Preytorien

Considering most lakes are different, but cover is essentially the same, I would base my first throw based on what cover and conditions I'm faced with. But I've had this similar situation, so here's what my breakdown would be.... Submergent grass - Whopper Plopper on top, Spinnerbait underneath Emergent grass - Frog or weedless fluke on top, t-rigged creaturebait underneath Wood or laydowns - chatterbait or weightless fluke all the way Open water - stickbait or spinnerbait underneath, Whopper Plopper or buzzbait on top, Ned Rig on the bottom Then I'd go from there making tweaks and changes along the way until I figured out what I was working with.

Agreed. Not all brands are equal. Now I don't for a second believe it costs them $150+ to make glasses, but they are indeed better. I've gradually made the transition from "dollar store glasses" to $15 polarized Spiderwires, to $40 S11's then to Costa's....each time was a step up. I've wondered how the Prizm lens stacks up against my Costa polarized lenses. For cycling I wear the Oakley M2's with the Prizm road lens and it's nice. I considered making the change, but since I don't often notice the things with Costa that bother you, I will probably stick with my good ole' C's.

It just depends. I know some of the quotes in my area (Central IN) are in the $30-40K for a 1.5acre pond. He bought an excavator for $4000.

I'd look into the prospect of buying your own excavator. I know a lot of auction sites sell them pretty inexpensively. A buddy of mine bought his own - a used one - because it was cheaper than hiring someone to do it. He bought the excavator then sold it for basically the same amount he paid for it when he was finished. He used the dirt to make some nice terrain changes to some other parts of his property. I think he only relied on services for plant, fish, and water management for the pond.

Not sure yet

My next ultra-thin superline to try is the YGK G-Soul Upgrade X-8 Braided Line. I see by their diameter listings that it's mind-blowingly thin.

Pond fishing is probably the most common type of fishing around, but there's a few things that can increase your catch rate. The simplest is to go finesse. Using a downsized (smaller) lure can not only catch spooked fish, it will simply catch a lot of fish. When your lure is smaller, more fish find it a viable meal and will hit it. Another thing to try is to fish slower. Keep your presentation in front of the fish for longer, give them more chances to take your bait. Then finally I would find any kind of cover (downed limbs, rocks, docks, etc) that might hold fish and really concentrate on them. Without knowing the contour of the pond bottom it would be tough to fish open water and expect to be catching a lot of fish. If you've not tried a Ned Rig it might be a good time to try it. That thing flat out CATCHES pond fish!

I use the 24lb size for spinning. It's very very thin. I've never used the 40lb. I can tell you that based on the diameter comparisons the 40lb is about even between 6lb or 8lb mono equivalent, or about 25lb Power Pro.

Don't assume that just because smallmouth have smaller mouths that they won't hit lures normally associated or marketed to largemouth fishing. I've caught 10-inch smallmouth using a 5/8oz spinnerbait. A good bit of the time I find smallmouth to be more aggressive.

Like IndianaFinesse said, Gliss is VERY slick and casts like a bullet, but you will see some fraying, so it's a good idea to check your line often. That said, I've not personally made the transition to Gliss on my casting reels, it's just soooo thin, but it's on every single one of my spinning setups.

I wear Costa and I'm very impressed. I've used budget glasses for a long time, and still do if I happen to forget mine, but there is a distinguishable difference in the optics. While I can't drop the money for the 580G's I went with the 580P's and love them. You can find great P-series Costa's on eBay every day for ~$80 new

+1 on the tension knob. It's just different enough from the knob on the 200 that I'm having to adjust to the feel of it. It seems like it's more of a fine tune than the 200

I was casting a Siebert Dredge Brush jig out once from the bank and a goose flew right into the line. The lure "slid" up the contact point of the goose and hooked it in the wing. Fought that thing all the way in. Finally it figured out it wasn't going anywhere and calmed down. I grabbed its neck just below the head so it couldn't peck at me, and somewhere amidst the feathers flying and beating wings it dislodged itself. I wasn't necessarily scared, just worried it'd throw the jig and stick it somewhere in me So all you goose hunters, hit up Mike for some Dredge Brush Jigs! Haha

Oh man - wow Clayton that thing is huge, I guess that answers my question! Thanks man

