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GrumpyOlPhartte

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  1. GrumpyOlPhartte
    Back in the day the theory was to use a Magic Marker (no Sharpies then) to draw a couple of inch to inch and a half “bars” across the spooled line to break up the appearance of a solid line. As mentioned above, the idea was to not present a solid-appearing line to the lure, sort of like camouflage on hunting clothes. To be honest, most of us did it and it helped psychologically if not practically. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Heck, I have a nice fat black Sharpie that I’ll probably use if I fish with straight braid.
  2. GrumpyOlPhartte
    Funny you should mention the Daiwa BG reel and the Lew’s TP1 rod. I received a couple of gift cards for Dick’s Sporting Goods and used them for that exact combination. Got the 2500 reel and a 6’8” medium-light rod. For my kayak fishing, the rig works very well. Good for drop-shot, wacky, weightless (and light-weight) T-rigs; even chucked a KVD 1.5 squarebill with no problems. I chose the BG 2500 for it’s large-diameter spool. The reel is a tank and very smooth. Can’t comment on the drag. The combo also feels balanced for me (subjective opinion) There is one other reel at the same price which you may want to consider and that is the Shimano Nasci. I am not a fan of Daiwa bait-casting reels, but when I played with the BG, I did become a fan of their spinning reels. Admittedly I could not find a Nasci to play with, but it might be as good or better. Final thought ... the Pfleuger spinning reels are darned good too. I’d suggest you look at the Pfleuger in your price range. Still use my three-year-old President and can’t say a bad word about it. Hope this helps.
  3. GrumpyOlPhartte
    What these guys said! I would personally add The Informative Fisherman although if I have to watch one more ad for the RC boat that lets you fish from shore by remote control, I think I’m gonna hurl chunks! (Personally, I’d love to see an eight-pound LMB grab the bait suspended from one of those and drag it to the bottom while the owner stands on the shore helplessly crying over his lost investment!). But the content of his videos is pretty comprehensive and, to me, was very helpful as I got back into the sport. But “that being said,” @Glenn is a lot purtier ... and is just as informative!! (Anyone who’s watched an IF VID recognizes the catch phrase just mentioned. LOL!) And, being from the north, I’ve enjoyed the series from KeepinItReelFishin.
  4. GrumpyOlPhartte
    So I’m gonna turn 70 in October. I set the bar about knee high for my resolutions. 1. Stay in good enough shape to get in and out of my kayak without requiring a medical team to be in hot standby. 2. Learn to seriously fish with jigs, not just wash ‘em and put ‘em back in my tackle box while I go back to my old standby worms, creatures, and flukes. 3. Kick the Bait Monkey’s fanny once and for all! (Shameless plug for @Siebert Outdoors here!) As motivation for resolution #2, I made a small order of half a dozen tungsten Arkie style jigs along with a few tungsten shakey heads. Man, what a difference in quality from the tin clunkers and another brand of tungsten I have tried. My only disappointment was when I cast them and they didn’t skip worth a hoot through the snow, or punch through the several inches of ice covering the local lakes. Anyway, besides the high quality jigs, the service was amazing and my jigs arrived a day earlier than was quoted. Having experienced the product quality and superb service, I am now trying to decide on colors and styles of Fogies along with some more Arkies in swimjig-suitable colors, all of which threaten my chances of sticking to resolution #3. So for all who are interested, there are my New Year’s resolutions. And for all who are NOT interested, there they are anyway. May all of you have a safe and happy new year and may all of you catch a new personal best! (That “personal best” thing was gonna be resolution #4 but then I’m pretty sure the local bass have a New Year’s resolution not to be someone’s personal best.)
  5. GrumpyOlPhartte
    @Jackhammer_05: I feel your pain. I had to compromise due to budget constraints so I have limited myself to swimbaits weighing two ounces or less, but that will still allow me to dabble with swimbaits like the Hudd 68, some of the MattLures products, and even big Kaitech flukes. There actually is a host of possibilities. Yeah, I know, it ain’t the big time, but I can use a low-profile reel for now and save for a more glamorous rig in the future. I guess that makes me a “fake” swimbait fisherman, but on the other hand, I can use this rig for big jigs, Whopper Plopper 130s, and even frog fishing. Sometimes I find that reality overrides the Bait Monkey’s antics; I just have to live with it. (Probably gonna get laughed out of the thread by the big guns here, but sometimes I just have to make do.) Good luck!!
