NYWayfarer

Here is a pic of my Vanford 1000 compared to my Sienna 1000 reels. The stem of the Vanford is straight until the first bend where as the Sienna has a slight curve that my finger fits in perfectly. The $30 reel is more comfortable in hand than the $240 reel from that one design point ?

This Fallfish giant was bigger than the Smallmouth Bass I was catching that day. He swallowed a Senko. First Fallfish I ever caught on a weightless Senko rig.

I was on vacation the July 4th week in Orlando Florida with family and friends. I made sure to book a guided trip for Bass. My son and friend, Frankie and I had a great time and caught lots of Largemouth in the 2-3 pound range. My son also caught his first Gar and a Pickerel. Those things followed me down to Florida. Proud papa day. My son caught the most fish and the most species. I ended up with the least amount of fish but I caught the biggest. It’s usually the other way around. We had a great day.

Shimano St Croix Berkley

I switched rods today from my Bass X to my Avid. The combination of moving one finger forward and the new rod have helped with the knuckle busting. I had to stop myself a few times from moving my hand to the old position after casting.

I am having this issue with my Vanford 1000 reel. I usually hold my spinning reels with 1 finger in front of the stem and 3 behind. The knuckle of my second finger rubs the stem and it is uncomfortable. I am going to train myself to move a finger or two to the front of the stem as it helps but feels strange to me. Normally I would shelf a reel that was this uncomfortable but this reel costs to much and is real quality from the few times I have taken it out. I trained myself to close spinning reel bails by hand. How much harder can it be to change my grip until it becomes second nature?

On vacation the July 4th weekend I booked a trip with a guide out of Orlando Florida to take me, my son and a friend Bass fishing. The Guide had a no fish, no pay policy and picked us up at the Disney resort we were staying at. Trip was $400 for 4 hours. Our guide was friendly and worked hard to get us on fish. I tipped him $80 at trips end. We caught about 20 Bass in the 2-3lb range. My father would book Smallmouth Bass guided fishing trips for us every year. He always tipped no matter what we caught. Some years were better than other. We never got skunked.

Gerber STL 2.0 is my pocket knife of choice. Fits in the coin pocket of my jeans. It’s light, razor sharp and opens with one hand with the hole in the blade. Most Gerbers are so stiff and tight they are hard to open one handed. When fishing I carry the Gerber Armbar Slim with the scissors.

When? All the time. Where? Rivers for Smallies and Ponds for Largemouths. My favorite way to rig them is weightless on a 2/0 worm hook. Senko’s and Stik-O’s cast like a bullet. I also wacky rig using O rings and a owner wacky hook.

I have reels from all major companies. The brands I have had the fewest issues with are Lew’s, Shimano and Abu Garcia. My favorite reels both spinning and casting come from those brands.

I agree with all of this. I use a St Croix Bass X 6’10” ML rod paired with a Shimano Vanford 1000 reel. Bit over your budget though. I like spinning reels with screw in handles so to save some coin on the reel I recommend the Abu Garcia Elite Max 10

Call me crazy but I won’t be looking to get this replaced under the warranty. I can see the same thing happening again, the handle is that flimsy.

I have been on a tear lately with a “finesse Texas rig” basically a 1/0 worm hook on a small soft plastic bait with a 1/8 oz bullet weight. My favorite soft plastic baits on that rig in order are, Z-Man TRD TicklerZ Strike King Rage Tail baby Rage Craw Z-Man finesse TRD Strike King Rage Tail Cut- R Worm

Trust me when I say I baby my stuff. This happened just by gripping the handle before a cast. The handle basically caved in. HMX is a great looking rod. The screw down cork handle is a BAD idea. I still love my Fenwick Eagles, still a great bang for the Buck rod. I have 4 that are still in great shape.

Tournament MP and KVD reel are very very similar reels go with the KVD it’s a bit cheaper as long as you don’t mind the Maroon color.

A year ago I would have argued with you over your views of Pure Fishing offerings. I am not afraid to admit I have come to see your point on most of their brands. Berkley and for me Abu Garcia excluded (Still love my Revo’s, Black Max and Zata spinning reels) Pflueger is a pale comparison to the past. I still have my President with the wooden handle knob. I would not go near them anymore. Fenwick… enough said.

I received the rod I ordered from St Croix Rods yesterday. It was one of the sales they had during customer appreciation day. These Reign rods only seem to be available during special events. I put it to the torture test by hooking into a close to 3 pound, 19” River Smallmouth on a Ned rigged Strike King Rage Tail Ned Cut-R worm.

4” Senko rigged weightless.

Senko fishing a new spot. Nice Largemouth to start the morning.

Crocs or lately, Ozark Trail Men's Adventure Outdoor Closed Toe Sandals from Walmart. very comfortable, water resistant, drain well, great traction and don’t slip off like Crocs. Best of all $20 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-Men-s-Adventure-Outdoor-Closed-Toe-Sandals/832434424

4” GYBC Senko or 4” Bass Pro Shops Stik-O rigged wacky on a 1/0 Owner Camo wacky rig hook or Weightless on a 2/0 Ozark Trail worm hook. Z-Man TRD TicklerZ Texas rigged on a 1/0 Ozark Trail worm hook and a 1/8 to 3/16 oz tungsten weight Z-Man finesse TRD on a Ned rig Storm 360 GT searchbait swimbait

Take care of your stuff and it will take care of you. No high sticking. No using the rod to get lures unstuck. Watch out for obstructions around you when casting. Set your rod down gently. Don’t leave it propped against something for long periods of time. Don’t tighten your line too much with the hook in the rods hook keeper. No “send it to heaven” hooksets. If your rod breaks and you were truly not the cause then it is a manufacturer’s defect and the warranty will take care of that.

I fish weekends and my days remote on my job, usually 2 days a week. 4 days out of a seven day week. I take short trips. If I find myself tired, too lazy to tie on another lure or hungry I go home. This keeps my mood in the happy zone.

NJ creeks, get some 10# mono. Berkley Big Game Sufix Siege Stren High Impact All good, all cheap, all reliable.

Loved your Pike release. The missus has a mean hookset! No way those Bass were getting off.