RDB

I think the economy and everything going on in the world has people on edge. This was obviously a light hearted post that has somehow turned judgmental. People need to lighten up and talk about things we can all agree on…like which is best, mono or fluoro.

They don’t list rod specs for MOST guys. People hold rods differently, whether baitcasters or spinning (especially spinning). Balance point (not imbalance point) takes out the variability and gives a consistent point of reference. It is literally the point where the rod is perfectly balanced. That’s why they measure in inches from reel seat. Here is an example from a Tackle Tour review (they show balance point for all rods…note column 4). In your way of thinking, 8.5” would be the imbalance point, which makes no sense. I’m not going to argue…you can die on this hill if you like. Lab Results for G.Loomis NRX 852C JWR Model Avg RoD (2-32 oz) Taper Measured Weight (oz) Balance Point (inches) Balancing Torque (ftlbs) G.Loomis NRX 852C JWR 2.01 Extra-Fast 3.7 oz 8.5 0.15 MBR842C GLX 1.99 Fast 4 8.5 -- MBR783C GLX2000 1.72 Fast 4.8 5 0.11

With respect, this is not correct. The balance point of a rod is not the center of the reel seat…it is measured from the reel seat and can vary by rod. For example, look at the Tackle Tour reviews for the G Loomis NRX 852c and the Dobyns 735. They list a balance point at 8.5” for the 852 v. 5.5” for the 735. Hand position and reel size can influence the feeling of balance.

Most of my reels are Steez but I bought the new Zillion because I was curious. It is a quality reel and I have no desire to swap out.

Nah…poor abrasion resistance. ?

As you likely know, the majority of ponds in Texas are not spring fed or actively managed, yet typically hold bass unless they go dry. As WRB said, what is the acreage and depth of the pond? Is it public? What kind of property is around it? What kind of habitat is present to support the food sources? Are you seeing similar food source signs of life? While not explaining your lower success rates over the past few months, the drop in overall quality of bass could be an early sign of overpopulation. Often the final manifestation of this is the head and body out of proportion but that is typically not the early sign. You can get an idea by logging your catches by length. Bass are pretty resilient and depending on the ecosystem, can adjust to outside influences fairly efficiently. When I was young, we used to fish a deep pond on the property of a brick plant. The pond was used as a dump site for broken and scrap bricks and had signs warning of dangerous sulfur levels and to not to keep or eat the fish. We weren’t supposed to fish but kids will be kids. Because fish were never removed, you could catch 50 bass in an afternoon but a 2 pounder was a toad. That pond also greatly enhanced my eyesight as I now have a third eye on my forehead. Edit: I see you answered a few of the questions.

Balance influences the resistance to gravity in the position the rod is being used and in theory, increases fatigue and accuracy over time (some argue sensitivity as well). With a tip heavy rod used in a tip up position like a jig, your hands are fighting against gravity. On the other hand, gravity would have little influence with a tip heavy rod in a tip down position like topwater. The reel used and your hand position will have an influence on balance. One of the biggest complaints you hear about G Loomis JWR rods is they are tip heavy. Personally, I don’t find balance to be much of an issue but some anglers seem to be sensitive to balance. Edit: Balance is reflected in inches from the reel seat and the horizontal position is used because it is the most objective way to measure. A rod that balances 8” forward will be more tip heavy than one balanced 4” forward.

I Carolina a decent amount and use tungsten because I want better bottom feedback. I think a lot of CR problems come from using force to pull snags loose. When I first feel a potential hang-up, I will use light line snaps to pop it free before applying much force. In my experience, when force doesn’t work, you have likely buried the weight or hook and even repositioning likely won’t work. There are times when I may have to snap the line 15-20 times but I can usually get it free.

It will be fine but if there was ever a line that justifies backing, it’s Tatsu. Great line but not cheap.

In my first post, you can see the caveat to my statement.

Use what you feel comfortable with and ignore the noise. Most of this is just semantics and people trying to defend their opinions at all costs. It’s a fisherman thing.

We have officially Jumped The Shark on the stretch discussion. How about the answer to the question of mono/fluoro stretch is both true and false. I don’t know which one stretches more out of the box or how the force to stretch differs and it shouldn’t matter…you only get one out of the box experiment because of minimal rebound with fluoro. The first time you set a hook, fight a fish, pull a bass from the slop, hang a limb, you are going to stretch your fluoro. That stretch sets a new baseline for the amount of stretch you will get moving forward. Check it yourself. Wrap some fluoro around your hands and give it some stretch at different pressures. The more you stretch, the less and harder it is to stretch after. You eventually get to a point where it doesn’t stretch anymore (well before the breaking point). So IMO, fluoro does have less stretch after the initial stretch but somewhere close out of the box. Does that mean the line becomes useless after the first stretch? I don’t know but I do know that I don’t re-spool after every fish, limb, etc. and I rarely break off. There likely isn’t a person on this site that has fluoro spooled on a reel that hasn’t been stretched.

