gulfcaptain

The floating line thru doesn't turn on its side. Have the baby bass, dirty silver, and light rainbow colors....all in floating. The Bettencourt Bluegill is one of the only ones I know of that turn on their side and float up. As for color, well haven't tried the baby bass color yet but have gotten them on the rainbow and first outing got their attention with the dirty silver....so I would agree with bluebasser on the colors. And if you're fishing spooky fish, get a can of matte black spray paint and paint the hooks to knock the shine off of them and lots of Pro Cure or whatever attractant you like.....these have a very strong pastic/rubber smell.

What hook are you using?

Well don't swing for the fences, a quick pop of the rod will do. Also if you have your drag set right and it's acting properly you can alway use a bit of thumb presure while setting the hook. I tend to do that when I'm pitching jigs as well as frog fishing. Gives you that little bit of extra presure right when you need it to being able to let the reel's drag do what it's supposed to. Hope it works out for you.

*** for almost anything, and recently placed an order with Siebert Outdoors. Think they are gonna be my new go to place to buy jigs and tungsten weights. Also the shipping time was pretty quick. Can't wait to get back home from work and check out the jigs I ordered while here. Also deal with Huddbaits and Mattlures as well as the bigger retailers....bps, cabelas, academy, and gandermoutain.

I've owned a few Shimano's and only 1 hasn't failed me yet. So I steer away from them. 4 out of 5 reels down = no faith for me. I'll gamble on the $80 GSX and if it is a badged Quantum, I'll make sure I get 2. Just my opinion though.

Just looked up that reel on the web and it looks great. Falls into that store brand $129.00 area and being on sale for $80 is def a great deal especially being 6.0ozs. I may have to pick one up and give it a try, Swap it out on my flipping stick and move that reel to the *** Green I want for frog fishing.....see I've come to terms with my bait monkey and just stop arguing with him.

You can take it in and get it serviced and add a better aftermarket drag washer. If you're mech. inclined and have torn apart and rebuilt reels you could pull and check yourself. But locking the drag down and then lossening it after the fact is a bandaid as well as a bad idea especially if you hook a fish of a lifetime. Not sure what that reel runs, but if I was you....I would buy another one from somewhere close, swap the spool, and then return your reel to them explaining the drag isn't functioning right and get a refund. Not always the best approach but seeing you're kinda in a bind and the reel isn't up to your standards the store will return it to ABU for credit and be made whole.

Well if you happen to have a fish you think is a record, most lakeside marina's have a certified scale. They also have the number to contact a state fisheries biologist. Since we both live in CA, well that might be a bit harder but trust me if we catch a State Record LM bass, well the world will know as it's gonna be close to a World Record and you catch it they will come. I would call the DFG and ask them if you can get a live person on the phone or ask a DFG officer the next time you see one checking licenses what to do.

Agree with WIGuide, some high pressured waters they seem to prefer a swimjig instead of a spinnerbait. Gives a more stealthy approach to spooky fish. This is a presentation I'm working on using more this year and so far it's had good success.

If it's a new reel and your drag is slipping it isn't the braid. It's the reel. When they put it together they may have gotten oil or grease on some of the washers causing it to slip. If it's new, take it back and swap it out at the store....switch spools so you don't have to respool your line and check it before you leave to make sure it's working the way it's supposed to. Now if it's a used reel, well you're drag washers are worn out and need new ones.

I agree with all the above except well I like the VMC spinshot hooks. My own preference and it makes changing lengths from the hook to the weight as well since I use braid with a topshot of FC. I would def use the longer cylider weights for your shore fishing and would also include Kietech's Swing and Live Impacts into your arsenal of dropshot baits. Dropshotting from shore is a staple in S.Cal and very productive.

Deep 3600 series box, but don't fish anything over 10"s. So far the ones I have fit.

Think the clock time might have been better so we all know what 3, 6, 9, and 12 are.....well unless we all have gone digital, then back to the above mentioned degrees.

Use both shad and craw/bluegill colors. Best trailers I've found are the Rage Menace Grub and something along the lines and shape of the swimming flukes or BPS Sassy Sally.

it's either gonna be one of these 4 baits, 10" floating Triple Trout, 10" Mattlures Dead Twitch, an 8" Huddleston or an 8" Savage Gear Floating Line Thru swimbait.

If there is lots of grass, I would def have a frog and some punch jigs. Also I would include a couple of umbrella rigs. Those three are my top producers and with buzz and spinnerbaits as well as both senkos and Ika's you should be pretty much covered.

Being I used to run a charter boat, one thing I wouldn't ever go cheap on would be a quality set of Binos. To me $750 for a set o Fugee's would be a steal considering Ziess's run about $2000. But there quality def matters.

You should try night fishing around my location, nothing like slipping in under the cover of darkness, dodging the Police Helicopters and park patrols while fishing after hours. Now that's Spec-Ops Bassing. But sounds like you had a great night of fishing.

I have quite the arsenal of rods and tackle and to be honest my two most expensive rods top out at $150.00, 1 Bucco Micro 7'3" and a Quantum Tour Tactical 7'11" Hack Attack. Other then that they all run between $60 to $130. So you have lots of options without breaking the bank and finding quality rods to fish with.

The Black *** is also a great rod if you don't mind spending another $20. Also Falcon's line of Bucco Rods are right at $100 and have 6 of those. When from the H20's to Falcon's and also have a Black ***. Looking to get a Green *** as well. And can't forget BPS line of rods either. You can find lots of choices there for under a $100 in almost any length and power you're wanting.

you're fishing Smallmouth right or do they have some LM in there as well?

Oh, and when you lift the fish, you do it to the side, not straight up causing you to "High Stick" the fish which will result in a nice POW followed by a few choice words about how crappy that new rod YOU just broke.

you can flip fish without breaking your rod. I've flipped 15lb yellowtail over the rail on sportboats. Wind down as far as you can and with the rod lowered, put your thumb on the spool and lift. Once the fish has cleared the rail/side of the boat let off the spool to land the fish in the bottom of the boat. And the pro's do break their rods, Major League Fishing has had more than one pro break their rods while trying to flip the fish into the boat without it touching the deck. It's much less stressful to reach down or get a net and land the fish then bouncing it off the bottom of the boat trying to look "cool" just because the pro's do it. Main reason there is simple, TIME. If you watch the guys on FLW, most grab a net which aren't allowed in the Elite Series.

The H20 line from Acadamy is less expensive and IMO a better rod the the Skeet Reese line up. Fished both, buddy has a Skeet Reese, do not like it at all. All around good rod, H20 7' MH, great all purpose rod for $59.99. Call go with the Micro's which is $79.99 and have the 6'10" MH and use it for jerks, flukes, and topwaters. Both rods are light, sensitive, and well balanced. These were the rods I stepped up to from the cheaper $30-$40 rods. Have a Vendetta and honestly think the H20's are lighter and more sensitive.

Um, after reading all these posts, I'm gonna stick with ordering baits to fish with during the winter.....lol