hooah212002

I have a couple hats from Wally World with built in LED's and they get used for more than just fishing. My newest one had the batteries run out and I haven't even been fishing yet because I use it to work on my truck at 2 in the morning. I've tried the clip on energizer ones, but they go through batteries really quick and if you aren't careful with storage, you can find that they've been clicked on by mistake leading to a dead battery when you need it most as well as the clip getting worn out. Neverrmind how cumbersome they are. I much prefer the built in types. To answer your second question, I make sure to shield the light when looking at the water or turn it off because I want my presence to be as hidden as possible.

As much I, too, sing the praises of KVD L&L, Invizx doesn't need it. That stuff rocks and is relatively inexpensive. Great line to get into Fluoro.

I think it depends on what sort of terrain you are fishing those jigs in. Open water football head? Fluoro. Flippin into nastiness? Braid. I don't think there is EVER one line to rule them all.

Braid and slack like techniques with treble hooks don't go so well together. Yo Zuri is a good choice for this. I, too, am shorebound so I just stand sideways when I need to walk my spooky dogs or pop-r's. I get along fine using 7' rods from land. Would it be a tad easier with a short rod? Sure. But that means one extra rod you are carrying that has few purposes.

You shouldn't even see the mono after your longest cast and then some. The guy at Gander hosed the job (no need to yell or get mad unless they refuse to make it right. Mistakes happen and I can't imagine Gander Mt. sales clerks make that much money, so cut him some slack). Take it back and have them redo it at their expense. You should forget you even have mono backing on until you cut off a crap load of braid, not your first couple casts. IF you feel like the spool is too small for sufficient backing, use either a rubber band or electrical tape directly on the spool before spooling with braid. ::edit:: i just re-read and you said your spinning reel comes with a rubber back. In that case, it does not need backing unless you want to use it to simply use less braid.

It is that time of year again for Take A Vet Fishing and I thought I would let you all know so if there was anyone interested in offering themselves as a volunteer or as someone with a boat. There will inevitably be more veterans without boats than there are volunteers with boats. The event this year is June 8th all day at Lake Waubesa in the Madison, WI area. The sign up deadline is tomorrow, but I imagine there will be time afterwards to contact Jay (though he works tirelessly organizing this so the earlier the better). I completely forgot and just received my reminder email yesterday to register (I am in no way affiliated with TAVF, nor was I asked to do this. It is just a great event and I want as many people to join as possible). You all will probably remember my thread from last year about it: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/119167-take-a-vet-fishing/. here is a link where you can sign up and/or read more about it: http://takeavetfishing.com/wisconsin/ (this is the Wisconsin link because I am biased. There is also an event in Minnesota at a later date) if this is out of line, Glenn, let me know and I will delete it. Again, i am not affiliated in any way and am not receiving money for this.

I've since updated my rig with bungee cords and more screws (screws, WD40 and Duct tape are your best friends. You should see how my headlight is held in place). I cut the styrofoam open a bit so the rods pop in and out easier while still being secure enough to not bounce around. I secured the bottom hook nice and tight so I can just whip off the top hook, grab and go without worrying about the bungee falling off..

Having a beer holder assumes you set your beer down. My left hand is all the beer holder I need.

When I put the rods away for the winter, I don't like to torture myself with talking about fishing lol. I come back around this time in preparation for the season.

Good idea. That, coupled with checking out something like the attached picture gives me a few ideas. I want to make it so it is secure, yet easy enough to get out that I don't have to fight with it. Sometimes I find a spot on ,my way to work and I want to toss a few casts real fast just to see what it's like and I'd rather not spend 10 valuable minutes just getting my rods in and out. Quick release bungie/rubber band looks good.

Appreciate the token of gratitude, fellas. I am already having trouble with the POS Berkely rod holders, though. The styrofoam is really tight and when I put the reel end of the rod in, it pulls apart like it wants to come out. It figures that my ghetto a** craftmanship with free junk is better that store bough junk. Any ideas for something different? I have no intention of spending that much money, so if I can find crap around the house, that is great.

So my car took a crap and my buddy had a truck for sale and he only wanted $300, so I picked it up. It's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done (the job being: get me to work when my car is out of commission). I have been wanting a fishing truck because fishing poles in a car don't work so well. Since my fishing gear costs more than the truck, I didn't want my reels getting tossed about in the back. So I did the only rational thing a guy that is not creative OR handy at all would do: used some random pieces of metal that looked L shaped laying in my dads garage, cut up some wood, then screwed it into the bed. The rod rack itself is actually store bought, though I could have maybe made it somehow if I was actually handy. here is the final product because there was no sense in taking progress pictures for this DIY: That foot locker you see in the last picture is my truck box. Thank you, United States Army.

