jimmyjoe

Yes, braid is louder than mono. And some braid is louder than other braid. 832 doesn't have the reputation for being really loud. jj

Unlike most other people here, I fish some really shallow flats. I've had fantastic luck with Bomber 13A lures, in chartreuse shiner and royal flush. I snap them violently, and they give me a "walk the dog"-type movement. But in ten feet of water, I'd use these only very early or very late. With the sun high, I'd use something else. jj

Man, can'tcha just feel the love in this room? ? I use InvizX on squarebills and shallow-to-medium divers. The reason is simple: I use fluoro on inline spinners and erratic-retrieve spoons, because it resists twist pretty well. Those same places are the places I use squarebills and medium divers. So I didn't plan on using fluoro for cranks, it just worked out that way. Now that I see how well it works, I plan on continuing to use it. I use 12 lb., though. Might use 15 in the future. Dunno. jj

I've used many, many lines over the years. I'm on InvisX (12 lb.) right now, and I like it. jj

Talk about a perfect synopsis! ^^^^ The people that I know who fish for stripers (not white bass and not wipers or hybrids) use 6500 Abu and Akios reels, and Shimano tranx reels. Rods are long, about 9-10 feet (all but one guy fish from shore). Don't forget the casting spoons! (I had to get that in there. ? ) And definitely .... learn to use your drag. Man, are you gonna have FUN! jj

Somehow, I think someone else discovered that technique before you did. ?? jj

Yeah, I don't think I need that. Maybe it would look more natural, but I doubt it. I think I have some of those, buried deep in the basement. I'll see. Thnx all. jj

I can tell you from experience that these guys are right on. YOU WILL SEE THE HIT BEFORE YOU FEEL IT! jj

I've heard that you can use an oil base felt-tip marker to re-color Zoom flukes or put a pattern on them. Specifically, I've heard of this done to White Pearl. Does anyone do this, which colors did you use, and did it work? Thnx. jj

I've used so many different color lines it isn't funny. Both mono and braid. Never saw any difference. Do what makes you satisfied. It seems the fish don't care. jj

Either the St. Croix Mojo Bass 7' H/F Dock Sniper, or the 7'-04" Slop-n-frog, also H/F. Just my opinion. jj

I can't be sure what caused your break-off, but I will tell you one thing: spit (saliva) is one heck of a poor lubricant. And fluoro line needs the best lubricant it can get. You have to use something water soluble, or the fluoro will just pull out later. Use liquid soap. Take a little eye-dropper and vial with you when you fish. Liquid laundry soap is a billion times better lubricant than saliva. When I was working, we used it to attach pump boots and elbows and bellows all the time. Best thing is, it's water soluble. Spit on it, then wipe the knot with a handkerchief, and the knot is clean. No scent trail to bother the bass. If the fluoro side of the knot was your trouble, this will cure that problem. jj

Exactly! jj

How did you know I'm going to agree with that? ?? jj

Me too! Glad to see you here! jj

Well, I told @islandbass that someday I'd measure my cast, and someday came today. And boy, am I ever embarrassed! I went to a local park, and stood at the corner of a white building, casting the same spoons that I fish with as far as I could into an open area with no kids or dogs. I then took a laser rangefinder, walked to my lure and shot the building. My shortest cast (the very first one) was 54.1 yards. Longest one was only 57.6 yards. The other 10 or 11 were between 55 and 57.6. I could NOT reach 60 yards. I tried another reel with 6 lb. Stren, and results were the same. Then I made a really, really stupid mistake. I went to the local tackle store, and had my NASCI 1000 spools loaded up with 4 lb. Fireline Ultra 8, and the other with 8 lb. original PowerPro. ( I heard the Fireline was actually 50% higher strength than the rating, so that would be 6 lb. The 8 lb. P-P was the lightest he had in stock. ) 1) The PowerPro didn't cast any farther than the mono. The didn't particularly surprise me, since the 1000 is a smaller diameter spool lip. 2) The Fireline made 60 yards .... but just barely. Maybe it's OK, and maybe not. I'll have to use it more. 3) that &%?*+$# PowerPro gave me a wind knot on the 5th cast. Junk. Trash. Garbage. I wouldn't cross the street to spit on that worthless .....s ...s ... stuff. I knew I shouldn't have tried braid. I knew that it's garbage. I should have known that I'd just get wind knots. But nooooo .... like an idiot, I tried it anyway. LIKE THE POST SAYS ..... NO BRAID, NO WAY! So what's my solution? I guess I'll start looking for a longer rod. That's the best idea so far. And I'll use MONOFILAMENT with it! MONOFILAMENT ONLY! ??? jj

