jimmyjoe

I regularly cast long distances. I don't turn up the brakes. I just use more thumb. Turning up the brake on the same lure defeats the purpose, as you saw. It's been my opinion (not necessarily shared by other people) that the finer bearings got you more distance with lighter lures. I never thought that they gave much benefit with heavier lures. I'm a shorecaster, and long distance casts are useful to me for only three reasons. One is covering a greater area of water from a certain vantage point. Sometimes I'd like to walk a hundred feet or a hundred yards up the shoreline or down the shoreline, but I can't. And the second is to hit a particular target. If I fish a river, that target is often a sandbar. I either hit the tail of the sandbar and get fish, or I miss the tail and don't get fish. Those two are pretty much shorecasting problems, but the third is common to everyone, and that's overcasting your target. Sometimes bass are spooked easily. If you think there's a bass 25 yards away that might be spooked by your getting closer, then you need to stand off your distance and cast waaaay over that target, not spooking the bass and bringing you lure into the target area more naturally. I fish in water that has fairly few obstructions, but even people who fish choked waters can benefit from longer casts, with topwaters or flukes or with punching rigs or whatever. It's not something you do all the time, it's something you do when it benefits you. And if you think it doesn't benefit you, then that's fine. jj

I've used Aglias for 35+ years for pike (#5), bass (#5 and #3) and crappie (#2). I also use the Aglia Long, because it seems to do the same thing as a Roostertail but starts spinning easier. The only people I've ever seen hate them are people who stubbornly refuse to use a good b-b swivel with them .... or any other in-line spinner .... or who drop them down slow over cover and then get upset when they snag up. Simply put, they catch fish. "Nuff said. jj

Gives new meaning to the phrase, "Heeeeeere, kitty kitty kitty." ? jj

I don't think you have to get it. I don't think I have to get it, either. I won't fish braid. I hate it so much it ain't funny. But you can like it, you can use it, and you can do real well with it in ways that I can't. No problem. No one really has to understand the source of other peoples' problems. I mean, it would be real nice, sure. But not necessary. As long as I can use what I like and you can use what you like, the world keeps goin' round and we all keep catching fish. Maybe 90% of the problem is people trying to MAKE themselves like something or use something that they don't really need. Kind of a fashion thing. I might be wrong, but I doubt that bass fishing is the place for "fashion". Just keep using what works. jj

I understand. I react the same way to pier pressure. ? jj

You know why. ? jj

I guess I looked at this a different way. I looked at the choices and thought, "Do people really use soft plastics all that much?". Once @J Francho prodded my slow old brain, I realized that straight shank hooks can be used on spinnerbaits. That saved me. jj

Makes perfect sense to me. jj

What are we talking about here? Are we talking large-and-smallmouth, or are we including sunfish, crappie, catfish and drum? For bass and pike, it's artificials. For the rest, it's bait. jj

Well. you lost me. If those were the only choices of hook that I had, I'd give up fishing for bass, that's for sure. jj

Glad to have you here! jj

HALLELUJAH!!!! That's great news! Let me emphasize again: DON'T push, pull or lift anything even 10% of what you think is "strenuous". That includes casting, because it stresses what they call your "core" muscles. I'm hoping everything goes great for you from here on out! ? ? jj

I use these: https://www.scheels.com/p/igloo-raggwool-glove-mitt/04355221249.html?src=MSH_North&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsMCjq8nJ5AIVD9tkCh3iTgtDEAQYAiABEgJ_kvD_BwE I found out the hard way that fingerless gloves allow me to freeze just the ends of my fingers rather than the whole hand. ? When my fingers get cold, I fold over the mitten-ends of these and warm my hands. After a minute or so, I velcro them back and continue fishing. Works OK except for one thing: don't snag a hook in these .... obviously. So far, I've never found a waterproof hand covering that was worth a hoot for fishing in cold weather. Doesn't mean they don't exist, just means I haven't seen them. jj

And if you watch videos of Houston using that cast, you'll see how his rod loads up. He's famous for using 1 oz. spinnerbaits. Is your rod loading up like that? If it is, then I'd say that you're right; your timing is off. If your rod isn't loading like his does, then I'd say you've got either too stiff a rod tip or too light a spinnerbait ....... or your motion is too slow. His underhand cast is lightning-quick, which puts a lot of stored energy into the rod. The thing is, it took him years to get that down pat. ?? jj

I t might also be that the weight of the lure that you're throwing is too light for the loading of the rod or the cast settings on the reel. Sometimes people's underhand casts are a LOT slower than their sidearm or overhand casts. ? jj

I'm hoping for the best for you. jj

What did Hemingway say? There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” jj

Pink in really dark water is awesome with almost any kind of lure. I read an article that said pink actually looks grey to a bass. I use it this time of year in lakes where the bass fixate on crappie fry. jj

Yes, spoons. I use 1/3 oz. Cop-E-Cat and 1/4 oz. Devl-Dog from Eppinger if the baitfish aren't big, and whichever size Flutterchuck from Eppinger that matches the size if you need a bigger profile. Personally, I've never needed a bigger profile. YMMV. The Thomas Buoyant in 1/4 oz. is another good one. You might also try whichever weight Reef Runner Cicada you wish, casting and jigging it. Be aware that the Cicada fouls on the line VERY easily, though. All retrieves should be slow and erratic. Good luck. jj

A man was stopped by a game-warden with two buckets of fish leaving a lake well known for its fishing. The game warden asked the man, “Do you have a license to catch those fish?” The man replied to the game warden, “No, sir. These are my pet fish.” “Pet fish?!” the warden replied. “Yes, sir. Every night I take these here fish down to the lake and let them swim around for a while. I whistle and they jump back into their buckets, and I take em home.” “That’s a bunch of crap! Fish can’t do that!” replied the warden in disbelief. The man looked at the game warden for a moment and then said, “Here, I’ll show you. It really works.” “O.K. I’ve GOT to see this!” The game warden was curious. The man poured the fish into the river and stood and waited… After several minutes, the game warden turned to the man and said, “Well?” “Well, what?” the man responded. “When are you going to call them back?” the game warden prompted. “Call who back?” the man asked. “The FISH,” the warden said sternly. “What fish?” the man asked.

What kinda line do you have on it? jj

I have a chance to get one of these cheap. I have 2 curado reels, but I don't know anything about the Casitas. How strong is it? How large a diameter line will a 150 size reel really take before there's problems? Specifically how strong is the gear train in these? I have an empty MH/F rod, but I figured that might be a little bit more than this reel can bite off and chew, because it's a graphite frame. I've never had a reel with a graphite frame. Anything I should know in that regard? Thanks for your replies and help. jj

Same here. That's why I bought the Fuego; no TWS. jj

Welcome! jj

I've gotten wipers out of the Mississippi sometimes. Seems to me that I always caught them early morning or late evening with a clear sky, or just about anytime of day when it was overcast. The thing is, I'm not sure that my experiences in the river can translate to your situation in a pond. I use lures that resemble shad, the dominant forage fish for almost all specie in the river. What are the forage fish in your location? It would behoove you to find out and then match them. If Bill Lewis makes a Rat-l-Trap that resembles those forage fish, then throw it out there, burn it back, and HANG ON!! jj