Preytorien

I presume that by four shoes you mean you've got 4 of the 6 brakes pulled out or pushed in? (Sorry, it's my first Curado and I've always used it with the factory 2 pins pulled out.)

Yea, I had my first few experiences with braid cuts this year. One was really painful, went about 1/8in into my trigger finger. The honey trick worked though. It was healed totally within about 12 hrs.

Yea I've watched the Flipping and Pitching video from Glenn about 20 times. Ha! I think you're on to something though with the line weight, the stuff I'll be pitching to is pretty thick, I think I'll upsize to something more stout. I figured my spool would have to be loose, I just kept getting P-O. I will need to work on honing my thumb this winter even more. I like the milk jug idea, and I can already see the look on my wife's face when she sees THAT! Ha. I'm just kidding, she's very supportive, but she thinks some of the practicing I do is funny to watch. I'm sure the neighbors get a good kick out of it too.

So I've decided that this year I'd like to put a decent amount of focus on pitching a jig. I keep hearing stories of great success with them, and at the end of this last season I started to really hone in more on how to fish a jig in general. I've read a lot about technique, and I've watched a lot of videos, one in particular several times over (thanks Glenn), and I think I'm ready to start practicing in the backyard, much to the chagrin of my wife whom I embarrass on almost a daily basis. In times past while attempting to pitch, I didn't get very good distance, and often had issues with backlash while trying it. What setup or settings should I use on my reel? ( I have a Curado G series spooled w/ 12lb test ) I am just wondering if maybe my pitching problems might be related to how I've got my brakes or something set incorrectly. Any help would be appreciated and I'll be out embarrassing the wife in no time

Welcome Tim. This is a great site for sharing and introducing ideas. Looking forward to input and wisdom on any Texas-rig inquiries that might pop up! Phil

I have a Crucial sitting under the Christmas tree......this thread is making me VERY ready for warm weather I already have a Clarus matched with my Sahara, and that's a great finesse rig, I'm excited to use this new one out as well

I've had similar experiences with a spinning reel, and not a cheap one. It was a Shimano (can't remember the model), but it cost me a bit over $100. After disassembling it, cleaning it, reassembling it, the problem still persisted. I got the schematic diagram from Shimano and realized that there were two arrows, one on the handle gear, and one on the main drive that had to be aligned. If they weren't it would wind unevenly like yours sounds to be doing. I aligned them, gave the reel another quick cleaning, and it's not been problematic since. You might download the schematic, take as much of the reel apart as you're comfortable doing, and making sure all the parts are in their proper places. Just a thought.....

Ha! Sam, I wondered who was going to say that first!

I read some time back a quick health article about the benefits of applying honey to injuries like cuts, burns, blisters, etc. and observing that it healed the burn significantly faster than the same application of Neosporin. I decided to give it a try this summer, I had a couple of incidents of being hooked and one instance of 10lb braid digging into my trigger finger (we can't have that now can we?). So I applied honey, just a drop, then covered it with a Band-Aid The results were impressive. It seemed to heal incredibly quickly, and I didn't experience any issue with scabbing like I would've otherwise. I was able to remove the bandage from the cut within just a few hours and it looked like nothing even happened. Additionally, not related to fishing, I played an outdoor concert this summer for several hours straight, and my drumsticks caused me to get 4 or 5 blisters on the sides of my fingers, quite painful. But, applying the honey trick once again made a believer out of me. Next time you get hooked, cut, or any other similar injury, try out honey. It seems to work. Check this out.... http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/antibiotic.html

Cool. Thanks guys. I've zipped them up tight in some water/airtight baggies. That should do the trick. Also I set my storage boxes out and let all of my lures air dry with the fan on for about 30-hours so they're nice and bone dry for the winter.

I had this happen to me this fall. It was a smallish Shakespeare ultralight rod and spincast reel. Perfect for one of my little cousins or nieces when I take them out.

