GrumpyOlPhartte

What @fishnkamp, @Boomstick, and @Bankbeater said! My Pfleuger President continues to work flawlessly even after being submerged for several minutes when I stepped out of my kayak into a hole. I did pull the spool, wipe it out, and give it a couple of drops of oil - it appeared that despite the abuse, no water got into the works. I willingly concede there may be better spinning reels, but I can't afford them.

I guess I can't wrap my brain around man-caused and natural disasters; I have to think at a micro-level. According to @Glenn in the introduction to the General Forums, there are thousands of members in BR. Now it seems to me that if each of us was to pick up a couple of beer cans, empty fishhook wrappers, or wads of cast-off line each time we went out, the individual effort might appear minimal, but the collective effort would be pretty impressive. That's a boatload of garbage removed from our waterways. I like the idea of sticking a small garbage bag in my pocket for collecting junk. I realize I can't "save the world" but I can surely make my local environment better. I don't know, but I'd rather focus on where I can make a difference than rely on politicians, corporations, or Ma Nature to make a difference. All are out of my control. (Dang! Gotta get me a soapbox for my kayak instead of a milk crate!!)

@islandbass: I've got a question for you. First, that's an excellent discussion, but have you found you use more wrist action when casting with a spinning rig than with a bait casting rod? I found that when going for distance I had better control and accuracy (accuracy for me being any cast that results in my lure being in the same zip code as the target) that if I didn't try to "heave" the lure I did much better. Actually, I learned this from @Glenn while watching his "How to Cast" vids on YouTube when he suggested in holding a piece of paper between your arm and torso while practicing. For me, that really helped. He has a couple of good videos on how to cast. I don't know if they will help in this case, but they really helped me. I learned to use less arm and more wrist.

What @smalljaw67 said. My three-year-old President has a nice firm bail action that almost discourages me from rotating the handle to close the bail. I've finally gotten into the habit of manually closing the bail. Personally, I would not make any mods.

I did find some interesting YouTube videos by a fellow from New Jersey, I believe, which is sort of northeast. Search for KeepinItReelFishing. Has some good stuff on swimbaits and seasonal fishing. I feel your pain - seem to be several really knowledgeable guys on here from eastern Mass and New Hampshire, but I think most of them didn't realize there are a few of us out here in the cheap seats of western Mass that indulge in this great sport. Hopefully some of them will see this and introduce themselves to you. From my experience, these guys may well teach you more than the YouTube vids .... they are all willing to answer questions. Can't do easily do that with YouTube. Having said that, I confess that I have spent countless hours viewing YouTube and have gained a wealth of useful info because the bottom line, in my opinion, is that bass is bass and a lot of what applies in the south applies here - just later in the year! Good Luck!

What @Catt said! I've had varying success with various lures at different times, but I have the most confidence in T-rigged creatures and worms. I can only take three rods in my kayak and one is always rigged with a 4/0 hook and a 3/8-oz bullet sinker. Even then it seems some days it has to be a Zoom Ol' Monster; other days only a BioSpawn Exostick Pro will get their attention. As I attempt to learn more, I almost always start with something else, but invariably end up heaving a T-rig. This idea of starting with something else has paid off in one way. One sunny day I learned that Reaction Innovations flukes fished weightless can draw bass like gangbusters (the operative words being "sunny day"). This year on a cloudy day it was natural-colored spinnerbaits! But for consistent success, I rely on T-rigs. With the overwhelming variety of lures available, I have to "strategize" my approach to avoid falling victim to the Bait Monkey. One final thought: I have not been able to figger out how long to try something new before I give up. I arbitrarily use one hour and try to give it a chance on two days that have different weather conditions, but it's tough when my T-rigs are singing their siren song! So much to learn, so little time and money!

I have to agree completely with what has been said so far. Some really good advice worth following. I'm not sure this will be much help, but in Massachusetts the Department of Energy and Environmental affairs publishes rough topo maps (Even crude ones give you a starting point.) of many ponds and lakes. (They are currently updating.) Along with these maps is a brief description of the species found in each lake. I was surprised to find that golden shiners are in many. Needless to say, that was nice to know when making color selections for swimbaits, flukes, chatterbaits, and so on. I'm a believer in the "match the hatch" philosophy and in my case I found my fluke selections using this information paid off. So, I would suggest you check out available info for your area. I think research makes me a better (not good, but better) fisherman. Hope this helps.