Ugh…I so don’t want in this conversation. Please don’t toss your fluoro if it gets stretched.

I think the question is will the neoprene cover protect his rod from the elements, not is it ok for a rod to get wet. Comments regarding mildew and moisture trapped in the sleeve seem to be valid concerns. At least that’s my reading of his question.

I’m confused and guessing you didn’t read my post. I literally quoted and was replying to a post that was using umbrella rigs to prove the fallacy of fluoro. Do you agree that most people (didn’t say me…I’m not sharing my opinion) typically refer to the visability advantages of fluoro in close contact presentations (either rightly or in your case wrongly)? If yes, we agree and that’s all I said. I intentionally avoided having an opinion outside of the specific umbrella rig argument because I knew it was a waste of time. Maybe you weren’t looking for a fight. However, it looks like you read the post and it triggered you into thinking I said something that I didn’t. I am cool with that as I know this is a polarizing topic and one I wish to avoid. Edit: In your defense (not that you need defending), I have voiced my advocacy of fluoro in the past and you may have been a party in those discussions. If that is the case, it is understandable that you might have assumed I was taking a position that I intentionally avoided. Either way, it’s all good.

Like I said, fishing line is like politics and I’m not looking to argue. Choose someone else from the post and go nuts. I just got a popcorn refill.

Don’t chance it…bring it in. ATA, I don’t want to hijack your post but your question brought up 2 questions I have had, 1 is related: 1. If a rod goes in wet or if there is some wetness inside, how quickly does it dry and does it potentially matter (worried about the mildew you referred to)? 2. Does the weight of the Neoprene cause any bend in the upper portion of the rod? I would prefer Neoprene for hook purposes but have hesitated. Apologies…it didn’t warrant it’s own thread and seemed somewhat appropriate here.

You may be right. Right handedness dominates the population but there does seem to be a cultural bias, so maybe there is some influence there. There is a genetic component as well and it has been shown that babies in the womb start showing a preference for one hand over the other when thumb sucking, so there may be a hard wired component. Whatever the reason, I would be willing to bet left handed reel use would be higher if you could eliminate all bias.

Lol…I think you miss my point. This was about the OP’s question, not a commentary on what others have chosen. The only philosophical point I made was that the “efficiency” is the same. I don’t doubt that you are super efficient moving one hand to reel and sliding your other hand to palm. That doesn’t mean that others are not efficient moving one hand to palm and sliding the other to reel (same move, opposite hands). It’s interesting that you have techniques that work better with the opposite hand but I didn’t see that observation in the OP’s post. My reply was in reference to those who say that “switching” hands is somehow slower and inefficient AND therefore recommending that the OP, who has used right handed reels his entire life, keep a reel he would normally NOT keep because what he is using now is somehow wrong. I don’t care what the OP or any others ultimately choose…as you said “use what makes you happy”. Like you, I have also have never cast a hat off but for a different reason. I have chosen to become just as efficient casting with both right and left hands while reeling from only one side. Two ways to accomplish the same outcome.

Ouch…I guess that rules out multiple fish on one cast. At least you have an idea on the hook location for the highest odds.

I don’t know the rules for your state on the number of hooks allowed…in Texas it is 5. My most common setup is a 3.5-4” swimbait, 1/8th oz jig heads on the upper arms and 1/4th oz on the 2 bottom arms (the heavier weights on the lower arms help stabilize the rig). I sometimes use a slightly larger sized swimbait on the trailing arm and I will almost always add a little color to that trailing swimbait. You are representing a bait ball so I would stay in a similar size range as the forage you are representing. Edit: Check your state regs. first but even in states that allow fewer hooks, you can usually use dummies for the other arms.

I don’t disagree with you regarding the inconsistency in logic with some folks…your point is well taken by me. All I will say is that I use all 3 line types and each has a place and application for me. Now back to my popcorn. Edit: Some would argue that fluoro or braid should be used with umbrella rigs for stretch reasons but most people use heavy (20-25 lb) fluoro with an umbrella. I can’t imagine there would be much, if any, difference in stretch between mono & fluoro at that diameter but I am no expert on mono and stretch so I easily could be wrong.

The topic of mono v. fluoro is like politics…minds are made up and nothing is going to change them. However, the whole umbrella rig proves fluoro is hype argument always makes me chuckle. Those who discuss the visibility advantages of fluoro are generally speaking about close contact presentations where bass will often examine your lure. Umbrella rigs are typically reaction lures and are most effective with some limitation in water visibility (to everyone, please don’t say every lure is a reaction lure…I think most people understand what is meant by that term). I’m pretty sure if an umbrella rig were fished like a jig, your success might differ slightly.