  6. GrumpyOlPhartte
    @thinkingredneck: yeah, I hear you!! That, in my opinion, is the beauty of a gift card. Since I have trouble with jigs this time of year - they really skip well across the ice but don’t punch worth a hoot - I figure I can slowly accumulate the stuff I need (OK ... want!) without incurring the wrath of my hausfrau. Worms for T-rigs are checked off my list, now my introductory effort to jigs is covered. Next is hooks and weights, then new line ... and on and on! Dreading the selection of new line for my different rod/reel combos!!! Anyway, by spring I will definitely be all ready and organized.
  7. GrumpyOlPhartte
    @ChrisD46: Massachusetts simplifies the tungsten-vs-lead issue by making it illegal to fish lead weights under one ounce. Personally I have done little drop-shot fishing, but I am a big fan of tungsten for the little I have tried the drop-shot and I definitely appreciate the compact size for other applications such as Texas-rigged worms and critter baits. (Tried the steel alternatives but even the 3/8-ounce was about the size of a ping pong ball! LOL!)
  8. GrumpyOlPhartte
    I got a fifty-buck gift card ... needed a new pinion gear for a reel and after ordering that I found myself with $42.00 left over. Since I have decided to expand my limited fishing skills to include jigs and finesse fishing, I ordered a half dozen jigs and some shakey-heads. I figure I could get a few of each to get started without being assaulted by the Bait Monkey. I think of it as “forced self-control”.
  9. GrumpyOlPhartte
    Don’t ya just hate it when that happens? Personally I’d never ‘fess up; just grin and show the pic! Great fish by the way!
  10. GrumpyOlPhartte
    What @NHBull said! I suspect my rationale is considerably different from his though. I started with Power Pro, then tried Spiderwire, but settled on Sufix 832. “Why?” You ask. (Even if you don’t ask, I’m going to tell you.) I am not the world’s most coordinated caster and occasionally heave one out there, get a magnificent amateur overrun, duck as my lure comes whistling back past my ear, and start picking the kinks out of the gnarly wad of line that envelopes my reel. As I pick through the mess, I may find several kinks in the line. Sometimes they are many feet into the tangle and I don’t always remove all of them. (If I did, I’d end up fishing with a glorified cane pole.) The point is that those kinks are serious weak points in the line and may cause even 50-pound line to snap at the most inopportune moment ... like when fighting a fish. In my experience, the 832 seems to hold up much better to such abuse. This is a subjective evaluation based on my personal experience only. Probably a good caster would not agree, but I can only relate what I have observed. Other than that, the lines all performed similarly. Subjectively, I feel the Sufix 832 seems to be a little “limper” with less memory; I couldn’t offer any hard proof. I’m just guessing, but I’d bet that most name-brand braids will do the job.
  11. GrumpyOlPhartte
    @Bluebasser86: I have seen a couple of sources that state the goldfish and carp can be crossbred, but only with “human intervention”. As near as I can figger out, if someone were to release a few goldfish into a body of water, they could breed and establish themselves, but not by crossing with carp.
  12. GrumpyOlPhartte
    @bkohlman: This could be long and windy, but I was in a similar situation to yours when looking for a new spinning reel for fishing unweighted flukes, worms, dropshot, and wacky rigs. I narrowed my choices to the Shimano Nasci and Daiwa BG and finally decided to try a Daiwa BG (although I have hated Daiwa since the late 70’s). Anyway I planned to put the reel on a 6’8” M/L rod. Here’s what I learned about this manufacturer’s reels in three sizes. (All are 5.6:1 retrieve.) 2000 - weight: 8.5 oz. - line capacity: 110 yd. / 8 lb. test 2500 - weight: 9.3 oz. - line capacity: 170 yd. / 8 lb. test 3000 - weight: 10.8oz. - line capacity: 240 yd. / 8 lb. test I chose the 2500 for a couple of reasons. First, I may go to 10 lb. test, but I’ve never needed even 100 yards of anything so the 3000 is insane, not to mention it’s an ounce and a half heavier. Second, the spool of the 2500 has a wide diameter. In my mind that means the coils of line are not as small as the other choices. It may be a purely psychological thing, but I think anything that helps reduce line memory issues is of benefit. So - after all that, I bought the reel and it is fantastic for my needs. Built like a tank, tight, good drag, and the distance between the spool and the rod is perfect for feathering my casts with my forefinger. I love this reel. Not going to go for Daiwa baitcasters, but will say good things about their spinning reels! if you’re still awake, I hope this helps. It requires doing your homework, but at least in my case, it paid off.
