RDB

On my first trip out I had a Conquest break on the first hook set. Like suggested to you, I sent it in for them to inspect and they deemed it a defect and replaced at no cost. Other than that and an NRX that was snapped in the power poles, I have never had a problem with G Loomis breaks. You will only pay the Xpeditor cost if they deem it operator error and IME, they are pretty fair in their judgements. As far as delays, we are still dealing with supply chain issues and they seem to resupply distributors stock first. Under normal conditions, they weren’t unreasonable with their turnaround in my two cases. Edit: If it were me, I would only buy from a G Loomis dealer. I use Am. Legacy but there are others. I also always ask for a discount.

I’m not as familiar with the GLX but I would choose the 3 power. I use an NRX 893 for those applications. IMO the NRX 893 & 873 CRR are the 2 best G Loomis casting rods in their lineup.

Deep cranks…I have caught a lot of fish but they wear me out after a while.

Dark Sleeper but it’s mostly because I haven’t given it a chance. There are some on these boards that rave about them but I always seem to grab something else.

Umm…I don’t like cocaine, I just like the way it smells.

I get it…he was obviously frustrated. I think many believe that because they are pro’s, they handle things differently. I have spent a decent amount of time fishing with and following pro’s and they can be extremely salty. I have seen guys like KVD dress people down for way less. It happens in all sports. Last night Luka (Mavericks) had to be separated from a fan. I also get it from the pro’s perspective. This is how they make their living and it’s hard enough to cash a check to make ends meet without having to deal the crazy on the water issues. I’m not justifying how he handled the situation though in my experience, his reaction was pretty calm compared to a lot of pro’s. I have a hard time judging because if someone was potentially influencing how I support my family, I’m not sure how I would handle it. I don’t make a living fishing and I still don’t always handle it in the most appropriate manner.

I understand how some may disagree with the handling of the situation, we all handle things differently. As far as the question of being cut off, IMO this is text book. The whole high school bass fishing thing is a big topic of discussion with a lot of Texas anglers. The groups have gotten huge and they will let almost anyone captain. Visit Texas Fishing Forum and you will see a long thread discussing. The main beef with most is not with the kids but with the boat captains. Even some of the long time captains say that most don’t know basic on the water etiquette and get very defensive when coached. Just like almost everything involving kids and sports, it’s usually the parents that create the problems.

Edit: Ironically the other adult is using a platform which is against THSBA rules (they were fishing a high school tournament). My hope is they let it go but I believe they are trying to determine which team it was. Whoever the other adult is, he doesn’t seem to have a lot of respect for rules and boundaries. Kind of makes the name calling make more sense.

Lol…the sarcasm is dripping…it seems like this really got you worked up. If you watch, he didn’t cast at the boat, he cast at an angle toward the bank in front of the boat. Also to your point, he did go around him. As far as creeping up, he never touched his trolling motor…it was all a drift. Everyone has an opinion based on how they handle themselves on the water. As far as hero, I think that may be your words as I don’t remember anyone else saying he is a hero. IMO, this is a classic case of what getting cut off looks whether it’s Todd or you. It’s fine to judge the handling of the situation however you want. Based on how angry this video seems to have made you, my guess is you may have had a few lack of composure moments on the water as well ?.

Hi-viz Smackdown (flash green) for spinning…15 to 8 or 20 to 8. I only use spinning for light finesse. Good performance and doesn’t bleed.

He was already working the bank headed toward the spot and was about a cast away when the guy finally got there. He was literally a cast away when the other boat got to the spot. The point is Todd was clearly working the bank and it was clear the direction Todd was going. It doesn’t matter if the other boat initially saw him or not, he was coming from a completely different area. He certainly saw him well before he got there and instead of respecting Todd, he stood on the trolling motor to get there first. This is a classic case of what being cut off looks like. The right thing to do would be have been to either go behind him or move on. It might have been different if Todd was a long ways away or the other boat was working the same bank from the other direction. That wasn’t the case and Todd was clearly cut off. Sad thing is the high school kids knew but the “adult” didn’t. Edit: The other guy knew. That’s why he wouldn’t make eye contact. Edit 2: It’s starting to become more clear why people cut others off…because it works and nobody says anything about it ?.

