being on BR I have personally met and fished with 4 BR members. 2 of which I have fished with a few times. The reservation will always be there. Meeting someone from the virtual world to the real world takes some getting used to. I have been fortunate to have met these individuals and we continue to communicate with each other several times a week. As far as last your last question, a PM has been sent. Glad to see back on the forums.

Thanks for the report George. I figured the fishing was going to get tougher. I am surprised the water was crowed today. I bet they read all your positive reports over the past few weeks.

What technique are you using? Some techniques may twist line. You might have to use a swivel, to offset the twisting. Someone else mention line conditioner, that works really well.

I fish from both land and from a boat. The same techniques you fish from a boat with you can fish on the bank with. The main difference I find is the accessibility and cover you have on the bank can limit the techniques you can use. However, if you find open bank with little obstructions you can throw many of the same type of baits and techniques you can from a boat.

My favorite way to fish is topwater. Starting with the frog. That is by far my favorite. Following with burning Uvibe worms and spinnerbaits.

I found the link I was looking for. The Mustad challenge. http://www.thenextbite.tv/content/mustad-%C2%AE-announces-million-dollar-promotion

Since I don't eat bass, I know that sometimes a nice fish dies. I would find the first family that is bank fishing and give the fish to one of the kids. They will go crazy for that fish. The fish served a purpose. It fed a family. Leaving the fish discarded would not make sense.

Does Mustad still have the ongoing Million dollar challenge if you catch a state record using one their hooks?

Years ago, I threw only red hooks. Over time I noticed there was really no difference. All I throw now is black Gami's.

Take a break and identify what is interfering with your fishing. Only you know that reason. But, something changed. Good luck and hopefully you enjoy the water again. Edit: you posted your response before I posted mine. There is your reason right there. Guilt. It's not that you are burned out, but when something is weighing on your conscious, there's nothing that will ease your mind, until you face the issue. I suggest you clear the air with the Mrs. you do that, and you will enjoy fishing again. Sounds like there is no middle ground. You mentioned your wife brings it to your attention often. Talk about it and see how you can fix it. Goodluck bud.

I have since apologized to the OP in regards to our very first interaction. I can see how you can interpret it as "jumping all over the guy". Although I should have filtered my comment a little, the reason I said what I said was not because he was new. I made my comment because, on this forum, what I have found is, most new members go to the intro section and talk a little bit about themselves as far as who they are and the bass fishing experience they have. Over time they get they lay of the land on here and ask questions about their spots that they fish and ask for tips and advice to improve their skill set. I have an issue when individuals just join for handouts without contribution.They have 0 information about themselves in their profile and they are asking for something without acknowledging this site. There are numerous members on here with vast bass fishing and life experience that will not hesitate for a second to help out another fellow member when it comes to bass fishing and in some cases personal situations. To have individuals on here that can do that for their fellow man without asking for anything in return is a valuable resource. I felt I needed to protect that resource, with my original comment to the OP. I recognize that I allowed emotions to speak first without rational thought speaking first. This is what I have learned so far on here on my 3,307 th post. Fl Bass Abuducter hope fully this insight has fed your curiosity a little.

Sorry to hear you had a couple of bad outings. But you lost me as soon as I saw 40 degrees. I live in South FL and its I can't wait for us to cool off bit.

Getting skunked happens to the best of us. It's part of the game. The only way to remedy the situation is to go out and fish again.

Every once in a while tips are given where you have to say yourself " why couldn't I think of that" duh!! LOL..... That's how I felt when I came across this tip.

I hear you Roger, this past week alone has been ridiculous down here in South FL. My fishing grounds are the glades and I am afraid when I get back out there I will be in for a high water surprise.

Thanks Mark, I appreciate it. I have used the drill with the cardboard roll method for so long now that I am quite use to it.

Both you and Mark have very valid points. I do have the thumbar depressed, my suspicion lies with the internal orange rollers on the stripper itself, I don't think its catching the line properly. I appreciate the feedback however. Since switching to braid the line stripper doesn't get used that often anyways.

When i have used that little line stripper, its been on braid usually. For some reason with me when I feed the braid through the insert, the stripper doesn't catch it like it does with mono or copoly lines.