My early fishing was with a Zebco 202 on a no-name pole (purchased at Western Auto of all places)in French Creek and the Allegheny River. Only "knew" two things. First, it seemed the fish all swam upstream when I disturbed them ... or ... Second, they bolted for deeper water. So I would walk up to the North end of town and wade down toward my house, a distance of around a mile. I'd fan cast starting out deeper and work my way into shore. Then I'd wade down a few yards and repeat as necessary. My philosophy was that if they spooked, they'd be headed into water I had already fished. And I did catch enough bass to keep my interest, but back then a good day resulted in maybe a half dozen. I always let them go because I wasn't sure how to clean them.

As a purely recreational fisherman, I would make a suggestion - I would refrain from making a reel purchase online unless I had actually held the reel and played with it. All the good advice in the world doesn't help if the reel you get is a lemon or just doesn't "feel right" in your hands. I happen to disagree with some of the highly-touted reels mentioned here based on an unpleasant experience with the brand, but while I would never buy the brand, I would not argue with anyone about the merits or disadvantages of any reel. When I went to the local Dick's I was able to see, touch, and play with several reels in my price range. True, I couldn't check out the drag, but I could check out the play in the handles, the overall construction, the cast control features, and the feel of the reel in my hand. Some of the brands I looked at were Abu Garcia, Okuma, Lew's, and a couple of others. Again, as a recreational fisherman, I found several possibilities that would serve me well. I happened to choose Lew's simply because I found the reel to "work" for me and their customer service to be very responsive to my questions. The reel has served me well for two years, but, to be honest, I think some of the others would have served just as well. In the end, it's about your budget and fishing habits. Good luck!

@Mocktopus: In the Navy it was called "jury rigging" - using what was at hand to solve a problem. I went out with jigs but no trailers. Stuck on a few inches of a mag trick worm and apparently bass don't mind one-clawed crayfish in these parts. The important thing is that the young lass had an experience with her dad that she will never forget. Just a casual observation: kids and bass really don't care about exotic, expensive gear. Good on ya!

@Boomstick: I agree - experiment! The only problem with that is figuring out what to do with all those rejects. I got a shoebox full of packs of worms that, for one reason or another, haven't produced! I contemplated melting them down to make new colors but my wife informed me that if I did so I would require two pans - one to melt them and one for her to bounce off my head for ruining the first pan. Sigh! I wonder if other great innovators faced such daunting obstacles to their genius. (Either that or I gotta find some new lakes with picky fish.)

@papajoe222: I locked that little sonuvagun in my cellar, but every now and then he sneaks out ...

@Outdoor Zack: I'm not exactly an expert, but for me, success usually comes when I cast beyond my target. The big worms can make quite a commotion when they hit the water. To fish a laydown I cast up to or onto the shoreline and drag/hop it through the target area. When fishing lily pads, I cast beyond my target area and s-l-o-w-l-y work it across the pads to the point/hole into which I want it to sink. I hope this helps.

@Ghostshad: Thanks for asking this! I've wanted to ask the same thing. I live about three and a half miles from the ends of the earth in western Massachusetts. The most exciting form of entertainment here (except for fishing) is to go to the local Dick's Sporting Goods and watch them unpack the new tackle. I had pretty much relegated my choices to Zoom Ol' Monster and Culprit 10- and 12-inch worms, but your question has provided me with a plethora of options in one easy-to-find reference. To all the folks who responded, a big, "Thank you!" Ya just never know who will benefit when you take the time to share your time and experience!!

CARP! What the heck are they doing when they jump? Always gets my ol' heart racing and it's s-o-o tempting to cast to the splashes. Took me a long time to realize they weren't bass. Sheesh!

I've followed most of the advice given here; these guys know what they are talking about! But I've had a weird experience over the last two years. Last year, I grabbed what I thought were three bags of South Africa Special Zoom Ol' Monster (I use these because it's tough to find a local supply of black/blue fleck for dark days.) worms at Dick's and one of the packs was Plum. At the checkout I was just too lazy too take them back, so I figured, "What the heck?" and kept them. Turns out that was a fortuitous foul-up. Although they resemble no natural food in local lakes, bass went after them like crazy! Now they are an integral part of my arsenal, but only when I fish one particular lake ... and only on sunny days. Go figger! I'd just suggest that you take the advice given here to start, but maybe try an occasional variation. Ya just never know. (Now if I could just work up the courage to try Bubblegum.) Good luck!