I like the elite too, but it can be a bit stretchy. And like J said, a little KVD L&L goes a long way in making all but the most garbage of lines manageable.

This actually raises a question that was kind of hidden in my OP but I forgot about: you say the 2000 series of this Legalis is recommended. Is that going to be the same size reel as a 6920 President, where the 20 in that number is the reel size and actually means "2000"? If so, it seems like that would be a bit on the small side. If not, does that mean there is no uniformity in regards to spinning reel sizes and you have to handle each reel model/brand in order to know what size to get?

I'll give that a shot if I can, thanks. I have a Gander Mountain that I can take the time before work to check out, but it's out of the way enough that I can't just go on a whim and have to go with a purpose. My old man also wants to take a day trip to Bass Pro soon (it's like an hour and a half away from either of our houses).

I agree there. It just felt like the 6935 was overkill for what I was doing. I have heard an overwhelming majority of guys say "X size reel is too big" and that is what I was going off of. I take opinions of veteran fishermen over mine 9/10 times and if enough people are convinced that X size reel is overkill, I'll take that info and use it until I learn firsthand otherwise. Perhaps, though, it was because it was too big for the rod it was on (a 7' St Croix that I've since forgotten the name of since I got it at a bait shop refurbished so they scratched off all the markings). However, a bigger rod would have only made it serve a different purpose and that purpose would probably not be bass fishing. I am leaning towards smaller, lighter gear because I have to carry it all since I am a bank beater as well as it being much more comfortable and easier on my wrists (which are likely to have carpal tunnel soon because I work on computers all day). Thanks all for the replies thus far.

The decision to use fluoro, mono or braid should not be determined by whether you are bank fishing or in a boat. instead, it should be made based on application and rod selection.Do you fish a lot or spooks or other top water lures with treble hooks? Braid is a no go. Fish a lot of jigs in the nastiness? Braid is essential. Fish a lot of clear water? Fluoro is a god send. Backlash more than the pros? Fluoro is a no good. The best all around would maybe be Yo Zuri hybrid. Another considerations braid with a substantial fluoro leader. An even further consideration is that not all fluoro is created equal, so I advise against waving off fluoro after a few bad experiences. It's one of the few things where you get what you pay for and just going to the store and grabbing a random line labeled fluoro is a recipe for disaster. You just have to be VERY mindful of nicks, pinches or cuts in the line. Get a nasty backlash with fluoro? May as well cut it off lest you risk it snapping anyways where it pinched.

I am curious about "proper" spinning reel sizes. Let's use a Pflueger President for reference because that is my spinning reel of choice. Last year I had a 6935 that I bought because I am/was ignorant about sizes. All I really knew about was 3 sizes: big as hell for saltwater or big cats (being an landlubber, I see big cheapos on big Ugly Sitks that scream big chunk of liver on a big ass treble hook the size of my fist), "regular" size ones and ultra light. Much to my dismay upon getting my 6935 out, I find it to be a bit on the large size. Ok,I say, I'll go get a 6930. Well, I haven't been able (or really willing due to winter) to pick one up yet but my dad got one for himself due to my suggestion. However, even while his 6930 still feels a bit big and bulky, I feel like a 6925 would be too small. I do not have a BPS nearby to check one out and the only place that sells them is a Dicks but they only carry the 6935 (that's where I got mine) and sometimes the 6930. If the 6930 is the "right" size, that's fine. But my Citica on my Veritas has spoiled me with light gear that feels barely there and I am hoping my spinning reel can be the same. I am also willing to entertain ideas about a similar quality reel in roughly the same price range ($70 tops for now). However, I freakin love the Presidents and the consensus seems to be that they are the best thing at anywhere near this price range. I mainly bass fish, but this reel will likely see some eyes at some point when I go up nort der ay to my Uncles this summer (a trip often talked about, but rarely executed). Most all lakes in this area have pretty nasty weeds, so my bass gear has to be moderately robust (quiet down, FL guys).

It does not affect the molecular structure and it does not affect stretch that I have ever noticed. Source

Agreed. I've only used Invisiline (edit: I meant Invizx) so far and with a little KVD it gives me zero trouble. It's actually more manageable than Yo-Zuri, imo.

This can't be expressed enough to people not versed in Fluoro. The slack line sensitivity when coupled with even a halfway decent rod is amazing. It's unreal. I fish a lot of soft jerkbaits and get A LOT of bites on the pause. I never knew about those bites until I spooled up some Invizx.