jimmyjoe

^^^^ absolutely! ^^^^^ used spray grease ..... didn't last. Squirted in some Abu Precision Grease .... lasted months. jj

I've been using the Mann's 1 minus for years, and it's worked very well. Well enough that I don't look for other wake baits, that is. I always had better luck with the fat guppy-body wake baits over the long slim minnow-style wake baits, but then again I was fishing the rivers and not the lakes. jj

For years, I hated fluorocarbon. Didn't use it. Now I have one dedicated rig filled with InvizX. Love it. It's a lighter rig, so I use 12 lb. I don't suggest 12 lb. for what you described; go for 15 lb. jj

I don't know about that. I think if that were true, the world would be half full of proctologists. ?? jj

If I didn't know any better, I'd say you put that very well. Very well indeed. And as you probably suspect, you're not the only one who feels this way. ??? jj

Comparing results on 3 different reels with 3 different lines doesn't mean anything, regardless of whether you're throwing into the wind or not or throwing cranks or spinnerbaits or worms. If you want to compare reels, use the SAME LINE AND THE SAME ROD. Otherwise you're changing too many variables at once. Not only that, but your son casts differently than you cast .... another variable. It almost sounds like you want a reel that's set-it-and-forget-it. The reason I say that is that the BB1 Pro has a wide range of external adjustments that make casting into the wind easy .... IF you take advantage of the adjustments. The SLX DC and the Tatula's Magforce-Z systems are justly famous for dealing well with variable casting environments. You might be on the right track with the new Tatula, especially considering that you already own one and know its characteristics. But the loss of distance might be due to the lower line capacity as @Bluebasser86 said. You can maybe get around that by using braid, I don't know. Braid and I don't get along, so I can't say for sure. If you really want to see whether you'd like the SLX DC or Tatula better, you need to put the same line on both, and use them on the same rod with the same lure. Then you'll know. Good luck! jj

You don't really need a micrometer. Bring the knot up to your eyes closely. Bend the last few inches of the line in a "U" while watching it. The weak part of fluorocarbon line will be stiffer than the good part, and the bend will show it up quite well. If you see that stiff or "wiry" reaction, re-tie immediately. One other thing. It might apply to you and it might not. Use fluorocarbon leader material instead of fluorocarbon line. Price is higher, but physical characteristics are much different. Good luck! jj

Man, how 250 miles can make a difference! For several years, I've noticed that blue/green lures get me almost nothing. Nada. Zip. In the river or in lakes, including one with a large bluegill population.... zero. But what @Mobasser said hit the nail on the head; bluish-purple has been deadly. And to me, the hue is not at all the same; the bluegill blue is much brighter, and the purple blue is much darker. Go figure. ??? jj p.s. - I'm judging color in the water, not in the sunshine.

Uh ...... I may have exaggerated, just a wee bit. ?? BTW - I don't know whether there are any public pools open where you are, or whether you can find a private pool to use, but pools provide the best environment to actually see what a lure is doing. This is very important for spoons, flutter or otherwise. jj

Do you actually want some big, heavy garbage can lid? 'Cause if you don't, and don't want to buy a new rod (I didn't say that! ?? ) then just get either the Thomas Buoyant in 1/2 or 5/8 oz., or the Eppinger Magnum Flutterchuck at 1/2 oz., or the 7/8 oz. Big Ed Flutterchuck. Both of them flutter well enough, and you can use the gear you have right now to see whether you really like this technique or not. Although you can snap both of them, the Flutterchucks will also produce as twitch spoons. BTW .... I'm a shorecaster, not a boatman. Take that into consideration. Good luck! jj

Exactly. I wait until I see a second movement (usually 2-3 seconds) and then WHAMMO! The way I look at it is this: if you have a steady-retrieve lure, like a swim jig or crankbait, the bass hit the front end. Set the hook right away. But creatures, senkos and worms aren't (usually) retrieved that way. You let them drop. If there's any discontinuity to the bottom, any at all, the tail is the part that the bass tends to see first and grab first. Does he have the hook yet? No, he probably doesn't. Wait a second or two for the bass to take the WHOLE worm or bait, and then yes, he DOES have the hook. That's when you hit'em hard! jj

Yeah, I am pretty sure I just got a one-off problem. That would just be my luck, y'know? With this covid-19 stuff, however, I just sent it back. jj

I modestly agree. jj

To make a long story short: Got the SD3H on a Thursday. Spooled it up and went fishing Friday morning. Got a return authorization Friday afternoon. Sent it back Saturday. I think mine was defective. Looked at the Tranx 300a. I couldn't believe that it would be comfortable, and yet .... it felt different. I bought it, put 15 lb. Big Game on it, and went fishing. @Ogandrews, you're right. I owe you. This thing is great! Something about the ergonomics is different, because it's very comfortable. I've already got 4 bass, a pike and a walleye on it, and I'm just getting started! This is for the river ONLY .... at least for right now. jj ???

Thirty years ago I waded for bass (and other specie). The key was STAND STILL. I remember many times fish came up to use my shadow for respite. To them, I was just a funny-looking tree. And yes, I was still casting, and successfully, but the legs didn't move. jj

The only thing I ever heard is that the person who designed the Indiana blade lived in Indiana. Maybe that's true for Colorado blades as well. I don't know for sure. jj

Truer words were never spoken! John L. Morris didn't get to be a multi-billionaire by being stupid. jj

If your hands are big enough to hold it (it does NOT have a palming side plate) get an Ambassadeur 5000 or 5000c in good used condition off the auction site. The originals had a 3.7:1 retrieve ratio. If you get it cheap enough, you can afford to have it rebuilt. I had one; they are smoooooth, powerful and reliable. They don't cast very far, but they cast far enough. If that doesn't slow you down, nothing will. ?? ?? jj

Try these. I'm not brave enough for double willows .... yet. ? https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Greenfish_Tackle_HD_Ballistic_Blade_Double_Willow/descpage-HDB.html BTW - I used to slow roll a lot, but as time has gone by I've done it less and less. jj

Sit quietly and watch the forage fish - even bluegill - that are the target of the predatory bass. Do they move far? No. Do they move fast? No. They don't even move consistently. Mimic them and you have the natural action that bass aim for. jj p.s. Shameless plug: try twitching a small flutter spoon in the shallows instead of the depths. ?

In the first place .... thank you for your service. That means thank you for your service to all of us before your retirement, and thank you for your service to your fellow vets after your retirement. As for the fly fishing, I'm old-fashioned. Try a glass rod with poppers and streamers. jj

Such a basic thing, yet I never thought to check whether these blades were painted on both sides or not. Now that you say that, I'll bet they're not. jj

I can't tell you anything about the suitability of the rod for your purposes, but I know one guy who uses an Avid-X and has fluorocarbon on it. He loves it. I took a couple casts with it, and I have to agree that those micro guides handled the FC line quite well. And this was back when I thought that I'd never, ever use FC line. YMMV. jj

When I got my first Fenwick Silver Hawk, I thought it was stiffer than a 2x4. So I went down to the bait and tackle store, and the guy there listened to my problem, then sold me Magnaflex. I no longer use rods that stiff, but if I did, Magnaflex would be the best solution I could think of. You got a real deal! jj

Thanks, everyone. My local retailer has these: https://shop.northlandtackle.com/spinnerbaits/reed-runner-tandem-spin/ Anyone know if they're good or no good? jj