  13. GrumpyOlPhartte
    If you’re interested in comparing fishing line diameters, I ran across a very informative site, mels-place.com that contains a 22-page listing of line diameter comparisons. It’s dated 2016 and while it is not complete, it covers the vast majority of lines. Select the “Fishing Tackle” option, then select “Fishing Lines” and you will see the download. I’ve found it very helpful ... even if it’s from a saltwater-oriented site! I wish I knew how to paste the link.
  14. GrumpyOlPhartte
    @Catt: First, thanks for providing some - at least for me - very enlightening insight into the mysteries of rod making. But I have to admit I’m just glad I’m not a good enough fisherman to worry about all that. (For me, ignorance is bliss in this case!) Gotta admit I learned a lot though. Thanks again!!
  15. GrumpyOlPhartte
    I agree with @bigturtle on the Daiwa BG! I’ve also been using the less-expensive Pflueger President so I would have confidence in the Supreme XT as well. @Nunz, I rigged the BG 2500 on a 6’8” medium-light, fast-action rod for finesse freshwater fishing; it is well-balanced and certainly works well for the lakes around here. Casts a mile and seems to be built like a tank although I did notice that the bail is constructed of thinner material than a Pfleuger President. (Having said that, the bail is really solid - doesn’t seem to be an issue at all.) I chose the 2500 because the larger diameter spool makes more sense to me. Just a personal note here. I have seen a noticeable difference between the features of a $100.00 baitcaster and a $150.00 baitcaster but I am not able to see any significant difference between spinning reels in the same price range. You might also want to consider a Shimano Nasci at about the same price ($100.00) as the Daiwa BG. Having said all this, I doubt you’d go wrong with any of your choices. I just try to keep the reel cost down so I can purchase a little better rod and stay in my budget. Some help I was, huh? Good luck!
  16. GrumpyOlPhartte
    I haven’t fished ultralight in years, but I have been using a President 3000 on a 6’6” medium spinning rod. Love the reel for the price and quality, but I think it would be pretty large for an ultralight rod. You may want to consider a smaller reel. (Not to mention you’re going to put an awful lot of light-weight line on the reel unless you use backing.). I suspect some guys here will suggest specific reel makes and models that might provide a better-balanced setup. Not sure if this helps, but I never used a reel the size of a 3000 series for ultralight. The added length of the rod you show may make this less of an issue.
  17. GrumpyOlPhartte
    Just a thought about buying jigs. Don’t know about the locales in which you other folks fish, but here in Massachusetts it is not legal to use any lead jigs under one ounce. Fortunately, Siebert’s does offer tungsten jigs in several styles so I'm working on my order for next spring. Just thought I’d mention it.
  18. GrumpyOlPhartte
    @Nunz: Just wondering in which part of the state you will be fishing. Lot of pretty smart fellows out in the eastern part of the state but out here on the leftern part of the state it is pretty lonely. I just put my kayak up for the winter, but will be trying some bank fishing for awhile longer. I’ve found winter fishing really improves my ability to skip a lure and my overall casting distance is better; however, have noticed that I don’t many bites. I think it’s got something to do with that hard water covering my favorite lakes. Wish I could be of more help. i think @grampa1114 is referring to the Eastern Ma Fishing Report which is another forum like this. Seems to be fairly active and a couple of the guys have been very helpful even for me out here in the cheap seats. If you go to the Northeast Bass Fishing forum and scroll through the topics listed, you’ll see the forum to which I refer.
  19. GrumpyOlPhartte
    Just a general comment. First, congratulations to all the state winners! I have joined the BBWC for the past two years. Last year my biggest bass was only two pounds twelve ounces. This year I managed to nail a four pound two ounce bass. So next year ... mebbe it will get even better! And I’m what I would call myself more of an occasional fisherman. Only able to get out once or twice a week. My point is that just by signing up for the BBWC, I found myself becoming a better fisherman. I found I was focusing more on my fishing; taking it more seriously. I definitely was more selective in purchasing tackle, thus fending off the Bait Monkey to a degree (three new rods and one new reel to upgrade my existing lower-end gear). My casting accuracy improved as I started to focus on lure presentation. Funny thing is that I caught fewer bass (and trees and bushes) but, in general, they were bigger. Heck, I even found myself viewing fewer articles and videos, but taking more notes and absorbing more information. I heartily recommend folks enter the BBWC competition just for that added motivation to improve at the sport. I could have spent $25.00 on a lure or two that may or may not have worked, or spent the same amount and improved my overall abilities. For me it was a no-brainer. One final thought. Buy a couple extra measuring tapes - even laminated ones can get ruined. I keep one in my pack for bank fishing and one in my kayak so I never forget to carry one. I have caught larger bass than the Massachusetts entry ... and, hey! Ya never know!
