the reel ess

This is easily the best fishing message board out there. I used to be a member of 3, including Bill Dance's. It dwindled to the point you couldn't get an answer out of people. Now I'm only on this one.

Booyah Pad Crasher and Popping Pad Crasher. I believe the Popping Pad Crasher walks more easily and makes a little more disturbance on a mat. Same here. Except I don't have 40. I only throw 2.

I agree with all of your sentiments. I'd like to know what his convictions were for. Right now, sheriff's departments aren't even putting people in jail for anything that's not violent due to COVID. And they're letting people out of jail and prison early. That helps the inmates not get sick but has a complete opposite effect on society. Also, it seems the prosecutors don't throw the book at anyone anymore in order to ensure a high conviction rate.

never mind

My jig/worm rod is a 6-10 Bucoo SR H-F that could double as a frog rod. Then you could have a MH with a moderate enough action for trebles. To me, that covers the most basses. I use heavy braid n the jig rod and 15# mono on the trebles rod. Reel is a personal choice. I use 7.3:1 on both. But everyone doesn't fish the same as me. Most would say a MH and a M. And there are some lures that wouldn't be easy to cast on a MH baitcaster. The standard size Pop R comes to mind as well as weightless trick Worm. This is where spinning gear shines, IMO.

I don't see where we disagree.

This was a truly senseless murder. According to the sheriff it stemmed from some sale of a vehicle that the killer thought he was owed for. If you kill someone they can never pay you. And this trash has killed two additional people and dragged two others who apparently were not criminals into his crime. He has ruined 6 lives, not to mention the families of the victims and his two accessories. I looked the woman up on Facebook. She has two small children.

He should never see daylight again.

It probably made the police work pretty easy. He was the odds-on favorite for just about any crime in the county.

I was still using a Procaster from 1983 up until maybe 3 years ago. I had worn out parts several times, but Daiwa would still send me replacement parts free of charge. They didn't even charge postage.

I have that same reel in the 350 size. My dad had it when he died. I think he broke the crank on it because it has an obvious aftermarket one. It's funny that it says XHS Extra High Speed retrieve at 5.1:1. They were almost all 4.7:1 back then. This 350 model is BIG and pretty heavy and has a very smooth drag. It also does not have instant anti-reverse. I doubt he used it much because it works like new. It's not even noisy. I cleaned it and took it out once for old time's sake and caught a bass on a lipless crank. Honestly, it would be a good reel for stripers or catfish. It's a bit much for largemouth.

I caught this guy a while back. He was still chomping.

Indeed! It's guerilla warfare fishing. Next to topwater, it's my favorite. I always keep one rigged and with me.

Topwaters (excluding the frog) will have most success in the lower light periods or on overcast days. One exception is when you see bass schooling and chasing bait right to the surface. Prop and walking baits can be an all-or-nothing deal for me. Feast or famine. I get a good many more bites on Pop R's and Chug Bugs. But then, I fish them a lot more due to confidence. Add spinnerbaits to your repertoire. You won't be sorry. It's a big fish bait. My current PB came on one. Also, if you like T-rigged worms, give jigs a try. I like a 1/2 oz Arky jig with a a Rage Craw trailer. It's another big bass bait. I made myself a promise to learn jigs and have had one tied on for a couple years now. Pitch it all around wood cover and openings in vegetation. But set the hook HARD and give the fish no time to play.

That's usually how I detect my jig strikes. It weighs nothing and starts moving on its own. Sometimes when it doesn't get to the bottom, you start to retrieve and the fish will fight you for the jig.

I feel you. I have a medium spinning combo loaded with 20# braid that I've been using for Pop R's because I like to have several rods rigged with topwaters. A lot of the pros recommend braid for poppers. It has cost two fish and one of them was BIG. I thought I should set the drag a little looser because I didn't ant to yank the trebles out. The big one simply took drag into the lilies before I could slow it. I just can't get the hang of fishing braid for topwaters except the frog. But you bludgeon the fish in with the frog combo. I always thought of fluoro or braid as getting an advantage on feeling the strike. The issue with mono is it stretches. But I don't think the fish is stretching it with the strike unless they take the rod out of your hand. IMO, keep trying it if seems right for the technique. You'll get better.

The box my TAC40 came in says Made in Korea. I'd wager they're the same basic reel with upgrades as you go up the line.

I've had days they want that Pop R walking all over the place and days when they only wanted it sitting still.

Right on! I bought reel dirt cheap off eBay only to find it very well worn when it arrived (most likely a trade-in). I sent it to them and ended up with a like new reel dirt cheap. I believe they only charged me the min. of $19.95 at the time.

The box mine came in says 6.2 oz. It looks like the one online has been redesigned a bit. They don't say what the newest model weighs.

You never know what a crazy ol' bass will do. Their brain is pretty small.A couple of times lately I've had bass chase my jig back to the boat as I reeled up for another pitch. I caught one. Burning the flipping jig is not the usual presentation. I usually get some of my biggest or best bites while distracted or picking out a backlash. Go figure.

I'm certain they're made in one of the name brands' factories. Academy doesn't make anything. Therefore, they are almost certainly interchangeable with some brand. A good reel repair guy would know or be able to figure out which one. I've emailed back and forth with BPS rod and reel repair and they assured me they have parts for all mass produced reels. The Mettle has been on the market long enough that they should have stockpiled replacement parts.

Here's an idea. When you fish from a kayak, you can't take your whole tackle arsenal with you. I got a free milk crate and zip tied in 6 pvc pipes and I put it in my rear well. It's held in by the bungee that came with the kayak. That and the 2 flush-mount holders means I can take 8 rods. I take combos with all the lures I think might work at a particular time and don't need to retie all day. I'll usually take a couple packs of soft plastics and one utility box of topwaters/cranks as well as pliers and a scale.

You can finance a boat for 20 years. How many times would you pay for that $50K boat over 20 years. 5 years later it's worth 2/3 what you paid but you have no equity in it.

And yet, the thread that's always recurring on this board is "What's A Good, Cheap, Fill-In-The-Blank That Works?" That's how Shakespeare stays in business. We're fanatics, but a lot of people just dabble. A friend of mine told me he was going to the beach and wanted some cheap combos for his daughters. He has money but didn't want to throw it away on what he considered disposable combos. I told him to go to Walmart at the beach and get two stout Shakespeare combos and be sure to wash them down with freshwater after use.