FryDog62

We're past child-bearing years now in our family but am now inspired if we get a dog to name him "Black and Blue Jig..."

I too struggled with distance until last year when I switched to a Tatula Elite reel. I easily get 20%+ more distance than over the Curado 70 and Tatula SV TW I had used previously. I also like a 7-8:1 fast retrieve to pick up line quickly when needed.

5 inch Caffeine Shad on an Owner 4/0 3/32 oz Twistlock Light hook.

Closest I’ve found to that is a Strike King color called “Glacier.” Kind of white but yet translucent. Been my #1 lure past 2-3 years!

"Chernobyl Chartreuse"

My scraped knee just starts to sting looking at Merthiolate !!

They are surprisingly strong. But if you’re around dense cover you could use the regular Twistlock hook... https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Weighted_Twistlock_CPS_Hook_3pk/descpage-OTLW.html

Here’s the one to use ... it’s all Gary Yamamoto uses for his Senkos, and me too. And that’s the last time I’ll ever be mentioned in the same sentence with a fishing legend.. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Weighted_Twistlock_Light_3pk/descpage-OWTL.html

A few years ago I got cabin fever so bad I did a stretch test on various mono, co-poly and fluorocarbon lines to see which ones actually stretch more. First year I tested 7 lines, second year another 7 and completed 21 lines by year three. I would hang the lines on weights from our 15 foot vaulted ceilings. Well, we moved and now I don't have the right set up to continue that test - so may have to figure out another experiment to do. Have thought about a large tank and doing a sink-rate experiment on various plastics... or maybe I'll just watch paint dry until the ice melts and I fish for White Bass in April (the countdown is less than 100 days now!!)

Apparently most Japanese online retailers use EMS to ship, but here is the response I received from Digitaka when I ordered from them: "Since the service of Japan post EMS is totally stopped or very unstable now due to covid-19, we will exclusively use FEDEX or DHL now."

All BC for everything - possible exception drop-shot...

I think a lot of the shaky head set up is dependent on a number of factors. How fast are you fishing vs. dead sticking, how much do you like your worm to stand up - mostly flat, 45 degree angle or straight up? A ball head paired with a denser worm will swim flatter, maybe stand up momentarily when stopped then go back down. Other more buoyant worms you can fish on a stand up jig head, slow or dead stick with the tail 45 degree to straight up. IMO best to have some of both until you figure out the bite any given day...

So if I point my truck/boat straight South and don’t stop for 17 hours and 10 minutes I’ll be there. And leave this ?!? Ha!

I got it from Digitaka, iabass8 reported a similar experience with JPAngler.

I currently have a Shimano rod that has been backordered at a reputable US online store since October 21... and a Daiwa reel on backorder from another domestic-based online retailer for a month now and still waiting... So when I ordered a JDM reel I thought I better order it now so I get it in time for when our fishing season opens in May. Well, my order arrived all the way from Kobe Japan in 3 days - actually 64 hours from the time it was ordered to be exact!

A floating tail worm like a Big Bite Baits Squirrel Tail comes to mind as the shaky head option...

Good job keeping your hitch knots and tie off to a minimum... since that becomes the thickest part of the knot and defeats much of the purpose of the otherwise thin FG.

Reel is a Daiwa Air Stream BFS casting reel on a 7’4” Dobyns 740 Ultra Finesse Fast action rod. Worth noting too that this rod has 16 small micro guides plus tip to help reduce slack between the guides and enhance casting distance. Still, different lines will vary. FWIW, it’s a new rod this year but one of the Dobyns staff I talked to yesterday experimented with both 10 lb braid and 6 lb fluoro and said fluoro cast a bit farther. Mono may be worth trying too...

Its snot that hard to tie a naught - eh?

The FG unraveling could be due to not finishing the knot correctly - but possibly the bigger culprit are the initial alternating weaves at the beginning of the knot. I've noticed this before that you need to get the first couple weaves started and then listen for a "click" as you pull with tension. That click locks the knot in place and I wouldn't say makes the finishing hitch knots irrelevant but easily less important. I think you can then get by with a limited number of half hitches at the end if you click your knot early on - less hitch knots keeps the FG thin, which is a main factor in choosing this knot in the first place. I ran across a recent video by John Crews that actually shows when the "click" occurs and if you have your knot locked. I'll preface that I really don't like it when people tie the FG with their mouth, its awkward and unnecessary. Its better and easier to see what you're doing if you tie off to your reel handle or belt loop. That being said the clicking and locking of the knot is between the 3:15-3:45 point in the video...

Ultimately I’ll have to experiment on the water, but I heard from someone at Dobyns today that has fished the new Ultra Finesse rod with a BFS reel. He tried both 10 lb braid and 4-6 lb fluorocarbon and thought the fluorocarbon cast further. So maybe your assertion that fluoro is denser and creates more inertia is the most accurate hypothesis. Surprises me a little bit, but I’m anxious to try out both in the Spring...

Caught a few 20 inch smallmouth this past year - Neko’d a crawfish for this one?

Epic in both a good and bad way - Went to Boundary Waters several years ago and 1st fish 10 minutes in was an 8 lb walleye caught on an ultra light spinning rod. Later that day we found a young woman on the shoreline waving for help from us, she was almost in a state of shock. She and her dad had tried to paddle up a large channel from a connected lake - got 3/4 the way up and the current was too much. Canoe capsized and he was lost. We spent the rest of the day and the next morning looking for his body until the Park Ranger and planes showed up to search further. Put a damper on the trip to say the least. Turns out the guy was a state attorney general from a nearby state. Tragic...

Tom, how do you like the castability/strength of Sunline Super Natural compared to Sniper?