PhishLI

LOL! Not just yet. What's confusing here is that colors very close to Yamamoto Watermelon Black Flake are my best producers. That particular color is quite a bit darker than most other brand's versions often called watermelon seed, etc. Watermelon Black Flake ala Yamamoto is different. As long as darker tones of green and black are in the mix then everything's hunky dory. Black alone has even been great, but mix in shades of dark blue and I'm singin' the blues. On a side note, Yamamoto 297 has been a great color for me elsewhere, but is a dud in my home lake. Only after being totally frustrated throwing it with zero feedback did I take a blind shot with watermelon/blk flake. I terrorized them for 2 months straight with that color, then bought other baits as close to it as I could find and continue to do quite well. Megabass green pumpkin blue doesn't look as if there's any blue in it whatsoever, but instead has the dark green hue of GY Watermelon/BLK/FLK and I absolutely clean up with the Hazedong Shad in that color. These outcomes likely have more to do with statistics and probability due to the the slim bass population here than the colors I choose. There's also the possibility that I simply suck at fishing, but it's mostly just tough sledding here for myself and everyone I know. I've been skunked with the colors that have worked well, of course, but it's the others that have left me completely stumped.

My local B&T has 400 yard spools of 14lb Sufix Tritanium Plus in the closeout bin. $4 for 1 or $3 each for 5. Is it junk? Any happy users?

I've never ever ever caught a fish on any chartreuse yellow, red, or junebug colored bait. I have those colors in many bait types and can't seem to get any play. I'm heading to Home Despot for a can of Rustoleum. They're all getting spray painted black, except for the red Manns Jelly Worms. I'm setting those on fire.

It was frigid and very windy here today, so going to the lake was out. I was dying to see how it would go throwing a 1/8 oz # 7 Rapala jointed minnow. It weighs 3.5 grams on the scale. The reel is spooled up with 8lb Sufix Advance. The rod isn't ideal for this bait, an Omen Black 2 7'1" MF, but I wanted to get a feel. The wind wasn't nearly as bad on the side of my house, but I was limited to overhead casts due to the proximity of the fence and max distance due to trees. The lure went 70 ft easily before I stopped it on several flick throws. No funny business with fluff ups or over runs. I'm confident I can get that bait out 90 ft or more on this less than ideal setup. I'll probably grab a Teton soon and find out what the basement is. A bearing upgrade will be interesting. Anyway, a 10 gram spool with a slick braking system is a good recipe for throwing light baits successfully. In addition, it's tiny, palms great, and is light. Too bad it's a Lew's. If it were called something else, like with a D or S, it'd be getting raves.

When A-Jay speaks my portfolio trembles.

Looks like you're set, until the next Black Friday sale anyway. ?

We fish the IMA and the Curve as shallow running cranks just above the greenery in the shallows. Neither has enough of a bill or runs nose down enough to really deflect anyway. Not much to deflect off of around here, just muck and weeds to get snagged in.

I'm with you! I had 3 fully impacted wisdom teeth that had to go, in two sittings. Mama mia.

Don't do it. They're giving my brother the run around, even after his bank got involved directly. He ordered on 1/19. Nothing but smoke and a tracking number that never indicates the shipper received the package. His bank is holding the funds back. If it comes, they'll release them. If not my brother's OK. Too much trouble. Lot's of guys on FB crying about this and what "seems" like bogus testimonials about packages that were received are being posted.

Anyone that's had dental surgery that required a pain killer knows exactly what it feels like when the drug kicks in. It's an ahhhh moment. The stress of pain washes away and you're left in a dull glow. Total peace. That's exactly what fishing feels like to me. Each step towards the water washes everything away. Like Koz said, I go blank. I fish as much as time allows and my wife will tolerate. I don't do drugs or drink. Fishing's my shot of JD. Fishing's my opiate.

My brother has some. I would've grabbed a few myself but I'm stocked on the IMA Bill Lowen squarebill. Same idea. 0-3 ft. When they won't come up for the Mann's Baby, or something like it, there's a chance they'll bite these cranked a tad lower. The Curve 55 has a bit less wobble than the IMA, which can be a good thing, depending.

Hey, maybe they read your article and found inspiration! The way it clips over the hook's eye and is then held down by the line is nifty. My chances of throwing baits like these 50 ft off shore and swimming them back in where the bluegill are bedding is about zero with the veg around here. It's a killer tactic at night when the bass come in to grab them, but I've been limited to totally weedless presentations with buried hooks. I lost two absolute tanks during the prespawn last year. When I think about it I still feel that very different pull in my forearm of when a donk is on the line. The tail slap, then nothing. Uhg... Anyway, these could be a game changer.

Update: Misprint. Righties only. Boooo. Website updated.

