hooah212002

I use VMC weedless wacky hooks. I like their eyelets (on all their hooks) because they are resin coated so the knot never travels through that small space. Aannd I can't link to TW? Odd.

I got one last year on clearance at Dicks, but I doubt I would pay full price for one since there are ***'s or Powell's at that price point. That said, it is light and sensitive. I don't regret paying $45 for it.

I do all that as well as a spritz right before heading out. Heckm if it becomes unruly while fishing I spray again. But then, I don't use 22# fluoro.

Yea, but what about conditions where you can't see your line or where your line enters the water? The amount of times where I can actually see my braid all the way until the point of entry are far far fewer than the times where I can't see any of it at all, be that due to glare or chop or what have you. I would rather not suggest to someone that they should use a technique that gets bit A LOT on slack line to use a line that sucks for slack line applications except for those few times where you can see the line. This is just me speaking personally, though, so take that with a grain of salt. I prefer braid for stuff that keeps me in contact with the bottom (weighted t-rigs, jigs, c-rigs) on a taught line. For example: I have felt bites with fluoro while picking out a backlash.

Yea, a flipping stick would likely be too stiff to throw them without trouble, but the braid is fine. I use a 6'6" Veritas with 12# Invizx and I can feel the bites so no need to watch the line. Also, braid doesn't typically have good slack line sensitivity in my experience.

What rod/reel/line are you using? Senko's are heavy enough that it shouldn't be a problem if your reel is set up right and you have a soft enough rod. And yes, they do have a slow fall rate. That's what makes them so enticing. You need to fish it sloooowwww.

Everyone has their own experiences, but imo, Pinnacle can't even make golf balls right. I have had nothing but trouble with all the (low end/budget) Pinnacle reels I have bought. However, I have heard good things about the Matrix line which is $50 at Dicks.

That's your call, then. If you can gather another $50 quickly, then get a Citica 200G6 on fleabay for ~$105 and a *** rod. This set up will be the *** of all and is by no means a "beginner" one. this will last you a long time with proper maintenance. if you don't want to save, then go to Academy and grab an H2O Mettle for $50 and still get the *** for $100. OR swap rod/reel prices (your choice) and get a Berkley Lightning shock or Shimano Sellus (both about &50) and get a Lews Speed Spool. I know how I am and I am impatient, with the baitmonkey burning a hole in my pocket so I tend to make very poor decisions and you can just keep saving (you say you have $150, someone says "well save a bit more and get this", but when you save that much, someone says "well save only a little more and get this". It's a never ending cycle for someone indecisive lol). I can't make your decision because this crap ALL comes down to personal preference. There is no right choice, only not so good ones.

I'm interested to hear what you think about that combo because I have been eyeballing one as well but I am leary of combo's now.

Yes. Get a "nice" rod and use that ugly stick for junk fishing (worm and bobber beer drinkin). What is your budget? Berkley Lightning Shock rods get high accolades for budget rods, however you should up that to at least $70 and spring for a Powell Diesel or better yet, $100 for a *** *** Black.

I would recommend something with dual brakes (centrifugal AND magnetic), like a BPS Pro Qualifier (regularly $80 on sale). Spool it up with cheap-ish mono like Sufix Elite and drench it with line conditioner (I use KVD, but others work as well I'm sure). Make a good cast, then pull a bit more line out. Lay a piece of tape on the line so when you get a birds nest it only goes so far down and you don't have to ruin the entire spool. If you get a cheap-o, you will have a bad time. Higher quality reels are far more forgiving. Unless you have greasey fumble fingers and throw your reel around, beginners are fine with high price reels. It's the line that you are going to waste due to backlashes that gets expensive. Depending on your budget, there are a number of choices: $50 H2O mettle at Academy ~$80 (typically): BPS PQ ~$100: Lew Speed Spool ~$120 (this is the price point where reels start to get really good and where price really equals performance): Shimano Citica, Abu Garcia Revo S. I wouldn't recommend any higher than that since you never know if you will like BC reels

Swim Jig, soft jerkbait, senko

Yessir. It was 0300. Shortly afterwards the birds started chirping and the sun began to rise.

Doesn't fishidy do most of that? I've not tried it myself. http://www.fishidy.com/fishing-mobile-app

I was wrong in my op. ALL my baitcast reels do this. I guess I was just more observant in regards to my shiny new Shimano.

I don't typically catch scale worthy fish and $20 is money better spent (most times) on other things. I'm not too concerned with the actual weight of this fish which is why I made no effort to make a claim as to what it weighs. I am building up my tackle arsenal and all my money is going towards that. I am sure I will get a scale sometime this summer, though.

Me too. I really need to get a scale.

You know those times you want to go fishing but you know your wife will probably get mad because it's 2 in the morning and you are just getting off work and you told her you weren't going to stop off and go fishing? Tonight was one of those nights lol. It felt like a nighttime buzzbait kind of night, so I stopped off "just for a few casts" I thought. Yea right. That turned into 2.5 hours. It was worth it to get this guy as my first buzzbait fish and to get me out of my dink slump. I hate laying fish down, but I don't have a scale and I wanted a reference point for the size. Black 1/4 oz Buzzbait BPS PQ 7' MH Vendetta 12# Yo Zuri Delavan Lake Inlet on North Shore Drive

I tried that: tightened all the way down (as much as I could by hand), and there was still play. It's just a bit disconcerting because it does cause a slight bit of play in the handle as well.

Croppie is how it is supposed to be pronounced.

Thanks. I found it odd because it's the only one of my reels that does it.

Sam or WRB wrote up an excellent post regarding this, but I have no idea where it would be. Where ever it is, whoever wrote it, it was very compelling.