Yea I'm pretty transparent, which I figured he'd rather me be than to trash his $60,000 boat. He doesn't seem mind backing it in. But I'm not above saying I'm inexperienced at something, which is also how I've learned so much this year. He really has taught me a lot and showed me stuff I never could learn on-shore. As for the other ideas, I don't smoke, so no issue there. I have leather seats in my car, which gets baby'd (just ask my wife!) so I definitely don't step on his seats either. That'd tick me off pretty good. I've never thought of the idea of deploying the trolling motor, that's a good suggestion. One more thing he wouldn't have to worry about and we could get our lines in the water faster. I'm always conscious of when "he's done" with a spot and wants to bring everything in and move. So I think I usually do a pretty good job of being ready to go when he is. Great ideas guys thanks. Any more?

I'm not in a position right now in my life to own a bass boat (or really any boat for that matter). I've been fortunate enough to be able to join a friend of mine with a very nice Stratos several times this summer while he was pre-fishing for a tournament. I just wondered what are some tips of etiquitte to keep in mind. Some things I did each time were.... 1. Help launch/pull out the boat (I'm not quite skilled enough yet to back it in, but I parked the truck/trailer) 2. $20 gasoline gift card 3. Brought snacks/drinks for the boat cooler 4. Brought hot breakfast sandwiches (Hardees or McD's) for early morning 5. Paid for the launch fee (except for the 1 time he beat me to it) 6. Was never late, and generally offered any assistance he needed from me I was pretty careful not to cast in his direction, I kept my gear tidy. I only brought 2 rods and a small tackle bag (about the size of a shoebox). I kept pretty quiet and let him do his thing, although he was teaching me a lot of new methods and tricks throughout, but talking was pretty minimal most of the time. Anything else you'd recommend? What are some personal caveats or tips you'd give me? What are some things that non-boaters do that irritate the daylights out of you? Thanks!

I have rods with standard size guides and also micro guides. My new rod is one with standard guides The micros are probably as effective as they say concerning more sensitivity and such. The real decision was made this year when I was fishing a lot of grass. Anytime the line would have moss or grass on it, it would all bunch up in the guides, sometimes enough so to stop the line from passing through. Now I know what you're thinking, a) it should've never gotten that bad, just clean the line every few casts, and b ) it's better than it spooling on your reel....but I digress. It still was a nuisance that never happens on my standard guide rod. Additionally, as I saw another commenter say, it's not ideal for lines with leader tied on. It was pretty noisy when the knot passed through, and with a couple knots I had to retie several times to get the knot small enough to pass through at all. But hey, those are just my experiences. The rod is definitely lighter than my others and tends to not be so forward heavy, but I've never really found myself to be concerned with that either way. Here's a quick test you can do.....since you already have probably read positives and negatives of the functional aspects of micro-guides, to get a test of how you'll like them in your hand, go to the store you saw them at. Pick up the same exact rod in both standard and micro guides. Feel the weight difference. Do some simulated casts to see if you like the feel. Then do the same thing with a reel seated on it. Doesn't have to be a Core or anything, any ole' reel will do. This will give you an idea of how it'll feel in your hands while you're fishing (or at least darn close) Micro-guide rods have advantages and disadvantages, but the largest I've noticed is just the weight difference. So try the above test and see what feels best for you, because I can just bet (from my own experience), you're less likely to cast a rig that feels awful/unbalanced/"not right" in your hands. Hope this helps....

Man I can sure agree with this. My wife has always been fine with me fishing, as well as my other sports (I used to race bicycles on a low-professional level). She even usually has something fishing related for me under the tree. This year it's a Crucial dropshot rod and a Seibert Stocking Stuffer Pack! Add to that she brought our beautiful little daughter into the world this July, and she's already talking to her about the "many times you'll go fishing with daddy".....I can't wait.

