T-Billy

Still use mine for catfish.

Nope, working. 12hrs of double time and a half will pay for the new 200AH lithium deep cycle arriving tomorrow. Next up is an On The Fly jackplate!!! Working the 4th of July will cover that.

I fish spinnerbaits tight to cover alot so I throw 'em on a rig capable of dragging fish out of it. 40# 832 on a H or MH MF rod.

I just pull on the line and tighten the drag till it feels about right. Breaking fish off has never been an issue unless using flouro, but that's a whole other can of worms. It ain't rocket surgery.

It's my favorite braid as well. Handles great, pretty smooth, and holds up in the rock better than any other braid I've tried.

What kind of line? It's not the knot you want with braid. If it's mono or flouro, try cinching it down tighter? I've never had one slip with them.

The Winn grips make the Lew's a no go for me. I've gone all in with a deck full of Ark Tharp Series this past year and I'm very happy with 'em. They're an outstanding value at their price point IMO. That said, those Tatula rods are pretty darn sweet too. I haven't got to fish one, but I checked 'em out at my local shop. Like the ARK's they're very nice for their price. I may pick one up next time I'm in the market for a new stick. Might be awhile though. With 14 Arks + all my old Abu's and Dobyns, I'm pretty well stocked at this point.

Roger that. Especially river cats. They love rising muddy water. Like others have stated, light to moderate rain with light to moderate wind is best. Bass that have been buried up in cover often relate more loosely to it and are willing to chase down moving baits. I'll usually start with a spinnerbait in those conditions, fishing weed edges and laydowns. After finding a productive stretch with it, I'll turn around and go back through and pick it apart with a Trig.

I'd start out pitching a Trig to shallow cover. If that doesn't produce, I'll probably spend the rest of my time pitching a Trig to shallow cover. ?

Another vote for KVD. Ditch the leader for LM in cover. They're not a bit line shy. Straight 40# or higher braid, and hit 'em as hard as you want.

832

Try em at night. They produce way better after the sun goes down. Same with chatterbaits. I know it's not a popular opinion around here, but I regret buying my Dobyns rods. Not that they're not good quality, they are, but I think they're over priced for what they are. You can get more rod for your hard earned $$$ elsewhere, and still get a good warranty and great customer service.

This has not been my experience. I get considerably more distance with 30. Line dig has also never been an issue with 20, 30 or 40 for me. I may get a little sticky spot after a hard hookset, but it's no biggie, it pulls right out.

I don't have duplicates for that purpose, but I have more than one of a few rods I like, and since that's an ever evolving thing......... There's 52 rods in the garage. I don't see the point in selling them for a loss. They don't eat anything and sometimes they find their way back into favor.

I generally just keep fishing and don't say a word. It's gratifying pulling fish from their used water. They usually fire up and motor off after I boat a few.

5-14 was in November and big smallies were bunched up in Eddie's and below low head dams feeding on huge schools of minnows. The only time in my life I've seen this happen. I caught dozens between three and five over a three week period. Then it was over. Best smallmouth fishing I've ever experienced by far.

This is the only one I buy. I mostly only use it to glue elaztech trailers on. One bottle lasts a whole season.

I've never had a standard trilene slip. If the line breaks at the knot, it'll have a little J at the end indicating it snapped where it wraps around the hook.

I'm sure he's VERY thankful that he's NOT Gerald Swindle!!! You can absolutely skip from the bank, and I would think it would be very easy from a tube, being so low to the water. I vote 6'6" - 7' MH XF rod. You want a nice soft tip with good backbone. Best line is cover dependent IMO. Mono works well and is cheap to replace while learning. Braid works well, doesn't fluff up as easy, and backlashes are easy to pick out and don't damage the line. I skip way more brush and low hanging trees than docks, so I roll with 40# 832. When I stick one way back in a tangle, braid gives me a better chance of winching it out.

Tips from a master at skipping.

Tie good knots and there's no need for glue.

Hard to pick a favorite. I like mid 40's to mid 50's because that's big fish season and I often have the lakes to myself, or nearly so. 70's and up the night bite is on, and so is the flippin/pitchin bite. Big numbers with an occasional piggy, especially after the sun sets. There's things I like about all seasons.

Whatever length you settle on, I'd go with a fast or even mod fast and mono. Little smallies in shallow water like to spend a lot of time in the air. The slower action and mono will help keep them pinned.

It's awesome with braid. No backing required. The shallow spool prevents dig in and backlashes are easy to pick out. I blew mine up good a couple days ago. Hit a limb while trying to skip under a very low hanging tree. It pulled right out since the line can't get loops down deep in the spool. I set my brake on 7 and set the spool tension for just a touch of side play and it's perfect for pitching. Tighten the spool tension 3 clicks and its ready to skip. No other adjustments needed.

Me too brother. Those two memories are still fresh in my mind like they happened yesterday. Invisx......?