The Bassman

I guess I should have asked how high you're suspending. I'm a little leery about the weight swinging free anyhow. I broke one of my Zodias recently and have think it was from an instance when a jig head or something smacked the blank a while back.

Curious how long your shot leader is. Seems this would be very effective during the cold months too.

I've bought them in bulk on e-bay. Haven't tried using singles in this instance. I've used them on small cranks, though. I would think they might cost you some missed strikes. The stock hooks have always seemed to flimsy to me. Feathered or not is just a personal preference.

I smash the barbs on all my treble hooks. Sooner or later I get a hook in me especially with smaller bass. Yes, I lose fish that I might have otherwise landed, mostly during the warmer months when they are prone to jumping. Makes life easier for me and the fish. It's much easier to finesse a hook out of a touchy place without barbs.

I've done well all hours of the day with it. I swap the stock hooks out with VMC #10 needlepoints (no feather). Also, I use light braid tied direct most of the time. Can be a hassle because of tangling hooks, though. I'll occasionally use a mono leader but I can be a bit inattentive about checking and retying like I should, though.

Mini Pop-R has been a doer for me for years. Panfish, bass (some big ones), and even a channel cat. Time of day doesn't seem to matter. I fish it both slow and fast (especially when it's windy).

Digitaka's my favorite. As was mentioned shipping is very fast, usually quicker than stateside. BTW welcome aboard.

I agree with @newapti5 about the Vanford. I have both Daiwa and Shimano. They're both great. One thing I do prefer is to go with JDM versions with slower gear ratios. Makes for pretty much zero rotor inertia which is beneficial when finesse fishing and one really doesn't notice any speed disadvantage. USD/JDM exchange rates really favor us now, too. I like Digitaka for price and shipping speed.

I live in the same metro area as @Team9nineand was able to take advantage of the approaching storm front that he mentioned. Hot and breezy conditions had me wanting to go power so out came the baitcaster for one of the few times this summer. Enjoyed a decent bite at a friend's pond close by. Caught six in about an hour on a bladed jig with this one being the biggest. Starting to look forward to fall. November is probably my favorite month.

Like a lot of us my success these days is much better than it was in my youth. That said, I wouldn't change a thing. My childhood memories with my dad and even my times alone wading creeks are priceless whether they were productive or not. I do wish that I would have found this site sooner than just six years ago.

Fooling people I know into thinking that I'm a highly skilled angler while understanding that I'm still very much a work in progress. This forum and its members have brought me a good ways along, though.

And don't let that woman tell ya what to do! Whooo!

I put my painting business on semi hiatus this summer to try to rest some orthopedic issues and spend more time fishing. Result: 90+ consecutive days fishing and who knows how many bass caught. Upshot of all this is that I'm ready to give fishing a break. I've got Sept. pretty well booked and am actually looking forward to it. Everything in moderation.

Definitely pondweed. Beneficial bass cover.

I must not be a purist but as far as I'm concerned if it's a black bass and possesses all the attributes we enjoy then I don't see the issue. I realize that it screws up the taxonomy and creates a problem with record keeping but I don't see how it diminishes our sport. That said, It's not a problem where I live and fish. Maybe I'd see it differently if I lived where it's occurring.

This discussion makes me all the more thankful that I do all my fishing on foot at neighborhood lakes. I might cross paths with someone else on occasion but for the most part I'm pretty much alone.

I try not to over do it as most of my pics look the same. A lot of good catches go unposted. Truthfully, I enjoy showing off every now and then. I fish alone so it gives me some connection to people that enjoy the same experience.

Hand arthritis, and a bad right shoulder limits me to lighter applications, mostly spinning. Fortunately the places I fish don't typically require strong arm tactics. That said, 5-6 hrs. of walking with a bad ankle and casting, especially in summer heat takes a toll on me (until the next day).

Take a look at the baitcasters on the deck of one of our main contributers and you'll see somebody likes 'em. He makes some pretty good smallmouth videos.

Most all of my ned "deep hooks" are in the roof of the mouth. Hemostats make removal easy. Most of the time when they're deeper than lip hooks just a well angled push and you feel a slight pop. Simple outpatient surgery.

Got a bonus forearm workout with this channel cat today. He hit a Rozante 77 and gave me a real run for the money. I cross paths with a few cats each season. Sorry for the close shot. I'm trying to keep from laying fish down now even though I really don't see the harm if the grass is green and reasonably cool.

Must just be an Indiana thing. Pretty much all of my catches have come at peak heating. That also coincides with max wind. Granted, I'm shore fishing so boat control isn't an issue. The only problem is the summer heat. Yesterday was 93 with upper 70 dewpoints. Pretty tough on an old man. Fish didn't care. They stay cool enough being wet.

One thing that I've found that makes the Alberto less intimidating is that the final up wraps don't have to alternate perfectly. Just don't double back over previous wraps. The loops will "find" the right lay if you draw the knot up carefully. Just looking at the finished knot will confirm this. It should be straight and uniform. Any lumpiness is a signal to retie.

Well said. I own six Shimano Zodias spinning rods. This arsenal start with one JDM model that I tried to sell twice initially.

I believe Micro Module gearing was a huge engineering mistake and is at the root of this problem, especially with composite sideplate reels.