FrankW

Hi gripnrip, If you visit the site I referenced you will find all kinds of information helpful to new fly fishers. Being in NE Oklahoma you will find some good Trout fishing in Arkansas. Other good spots in Colorado and New Mexico. Arkansas would be the closest to you. Good luck in your new endeavor. Frank

If you fish rivers and catch a big Trout or Steelhead you need to get the fish on the reel as soon as possible. Other wise you will be walking on the line or catching it on a stick or rock. The same for saltwater from a boat. If you strip line onto the deck while fighting a big fish you will probably snag the line on something or wrap it around your feet. It is true that small fish can be landed by stripping in the line and not using the reel. However a new fly fisher should be learning techniques that are useful for big fish. A fly fisher should know how to get a fish on a reel and how to play it in preparation for the first big fish. Frank

Hi gripnrip, Before you spend your money on a combination you should educate you self about fly fishing and equipment. Combinations are almost always come with a fair rod and maybe an Ok reel but everything else is low cost mistakes. You are much better off to search out a good rod, reel and line. If you have ever seen a fly fisher who knows his stuff he will always play a big fish from the reel. The reel just holds line is a mistake. Get a Mid or Large arbor reel. Don't get a very slow action rod. Some fly fishers like them but a mid flex or tip flex rod is a better rod for most. The tip flex rod will make setting the hook on a big Bass easier. This site http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/index.php can really help a new fly fisher. Frank

My Father was a welder and had built a new trailer for a inboard speed boat. We went up to the lake to check the balance and put the boat into the water. Had a good boat ride and loaded up the boat to head home. My day pulled the trailer out of the water with the boat attached but he had tack welded the leaf springs to the axel and the boat and trailer came out of the water bouncing on the leave springs. Dad pulled up out of the way before he realized there was no axle or wheels under the trailer. We had a heck of a laugh over that. A guy standing there watching said he thought it was some type of new trailer. Frank

Hi JasonRe, You have a lot to learn and while Walmart will have some gear you won't get a lot of information. Your best bet is to find a local bass shop that is established. Tell the owner you are new and want to learn about Bass Fishing. If you pick the right shop you will get a treasure trove of information and they won't try to sell you everything in the shop. They can give you a balance outfit that fits your budget. If they try to sell you the most expensive outfit in the store then find another shop. Visit often and make friends with the owner and staff. Try to buy something every time you visit the shop. It doesn't have to be much but it shows you appreciate the help. Especially buy something if the owner or staff spends some time with you explaining a technique or giving information. Next join a local bass club that is not too involved with tournaments. Some clubs may have classes for new members. If you want to learn a lot in a short time follow roadwarrior's advise. You will learn so much fishing with a guide if you get one that wants to help you. If you hire a guide don't make it a fishing trip, make it a learning trip. Ask the guide if he minds if you keep notes. Try to hire a guide through the local shop if you found one. Frank

Thanks to everyone for your responses. I was out fishing today and caught a 5lb 13oz Large Mouth. I spent some time today touching the line 30lb PP and can not feel anything on the line that I can't feel from the rod. I spent some time with my eyes closed to judge the feel and that made no difference. My partner tried it also and he didn't see any advantage either. I was fishing hyrdilla and soft bottoms. If others are fishing hard bottoms or rock they may have more feed back. I have fished longer than most of your have lived and I pretty well know what I am doing. I do have excellent feeling in my finger tips and of course they are on the reel and rod and that is where I get my feedback. I just don't see how a line that passes through 8 to 10 guides will have any thing left to feel. The rod should absorb that feed back. I think that if someone thinks they have better feedback by holding the line then they should do so. I have given touching the line a fair trial and don't find that in my circumstances it offers any advantage. Frank

I see people and some pros that wrap their hand around a casting reel so that they hold or touch the line. I have experimented with this and can't feel anything on the line that I don't feel through the rod. I am using braid and as long as I stay in contact with the bait I don't see any advantage with touching the line. It looks cool but to me there is no advantage to touching the line. I would think that watching the line would give more feed back than touching it. I would be interested in hearing how this technique works for you and what you are feeling? Frank

I am 5'7" and have small hands. My wife is 5'3" and my hand is just slightly larger than hers and she weighs 112lbs. I fish a Tat R and have no problems at all with the reel size. I don't engulf my reel holding the line and reel at the same time as some people do. But I do use a forward style grip and my thumb is on the forward edge of the reel. Having small hands is just not a problem with the Tatula with any reasonable grip. Frank

