The Bassman

I own ten combos split evenly between spinning and BC with a few extra rods that can rotate in. I bank walk and only carry one at a time with one other in my car on rare occasions. I try to assess what my best approach will be before I leave home. The fact that I fish familiar small waters make the decision fairly easy. Granted, I've missed the call more than a few times. But I do believe that I focus better by limiting my choices. Now having said all that, it's winter and one of my favorite pursuits is shopping for new stuff. Bait monkey season is in full swing and there's no vaccine for it.

Want to thank you guys for the wake up call. Made an appointment with a derm. this afternoon. I'm 66 and know I'm tempting fate. I'm going to be more proactive about prevention this season as well. Don't care if I look dorkey in something with more coverage than a ball cap.

I really envy your philosophy on this. I'm frequently guilty of letting frustration ruin my day.

Just ask @Bluebasser86. He has to go to work and do that every day.

Cheesy B movies and 50's-60's reruns on some of my Dish Network channels make for a nice escape. We used to manage just fine before all of this connectivity available to us. That said, these forums are always an encouragement to me that normal people still exist.

BC makes me look like I know what I'm doing when I'm walking neighborhood lakes but spinning is much more efficient day in and day out especially now during the colder months when vegetation isn't an issue.

Reminds me of a girl I dated once.

I mostly bait fished for bullheads and rough fish like suckers and creek chubs. Tried to cook a chub over a fire once but it didn't work out too well. My friends and I used to tie our rods to our bike frames with our stringers. Broke my dad's True Temper spinning rod with my leg one time.

Might be a riveted knob. The model it replaced (Symetre) had one.

Tell people he was a Japanese admiral. That'll jack up the price.

Memories of childhood. Brands like Revell, Monogram, AMT, Testors. Don't even know if they're still the dominant brands. Haven't looked in a long time.

My best was a 5.81 LM caught just ten days ago on a jerkbait. My unofficial best was 5.86 back in June. She inhaled a small bluegill that I'd hooked on a small wakebait so I'm not sure that counts. Was really an eye opener though because it happened at rod's length. 2020 was my best year ever as far as numbers. It was also the third year in a row for bass caught in all 12 months. I'm trying to wish the ice off so I can keep the string going.

Like @Choporozsaid they fish lighter than their weight would indicate. The quarter oz. is very small. I use it on light spinning. The 3/8 actually comes in two lengths. I like the haze color because it seems to resemble a bluegill. Color shouldn't be too critical. The biggest problem I have with them is the tail getting bit off. I experimented with trimming off the end a bit and adding a tail spinner. I honestly think I came up with a better lure. Have caught many bass on them. One other tip; after a few fish the chin area on the lure will start to tear. One drop of super glue and it'll hold up until the rest of the lure is completely chewed up. I also find that I have to touch up the hook point frequently. The dorsal fin "weedguard" really isn't. It hangs up as mentioned. Eventually it tears and I just remove it. Sleeper is a definite go to for me. Bass mean business when they eat it. Gets taken deep more often than lip hooked.

I've owned several fly rods over the years. Used to wade a local creek and sight fish carp. If you led them just right they would take. Like some have mentioned I found it to be too much work. I was always picking up pond scum as I would begin the next cast or would be fishing in the trees. These days I'm much more efficient with spinning tackle and an eighth oz. Pop-R. I've caught scads of bass, some nice ones on it. Basically just bass bugging without the hassle.

Every time I handled a newer generation HMG I was really impressed at how well balanced it was. Virtually no tip weight. Then I read up on them and saw that they were actually a bit heavier than comparable rods. They feel like they're counter balanced in the butt. If I wasn't good to go with what I already have I would definitely consider them. Very clean classic look, too.

Another Phlash Phelps and Cousin Brucie fan here. I remember that add, too.

Sonar was a flasher. Whole different meaning since then.

And cloudy and dreary with no competition=fishing nirvana

I'm usually by myself so I don't do much talking until I have a fish close enough to talk to.

You need to hold your arms out farther. Then it could be a 6.

Welcome. Glad to have you aboard. BTW the 3000 is only 6.3 oz. Pretty incredible. I've got one on the way. Mine is a JDM C3000 with the slower gear ratio. Still picks up over 29" of line which is more than most 7:1 baitcasters. I find that I overwork moving baits with higher IPT's. Also makes the reel feel all the more free when retrieving. I've got two 1000FA CI4+ also that are absolutely perfect for light work.

I think the new 2000 is just a larger rotor 1000 now. For long runners like steelhead I would definitely go with a 2500 or 3000. 3000 is the same as the 2500 just a deeper spool and T handle. I find the knobs on the smaller models too small.

I go against conventional wisdom by using straight braid. This instance was Berkley X-5 8#. I always test my baits at home without line and they want to float. I actually get a lot of satisfaction out of fine tuning them.

That's one of my JDM 6'4" models. I have two, an ML and a L. Wonderful lightweight rigs with the 1000 Stradic FA's. I swapped out the short handles for longer 2500 ones and added septon knobs. Can't stand the round EVA ones. And yes, that HJ is Tenn Shad like the one with your nice bass. Every one I buy wants to float so I have to modify them with different hooks, split rings, etc.

Five years ago you couldn't get through a reel thread without some mention of bearing upgrades. The topic isn't nearly as hot anymore. Boca was a big player then. Gotta think they're hungry for business.