fishnkamp

You should set that once and never touch it again unless you throw a different weight bait. Like if I am fishing a 3/8 ounce jig and a creature trailer, and decide to change to a much heavier bait like a 1/2 or 3/4 football head jig I will have to readjust it, if I simply get snagged and tie on a similar weight jig then readjustment is unnecessary. As for FFO, no not personally, but I know guys that have. They are okay to deal with. All they do is buy bulk leftover inventory from warehouses or discontinued stock from manufacturers.

I use a berkley line station that must be 15 years old. I am not sure I could fit it on my station. That is my favorite way to spool reels. Check with Berkley and see if one of those spools will fit on one of he new ones. If not I would make something like it.

A reel that needs replacement or repair. 59.99 That knob adjusts the spool tension. It should never just back off on its own. I personally would not waste my money sending that reel out for repair. You can get a decent reel like an Abu Garcia Silvermax from Fisherman's Factory Outlet for $38.88. It regularly runs $59.99 at places like Dicks and Bass Pro. Another option is to go over to Gander Mountain. They have the Lews Mach Speed for sale at $99.00. They also have a $20 off a purchase of $100 or more. So I would choose to buy the reel and just for safety add a Strike King Bitsy flip jig for around $2.29. That makes your reel cost around $80. They also offer free ground shipping.

Maybe it is a bad spool. I have used plenty of Stren original mono, but the only fluoro I use is from P Line. I have tried Vicious, BPS 100%, SeaGaur InxisX, and a few more on my baitcasters. I have settled on using only a few lines that perform well for me. I have some P Line Floroclear, P Line CXX,P Line Halo, Suffix 832 and Power Pro Spectra braid and tghat is it. For years I tried a ton of lines on the spinning rods that my wife and I use. If you look at them now you will find 70% have Berkley FireLine in 14 pound test spooled on them. They all have 4 foot leaders made of 8# test P Line CXX moss green. One has P Line Halo for finesse jerkbaits and two have 30 pound braid for her to fish jigs and frogs. I will not fight with line issues from any other lines.

Try this. Begin to tie to a jig or your hook. Try using a Palomar knot, or a uni knot. Be carefull the wraps do knot overlap and wet it completely as you pull it tight. If it breaks again there is a problem. If it holds well it was the line burning as it was pulled tight dry. If this line is defective, and I do not think it is, I would switch to a line like p Line Halo or CXX in moss green.

I have been using a double uni knot to attach my leaders for years with no problems. Let's look at this more closely. The rod and reel you are using is a Mojo Bass medium power fast action. Is this a dedicated rod used for jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and rattle traps? If it is, I would strip the braid off and save it for another use. I would spool the reel with something like 8-10 pound P Line Halo and tie directly to the bait. Be careful when tying knots on braid and fluoro. Be meticulous with how the wraps lay and always wet the line. A Palomar and uni knot work well on this line If this is more of an all purpose rod, used for many different uses I would go with a line like P LIne Floroclear, or a line like P Line CXX in 8 pound test. Do not worry it breaks at like 18 pounds. I do fish several rods with braid and treble baits but I use them with rattle traps for big stripers. It also helps to you a line conditioner often, something like Reelsnot or KVD Line conditioner. I will often pull out some line and add some as I reel in the line. Let it sit and it is ready in the morning when I go fishing.

If you cab swing the larger boat and engine do it

Look at throwing the following lures. They are a mainstay of bass basics. I do not suggest buying $1000 worth of gear only a bag or two of each lure. Start with throwing 5 inch grubs like the Kalin 5 inch lunker grubs. The bluegill and watermelon/red flake work really well in either clear or off color water. You could rig them either on a light jig head or texas rig them with a 1/8 or 1/4 ounce weight. I really like the Bass Pro Shops Perfect Finesse Worm jig heads. Make sure to add some Sencos, the 4 and 6 inch Sencos can be fished on just a light hook, texas rigs or wacky rigged. These worms are deadly when other baits fail to work. A lot of fish that I have landed over the last several years have come on a paddle tail swimbait. The ones I like are Reaction Innovation Little Dippers and Skinny Dippers. I use white trash and houdini the mos,t but the money shot green, blue pearls shad, sungill and many more of the colors work. I would pick 1 pack of 2 very different colors. White trash would be one, then a shad pattern or bluegill pattern would be a good way to go. They make special hooks that are belly weighted and have a screw on the front to hold the bait in place. Tubes are still deadly, regardless of how you rig them. Lastly I recommend fishing some Z Man Ned Rigs rigged on Z Man ShroomZ jig heads. I use two colors most. One is PB&J and new money. Try using a few of these baits to up your fishing success. My wife never goes fishing without a grub and a Skinny Dipper rigged and ready. All of these baits are rigged and at least 3 are found onmy deck before I put the boat back on the trailer. We rely on them heavily.

