broke4bass

I ran across this while looking for a fish finder battery for kayak: http://www.smallcraftfisherman.com/2017/03/the-best-kayak-fish-finder-battery.html Do you guys think attempting something like this would be dangerous? Or, is it even legitimate? Seems really convenient. He's just using a some regular external device charger for phones and such, but I guess somehow spliced one of the cords to the fish finder for charging. Those charging stations aren't terribly priced, are fairly light, compact, and lasts fairly long (both on the water and in terms of battery life cycle). Any thoughts?

If you mean cover like thick vegetation, the heavy braid helps cut through grass, allowing for a stronger hook set, and helps pull fish out of slop or pin it to cover so you can grab it out, without linebreaks. That's the advantage for heavy braid. I would not use flouro for that situation; and, personally, I would not tie a leader for fishing slop. That extra knot adds another variable for disaster. If you meant fishing laydowns/docks, flouro is all you need. If you have the right rod for the application, you don't have to worry too much about breaking your rod. If you have a medium heavy rod with 65lb+ braid punching heavy vegetation, rod choice was a problem to begin with. It can work, but you're asking for trouble. Really depends on what cover you are talking about here.

They also sell shipping labels, which I wish I knew before sending mines in for upgrade. $20 is a heck of a deal for shipping when you live cross country. Lol

I've experimented with several types of line-to-line knots, and had been tying them to a scale and just pulling them to braking point to test strengths. The uni-to-uni didnt fair as well as I'd like, but I'll have to try again with a more carefully tied knot to see how it goes. Seems like all knots other than the FG break at the kink in the line where the braid is attached to the flouro, but maybe I'm just making bad knots. Will revisit some knots tonight and experiment some more.

Maybe I will have to downsize braid, but I'm not a fan of too small a braid. Seems like smaller braid are far less abrasion resistant than bigger braid, but I guess the leader can help that aspect.

So I've been trying to tie an FG knot recently, and have managed to tie it pretty well on heavier leader lines, but cannot manage to get it to tighten on smaller leader lines. 15lb braid to 15lb flouro works fine. Using 15lb braid to 8lb flouro, and the knot just slides. Is the diameter or 8lb flouro just too small for this to work, or has anyone figured out how to make this work?

I use LH reels mostly on my baitcasters. I got a few RH reels to give my right hand a break from holding the rod when I need to. Currently practicing casting/pitching with rod in left hand for if I ever need to. I wish baitcaster worked like spinning reels where I could just swap which side I reeled on.

I like 7.x+ reels for baits where I need to pick up slack quick to set the hook. I rather have to only crank 1-2 times to pick up slack versus taking 3-4 for a hookset, especially when the fish is swimming towards you with the bait in its mouth. It really helps on that part. Plus, it's a lot less effort reeling a bait back after making a pitch, if you like pitching as much as I do. It can be used for burning baits, but I prefer the 6.x range for that. I find it easier speeding up my reeling versus slowing it down. 7.x is definitely not my reel for shallow-mid depth moving baits though, but that's just my preference.

Awesome replies! Thanks a lot guys. Definitely boosting my confidence in deciding to grab a 744. That gives me a fairly good idea because that is pretty much where my 703C balances too, with a reel on. Work hours are a little screwy right now with the overtime, so I haven't gotten the chance, but I will try and call them on a day off. Nice! Let me know how you like it for jigs. That will probably be my next purchase.

Hello all, I bought a Dobyns Champion DC703C rod roughly 2 months ago, and I'm loving it. It balances so well, it's the only rod I pitch with right now because I can do that all day without wearing out my wrist/knuckles/joints, ever! The only problem is that it's a little low on power than what I'm looking for, so I'm deciding to try and upgrade this one or grab a completely new rod. I'm liking Dobyns so much, I'm actually in the market for the Champion Extreme. Being the first $300+ rod, I don't want to make a blind purchase. And, I don't know of anywhere near here that I can actually hold a DX rod. So to the point, I'm stuck between getting a Extreme 704 vs 744. I want a longer rod, but the balance on my DC703 is crazy good, and I don't want to risk getting a DX744 if that extra length throws the balance off (meaning more tip heavy and tired hands). With the reel off, the DC703 (split grip) balances on my finger (parallel to the floor) close to about 5.25 inches off the top of the reel seat (right where the rod starts). Can someone with a DX744 post a picture or measure out the distance from the top of the reel seat to the balance point (reel off, and include handle type)? I feel that is the best way I can gauge how "tip heavy" the DX744 is compared to the DC703, if there is any difference at all. Thanks

I really enjoy fishing with others that are as much of a fisherman as I am, but most of the time I fish solo with my kayak. Most of my buddies aren't as enthusiastic about bass fishing as I am, so they don't stay on the water as long, thus why I fish alone most of the time. I know some guys a little further out that are on par with my love for fishing, and it's always a good time out fishing with them.

I'd so much rather spend $180 on this than $200 on the Chronarch 200/50e. I'm glad I got my Chronarchs while the TW sale was going! ($150 each). The only thing I'm worried about this reel is the size. The ci4 palms so much better for me than the Chronarch 200e since I have small hands. If the Curado 200i is the same width as the Chronarch 200e, palming just wont be as optimal. Definitely not a deal breaker though!

Thanks for the heads up. I'm happy whether or not the discount goes through.

30# braid is pretty thin so when you tie the improved albright (alberto), it shouldn't make that big of a knot depending on the mono line size. The thicker the mono, the bigger the knot will be. Since the diameter of the braid is going to be thinner, I make my wraps using the braid. You just have to be careful when tying, and make sure the line overlaps nicely when tied, as this is pretty key for a thin knot. If it doesn't overlap nicely, the line clumps up when tightened. If you still don't like it, try experimenting with other line-to-line knots.

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