The Bassman

Looks like a squirrel fish. (Not joking) Edit: Did some research and I'm clearly wrong.

Ned, MB Dark Sleeper (especially during cool months. Catches too much slop right now), Rebel Teeny Pop-R (has been very effective since spawn on even big bass).

Tom, I certainly echo the wishes shared by these other guys. On a different tenor I remember you saying that your experiences included drag racing. I'm in Indianapolis home of the U.S. Nationals. It would be fascinating hearing about your involvement in the sport. I wouldn't expect it in this thread but it would maybe give you something to reflect on. Best wishes.

Solution: 1. Don't throttle your casts. Ease up. Won't cost you that much distance. 2. Close your bail manually. I do it in one motion with the index finger that held the line. 3. Keep that same index finger in light contact with the line when retrieving to maintain a little tension. 4. Look at your spool every now and then for stray loops. Cast beyond them to clear them. I find that using a braid with some stiffness like Power Pro Super Slick V2 or Fins Windtamer helps as well.

And just before that; "Move over Swanson, I'm driving!"

The cast that concerns me most is the first one. Getting bit right away usually means an unproductive session. Must be something in my head.

Take a Q-Tip and very lightly oil the brass brake drum surface. Then cast easy so you can adjust to the faster spool speed.

Gut hooks just happen some time even with quick reaction. The one thing that I'm occasionally guilty of is pushing with my hemostats to pop a hook loose and accidentally replanting it deeper. Stuff happens. Our mindset on this subject is actually remarkable when you look at old photos of well known fisherman with their huge stringers of fish.

Virgil Ward would have been proud.

Been having a lot of fun with wake baits lately. This was my best this morning. Didn't have my scale so she's as big as I want to call her. lol

That sunny could have doubled the effectiveness of his WP. Two of my biggest bass came on dink hookups.

I usually take whatever's handy (sometimes my thumb) And rotate the click plate until it's square with the star's hole. A lot easier than turning it on the drive shaft looking for it.

I was going to suggest being careful with the click plate on the drag star sticking to the handle. There's a tiny pin and spring in the star that's easy to lose. I took a quick look at the schematic for the reel and it uses a hex retainer to hold everything in place. Why Shimano doesn't do this on all of their reels is a mystery to me. It can't really affect cost. Makes working on reels so much easier.

Glad you said that before the mail went out tomorrow. I'll just void the check.

I've been using both lately (PP SS V2) on Stradic 2500's. I do lose a bit of distance with the 15 but gain some confidence dragging fish through shoreline vegetation. (I bank fish) If you're in a boat 10 should be adequate.

You sure make me miss fishing moving water.

Except if you've ever owned a Shimano reel it has different metal flake colors that sparkle in the sun. And Vanford is fun to say. People will know you've made it in life when you tell them the name.

A few days ago I was fishing one of my usual spots with a light ned. Made a cast and my bait didn't drop. Just figured I got bit on the fall. Surprize. I reeled in a pretty much new Whopper Plopper 90 with 2 ft. of mono. Probably would've been a good day to buy a lottery ticket.

Shimano actually introduced the monocoque concept 35 yrs. ago with the Magnumlite Fightin' Rods. I gave my last one to a nephew a few years ago. It was a 5'9" spinning rod and only weighed 3.9 oz. Really light for that long ago.

After a lot of hesitation and reading posts on another forum I ordered a reel from Japan (Digitaka) last week. It was at my front door in five days via DHL.

Got a new but old model Shimano the other day. I've owned several E series but never a Brenious. Got it from Digitaka. Couldn't believe they had one left considering it was discontinued four years ago. It was designed to be a saltwater BFS reel. The spool only holds 55 yds. of .23mm line. I filled mine with 15 lb. PP SS V2 and it works out perfectly. It comes with an older style 80mm handle that I swapped out with an aftermarket 90mm that I had. The spool is very narrow with an aggressive level wind that keeps the line from digging in. It has a 7.7 retrieve ratio and is the smoothest 50E that I've ever used, including a Core and Ald 50 MG7. Hope it stays that way. I took it out for a shakedown today and caught several including two 3+ like this one. It's my new favorite (at the moment lol).

Georgia has a number of bass subspecies. Coming from a stream it could be a number of things possibly a shoal bass?

Because it's new and we're just big kids that like new toys.

You definitely give meaning to the saying "livin' the dream".

Saltwater is rough on reels. Rinsing is essential after every outing. The frame bearing under the pinion gear can get corroded real fast so maintenance is required frequently as well.