I just got these. Installation is a breeze. 3 to a pack. They're super soft, but should help to keep from snagging salad. I doubt they'll mess with hookups at all. I don't have too many open hook baits, but if these are legit I'd be encouraged to get some more. It'll be a spell until the veg is high enough to find out. Has anyone tried these yet? I have no affiliation whatsoever with this brand.

I haven't tested the lowest limit yet on the TP LFS yet as fishing windows have been precious because of the weather. It'll sling 1/4oz jerkbaits very, very nicely. I'll start pushing it down to see how low I can go. I really don't have the stick for that, but I'll get a feel for it with what I have.

Emailed. Waiting.

Today I opened an email from Sportsmens Outfitters that had the Custom Lite SLP in the ad priced at $214. I'm this close, but I've spent a mountain of loot lately. I'm finding that the new Tournament Pro LFS is outstanding. I think it's great. If the Custom lite only equals it's performance but in a lighter package then it'll be even greater. The brake tech is the same and I'm assuming the spool is at least as light or lighter than the TP LFS which is super light. It casts light baits beautifully. The monkey is strong with this one. Report back if you grab one.

I fish lots of spots that are loaded with pads, so when they're up I'm fishing straight braid. Even where there's open water near pads there's a chance that a fish will run me into them. I haven't lost a fish to a broken knot using 30lb braid or greater while fishing in or near pads. I have with 20lb though, so I don't bother with it. Right now I'm running 8lb Advance copoly, 10lb Advance copoly, 12lb Big Game, 15lb High Seas Copoly, 15lb Trilene Fluoro, 17lb Seige, and 20 Lb Big Game. My thumb, brake settings, and awareness need to be on point as a kink after a fluff up or a backlash means re-spooling. Besides that, I like fishing with plastic lines for their different properties. They're all strong enough for bass fishing. One thing I like about plastic lines is this: I end up bomb casting alot because much my fishing is done by wading lakes right off the bank. Regardless of the fact that 99% of the fish I hook are within 50 ft of where I'm standing, I can't help it. When I'm not getting bites close I need to cover water. I tell myself that I might get followed in from 150 out. Maybe I do. In this scenario, bomb casting, I find plastic lines are more forgiving than braid. I can put more mustard on the cast at lower brake settings and get fantastic distance, especially with lighter lures. Several factors are in play here including these: Wet plastic is slick and doesn't key into itself like wet braid does. It also doesn't fight as hard through the level wind, especially on reels where the level wind's aperture is oriented closer to the spool, or not dead center. Plastic might fluff in the middle of a hard cast, but will usually correct quickly. At the same point braid will often wrap around the spool causing a hard backlash. This happens less with 50lb braid and up, but it's still more frequent than mono. I haven't had a single fatal backlash since I re-spooled with plastic lines in November, and I'm constantly shooting for the moon, so it's not much of an issue for me. So I'll use plastic lines until I can't, then switch to braid when I must. In either case it will be full spools. I hate a leader knot going through my guides on casting gear, but I'll tolerate it for spinning setups.

I wear special swimbait socks. I know they work and nobody can tell that I'm nutz.

Today I was able to get to a spot during daylight hours, finally. It was raining, but I needed to see this bait in action and figure out my retrieve. Wow. It's a cross between a glide and a spook and a suspending jerk. Twitch-pause and it'll nearly turn around while suspending. Nice erratic fleeing/dying baitfish action. Also, it casts like a bullet! I'm pumped! Thanks to jimmyjoe for being curious and thanks to A-Jay for spillin' the beans!

If that particular reel has the grease port for the main gear located on the bottom of the handle sideplate then you must remove it prior to removing the handle side plate. Once you've completed greasing, and when you're ready to reinstall the screws that hold the handle sideplate to the frame, or any fine thread screw, with slight pressure only, rotate the screw counter clockwise until you feel or hear a slight click. This is where the lead in threads meet. Make sure the screw is perpendicular to the frame and not on an angle at all, then proceed to rotate it clockwise gently until it's snug. If you haven't begun to crossthread them they will thread in easily. If you feel any resistance then you have, so stop quickly and start over. Starting these screws this way will eliminate cross threading them and causing you undue heartache.

Yes, but it says 71LP, not LPL. I'm still going to call them to check. I wanted a lefty when that sale was on, but no dice. My brother got one Patriach and one Patriarch XT during the sale in right handed. Both are fantastic reels.

Don't sweat it! IMA Suspending Vibe 70 I threw mine in daylight today for the first time. Wait until you see how you're able to work this one. It's nice how it turns around after the twitch-pause. It's more of a suspending glide than a subsurface spook, IMO, and it casts like a bullet. Killa.

I think that's an error. The LH version, which hasn't been available for quite a time, is the Patriarch 71LPL. Theirs is listed at the Patriarch 71LP.

I run Z man freedoms nude with paddle tails and worms like Thumping dingers. There are no rules. I ran out of swimmers and tried the dingers and they whacked it. Nude swing heads with ewg hooks for weedless presentations work just as well, if that's what they happen want on that particular day.