FryDog62

I've seen it happen more than a couple times. You never know always when braid will show up to line-shy fish. After seeing it happen too often I no longer fish braid without a leader... period.

Yep I've become a weenie... 3 wrist surgeries and a couple of partially torn rotator cuffs have done it. I can still cast a whole day but I take a lot less Advil with lighter equipment.. Adapt, or quit - I prefer the former...

I've been considering the BPS PQ reel and have read the many positive reviews. However, its almost 9 ounces. For those of you that have one isn't that a bit heavy? Or does it fit in your hand so well that the weight doesn't matter as much.. ??

I no longer have my g loomis ultra light but when I did I had 10 pound braid and tipped with 6 lb Invizx. Low stretch and yet stealthy, worked well for me.

I noticed the PQ is quite heavy though at almost 9 ounces. How does it fit in your palm? That can off set some weight if its easy to handle...

Anyone have first hand knowledge of these two reels and preference? Both $99 at BPS, both have high customer ratings, maybe I can't go wrong with either. I have a BPS gift card I want to use. Would be using on a 7 foot Medium Fast rod primarily for spinner baits.

I think most people go 3-5 feet. I go 5 feet and can cut off a few times...gets down to 3-3.5 and I re-tie.

"It's all I use for topwater...that is, topwater that isn't frogs" Me too - I find YH to be a "neutral" line. Its half fluorocarbon and half nylon, and its characteristics seem to "follow the bait" in terms of depth to me in most respects. In other words, it stays up with a floating lure (like a Topwater) and yet it sinks fairly well (although not quite as well as 100% fluorocarbon) with lures that sink or dive down. I retrieved a Rapala DT10 with 100% fluorocarbon (Sniper) and also with Hybrid on a gradually rising lake bottom. The Sniper lure ticked bottom at approximately 8 FOW and the Y-Zuri line at approximately 7.5 fow. Very versatile overall line for an amateur like me...

For what the OP stated, I would NOT recommend using fluorocarbon for that application. I would recommend either Trilene XT or Yo-Zuri Hybrid. Both have far less stretch than fluorocarbon, have as good or better abrasion resistance and have better knot strength. Also more user-friendly for a newer angler. Both are much more manageable than fluorocarbon, less expensive and simpler - you can spool up as a main line and not futz with the additional leader knots...

Knot Wars winners in the light line category were Alberto (Modified Albright), Uni-Uni and J-knot. Try all 3 and see which you like best...all are strong ~

dsidle61 it's not your imagination about the weeds on Parker's...its best early season or late Fall because of the incredible milfoil. Rumor has it a guy that worked for the DNR lived on or near Parker's for years and treated it himself (probably not supposed to) to keep the weeds at bay. Then he retired a few years ago and it is slowly getting swallowed up. Hate that stuff, I'm sure there are good fish underneath the slop but I don't like catching 3 pound fish with 4 pounds of weeds wrapped around it...

I'm same with Parkers, only a couple miles from my house so when I only have an hour or two to fish I'll go there. Try to fish in the morning before other boats, jet skiers, etc. Bass seem to average 2-3 pounds so nothing huge, and yes - have a leader on for the toothy snot rockets!!

I'm in Plymouth, MN too and plan to go out in the morning.... will see how I feel, am toying between Minnetonka or Parker's Lake...depending on how many emails I have to follow up on before the long weekend (self-employed). Have you fished Medicine much? I haven't bought the park sticker in the past but may want to try. Haven't heard many reports on it. Wondering if it gets less pressure than Tonka and if the fish are plentiful and/or big.

I did a line stretch test recently and it included both Invizx and Sniper in the test of 20 different lines (all 8 pound test lines). By far Invizx stretched more than Sniper and it even broke twice during the test whereas Sniper did not. It would be an easy decision for me personally to go with Sniper...

Just picked up a St. Croix Avid "X" in 6-8 Medium extra fast. Has the tip to do the short fast jerk style described above. It's a $200 rod but a few outlets have had for 20% off, I got for $160. Perfect Rod for a jerk like me!

3/16 oz Bitsy bug jig with rage craw trailer...

Yamasenko or hula grub...

You'll hear lots of one-off opinions on what to buy - which is fine but it's just one opinion. Check out the Bass Pro Shops "Tourney Special." $50 and it has 50 customer reviews on it with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5.0. I bought one for the heck of it on a rod I don't use much. Out of curiosity I strung it up this spring and have ended up using it as much or more as my other set ups. Actually a nice reel... most importantly a lot of other people have tried it out too and seem to really like it. Look up reviews on other reels and not many are rated this high, and those reels are much more expensive. Just my .02

Nice platform for fishing, the knock has been the hull in waves 2 foot or more you can take quite a pounding...

"That's why any smart fisherman will use all lines for different applications." This is true, but 3 years ago 8 of my 12 rods were strung up with fluorocarbon. Today I have 1 rod that I use for drop-shotting with fluorocarbon as a main line. I have 2 others that I use braid as a main line and have a fluorocarbon leader. The other 9 rods are either co-poly or mono. Why the big change for me? #1) Fluorocarbon stretches more than mono or co-polymers and I can't stand setting the hook with a rubber band. #2) Its a tangly PIA even with line conditioners, pre-stretching etc. Is it really worth the extra hassle? #3) I have found the overall strength of the fluorocarbon line to be lower than mono/co-poly... not just knot strength but overall line strength. For those of you that saw my line stretch test I posted recently, it seems to back up #'s 1 and 3 above. #2 is anecdotal, but I think most people agree it has a higher rate of rats nests, loops, coils, etc. Expense is #4 to me... if it really were a superior line - yes, I would pay more for it. -Fry

I was a Power Pro user for years...switched 3 years ago to 832 and can't believe how much smoother and less "screech" on the guides. I like the 832 in the Ghost color...it never fades because its already white... and I really think I can see it above water better than high viz green/yellow. In clear water, I tie on a fluorocarbon leader. Alberto knot. Works well for me ~

I picked up a Lew's Lite SS at 5.7 ounces. Wow does that fit in the hand easily! Coupled with my new St. Croix Avid X I'm just under 10 ounces

I'm a big fan of low stretch lines and the line category that typically stretches much less than fluorocarbon and mono are co-polymers... There are 2 Co-polys I mainly use: 1) Yo-Zuri Hybrid. Very low stretch, abrasion resistant, strongest non-braid I have used. It doesn't float like mono and it doesn't sink like flouro - it has been referred to by others on this site as "neutrally buoyant" and I think that is accurate. My point is it doesn't seem to be much of a negative to me in terms of sink rate vs. fluorocarbon and it is less stretch, stronger, better knots, etc than fluoro. The one knock against YH is that it is a little thicker in diameter (8 pound test is .011). So I use it for applications you need an extra tough line and diameter is less important. My other co-poly choice is: 2) P-Line CX Premium. It is the only low stretch AND thin diameter line I have found and like. (8 pound diameter is .009). When you need something a little stealthier, finesse, etc this is my go-to line. Like other posters have said, you have to try out what works for you. Keep experimenting, there is no perfect line or we would all be using it and it would be $75 per spool ~

I recently purchased 2 baitcasting rods and looked at: Duckett White Ice *** 13 GL2 St Croix Avid X Daiwa Tatula Liked them all mostly but my preference (and purchase) were: White Ice Avid X

I use fluoro for a better sink rate and because it stretches a little more than mono - providing a little "give" to otherwise zero stretch braid. I would say the majority of people use either the uni-uni knot or Alberto knot with success. The "J" knot won on the battle of strength on Knot Wars and its the easiest to tie, however, a little more challenging if you are tying a longer leader.