FishDewd

I like it on my spinning rods... idk why exactly. Just feel like it's a good balance between mono and FC without the issues of running straight FC. Has great knot strength and durability for me, and casts good too. There are times I will opt to run a lighter FC leader with it though.

I've never actually tried an XF rod irl, but the ones I've messed with in stores seem too stiff and unyielding for my liking. A moderate-fast to fast seems to fit my style better.

Ah for fly fishing... that makes sense now. Yeah I don't fly fish, maybe some day I'll try it though.

I've never seen poppers like those... very nice!

I have a Lews mach II speed speed spin with an American Hero Speed Stick in 7' M/F rod that was separate from the reel, not a combo purchase, so I can't comment on yours. But mine's done great on some good size fish, particularly catfish. I caught my PB catfish, as well as a redfish, on this set up and it's by far the best money I've spent on a rod/reel set-up thus far. I've used it for topwater, floats rigs, and bottom rigging, and it's served me well.

Ah... that's another reason I never liked them, thought they were single use deals... well that's easy! But bet I can still tie a uni/bobber stop knot with nylon faster than you can do that! :P

I just tie a bobber stop knot with a strand of nylon from inside a section of parachute cord. Much more reliable. I've had the rubber ones get embedded inside of weights and slip floats and even had slip float go past them which required me to cut mainline and reset the whole thing before I could fsh again. So no more stops for me.

I've only had success with whopper ploppers so far, it works in open water or working along the bank. So long as there isn't slop that's usually going to be my first choice.

Interesting, I found a creek that's hard to fish due to quick current, steep sides, and very snaggy bottom. I was checking it once, tossing some bass lures in there to see if anything bit, and kept seeing these long fish with yellowish fins surface every few minutes. I assumed they were gar (though I don't know of any with fins that color) but after looking at these pictures they actually kind of looked more like pike now that I mentally compare. But I didn't think they lived in waters down here that are as warm as they are. Be fun to catch one so I can find out, but they had no interest in the bass lures I was tossing that way.

I catch so few bass though that I'd rather have equipment that can handle the bass lol. I often keep my drag looser than needed to simulate that battle feeling, but at least then I know I can increase it if I hook into more than I bargained for. For me, I like the lighter stuff for when I am specifically targeting panfish and the like. I have a few light spinning rods that I use for finessing for panfish, etc. But if I ever find a hot area with lot's of bass that I can catch more regularly, maybe then I would dabble in UL for bass cause I could see that being pretty fun.

That's true. The fight could be a lot of fun.

There's panfish aka perch everywhere here, so moving locations hardly works lol. I like a good perch bite though, They are delicious if I can get enough of them to make fish tacos.

I never understood ultra light. I can throw the same lures with a medium-light to medium powered rod with the proper tip. Today I fished a mepps anglia #3 with a medium, fast tipped lews tp1 and I was throwing it nearly across my pond. Hook sets? Flick my wrist upward with 6 lb Cabela's fluorocarbon leader, or use a side sweep. Caught the teeniest perch in the whole pond with that, used the perch as a trailer for a jig, then caught a catfish with it on my medium-heavv baitcasting setup lol. Non-conventional for catfishing but I enjoy the challenge!

I was at a local park the other week I don't fish at often because the fishing there tends to be really poor. On this trip I learned why that is. A lady was there when I starting fishing. At one point she gut hooked a small catfish and didn't have pliers. I had needle nose with me and managed to dehook the fish without too much injury for her. However, I expected her to release it cause it wasn't even 9" long. Nope. She walks over to the dock and pulls up a long stringer full of similarly sized or smaller catfish and added to it. That annoyed me quite a bit but I didn't say anything. Those fish werent even a decent bite imo. Maybe I should have or called tpw and reported it cause catfish legal limit starts at 11". But she left shortly after.

In my neck of the woods, any panfish is a perch lol.

Well I wish the best to your "friend", whoever that may be... the fact you put it parenthesis makes me a little suspicious... but yeah, "he" can go fishing but definitely with the techniques that don't require much hook set. Drop shot sounds good, ned rig may be another... most cranks don't require much of a set (to me anyway), etc. May "he" have a smooth surgery and a rapid recovery. I'm not one to suggest time lines since everyone is different, but it can vary depending on age and other factors. Remind "him" to not push "himself" and just enjoy fishing in general.

Sounds like the same issue I had fishing a TRD weedless on a texas rig lol. I vote for perch as well. And I've gotten too where I can tell the difference now a lot better. I seem to be a perch magnet. Apparently a bad habit I developed growing up fishing perch. Now they're just attracted to me on any lure I use!

The only thing I've caught on tubes is catfish lol. I got 4 in one day once, in a bass pond! I tried all sorts of techniques... hopping them, dragging then, swimming them, lift and drop... those each got a catfish but not one bass! Not that I'm unhappy with catfish but it wasn't my target species on that day. I throw one occasionally still when nothing else is working, but no more action aside from that one crazy day.

I like the Berkley Vanish for one use and one use only... as the weight leader for a spinshot drop shot rig. I like it cause it'll break with a firm snap of the rod, leaving the hook untouched. Tie on a new line with a new weight stopper knot, slide in a new dropshot weight and rock on! With that said, I don't have any issue with it and knots. But yeah for actual fluorocarbon leaders for every other use... the seaguar red label has treated me well. It holds knots well, I can use the same knots on it that I would for braid, mono, or co-polymer. Never had any issues with slippage. For the money it's my #1 choice right now, although I know there may be slightly better options. As a mainline I hate FC... but it's very useful as a leader for sure. But yeah... compared to any Vanish, in terms of stength and abrasion resistance... no contest!

I recently discovered the delights of the slasher bait jerkbait. If they had one that went down that far I'm thinking it'd be pretty killer. Action on it is like a dying/injured baitfish. very erratic and it can even be somewhat walked underwater, which is really weird. Pretty cool. Used one today but I think the bass pulled off into deeper waters and I just couldn't get to them to test it out.

When in doubt... lubricate!

I think it's more of an area problem... topwaters work sometimes, but I pretty much fish very pressured areas like public ponds and lakes. Also I'm stuck to the bank. If I could get out in real water on a boat and find some nice sloppy goodness then it might be a different story! But it might be fun to add a a paddletail to my poppin pad crasher. Then it'd be a poppin pad plopper!

I have 3 frogs, one is a popping, but they're all booyah pad crashers. I'm yet to even get a blow-up on them, albeit I can't walk a frog whatsoever lol. I may accidentally walk it a few times but can't repeat it. Poppers on the other hand I can walk... yeah I don't know either.

I'll get some from the yard if desperate but they're always small and skinny and not too much good for fishing. Be better off using katydids or crickets.

It's usually turtles here, I've tried casting to bubbles before and got a big ole turtle's attention a few times. I've also heard it could be carp, catfish, or a gator. But the gas releasing thing said above seems like a viable reason, could be an animal thing, or could be a natural thing that's going on down there.