FryDog62

This is a good point. I was talking with a local bait shop that repairs reels of all makes and models recently. They said since the introduction of the SV spools from Daiwa (OP mentioned he has a Tatula SV TW) that a lot of fishermen have gone overboard loosening up the spool shaft so it has a lot of play. The thought is that the SV spool itself would overcompensate if adjusted really loosely. He said it does to a degree, but the down side is with that much play you eventually wear out the pinion (hard if not impossible to fix he said). They are repairing a lot of pinion/gears not only Daiwa these days, but other brands where the trend has been to go loose and create play. He still recommends that you adjust the spool shaft so it moves, but then tighten up just enough that there isn't any play. Half my reels are adjusted as described above and admittedly about half have just a slight bit of play in them. But now I really listen for any sign the spool shaft is banging/clicking against the end when casting/reeling.

Really like my 734c and it is quite versatile.. swim jigs, spinnerbaits, T-rig, etc. Iconic rod for Dobyns ~ I see you don't have a 742c... I don't either but that may be next for me. Great with plastics - flukes, Caffeine Shads, Tubes, even finesse jigs, etc. A lot of guys I know love that rod!

Both work, but I use the 4 inch and 5 inch Hula Grubs. Little extra slack on the 5 inch sometimes when I’m in a hurry doesn’t affect action either way...

Agreed. When I’m pitching around river banks, lay downs, etc. the Rugby jig is excellent. Out in open water around rock piles, sand - I throw the Football head w/weedguard to pull up and over/around the rocks. Get hung up once in awhile but not too bad usually.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-TTFJ.html?from=basres

Here you go... was just rigging one up tonight with the weedguard..

Geecrack Bellows have a strong scent, but I kind of like it - like Fritos

Converted over to 100% baitcasting and fish a lot of river smallmouth. BFS, ML, Medium and MH. No regrets - -

If they had Spot-Lock, they could have stayed positioned over the rocks ! ?

I fish river smallies quite a bit. Switch between 2.5 and 3.5 inch depending on conditions. Cold water I tend to go with an open hook 2.5. But if any cover is around, I much prefer to rig a 3.5 weedless, but not Texas-rig which just nose-dives the lure (gets hung up more and less natural action IMHO). Center weighted keeps it from snagging as you drag along the bottom like an actual crayfish. By far, best hook/weight system for me has been 1/16-1/8 oz Owner Phantom Tube rig. It’s a go-to for die-hard “Tubers.” https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Phantom_Weighted_Tube_Hooks_4pk/descpage-OWTH.html

Unfortunately we'll be inland quite a ways and may or may not have the ability to transport the kayak very far, especially to the ocean. For the saltwater fishing, I'll have to rely on my friend who has a boat on Marco. But if I'm only able to fish largemouth on the lake we are staying at, that will be fine. We are frozen where I live now in Minnesota and our fishing season doesn't even open up again here until middle of next May. That leaves us with only about 180 days a year to fish, so anything down there is a huge bonus!

I did braid to fluoro for many years but have gravitated to all fluoro for bottom contact and T-Rigs. Pitching/Flippin in the grass/milfoil - all braid. Life is easier and just as effective... JMO

Very true, have a friend down there with a salt boat and plan to get out 1-2 times. The other 58 days - I’ll be inland and pursuing greenies via kayak!

Let me know how you like it. I’m partial to the 7’1”s in either K2 or Recon 2 rated down to 1/16th oz as a hair jig rod...

Have heard people talk about gravel pit lakes (or other freshwater bodies of water) in the Naples, FL area with good bass fishing. I’m sure some are private and/or fee lakes. I’m down there for Jan-Feb and open to any available options. If anyone knows of anything, let me know. I will have a kayak to access the water. Thank you

Very light rods. I have the 7’1” model of the Light, Medium-Light and Medium-Heavy. I use the Light version with a BFS reel, works great. I’d be willing to bet the 7’1” Feather weigh less than a 6’10” SLX.

On the right hook, there is one lure I throw that seemingly swims on its own for 4-5 seconds at a time. 5 inch Caffeine Shad on an Owner Twistlock Light (weighted or not). Cast out and that particular hook keeps it horizontal and moving forward for a few seconds, then slows, kicks its air tail, switches directions and keeps fluttering/swimming another few seconds before you twitch it a couple times and repeat the cycle. The only other lure with its own "life" for me is a rubber skirted jig like a Mop Jig. Very slow drag and then long pauses to let the skirt move/breathe. Wish there were more "Movement without Movement" lures!

I'm both, but since adding forward facing electronics - I've found more success finding the higher percentage spots and slowing down. I'm less in search mode now but still do from time to time. In general, I think I fished too fast for many years but it has its place...

I've been thinking of switching out my 4 lead acid batteries for Lithium. Not because they last longer, but the 180 pounds less in weight will allow me to acquire a lot more necessary tackle ?

I graduated high school in 1980 in a town where IBM was the major employer. Yet the only high school level computer course was with batch cards - ha! It was about 2-3 years later when the world changed. People a couple years behind me got the indoctrination and grew up with some form of technology that could apply forward to the next thing and the next thing, and so on... So I’m fine with the basic stuff, but if it’s not intuitive I struggle to figure things out, but eventually get there. Fishing electronics have helped push me to learn stuff I probably wouldn’t have spent time on otherwise. I use Livescope, 360 Imaging, etc. fairly fluently now but admit I struggled with many aspects initially. Called my dealer and 800 lines regularly, asked the same questions sometimes more than twice. And there are still subtle nuances with all those technologies that others picked up well before me. I’m right at the tail end of the Baby Boomers... and have seen routinely the GenX’ers just a little younger than me do things intuitively that I have to take extra time to figure out. Oh well, they didn’t sport bell-bottoms and a mullet hairdo for several years like I did ?

Throughout the Summer, best 2 options were: 5 inch Caffeine Shad on Owner Twistlock Light hook (prefer them so much more than Super Flukes) GrandeBass Rattler Neko rigged, skipped under docks In the Fall when the bite cooled, but fish were around scattered rocks, the new Maxscent Tubes in both 2.5 and 3.5 were excellent for both LMB and SMB.

Dwight, are you aware of any of the quarry pit lakes around Naples? I know he’s done some shows there. Probably private, but maybe some are pay/toll lakes which I’m not opposed to.

Roland has done some rock/quarry lake shows near Naples but not at this lake... too populated. Kinda wish I knew where he did film and if there is access or toll. I would consider transporting my kayak there just for some variety over the 2 months I'm down there.

I hear ya... but if it’s where you’re staying and you don’t have a way to transport your boat anywhere else... might as well settle in and make the most of it ?

7'2" ALX Toadface. Heavy butt section, but a MH softer tip to fling the lighter stuff a long ways ~