That setup will work fine, you already own them and they will work well for your intended purpose. You should really like the new Tatula CT. I would add just one more combo to your arsenal. You may already have this covered but would have 1 good medium spinning rod in the 6'6 to 7' range. i personally like having a medium light and a medium but I am fishing out of my own boat and can have 20 rods. The 6'9 or so rod would allow you to fish many lures like grubs, tubes, shakeyhead jig and worm ( think of a Charlie Brewer slider head and a 4 inch do nothing worm)combos, drop shot rigs and even Senco style worms. These are all basics of bass fishing. In the olden days ( and yes I am an old fart too) we would hav been fishing a 6 foot version of this rod. Welcome back in the hobby and enjoy it.

Congrats that rod was the second model I suggested I believe. Anyway here is what you will find once you install the reel. It will balance perfectly just behind he lip of the spool on the reel. You will find that it will cause much less fatigue when a combo balances somewhere near the front of the reel seat threads and that front lip of the spool. At least I do. It should cast like a dream. I purposely fish 1 casting rod that is 6'8 and one spinning that is 6'9". I really like them for working tight around docks and other vertical structures like bridges and rip rap. A note about the hook keeper located where it is, that is my favorite location. If you have a jig & trailer, a shakeyhead rigged, a tube rigged, or perhaps a drop shot you will find you can tuck the hook point in and still leave the bait rigged. It is a major plus Even trebles will be no problem, I just got used to picking my rods up just ahead of the reel seat. Below are a few pics of Linda's SA 705SF and her Irod 7 foot MH finesse rod. Both have that keeper located in the split area. Congrats that is going to be a beloved combo.

Personally I am a big fan of the Dobyns Fury rods. A5BLASTER has mentioned his FR734 and that is a great all purpose rod and is fine for double duty. You were suggesting a FR735 and that is the model Gary designed for frogs, bigger jigs and texas rigs. I could not fit a rod over 7 feet on my boat so I purchased the Champion version it is a DC705C and that is a great frog, jig and tx rig rod. So yes I would the FR735 would fit your needs really well. These rods fish much more like a $200 rod than a $100 rod. If you decide you want to go shorter rod look at a Sierra SA705C ( the equivalent to the rod I bought to do that work.) I also fish Powell rods and they are great as well. I recently found out why I like them so much, Gary Dobyns helped design many of them along Keith, his friend and owner of Powell rods. . I like the Inferno model you picked. I have messed with it but never fished it. One last rod I would seriously consider is the Irod Genesis IRG754F It is a great rod for frogs, jigs, and big texas and carolina rigs. I know a bunch of guys on The Bass College fish that rod up on the Susquehanna Flats. The owner of that board used to put one big order in to his friend and the owner of Irod. Each time he made an order at least a couple of members ordered those rods. Me I fish several Irods but not that one,just due to length. I think you will be pleased either way you go.

Take a look at an Irod Genesis II IRG754F Fred's Magic Stick. It is rated as follows 7'5", lures 1/2 to 2 ounce, line 50 to 70 pound braid, Power Heavy, Action fast/moderate. Another great option is the Irod Bub' Punch Rod. It is an IRG7114P. it is rated s 7'11", lures 1/2-2 ounce, line 50 to 70 pound braid, Power Heavy, Action fast/moderate. I know several guys that love the 754F for light to moderate vegetation. They pitch jigs and also fish frogs on it. In the case of the Bub Tosh he has been involved in pitching and punching forever. He has helped make punching a well known technique.

My wife's new SA 705SF is really nice. I purchased it so she can fish bigger jigs and frogs. it feels dreat with a ho;;ow bodied frog and a SK Poppin Perch on it.