Start paying attention to the side of the boat that has the big wake when you see surfers. I’d be willing to bet that the vast majority of the time it will be the side nearest the shore. If it is on the far side, see how much water disturbance there is to your property. Here is a picture where you can see the difference on each side.

No worries…the example was fishing but the overall theme (IMO) is about boating etiquette. As a wake boat owner, I agree that they can be a nuisance at best and a danger at worst. Wake surfing has exaggerated the problem due to the heavy weight added to the back of the boat to create huge waves. Overall, from a wave size perspective, I don’t think wakeboarding typically creates a huge problem. The wake is much smaller and the faster speed doesn’t allow it to build to the same degree as surfing. As an owner, I wouldn’t be opposed to more formalized rules and restrictions, especially for surfing. Outside of an outright ban, I don’t think it would impact how and where I drive the boat. The biggest problem IMO is the drivers don’t respect others, often seek areas close to the shore in the pursuit of calmer water, and are frequently owned by people who are weekend enthusiasts who don’t have a healthy respect or care for on the water etiquette. Edit: One more point. When surfing, you only create the large wake on one side of the boat. One type of restriction might be the side of the wake relative to the shore and shore distance. That would move some surfers away from the shore. Those who remain will have to push the wake toward deeper water and only be allowed to go one direction. That’s what we do if we are anywhere near the shore.

I agree completely…Todd is a very nice and mild mannered guy but he was obviously annoyed. If you knew him you would realize what a good guy he is. I think part of it had to do with the guy refusing to even acknowledge his presence. The other guy knew what he did…even the kids knew. Somehow this thread has turned into some sort of rule book argument and I am frankly surprised by some of these comments on a fishing site. Maybe it has to do with boaters v. non boaters. This isn’t about official rule books but respect of fellow anglers. Sometimes the other person doesn’t know and it’s a learning opportunity. Sometimes they know and do it anyway. Everyone can handle the situation the way they want…who am I to judge. I usually choose to share my view as opposed to just leaving, hopefully in a tactful way. Occasionally you run in to a jerk but the vast majority of the time there are no issues. Even in the video case with Todd, chances are that guy will not cut him off again and will likely be more reluctant with others as well (at least for one day). IMO, this is about common courtesy and respect…if you don’t ask for it and practice it, you likely won’t get it.

I have a Wakesetter and a bass boat and I don’t think most bass boaters think they own the water at all, especially compared to pleasure boaters. I think the statement used by fishermen about not owning the water is likely used by those who make it a habit of cutting people off. The reality is that the pro waited his turn to fish a bedded bass he found earlier and the guy drove across the pocket and idled 20 yards in front of him and camped on the fish. There is a respectful way to treat others on the water and if some posters would have watched the video, they would have seen numerous examples of that looks like in the same video. If others see nothing wrong with that, I only hope I don’t have to share water with them ?.

Yea your right…just a silly weekend angler with a bunch of rods.

I’ll take the other side as I must be the exception. I don’t replace line often at all and can’t remember the last time I broke off a fish that wasn’t in the last 10ish feet. And it’s almost always because I was too lazy to retie. Most of the time a 5% drop in strength would be a blessing as I often find it hard to get the line to break when I’m trying to break off.

I think most everything about rod terminology is confusing to the average angler and much of it has been created by the manufacturers. Personally, I view the tip as a separate subjective measure that is not provided by the manufacturer. In my view, it as what happens beyond the action. When I say I want a certain rod to have a little more tip, for me that means I want the blank beyond the action to have more flex v. a comparable rod. For example, I have a Steez and NRX that on paper have the same specs but the NRX has almost twice the tip flex v. the Steez at the same pressure. Is that the correct terminology for tip? I don’t know but it’s the correct terminology for my purposes. I prefer the “softer tip” NRX because I feel like I can work the bait better, not because of the sensitivity. Until there is a more uniform, simplified way to compare rods that is understandable to the everyday fisherman, this will continue to be a topic of confusion. I have caught WAY more big bass on low to medium end rods than high. I choose high end because I can afford them, they are more pleasurable to fish, and I deserve to indulge in the things I enjoy the most. Sensitivity was never a problem in my broke days but in my hands, the NRX rods are fantastic.

