T-Billy

Welcome aboard fellow Buckeye.

Abrasion resistance, line dig on the spool, and handling are the main reasons to fish heavier braid. Shallow spools mitigate the dig problem. 832 has proven to hold up better in the rocks than any other braid I've tried, and I've found no need to go above 40#. Fireline Ultra 8 is doing well for me here lately abrasion wise. I'm trying it on a couple casting rigs, but getting through the break in period with it is frustrating. I want to like it, but the jury is still out. It's tough stuff, but it's stiff and wants to lay loosely on the spool. This causes it to dig worse than standard 8 carrier braids. Hopefully it will soften up enough for this problem to go away. I'm using 14# and 20#. They're roughly the same diameter as 20# and 40# 832.

Use a rod and line that will allow you to get the fish out of the cover you're fishing. Use a weight that will cast well and get the bait down into the cover. That Sierra will do a decent job for you, but despite Dobyns description, it ain't a Mag Heavy. Mag MH or H is more like it. Try 1/4oz with that worm, and 3/8 or 1/2 with a creature bait and see how that works for you.

The title reminded me of that old joke about Mickey and Minnie getting divorced.

I know it seems counter intuitive. I thought the same as you until I tried a longer rod. The rod tip moves further on the set, the rod loads deep into the blank, and catapults them out as it unloads. This rod is a beast without being a pool cue. If I'm pitching over a half ounce, I'm doing it with the Guntersville. It'll pitch a 3/8 very well though. The longer handle made a HUGE difference when casting an A-rig. Just use your palming hand as a pivot and pull the butt toward you with your other. Just as much distance as using your torso to lob it, with far less effort.

I've never had much luck competing with those shad schools unless as scaleface mentioned they're actively busting them. This time of year I do best pitching the nastiest weed choked wood tangles I can find. This pattern will hold late into fall. The wood trumps the brown grass. The fish will stay until it breaks up.

Going from 7'6" to 7'11" made a big difference for me when pitching a big weight, and an even bigger difference when throwing an A-rig. I love this rod for both. Lots of backbone with a sweet tip. It does a great job of moving fish out of the jungle. Throwing 2 pounders clean over the boat is a piece of cake. ? Yup. Ergonomics is huge for us greybeards. ?

I had the same happen. Lots of missed and chin hooked fish when slow rolling. Once I started throwing the chatterbait the spinnerbaits fell out of favor, though I'm certain sometimes they're the better choice. If you haven't already, give some paddletails a try at night. They're fairly subtle but allow you to cover a lot of water and man do they ever smoke 'em.

I've been doing well for quite a few seasons with a chatterbait at night. Slow rolling a single Colorado spinnerbait has also produced well at times. This summer I found that on those nights when they're short striking the CB alot, they'll choke a paddletail swimbait. A 3.5" Do-It Ripper on a 3/8 or 1/2 jig head has been seeing lots of action. The big floaters disappeared on me when the grass started dying back on that flat. Sure was fun while it lasted. I'm a fan of those blades myself A-Jay. Great baitfish profile and they start easy and thump hard.

I didn't have those issues with 10# 832 when I tried it on my Curado BFS. You should be GTG.

I tied my braid direct to the holes in the spool as @bulldog1935 suggested when using braid, but as @FishTank mentioned, I was losing more fish with braid. I'm running 6# XT on my BFS reels now, and am happy with it.

Basically, they're balls of deep fried cornbread. I put fresh diced Jalepenos in mine. Mmmm Good!!!

I'm not interested in anything Dudley has to say about anything. I do get a chuckle out of his childish tantrums though. Somebody had to fill Ike's shoes I guess... I've never had a fish swallow a ned either. I have had the occasional bass swallow a Senko though. I release those to the grease and serve 'em with coleslaw and hush puppies. Edit to add: I wonder how many bass Dudley has killed hauling them around in his livewell all day?

Lew's Super Duty G. Tough as nails with plenty of line capacity. My oldest is still going strong midway through it's 5th season on a flippin stick. I fish roughly 80-100 days a year, and do a lot of pitchin.

I've got the whole series except for the Rocket Launcher, and the Okeechobee. Two B Hit's and two Money Makers. The Hammer and it's equivalent blank in the Invoker series get a lot of use. Couldn't be happier with 'em.

LM 6-10, April 2008, Water in the 50's. mid morning, black & blue jig. Steep, chunk rock, main lake point. No pic. SM 6-4, Sept 2015, Around 11pm on a chatterbait rolled along a patch of pondweed, on an old roadbed, in the main lake basin. Honerable mention. LM 6-0, Dec 2021, mid morning, 40 degree water, trigged Sweet Craw, pine tree top in 9' at the mouth of a cove. Fish was suspended tight up under a pine bough maybe 2' down. Hit on the initial fall.

I've also found that the bite slows during the transitional period from dark to light, but the bites I get are often quality fish.

I leave fish to find fish. I don't know why... I'm not a smart man... Sigh... ?

? I'm sorry. Is that cheating? I get up at 2a for work, and somewhere between 10p and 1a for fishing through the summer. Off the water late morning when it starts to get hot. Besides, early morning when it's calm is the best time to find those big floaters. ?

I'm a fan. First light has been good to me. Scenery ain't half bad either.

^^^THIS^^^ Once I figured this out, the Alberto became easy to tie, and I've never had one fail. I also give an extra pass through the loop at the finish before cinching down.

Just think what could happen if you sneezed while sitting on the toilet reading. You might never walk again!!!

Apparently, I work with some bass. ?

Arkie. Specifically, the ones I make. Flat eye Do-It mold.

Really good stuff in the fall. It stays green late into the fall after everything else has died. Isolated patches of it are money.