Most of my reels are 6.3-1 with the exception of a couple of 8-1 and a 7.3-1. All 3 of those are used for either deep jigs, carolina rigs or big texas rigs or frogs. Most everything else is a 6.3-1 and I use both left and right handed reels. So not only is it harder to find a slower 5 X-1 reel sometimes an 8-1 lefty is hard to find. I started using both lefties and righties a long time ago. If a bait is cast and basically just retrieved, I prefer a right handed reel. If a bait is cast out and allowed to sit , then retrieved by hoping it, dragging it or making it twitch and jerk side to side then I use a left handed reels. So my jigs, jerkbaits, texas rigs, carolina rigs and frogs all use left handed reels. Much too often the tackle industry follows only what the latest pros tell them and not necessarily what the customer wants. I watched a video on youtube and it had an interview with Rick Clunn. He said the industry and the pros had done a disservice to the young angler in that, by example, they had convinced them that the only way to fish was with big 21 foot boat outfitted with a huge 250+ hp outboard, thousands and thousands of dollars worth of tackle, and electronics, not to mention that boat had to have 2 power poles and cost close to $80.000. He mentioned that as an example he had personally purchased a Tracker Guide V series 18 foot boat and that he has owned it for years. He said he has caught as many fishing that boat as any of his big tournament boats and that it could reach tiny water, was equipped inexpensively and was a great fishing machine. Then he referenced the old days and how fun it was when 150 hp was the top hp allowed. It was neat to get his prospective since there are not a lot of guys still around from those days.

I always use a uni to uni or double uni. I find it very important to pay close attention once you make either loop, make sure that when you wrap around both lines and go through the loop the wraps lay smooth and do not cross over each other, this along with the usual lubricate the knot. Make sure that when you pull down the first uni knot, before you tie the second knot, do not pull the first down completely tight, this allows the two knots to easily slide together later. Then each one will be alternately tightened and pulled back up against each other. I know my advice is confusing, so watch this video and then relate my advice to what you see on the video. It will make more sense I promise! Also I never bother with the chap stick suggestion. My fishing lines never came with lips! LOL The video says to tighten loop 1 down tight then do the same with knot two. I snug mine down but never all the way, I feel it can cause the lines to burn when pulled together later. This can be a real possibility when one of those lines is a fluorocarbon leader. Another little tidbit as I tighten both lines my way, I have to alternately tighten the knots by pulling on the main lines and tag ends alternatively I believe these simple habits have allowed me to use this not very successfully for over the last 6 years without a single failure.

I have found the Dobyns spinning rods balance best with reels that weigh between 7.5 and 9 ounce. If you use some of the super light reels with composite frames and side plates then balance can become more noticeable. I refer to reels like my Okuma RTX30, which weighs only 6.6 ounces. My preference was to use a Pflueger Supreme instead. That felt better and weighs 8.8 ounces. The Supreme weighs about .5 of an ounce more than your Stradic, so I agree the rods balance very well with reels around that weight.

Are you willing to trailer your "new" boat? If so, I really can not stress enough about the benefit to stepping up to a 1448 or at least 1442. The difference will be night and day. Back 42 years ago my wife (then girlfriend) and I fished out of a 1236 but only used a 12 volt trolling motor. Stability was not a word I would have used to describe it, however we never fell out either. If you are serious about getting a different type of boat go look at a Gheenoe boat. These boats have a special flare at the bottom which creates a very stable fishing platform as well as a boat with similar weight specs to an aluminum jon. If you choose one to trailer with than the sky's the limit, because they custom rig these boats into bass style, stick steer bass and panfish style boats and even flats boats with center consoles. Check them out on youtube

Nothing is bulletproof! I like the simplicity of the old motors. In the case of Merc (which is what my last 7 engines have been) any part I have needed has been available. Technically, there could be a problem getting parts for an old Johnson/Evinrude outboard some day, since the original company has gone out of business. In reality there seems to be plenty of " new old stock" parts out there, and there are some aftermarket companies selling parts that fit them, so it should not become a problem for a while. Now if something weird happens like you crack a top cowl or something than you will forced to look on used parts sites for a replacement. No big deal there are plenty of those type parts out there as well. I think in many cases it boils down to the boat situation, Some of my old engines were working fine, but I chose to upgrade horsepower to fit a different need. I was not interested in spending BIG money to repower an older boat. My current boat was purchased with no engine and I had a T&H trim/tilt plate installed along with my 2002 25 HP Merc. This was set up special to boat on a horsepower restricted lake. Later I moved from there to the Chesapeake Bay and found a used 2000 Merc 2 stroke 75hP outboard. That has been the setup on my Lowe bass boat since. it would have been nice to repower with a modern outboard. It certainly would have been nice from a fuel economy standpoint. However I spent around $4000 for the motor, having it shipped to my local dealer, having it installed and correcting some minor issues and now have a reliable outboard that runs the boat well enough. To purchase a new 75 hp outboard would have cost at least a couple thousand more and I am not a fan of Mercury Opti Max engines. My preference would have been to go with a Yamaha FL70 but it cost more, and would have cost more to change controls and possibly gauges. Personally going with an older engine has worked out for me several times.