Hi Grizzn N Bassin, I see you are in NY. I am confused why you are so heavy in Rainbow Trout lures? I could see that choice in California where they plant Rainbows for Bass feed. Is NY also planting Rainbows or are there a lot in the ponds/lakes you fish? Not saying you made a mistake just wondering why you are so heavy into Rainbow Trout lures in NY. I have never fished NY so educate me. Frank

Hi Zachb34, Make a stand to hold storage bins. These bins come in different sizes but the smaller ones are good for fishing gear. You can store all of you reserved baits/plastics in their package. If you work on reels or make skirts, they hold your project. Lots of uses. Frank Storage Bin

Hi Tim, I think you have it figured out now but here are my thoughts. There is no need to open up the hook. It works great the way it comes in the package. These are super tube hooks and I use them a lot. I use 4" tubes with a solid head. Rigged just like Knightiac's picture. If you lay the hook on top of the tube so the point lays parallel to the tubes body then you can see the exact angle to enter the head. I think the solid head is a lot better for this hook. Frank

Here is my reply in the other post about this problem. Hi carlm01, I use 30lb braid on several bait casters with no problems of dig in. There are times that it digs in but that is after a hook-up or snag. If you catch a fish or snag you have to pull off the line past the dig in and rewind. Winding on tight helps with a solid base but once you cast a few times the line you are using is no longer packed like before. If you hook a snag and straighten out a hook, then you have a dig in and must remove it before you cast again. Frank

Hi carlm01, I use 30lb braid on several bait casters with no problems of dig in. There are times that it digs in but that is after a hook-up or snag. If you catch a fish or snag you have to pull off the line past the dig in and rewind. Winding on tight helps with a solid base but once you cast a few times the line you are using is no longer packed like before. If you hook a snag and straighten out a hook, then you have a dig in and must remove it before you cast again. Frank

Hi EdsBar, The flair like you described is usually caused by too much line. It can also be a problem if you use too heavy of a Fluro/Mono on a spinning reel. So you need to reduce the amount of line on your spool and/or reduce the line weight to one with less memory. Frank

I have seen the Tatula 100 for $105 and that is a great reel at that price. I don't think you can do better for a reel. Then get a rod that meets your budget. Frank

I think the Daiwa Lexa 2000 is the best of your list. Frank

Hi Tom, SirSnookalot has given you some very good advise about lenses. I wouldn't consider flip ups though. He is correct that there are only two or three companies making the polarized lens blanks. I would find a local optometrist and order you lens from there. I have a pair of $450 prescription Costas and a $200 pair of prescription WileyX. The WileyX are the most comfortable, have a better frame and are safety glass rated. My WileyX have the foam gasket that blocks all light and wind from around the glasses. I drive with mine. Frank

I think you will be a lot better off saving your money and getting a $100 pair. Don't buy a cheap pair with glass lenses. They will shatter on impact. The best buy that I know about is the WileyX polarized glasses. They are safety glass certified with great frames. You can buy a pair for $80. I have the Gravity glass with a foam seal around the perimeter of the lenses. This blocks all light and wind from entering the interior of the lens. A great fishing glass. Frank WileyX Gravity Safety Glass

I think it depends on the type of line and how it is stored. Heat and mono is not a good combination for long life. The examples of 20lb mono may be good or it may be that it is such a high strength that it is not noticeable yet. Any body got any 6lb that is 20 years old and still as good as new? I bought some tapered leaders for fly fishing with a 5x tippet. They were stuck back on a shelf and were covered with dust and dirt. Got a great deal on them but had to toss them all as they wouldn't hold a knot with out breaking. If you are talking braid then it will last for a long time for sure. Frank

I stuck a 1/0 hook on the underside of my arm while fly tying. I reached over the upturned hook to pickup something and imbedded the hook. I took a pair of pliers and turned up the hook point and forced it out of my arm. Took a pair of side cutters and cut off the tip/barb and pulled out the rest of the hook with my fingers. It came out easy with no barb. Frank

While visiting family on Pickwick my brother-in-law took me fishing. He has a bass boat and has lived on Pickwick for years. We were fishing some coves down close to the dam and catching a few fish. As we came out of one cove I spotted some hydrilla and pointed it out to my brother-in-law. He said that there has been some showing up for some time. I asked him to go over to the grass as that was something I could fish. He pulled up to the grass and after looking at it he said "lets go, no way we could fish that mess". So off we went to other spots. It is very true that some people don't know how to fish hydrilla and they are missing out on a real fish magnet. I will take hydrilla over any other cover for largemouth. Frank