Mine is one that novice, non-boater fishermen have all probably experienced at one point or another. I was invited to go fishing with a friend of my father, who has a very nice boat. He's a tournament fisherman and happened to be pre-fishing a lake near my house. Of course, any non-boating rookie going with a tournament guy on a boat that costs as much as his house is going to be nervous as a cat, and I knew that he was probably just as pensive about how much he'd have to babysit "the rookie" as I was about not interfering with his preparation. We got out there, and it was a gorgeous day, mist wafting off the water. Couldn't have asked for a better morning. We came up on a small island in the middle of the lake that had a cove in it. He had just positioned the boat, leading into the cove, and I was facing one of the arms that stretched out into the lake. I noticed that past the point's shoreline, it was very shallow for about 50 feet into the water, and had some weeds underneath the water. I had just bought a couple Megabass Cavitrons (black on black) so I tied one on and cast across the point and started dragging it back. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the telltale V-shape moving toward my buzzbait and my heartrate shot up but I kept dragging the buzz. She hit my bait like a freight-train. It must've been her first "meal" of the morning and she wasn't going to let it go. A good fight ensued and I got her boated. It was a nice 4.5-lb girl. Not the biggest, but I was thankful that I was able to land her. It took a huge weight off my back, but I think I could also tell that the other guy was pretty relieved as well, now knowing that I at least wouldn't be a complete novice. We had a great day on the water, I learned more from him in 6 hours of fishing than I learned all year. He even invited me to go with him several more times that year. I'm thankful because I'm sure if I had wrecked his pre-fishing process or been a complete annoyance, I probably wouldn't be re-invited. I'm thankful I caught the first, and biggest fish of the day! If it's not that, it must be the sausage-egg-biscuits I bring along, hmm?

Just a quick question..... My season is almost over, maybe one or two more outings, but most likely not. How do I store soft plastics during the winter. Most of my gear will stay in a dry but cold garage during the winter. Will that dry them out or damage them?

Thanks for the info. A couple questions.... I'm a first year rookie at baitcasters.....what effect does loosening the drag and spool tension knobs do? Is there any kind of special storage I need to utilize for my soft plastics/skirts? Thanks guys, as always, I come here for answers from the pros.

The wife wanted to make sure she ordered the ones I wanted, but now I know that I'm getting the pack. So mission accomplished! I'm really looking forward to my best season ever next year with these in my arsenal!

I've got the Sahara 2500 and I use it exclusively for bass. I have mine spooled with PP Super 8 Slick and it casts a mile. Great setup. I've never felt the "need" for a bigger spool either. Great reel, you'll be happy with it, I know I have been!

Undoubtedly this was my best year yet, but every year seems to be. This was the year of "learning/experience" to me. I got my first baitcaster this year, a Johnny Morris Carbonlite combo. But unless I'm wrong, under the tree is a Curado....I'm drooling already. Three things stand out to me this year 1. I was able to fish quite extensively with a local pro who would take me to pre-fish. I can't begin to convey the amount of knowledge he imparted to me. I learned more in 6-7 trips than I learned on my own in 3-4 years of fishing 2. BassResource forum guys are the true pros of this sport. You all get out there, field test, practice, find new techniques, new equipment. You've always been helpful in answering my sometimes novice questions, and it never fails that I'll find the answer to a question of mine on here 3. Lastly, and most importantly.....my wife and I had our first child this year. A healthy, adorable, little baby girl. She's a wonderful and entertaining part of my life, I couldn't imagine it without her now. But my best fishing day was when my wife was first able to leave the house, after getting out of the hospital, she wanted to go someplace calm and quiet, but outside and pretty. It was about 75, and a gorgeous day, I took her to a smallish pond with a fountain, and a small island in the middle of it, connected by a small wooden bridge. On the island is a nice wooden gazebo. I fished a bit, played with the baby a bit, and then just enjoyed the outdoors with my wife and daughter....on our first (but not last) fishing trip. I think I saw her eyeing the Disney Princess fishing poles at Wal-mart last week. She thinks we're just fishin..... Great year....and ready for next!

Keep us posted, I'd like to know too!

Oh man....I know what just went on my wish list!

Here in Indiana, today was likely our last "good" weather day for fishing. It's unseasonably warm, nearly 70, but insanely high winds. I'm guessing between 20-30mph. I couldn't just sit at home with the possibility of one more fishing day before our lakes freeze, so I went out. I figured I'd just bounce some jigs on the bottom. The wind however, made fishing nearly impossible. While I don't believe I had any solid strikes, the wind blew my line so hard that if I would've had a fish mouthing my jig, Texax rigged worm, or C-rig, I'm not sure I would've known it. Additionally, it was too windy for weightless, and when I tried cranks and spinnerbaits the wind blown line made it all but impossible to feel anything and seemed to alter the retrieve and action of my cranks. I resorted to buzzbaits, but the chop was about 4-6 inches, which kept swamping my buzzbait. Should I have stayed home? What would you guys recommend next time in very very windy conditions? I'm not talking about a stiff breeze, I'm talking 20-30mph winds with possibly 40mph gusts.