Over decades I have tried too many different lines on the spinning reels my wife and I use. We both prefer Berkley original FireLine in 14 pound test (that is equal to the diameter of 6 pound test mono). I will spool the reel 1/2 way up with 14 pound Stren mono as backing, then attach the FireLine. I also like to add a 4 foot leader of 8 pound either Stren original mono or P LIne CXX in moss green. This is the setup on 6 out of our 10 spinning combos. The others have either 65 pound Power Pro Spectra for jigs and frogs or 8 pound Halo for throwing light weight jerkbaits in cold water. We have come to really like the way the Berkley FireLine handles on the reel. The line will feel weird to you at first. Once it gets wet it will stop feeling kinda wirery. It will become very smooth and will almost never coil off, unless you cause an issue. It is very abrasion resistant, strong and thin. As with any line on a spinning reel, I highly recommend you get in the habit of ALWAYS closing the bail by hand. Using the reel to close thebail just causes line issues eventually. Also never reel as a fish pulls drag. Let it run or add a little resistance with your hand, but never reel as this will add line twist as well.

Most of the spinning rods my wife and I use have the larger 3000 or even 3500 sized reels on them. I like the Pflueger Supreme 35 sized reel that we just matched up to a Dobyns Sierra SA705SF recently. That is actually a 7 foot heavy fast action rod. It is spooled with 65 pound test Power Pro Spectra line on it and it will be used for frogging. The reel on her jig rod is a Shimano Symetre 3000 and it is on a slightly softer heavy fast action Irod Genesis II. We use 30 series Pflueger Presidents on our 6 foot light action rods and 35 series Presidents on our medium action rods. I also use 1 Okuma RTX30S. All of these reels carry about 185 yards of 8 pound test. If weight matters the Okuma offers a high speed reel that only weighs 6.6 ounces and is very smooth.

Man I think I was up too late, yes it is a baitcaster sorry, I guess I still had the drop shot/ spinning rod stuck in my head. I am sure the Invisx would work fine, and I still like the Halo in 8 pound test. Either way, WRB is right it is worth using some good line conditioner as you spool it up.

Why don't you pick up a spool of the Invisx if that is your favorite fluoro. Personally, I would go with P Line Halo in 6 or 8 pound test. Never heavier than that on a spinning reel. That stuff breaks at closer to 15 pounds. Either way, I would try fishing my mono with a 4 to 6 foot leader made up of 6 pound P Line CXX in moss green. In a pinch I will use the green P Line FloroClear in 8 pound test. When I fish things like Ned Rigs, drop shots or small grubs in Dale Hollow ( a very clear TN lake) I get away with 14 pound Berkley FireLine and the 4 foot leader made of that P LIne CXX. That FireLine is equal to 6 pound test mono.

That is a great reel and RETAILS for close to $270 ( I realize they are on sale) With a reel of that caliber I assume your rod budget could stretch to the $250 range perhaps? Here is the problem, those two techniques use different rods usually. I have a good suggestion though. Take a look at the Powell Max 3D model 683CEF. That rod is a do it all rod. Take a minute and read the review of the 683Max (original series) that Tackletour did on this rod several years ago. Powell has updated the rod but Keith ( the owner) assures me it still plays the same. Here is the link. That rod costs around $160. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewpowell683cxfast.html

Is there a reason you can not go above the $80 mark? I ask this only because I have a source for the Daiwa Tatula CTs for $100 shipped to your door. That reel is worth far more compared to the reels you were considering. Just my 2 cents.

Why was there water in both fuel tanks? I would get me an electric pump and pump it out for sure. Check ZHarbor Freight for a cheap pump.