But do you have any trouble with wind knots? I used a NASCI 1000, and had more trouble with wind knots than I did with any other reel. And that's with every line I used on it. I used Nanofil, Sufix 832 and some other (forgotten) line. I had the least trouble with a 2500SH Fuego. jj

Aldi's ROCKS! I love them! And yes, they charge less because of less services. I don't mind bagging my own groceries. I always figured that there were two business models involved in the food industry; more attentive service (for which you pay more) or less attentive service (for which you save some dough). I think both are perfectly valid. After all, who doesn't want a choice? jj

Someday , and I've been saying this for years, but someday I'll have to go someplace open and measure my casts. I used to have a 100' tape, but it disappeared years ago. I used to shoot 100 yard benchrest, and if I had to pin down a distance by sheer guess, I'd guess between 65 and 75 yards. Between my ego, my poor eyesight and my bad memory, that estimate might be waaaaay off. ? jj

That's a ...... stretch. jj

Same here. 3/4 ounce Worden Roostertail is productive, also. Black or grey. I see you will be in a kayak. Be careful. Wear a PFD. Don't ask me why I say that. ? jj

Absolutely correct. The bass didn't stop jumping. They just didn't throw the hook like before. And that, after all, is what I wanted to achieve. Evidently this is the correct answer. I say that not because I understand mathematics or physics, which I don't, but because I saw the results. And I'm a firm believer that what you see is what is true, even though you might not be able to explain it. At any rate, I have a nice place to fish now, without it being so frustrating. Like I said ..... Thnx all. jj

Don't know. Can't walk on water. ???? jj I see now the confusion possible in "keeping the rod tip down". Never thought of it that way before. What I meant when I said that I kept the rod tip down, was that after the hookset and during the fight, I kept the rod tip pointed down relative to my grip level. The only thing that I can think of is that this drug the line lower in the water column, making more resistance for the fish that was trying to broach. But there were a couple hits within two seconds of the lure hitting the water, and I fail to see how this had any effect in those instances. Maybe it wasn't just one thing by itself, but maybe the combination of all three changes that I made that did the trick. Who knows? Oh, well. One of life's little mysteries. At least it's solved ..... for now. Thnx, everyone. And thank you, @dodgeguy jj P.S. Hooks are sharp. Got a Band-Aid to testify to that. ?

They were biting this morning. @dodgeguy had the answer. Braid definitely wasn't the answer. I took along a reel with 10 lb. 832, and I took a medium power rod. No difference. I even put the braid on the medium rod. That just lost me distance. I tried a set of 1/2 ounce lures, but they weren't hitting bigger lures, with the exception of 1/2 ounce Johnson Thinfishers. Of all the things that made a difference, keeping my rod tip down was #1. I have no idea why. I can't understand how my keeping a rod tip down back here makes any difference to an acrobatic fish way out there. But it does. I especially don't understand it because these fish are hitting within 5 feet of the surface; most of them hit within 2 feet if the sun isn't high yet. Now yes, I lessened my drag a little. But if I loosen it too much, I get line twist on the hookset. And I did slack off on the retrieve pressure after the hookset. That seemed to help some, but neither of these things did as much as dropping my rod tip. Why? Please tell me, because I'm clueless. jj

Everyone here has good ideas, but this line ^^^^^ was in your first sentence. It seems to me that you clearly defined what's most important to you. And I think that's good. Or great, even. You don't have the pressure a competition fisherman has. If you want to change up, don't wait until you're frustrated on the water. Pick 3 lures the night before. Maybe 3 like Catt said. Have them laying in front of you or on one side, and then pick one up to try it if you get the least little urge to do a change-up. I do this myself. That way, on a bad day I can go out and not catch fish with several different lures rather than not catch fish with just a few lures. ? After all, some days they just ... ain't ... bitin'. ? jj