jrfuda

Me too - mostly on my frog rod. I always wrap two or three times in the opposite of the "reel in" direction before I tie my arbor knot. I've never had a slipping issue on a baitcaster or spinning rod. However, while I've not done it yet, I do see how it can save money on braid for rods where it is unlikely you'd line out - probably my flipping/pitching rig.

I was at a Scout camp and we only had one rod/reel combo - which itself was a telescoping spincast job we probably spent $40 on. I made another rod out of a piece of PVC we found at our campsite using a little line from the telescoping combo, a bobber, split shot, and a hook. I gave this to one of the Scouts that used it for 5 minutes and decided he would check a real rod and reel out from the quartermaster because my PVC pipe would never work. I took the pipe and started fishing. No sooner was the scout on the bridge returning him to the side of the lake where the equipment shed was than I caught a fish - decent size rainbow trout (hatchery trout, dumb as a rock). He came running back and proceeded to catch two more over the next 20 minutes or so.

I too prefer regular-sized guides. I bought a Tatula elite "skipping jig" rod online, not realizing it had micro guides. I had some issues using braid with a flouro leader because of the itty bitty guides and decided to go pure flouro, not realizing straight flouro - for me and my poor skipping skills - was not the best choice for my skill level (lots of backlashes). I thought flouro would be better abrasion-wise around wood. I'm thinking of trying mono in the setup or trying again with braid and flouro with an FG knot. I typically use double-uni for all my freshwater leaders, but can tie an FG just fine as I use it for my big surf rigs all the time.

I originally used two 8' kits from Max Gain Systems and eventually bought enough parts to bring them to 10' or 12' (or leave at 8'6") depending on my need. Found that I did not like them longer than 10', and 8'6" did the trick most of the time. I used a couple of loops of 550 (para) cord through the cleats on the front of my boat to hold the anchors in place. When I was not using them, I slid the handles back to another pair of loops mid-boat, which kept them out of the way but still easy to deploy. I found, however, that I would always hesitate to deploy them and redeploy them becuase I still disliked it even though it was not that difficult. The biggest issue was keeping them vertical given my choice (550 cord loops) of securing them. I've since bought a pair power pole micro drivers and repurposed them (back to original 8' config) for use in the micro driver and they work great.. also work a make-shift push poles when I need them to. Having the power pole micros drivers, I don't give a second thought to using them, but it was an expense I'd rather not of had.

Look on craigslist and facebook marketplace. I always see raiders and similar small boats available for cheap.

I agree with y'all that put a fish gripper on your scale. My wife got me an inexpensive scale for Christmas that came with the metal hook, which I swapped out for a 6" Rapala grip. Now it's as good as the more expensive models, passed all accuracy tests I've given it, and I'm sure cost significantly less even with the addition of the grip.

I prefer hi-vis line. My favorite right now is Berkley X9 crystal - don't have to worry about color fading, and man is it smooth. Most of my rigs have leaders (except my frog rig and punching rig, both straight braid) so it does not matter, and my skipping/dock/wood rig is straight flouro. I have a couple rigs with low-vis line that I've not changed out yet... used one the other day and I could not see it at all through polarized lenses; it was awful. I've not done it yet, but have a sharpie in my kit and may try darkening the first few feet of my straight braid rigs; can't hurt.

I agree 100%. I struggle casting anything less than 3/8 oz (less than 3/8, 3/8 is OK) on my baitcasters and it's all due to the rod. With my so-so casting skill, I cannot properly load any of my baitcasters with less than 3/8 oz, even the rods rated for 1/4 oz. I can cast the heck out of 'em with my med-light spinning gear. I've got an ultralight panfish rod that can really send light stuff! That said, I've toyed with the idea of buying a light-to-medium-light baitcasting rod and trying it with one of my existing reels, but can't really justify it since the spinning rigs I have work so well.

"Stereo" version of live imaging. Two emitters instead of one plus heavier processing in the black box that produces a true 3D image of what you're pointed at, you'll be able to see distance, depth, azimuth, shape, size, etc of everything. If they increase the field of view enough, you could have this 3D image all around you instead of just what you're pointed at. I imagine setup would be somewhat complex to ensure they're on the same plane and you'd have to input how far apart they are from each other during setup (or they'd ping each other and figure it out with software). Also multiplexing so the emitters can sweep through their entire range of frequencies hundreds of times per seconds so you can get the benefits of whatever each frequency offers, again processed by a much more robust chart or blackbox that results in a composite image that requires almost no interpretation... or are they already doing this on some scale?

We have a.....forgot how to use English's / Field and Stream Combo as well. They are usually well stocked, though it did get a bit rough around August of last year. The two main guys that work the department are rather knowledgeable as well, especially the older guy (probably retired from his first job). They have a decent rod selection, and it's nice to be able to hold a rod in your hand before buying. Same for lures - it's nice to see them in person. I get my military discount plus rack up their rewards points, so the prices are not bad once those are factored in. Is the "forgot how to use English" a censoring because of the name of the store? I used the singular possessive version instead of the plural version like everyone else...

Me too. I remove the split rings from pretty much all of my hardbaits and use snaps.

I'm not sure. My other reels are a pair of elites (regular and a P/F for cranks and pitch/flip respectively), an SV TW on my skipping rig, and two CTs (frog rig and topwater rig). The only rigs I make long casts on are the cranking, swimbait, and topwater rig. My cranking rig by far casts the furthest, but I think my casting technique loads a moderate-ish rod better than a fast ro, and the elite reel probably helps a bit. I think I am overloading the 795SB when I cast because I tend to get a highly parabolic trajectory - way too much altitude versus distance. Or maybe I'm releasing too soon. It is the longest of my distance casting rods (my FR 805 is longer, but it's for pitching/flipping) so maybe that's the problem. I just need more practice. I have similar issues when I surf fish, which I only get to do every few months, getting used to long rods and timing the release just right.

That's my exact swimbait setup also. Biggest I have is an S-Waver 168 (plus a couple of Amazon knock-offs)... I also throw an A-Rig on it that it probably pretty close to the same weight, but does not cast as well, probably more due to me not casting it as aggressively as the S-Waver... and drag through the air. I use this rig for larger swim jigs and chatter baits too. I can't cast nearly as well with this rig as I can with my crankbait rig (Dobyns Fury 705CB and Tatula Elite) or nearly any of my other rigs. I still think it's due to my technique throwing heavier lures and fear of breaking my leader or line. I just added a GoPro on a Yolotek powerstick and am going to record myelf on the water to see what I'm doing different casting my swimbait rig versus my others.