Hi SmillingSwordsman, You are going to really like fishing with a bait caster after you get a little experience. I would not get mono unless you stick to the lower weights of line. Definitely don't go with 20lb or heavier. It depends a lot on what you want to fish with. If you plan on a lot of plastics then I would get 30lb braid. That will be a good all around line. Power Pro is pretty cheap these days and the line will last for years. You will have to replace the mono at the very least, once a year. I would start with a 3/8oz weight as the 1/2oz weight will give you too much spool speed with not to hard of a cast. A back lash with a 1/2oz weight can be huge. Use a lot of drag and have the spool tension knob adjusted so there is no movement of the spool from side to side. Start with a short pitch of a few feet. You can see videos on line how to pitch. I would use the technique where you hold the bait in your hand as you start your pitch. That should be easier for you. Understand that bait casting is all about your thumb. You need to learn how to feather the spool with your thumb. So with your very first cast start with your thumb on the spool slightly and do your pitch. If the bait doesn't go any where then don't use quite as much thumb. With a few tries you will get a feeling of what you need to do. When you feel comfortable with feathering the spool than you can reduce the break setting slightly. That should give you a little more distance. Don't get in a hurry and don't try an overhand cast or pitch with all your might. That will be a disaster until you get some experience. I suggest the pitch because you will understand the mechanics of using the brake, spool tension and your thumb. When you get a back lash it won't be quite as horrendous as it will be with an overhand or underhand cast for distance. Distance should be your last goal learning how to cast a bait caster. Remember that your thumb is the quickest way to stop your spool and if you have any problem with a cast, just jam your thumb on the spool. That will lessen any back lash. Here is a good way to practice using your thumb. With the weight on the line, hold the rod tip up at 45 degree angle and release the clutch holding the spool with your thumb. Now release your thumb pressure slightly. As the weight falls to the ground use your thumb to control the speed. You may need to loosen the spool tension slightly for this exercise or increase the weight. If you have a balcony or second story window you can really get some benefit with this before your first cast. Frank

I have plastic worms bought around 1970. They are 100ct bags with Anise oil in the bag. They are still good. I tried fishing them but they are way lighter than the worms today that have salt. Back then they didn't make worms with salt. They still have their color, texture and seem to be just as flexible. These have been stored in garages in Arizona and Florida so not so sure the heat bothers them too much. Frank

I remember my first bass in 1945. I was 10 years old and we were camping on a local lake in California. We set up the camp one weekend and then Dad and Mom went home for work and I stayed at the camp till the next weekend when they returned. I was fishing with an 8' 6" Bamboo fly rod and my favorite bait, a Colorado Spinner. This was not a spinner bait like we use today but a Colorado blade on a wire shank and a treble hook. It had no weight and was a popular lure that we use to buy on a card with several attached. Back then my best cast was about 25'. I had located a spot along the road that looked like it would hold fish. It was a shallow cove with the bottom covered with rocks up to about 2' in diameter. The water was about 6" to 2' deep over the rocks. I can remember this like it was yesterday. I started fishing and hooked a Smallmouth that was about 18" long. I later caught two more that were just slightly smaller. I didn't know what a Smallmouth was at that time, I just knew I had caught some bass. I took them back to camp and cleaned them leaving the head on. I wanted my Dad and Mom to see what I caught. This was about Tuesday and my parents wouldn't be there until Friday night and by that time the fish were spoiled. My parents were proud that I caught the fish but disappointed that I let them spoil instead of eating them. All these days later I can still visualize that spot and even see that Colorado spinner gliding over the rocks. As a 10 year old I was just amazed that I caught those fish. Frank

Hi Bucketmouth, Here is one way you can wind on the right amount of line. 1. Take all the line off of your reel and take your rod/reel and a 100' tape to a local park or any place with some grass. 2. Measure out the length of line you want to use and cut it from the spool of line. 3. Wind the line on to the reel with out tying on. Just a short piece of tape. 4. Now go home and wind on the amount of backing you need to fill the reel. 5. Now remove the backing to a spare reel or spool. 6. Remove the line form the reel to a different spare reel or spool or lay out on the floor if you don't have a cat. 7. Connect your backing and wind on to the reel. 8. Connect the line to your backing and wind on to the reel. This should give you the exact amount of backing and line you want on your reel. This can be easier if you have a winding device of some kind and spare spools. The basic idea is to wind on the line and then the backing to get the amount you need and than remove both and wind on in the correct sequence, backing then line. Frank