I don’t know if any of you follow Todd Castledine but he is a great fisherman and a super nice guy. He recently posted a video of an on the water interaction that did not go well. It was from a Texoma tournament a little over a month ago and highlights what is too common of an occurrence on many lakes. It is long but IMO, worth the watch as it highlights a very good learning opportunity. It also focuses on a personal pet peeve of mine. I would like to think I would have handled it the same way and I typically do but after a certain word was dropped (you’ll hear it), it would have been hard. Good on Todd for sticking up for what he believes is the right way to treat fellow anglers and keeping his composure when others have little concern or respect for proper on the water etiquette.

I’ve used them and didn’t notice a difference. I’m not sure what you mean about spiraling. When I wacky, the fall on a slack or semi slack line makes the ends flap but the fall is basically straight. I get that whether using an o-ring, a rubber band, or a hook through the bait. I mostly use dental rubber bands. IME you get less hook tear. I use tubing for smaller sizes.

I agree on new stuff…I was more referring to the used market and the potential for people selling high end stuff to make ends meet in this crappy economy.

At the end of the day, there are a lot of good rods on the market. A few more things to consider about G Loomis. First, DO NOT pay retail…you should be able to get a discount but you have to ask. Second, G Loomis rods hold their value very well and are easy to turn if you decide to sell. Last, most folks who buy high end rods take care of them, so you can save a little more on a lightly used rod. Also, with the economy tanking, I think there will be an increase in used rods available as people tighten up to weather the sh@# storm created by our government and Wall Street. The opinions are my own and do not reflect those of the site ?.

Who knows, maybe it’s the caffeine serving as a vasoconstrictor. Maybe it has something to do with an effect on the endothelial lining that influences the speed of clotting. I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) that calcium plays a much larger part in clotting with fish v. mammals. Maybe there is another component that has an influence as well. The clotting cascade of fish is still not completely understood and there seems to be differences between species. Clotting, while seemingly simple, is quite complex. Good thing you didn’t go back 12 years ?.

In defense of those who believe soda stops bleeding in fish, it is a statement often shared by widely read publications. Just last year W2Fish published an article about using soda to stop bleeding and the conclusion was that while getting the fish back in the water was best practice, soda did appear to stop bleeding and did not impede recovery. While they called this a study, I would call it a SMALL experiment and it wouldn’t come close to surviving any type of peer review. That was not the only article published by W2Fish about the positives of soda in the last year. I also heard an angler on a fishing show this year share the practice. The only real study I am aware of was the one published in 2020 that looked at pike: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.15.150797v1 Their finding was there was no effect. They also reinforced the need to scientifically test angler anecdotes. My profession is medicine, specifically biotechnology. It is not uncommon to find alternate applications using existing elements/compounds, many of which have led to new breakthroughs. However, it is important to study the impact and effect before wider application. As others have said, there is little evidence, other than anecdotal, to support the soda claim and most biologists would suggest potential harm. While to my knowledge the harm claim is also likely theory that has also never been validated, I would err on the side of the folks who make their living studying and observing over some YouTuber or blogger who’s only proof is a 30 second observation before releasing the fish. IMO, the best thing we can do is share findings. If the goal is to educate others to take better care of our resources, belittling is the best way to keep misconceptions hidden and limit learning. It is understandable that these impressions still exist as they are still often repeated. This will go away once there is definitive proof but unfortunately it is difficult for science to keep up with all of the wives’ tales that spread across the fishing world.

G Loomis…the standard that everyone else is judged against. Edit: While your at it, put a few more hours in and skip the Aldebaran and put a Steez on it.