Well, it's been a year since this forum was established and sonuvagun! It still is useful. That Search option is pretty handy! These rainy days I've been attempting to learn useful knots and the snell is on the list. I originally planned on using it for punching or flipping, neither of which I have figured out how to accomplish from my sit-in kayak. (Well, unless tossing the lure straight up in the air, covering my head, and waiting to see where it lands is a form of either method.) But it has gotten me to thinking about trying snells for Texas rigs. I like the idea of the hook response to the hookset, but understand the issue with the worm/creature sliding down the hook; however, a toothpick cures that. So, after reading the advice and other thoughts expressed here, I guess I'll give it a rip and see what happens. To all all the rest of the newbies out there - use the Search before you ask reruns. Ya might just find the answer back in the musty archives! I gained valuable insight into a technique about which I was interested but confused. Heck, I'm still confused, but a lot smarter about snelled rigs.

Might be able to work a weightless fluke rigged weedless (Zoom Super Fluke, Kaitec, Reaction Innovations) I'd start with something having a tapered nose as opposed to a blunt or flat nose). Another possibility might be one of the toads (Zoom Horny Toad, Rage, etc.) Lakes around here that I fish look a lot like that, especially as summer progresses.

I'm probably not the best one to answer, because this was an upgrade from one of my old UglyStiks and I admit I found the sensitivity to be far superior when trying this rod with chatterbaits, jigs, and T-rigged worms. The vibration of the chatterbait and the bottom contact were much more defined, in my opinion. I can't speak to punching or flipping, but I suspect there would be a similar increase in sensitivity were I to try either technique. For me, sensitivity has never been a concern when frogging since in my experience to date I have relied on visual indicators. I would guess that certain brands of high-end rods would be more sensitive, but I'll never have the bucks to confirm one way or the other. From my experience so far, I honestly believe the retractable butt feature has little or no impact on rod sensitivity simply because all of the mechanics are in the butt. I don't think the sensitivity of the blank is affected.

@bassinOUT89: I don't know if this helps, but I ordered one of the Manley Rods because they have that retractable butt feature. (I'd have provided a link, but I'm clueless as to how.) I'm not familiar with the BPS model, but I love the Manley. Takes less than a quarter of a turn twist of the lock ring to go from 7'2" to 7'6" (or anywhere in between). If the BPS model is anything like it, I would think you would like the feature. Keep in mind this is coming from a sit-in kayak fisherman, but it has made my life a lot simpler. And I have mentioned this brand in other posts but have no connection to them. I own exactly one of their rods for which I paid full price. But Mr. Manley treated me like a pro when I called with questions and the price was good, meaning I could actually afford it. Oh, and the company builds custom rods for you heavy hitters. Now let me climb down off my soapbox and say that for me, a retractable-butt rod is a lifesaver in this way. A quick twist, extend the handle, make a two-hand cast, quick twist, retract the handle half way; and it clears my PFD while I work the lure, and fight and land the fish. Hope this helps!

Well, ya gotta admit the shipping fee wasn't all that bad, but seems to me that at that price they could have thrown it in for free. Mebbe if you're a Prime member ...

@fishnkamp: Big fan of the Pfleuger President myself. I'm just curious why you chose the 6935. I'm not disagreeing in any way; just happened to pick the 6930 myself because it was lighter and certainly holds enough line for the fishing I do, but maybe I'm missing something. Would love to know your rationale for the model selection. Thanks!

Years ago I used right-handed baitcasting reels, but after almost losing a rod trying to switch I purchased a couple of left-handed reels. In a sit-in kayak, wearing a PFD, the longer butt of my rod snagged on my PFD as I tried to make the switch after setting the hook. Also found a rod with an adjustable butt. I am still getting comfortable with the left-handed reels, but for me, it just made sense to convert. Besides, the bass don't really notice. I say, "Do what feels right for you."

@MassYak85: You're probably right. I got in the habit after dipping my reel a few times while rerigging or unhooking a fish (more of the former than the latter unfortunately). Easy to do in a sit-in kayak. I use a twisted piece of paper towel to absorb any water and old oil before oiling anew. I have noticed that sometimes the paper towel has some grime which to me implies the potential for excess friction and wear. Now it's just a part of my routine and only takes a couple of minutes. Don't know if it's necessary. Maybe I should change my nick to QuerulousOlLady?

@fishnkamp: Great info. First, Bravo Zulu for emphasizing the spinning gear. The PO does seem to discount spinning gear in his posts though. Heck, the first rig I bought when I got back into fishing included a Pfleuger President and after a couple of years (and a few dunkings in various lakes, it's still going strong. Gotta admit I appreciate the "saving up" but at my age they'd have to dig my sorry butt up to use whatever I was saving up to buy! I kinda lost perspective there. @FlaGaitor: Looks to me like you have a lot to chew on.