So I've decided to make the transition to the Curado 71 XHG from my 201 HG. There's the technical aspects that are different - smaller 50 size body, shallower spool, materials, etc. But I've had the chance to use it a few times now and here are my takeaways. The size really does matter. The 50 size being smaller than the Curado 200 makes a lot of difference for me. I suspect also depending on the reel seat on your rod it'll feel different for you too. I don't have bear paws for hands, so the smaller size is a great welcome to me. I actually noticed less fatigue, which I'm sure is due in part to a smaller footprint. Secondly, the flipping and pitching ability of this reel isn't just hype. The shallower spool and less line allows for a faster spool start up and I was able to accurately pitch even weightless soft plastics with ease where the 200 series was just a bit more of a challenge. Thirdly, the casting distance with this thing is ridiculous. Again the less line and shallower spool probably have something to do with it, but this will bomb even small lures. I fish a lot of finesse, and one of my summer evening baits is a small 1/4 Iovino Splash-It popper. I've never had further casts with this. Far enough I worry if I could even get a good hookset. I really had to do some adjustment on the brakes and control knob because it casts quite a bit better than anything else I've ever used, and very differently than my 200 did. It's nice, but be prepared to spend some time really dialing in your settings. I guess it's just logic, but it seems to me that such a small reel would have trouble with larger fish, or fishing through heavy cover. I haven't had the chance to get to some of my lakes with heavy grass or mats. Any guys out there with the 70 that have fished heavy cover, what's the reel feel like under heavy load?

I think from time to time we all do, and that means me, in almost every endeavor. Most of the time I get burned out late in the summer, the dogs days, when the fish shut and lock their mouths. It's really irritating. I moderately alleviated it by finding a couple of out-of-the-way fishing holes that just flat out catch fish. They're small, every one of them, but it puts a bend in my rod and that keeps me coming back. I used to do cycling races. It was a lot of fun when you win, but soon the other guys and larger field started making it more competitive and soon I wasn't winning like I used to. I almost stopped riding, and had to step away and re-evaluate why I even rode a bike. Turns out it's more fun to do it on my own, no pressure, just enjoying the long isolated country roads. Then I got my dad into it, he started riding with me, getting in shape, now we ride almost every ride together, thousands of miles each year, with my best friend. My passion for competition turned to fun. When you can make having fun your passion, you've got it figured out Keep at it Felix, you're a wise fisherman, your fishing-mojo will return

I fish a lot of small shallow rivers/streams. My go to this early fall has been the Duo Realis 48SR

Holy crap, that's awesome!

I've purchased almost all of my reels from eBay. My local tackle shop doesn't carry the brand I like, and the price comparison to big outdoor retailers isn't even close. I look first at the seller's rating - nothing under 99.5% @ 1000+ reviews for me Additionally I try to stay domestic, I've purchased overseas but only very reputable sellers - Otto's Tackle World is one I like for Shimano - they actually have a brick and mortar store, but also sell on eBay. Then check for the obvious things, misspellings, obvious rip off prices (too good to be true). If all else fails, contact the seller, inquire with some specific questions - if the response is detailed, accurate, and thorough chances are you've got someone who's legit. Then as a last resort, if you get it and it's a knockoff, hopefully you purchased with PayPal, and you can initiate a complaint and get your money back.

Excellent video. Thanks for re-posting that, I needed that!

Depending on which one you have it might be tough. Their standard fish finder is Bluetooth connectivity, likely Class 2 Bluetooth, which starts getting limited at 32ft, so if yours is out further, it might start getting spotty connectivity. The Deeper Pro and Pro+ are like my Sonarphone - they're Wifi, so the range is considerably higher.

I'll throw my two cents in..... When I decided to purchase my latest rod, it was a decision for me between an E6X and the Shimano Zodias. I tried a couple out, and while the E6X is no slouch...for the price - solely focusing on features/quality for the price - the Zodias won hands down and has easily become my favorite casting rod. Might give em' a look

Definitely for me its a three way tie.... Whopper Plopper Teckle Taker in black/red White 1/2oz spinnerbait with gold Colorado blades

When you spend hours, even days, reading reviews, tech specs, and articles online.... For the $8 spool of CoPoly that you just can't decide if it's "the best copoly"

I remember once going out with a guy to fish. We were in his boat, and I was his co-angler. He kept building up how he had some great spots to catch fish and had me drooling over the stories he told me of huge days on the water. I got there, loaded up, and we hit the water. We got to the first "hot spot" and I was floored. He ran the trolling motor so fast I couldn't hardly get any kind of cast off before I had to reel in like crazy to hit the next spot. I asked him politely what he was throwing, just so I could get a sense of how fast to fish and what to fish with, and he wouldn't tell me. I looked his way as he retrieved in and he had some kind of spinnerbait, but did all he could to hide it from me. I saw it was a simple white spinnerbait with colorado blades, and when I asked if that's what he was throwing, he said no - he was using a crankbait and that's why he was moving so fast. Seriously? Ended up he caught about 15 fish, to my none. I never went back out with him. Every other guy I've co-angled with has been more than accommodating as to what they're throwing, and they pay attention to how fast they're driving the motor so that I can also effectively fish. This guy though, it's like he wanted to take me out and do everything in his power to make sure only HE caught fish.