The Bassman

I had a situation just yesterday where a teenager was having difficulty landing fish. I walked over and found out he had just had some sort of nose surgery and was told not to bend over. I gave him a hand and counter to the notion that kids aren't grateful he was very receptive. He told me that he was just getting into fishing and was using a very cheap spincast outfit with a half ribbontail worm on a tube head. I made a friend that maybe I can help develop his skills. I'll be 65 in a few weeks and this made my day.

We had a lot of rain this past Fri. and Sat. I have one HOA lake in particular with a large stormwater discharge that I love to fish after such these events. Sat. evening in 40* temps and drizzle I caught over 20 in an hour with many over 3 lb. and one easily over 6. Talk about living the dream! That spot will soon become a shallow, algae choked (from fertilizer runoff) unfishable place until the next big rain.

Picked up a 6'6" Clarus a while back and was really impressed with it. I think the lack of endorsement is because it hasn't been handled by most guys, whereas the Triumph seems to be more readily available (and more familiar).

I think color gets too much play in bait selection. Speed and depth control are the key. Truthfully, I buy a lot of lures because I like the color.

Don't give up. The internet leaves one with the impression that they should be catching bass all the time. When I was 14 (many moons ago) what I considered a good day would be a wash today. Be patient. Read these forums and articles. Accept the learning curve. You'll catch your first bass and won't look back.

I think what's throwing some guys of is that it's so fat and that makes its mouth look small. It's clearly a LM. Coloration varies with water conditions.

I have five really nice baitcasters (an older Curado 100b up to an Ald 50 and Bantam MGL). They get lots of use in the front yard but when I go fishing I almost always grab one of my spinners. BC certainly has an important place in certain situations but for me it's nice to not have to be an engineer and fisherman at the same time.

I fish ponds a lot but dog days are the time to jump in the creek for smallies. Just wish I was able to do it as well as I used to.

You gotta wonder what someone who isn't familiar with bass fishing jargon would think of this.

I've enjoyed the best of the pre spawn bite this past week. Many bass up to 4 lb. My late winter posts wishing for moving bait action have definitely come into play. Nothing like a 4 lb.'r crushing a bait at rod's length. Sort of my poor man's "musky strike". Nesting's certainly close. It'll give me a reason to stop playing hookey from work and get some jobs done.

My dad instilled the love of fishing in me. That said, we rarely did very well. I guess my "skill mentor" was media such as magazines, TV, internet, and my own experiences. One would like to think that everyone had a teacher but I bet I'm not alone.

If weight isn't an issue the Curado is bulletproof and very smooth. It's almost 3 oz. heavier than the Met and quite a bit bulkier. if you pick up a Met you might not go back. Some guys do complain that the aluminum gears lose their smoothness with time. Some are even swapping them out for a brass Curado K gearset. The DHSV's will last forever with care. Again, it's a matter of how comfortable you are now with the curados. They both are great casters.

I primarily fish ponds. For me wind is the key to success. Something about a ruffled surface that makes the difference between a 20-30 fish session and nothing but a few dinks. Others may have different experiences but that's how it seems to work for me, at least during "normal" fishing season. Less wind doesn't seem to slow my winter bite plus it makes things much more tolerable.

St Croix does. I have a couple of Loomis Classic Bass but I'm thinking they may be discontinued. Would be nice if more companies would make them available. FWIW a lot of 6'6" are close to 6' but with longer rear grips.

I've smelled bluegill beds many times. It's that fresh fish slime smell you get on your hands after handling fish.

Gun oil (a lot of guys use Rem) is fine on spool bearings but everything else needs grease or higher viscosity oil. By the way, your post will probably get moved to the Rod, Reel, & Line forum.

Also, don't forget that the rotor nut is reverse threaded.

Well then no fishing on a clear day in Antarctica?

As much as I try to practice what I preach about line management I still get the occasional "surprize". What gets me into trouble is not paying attention to my spool when I'm absorbed in my fishing. If you see a small loop you need to make a long cast past it to clean it out.

I was told it was .9mm.

Would be curious as to your impressions of this reel compared to others you've used.

I think the weather has more impact on the fisherman than the fish. If I'm resigned that I'm not going to do well I usually don't. Some of my best days were during some of the least favorable weather conditions. That said I have found that a sunny, calm, post frontal condition is really tough. I always seem to do best when there's at least a breeze. Good luck.

Both JDM and USDM have the Exsence. JDM also has Exsence CI4+ which is just a more expensive Stradic CI4+ FB. The Vanquish is slightly above the Exsence but still below the Stella.

There's no square hole. The handle screws in.

Feathering the spool lip with your index finger accomplishes the same thing.