The Bassman

Shimano's spokesman Dan Thorburn (Bantam 1) mentioned it in the Shimano forum on Tackle Tour. Also, Shimano's JDM website illustrates the braking profile with a graph. Shows minimal difference in braking on the low end of the dial between 1 and 4 brakes. Doesn't seem completely accurate in real world situations, though. I'm just more comfortable with 4 on and get plenty of distance.

Shimano designed these reels to have all 4 brakes on and then be adjusted externally. Yes, the 2 on 2 off will increase distance but one has to be very conscious of what he's doing when casting. When I'm fishing I like to keep my focus on catching fish. Maybe others are more skilled than I am but this is what works for me.

I'm an Indy west sider and spent a lot of hours at Galyans Plainfield store. These shows attracted quite a crowd. Pro fisherman were very accessible then.

I have to wonder if a bait moving along at a pretty good clip in slightly less than crystal clear water is really discerned that closely. Location, depth and speed control, along with the fish's attitude determines if you get bit. Colors appeal more to the fisherman's senses in my opinion.

Elites are much sharper out of the box, hence the slightly higher price. Both colors are available in both versions.

My favorite fishing show as a teen many years ago. Very sorry to hear. He always dedicated his shows to his dad who he said always took time to take him fishing.

Good summary, James. Saved me a lot of typing. Thanks.

I always used to toss them in some mineral spirits (paint thinner) for a few minutes then hand spin them on an old spool shaft. Haven't used them for years. Too much noise and not enough gain.

Basically same as the SLX MGL with X-Ship pinion bearing and a red paint job.

Got that rod in a 6' or 6'6"(can't remember) for Christmas with a 300 when I was 16. Great memories. Tip guide would groove after a while. My dad taught me to smooth it out with some fine wet sandpaper.

I used to buy 30.00 Shimano TX's and beat them to death when I was wading creeks. They were plenty smooth when new and I liked the quickfire trigger. They'd start getting wonkey after a season or two and I'd find another one. Life was simpler then. You didn't worry about dropping things.

Pretty calm this afternoon. I just got home and will get out shortly. Gonna start with plastics unless the wind kicks up. Good luck.

I'm in your neck of the woods so maybe I can shed some light. I fish HOA lakes near my house on the SE side and around Carmel. What I'm finding is they're either on or off, little middle ground. After Saturday's rain I did real well (15 or so in a couple of hours with four around three lbs.) This afternoon I struggled to catch four 12-15 inchers. For me some wind really enhances the bite. I seem to do better this time of year with reaction baits like lipless cranks. Calm water means finesse tactics and sometimes can be painfully slow. I do much better when consistently cold weather kicks in. Hope this helps. Had one afterthought. You mentioned a lack of activity. Your fish might be in a turnover mode if you deal with deeper water. The ponds I fish are mostly under ten ft. deep. My gut feeling is that after this weekend (we're going below freezing probably) we might have our usual Nov. warmup (trying to be positive here). Might kick off some great fishing.

I caught fish all winter at those depths last year. I do fish smaller waters like you're describing. FWIW Ned Kehde fishes less than 10' all winter in KS.

Again, as last Wed. windy and dark. Got out for about an hour and a half. Caught 17 very aggressive bass. (Most were hooked outside the mouth.) Yesterday was clear and calm. Very little activity. Foul weather makes a big difference. I'm a bank fisherman and can deal with wind. Like @Catt mentioned I also deal with pain (knees, feet). Had just gotten home from work (I paint). The notion that fish were active was more incentive than aches and pain. Tonight I'm paying for it.

We had windy, cloudy, upper 40's weather a couple of days ago. Came home from work mid afternoon just itching to get out. Went to a favorite HOA lake and the bass were going crazy. Lipless crank had 'em chasing and hitting at my feet. I caught several between 2 and 3.5 lb. in a short time. Quite the rush.

I think this kind of reinforces the recent debate about lures vs. live bait. Can't blame the fish, though. I'll take a real steak over a soft plastic one, thank you.

Kinda comforting knowing that all I have to look out for are muskrat runs around the ponds I fish. Fell in one yesterday and messed my knee up. Better than having a leg bit off, though.

This is the main problem I notice. Just takes a little string of snot moss between the body and prop to jam it up.

I'm using KVD Elite triple grips with the barbs smashed down. They seem to hold real well. I tried the single hook route but have concluded that my percentages are better with the trebles. Being barbless really helps with dicey unhooking situations.

I've noticed that bass that aren't eating tend to be gray. Big heads, no gut = gray bass. Have seen it happen rather quickly in some ponds I fish. Wish I knew what was going on.

I've noticed it on BFS spools when I tied a short length of mono under my braid. But we're talking spools under 8 grams. Just use a small piece of tape now.

Can't thank you enough. This site is a gold mine of info.

Welcome. These forums are directed towards freshwater bass fishing. (There is one forum for other species.) Your question is so broad that I would recommend exploring the whole site (reading forums, articles, etc.) Specific questions will come from that. Enjoy developing your skills here.

Calm, clear water today dictated using a weightless Zoom finesse worm dead sticked. Sight fished several that I would have never caught with most other methods. Wasn't a Senko but same idea.