  20. GrumpyOlPhartte
    Heck, I’ve never lost a plug. I know right where each of them is! Now getting to them ... (Well, that’s not exactly true. There is one Whopper Plopper that swam off with a nice bass that could be anywhere. Just hope he was able to shake it loose.)
  21. GrumpyOlPhartte
    I have to agree with @NHBull and did try that route; however, because my rods now all have the micro-guides I found I was redoing my line/leader knots too often. For some reason, even a Crazy Alberto knot or an FG knot tends to fray or unravel, even when I used the Rizutto finish. I had no problems with rods that had larger guides and I’m sure my own knot-tying skills may be an issue since several folks on here state they have no issues with the smaller guides. For me, the objective is to eliminate the line/leader knots if possible. I have thought about trying light (10- to 12- pound test) braid, but, to be honest, I just don’t need any more half-used spools of line sitting around! That being said, NHBull has given me great advice in the past and I’d certainly listen to him.
  22. GrumpyOlPhartte
    What @TOXIC said!!! I’ve only been back into bassin’ for about three years and was driving myself to the poorhouse buying “esoteric” braids, fluorocarbons, and whatever else they could sucker me into buying. In the end, I put braid on my frogging rod (which doubles as a jig and larger soft plastics rod) but either copolymer or mono on my other rods, be they spinning or casting. At my experience level I find any advantages of fluorocarbon to be negated by my inability to use it without constant “amateur overruns”. As in your case, I use three rods when out in my kayak. One rod with 30-pound braid as mentioned above, one with 12-pound mono (or copolymer) and I’m considering 6- to 10-pound for my latest acquisition; a medium-light, fast-action spinning rig for the light stuff. Both mono and copolymer work fine for me fishing the small lakes of Massachusetts. Probably not gonna hook too many double-digit bass.
  23. GrumpyOlPhartte
    @raoka: Hi from the Massachusetts cheap seats (Pittsfield)! Been using a Tournament MB for three years and it’s still going strong. Love the smoothness and the distance I am able to cast. In fact, although I admit there are better reels out there, I can’t justify the cash outlay for a more expensive reel. I just am not discerning enough to feel the need for anything more expensive. But ... I am biased. I’ve been a Lew’s fan since the late ‘70s. The MB is all the reel I need and the customer service is great, too.
  24. GrumpyOlPhartte
    One thing that worked for me was to cast the whopper plopper and let it sit as long as I can stand it, then twitch my rod just enough to jiggle the lure ... and I mean just barely move it. I do that a couple of times, then begin the slow retrieve mentioned by the guys above. Discovered this by accident when I cast my WP, then let it sit while I was stowing my paddle and got clobbered. My best (and totally unsubstantiated) guess is that the splash might get their attention, but their caution may prevent them from attacking the lure immediately. I’ve caught bass before my whopper ever really started plopping or very shortly after I started my retrieve. Never caught a bass if I just cast and retrieve. If you’re not getting any strikes, you might want to try this. Good luck. By the way, best conditions for me are cloudy days with slight surface ripples in the late afternoon and evening. I happen to do best with the 110 size, but that’s probably because I caught my first WP bass on a Monkey Butt 110 so that’s what I tie on first.
  25. GrumpyOlPhartte
    I’ve been looking around for 10-footers myself. (Just turned 69 and getting out of my sit-in isn’t getting any easier.) I don’t know if it matters to you, but I did notice that the Pescador appears to have paddle stowage only on the port side. Since I require anchor trolleys on both sides, this could be an issue. Just thought I’d mention it. Nice yak though. Forgot to mention that vibekayaks.com has some kayaks in your price range that might be of interest. Don’t know anything about them but you might want to check the site. I haven’t figured out how to include links yet.
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