fishking247

one of my favorite baits to throw in cold water

a lot of guys have negative opinions on the avid. I like the premier series by st croix. it also doesnt hurt that they have a rod for EVERY style of bass fishing you can imagine

custom rods are built to the exact specs that YOU want. type of line, type of reel, guide spacing, handle lengths all affects how the rod is going to be built.

i would rather buy a nice home on a lake!

no. i've actually researched it and most people actually contract the virus but their immune system is strong enough to fight if off

exactly what my thoughts are. every time i read a straight braid vs braid with leader thread there is at least one or two people who state they use a leader because when they break off with straight braid they "lose too much braid"

nice fish sirsnook, good to see we have another guy here saltwater fishing. I'm up in the northeast. Striper fishing nights, largemouth during the day. life is good!

i tie the knot the exact way you described island bass. i just don't understand how guys break off braid they lose 20' every time.

After reading and posting in the "braid and knots for topwater baits" thread i thought this would be a good discussion. rockchalk06 posted an interesting reply in regards to my statement. i stated i fish straight braid all the time from 10-30lb test power pro and use the palomar knot to connect all my baits. my line has always snapped right at the knot or a few inches above it. rockchalk06 responded stating that the line does not always break at the knot and how sometimes the knot can be stronger then your line. i have tested 10,15, 20, and 30lb braids. i tied a heavy duty hook (so hook would not bend) on the end of my braided lines with a palomar knot. i attached the hooks to a wooden bench as if i was snagged on a log, rock, laydown, etc. i let out some line and walked straight back about the average length of a cast and would palm the spool and pull straight back. the line always broke right at or a few inches above the knot with 10, 15, 20, and 30lb power pro. i know a big reason many guys use leaders on their braid is so they can break off easily and not lose any braid. i have never lost more then a few inches of braid when breaking off unless i wrap the line around the spool or handle of the reel which IMO creates a weak link in the line and i almost always lose a casting distance worth of line my question is how could a knot possibly be stronger then the main line? please disregard the use of leaders in your posts. this is about attaching a main line to lure/hook. looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this subject

I have never had that happen unless you wrap the line around your spool/handle which creates a weak link. i can't see how the knot could possibly be stronger then the mainline. i use the palomar knot as well which definitely holds a higher knot strength then most other knots out there. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

use a spinning reel

i do agree that the palomar does eat up a lot of line if tying direct especially on large hardbait and spinnerbaits. i use the palomar as i do not retie often. i usually fish with multiple rods and the only time i retie is if i break off which is very rare. most guys complain that when they tie direct with braid and break off they lose too much line which is why they use leaders a lot of the time. with a spinning reel i palm the spool and pull straight break and my line always breaks at the knot using 10-30lb braid with a palomar knot. if your line is breaking elsewhere my guess is your line has weak points in it

i've tried many different lines and always come back to the old school trilene XL and power pro.

i prefer snag proof bobby's perfect frog. bigger hooks which increase my hookup percentage. the spro frogs tend to have smaller hooks IMO...the snagproof also walks the dog real well

i've caught just as many fish on watermelon colored baits as any other color. i don't think color matters too much unless the fish are specifically keyed in on one specific type of bait.

it depends, i don't think there is a general rule as to when to fish a lure fast or slow. i've had days in the winter when water temps were in the 30's and the fish were smashing a spinnerbait like crazy burned just below the surface. most say when water is that cold you should fish as slow as possible. let the fish tell you what they want, not the guy sitting behind a desk writing articles lol

neither one. trilene XL and power pro. those are the only lines i bass fish with

shimano symetre. i have been using them for a long time and have had no complaints

i have a lot of rods and reels but you can narrow it down to about 3-4.

i've been using power pro for years. if it's not broke, don't fix it!

thehooligan, i own the 7'2" MH crucial spinning rod and i use it for exactly what you intend on throwing, frogs and swimbaits. best frog spinning rod i have ever used

what size spinning reel is it? you could use 50 on a 4000 or larger spinning reel. i frog fish with a spinning reel and use 30lb braid though. 30 seems to be more then enough for the scum/weeds i fish

spro bbz shad!

the red finish comes off the hook after a few fish and then you have a gold hook lol. i bought red hooks because they were out of the normal ones i use in black nickel finish. i have noticed no difference in catch ratio with red vs other colored hook

just buy a pack of plastic worms that look appealing to you and fish around structure. eventually you will get bit