Bazoo

Sounds like an easy firewood grab to me... I'd be thankful if I owned that side of the fence.

I suggest casting a couple times a week at home. Up your familiarness with casting and gear. I fish 4-5 times a week a s I cast in the yard some too. I rarely backlash in a manner that isn’t just a few loops. When I do it’s because of hitting an obstacle on the backcast. I say braid is slightly harder to cast and slightly harder to remove a backlash from.

Spool mass explains why the Black Max will outcast the Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier 2 reels I have with light lures. Thank you very much for the information. I'll have to do some more reading on the subject.

Thanks, I was clueless on BFS. I just read an article on it. Is there a name for the light casting gear that isn't into the BFS range? What kind of fish is that? some type of carp?

I've always thought of baitcasting gear as for 1/4 oz on the lightest and preferably 3/8 oz and larger. 10 pound line or larger, normally 12 or 14. However, I've started to see that I can cast lighter lures, when using a lighter rod and lighter line. I have a cheap Zebco spincast rod made of fiberglass, and I put my Black Max on it. I've been using it a while, and I love the way the rod loads up, especially with lighter lures. Well, I extended grip about 4 inches and now it's got a great balance and good support when reeling. I can cast a weightless fluke or lizard with it. Today I used a size 3 split shot and a weightless Zoom Fat Albert Grub. I'm casting just as far as I would with my normal spinning rig. This was with 10 pound Big Game. I respooled earlier with 8 pound Big Game, and gave a few test casts in the yard, NICE! For some reason, it's intriguing to me. Anyone else experiment with light baitcasting gear? Since I've just cobbled together something I had that is working, what does everyone else recommend if I were going to buy a rod/reel/line just for this?

No question as to this being public. My question is, can I fish up the shore line of the sides are are privately owned once launching through the public access portion.

Nice to hear it. I've had both stellar customer service and very disappointing service from the companies I've dealt with in my other hobby, guns/reloading/casting.

Howdy from Kentucky.

Sorry to hear it. But I am with @ol'crickety, go after that monster again!

Howdy and welcome. Why do juvenile bass avoid crawdads? Just the size of the meal vs size of the mouth?

Howdy from the Commonwealth of Kentucky!

I throw them. I found a gold H20X Squarebill, tied it on, and started catching fish. That's all it took for me. I keep one in my box all the time now.

I was gifted this old girl a while back, and after some oil, cleaning, and some casting in the yard, she casts pretty good. I've fished with it some, but ain't caught anything when using it. I plan to though, give it at least one last hoorah. Does anyone know what year range this was from? I couldn't find anything about it when searching. Was it like.. top of the line when new, or was it a budget reel or what? What is graphite bearings? Oh, my boy who is 4, about to be 5, LOVES it. He is learning to use a baitcaster with it. He can cast some of the time without backlashing. So far, we haven't had to cut the line off, just get dads help to untangle it. He's learning the art of removing a backlash too.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. That'll get your mustache to flapping in the breeze!

I've been collecting and using knives since I was 10 years old. I don't have a huge collection, I go through spells where I'll sell some off and get others. I carry a Leatherman original PST daily. I use it during fishing almost every time out. I also have a spare, as I can't be without my Leatherman Tool. I also carry one of several traditional knives. I prefer to use a knife to change lures as to a line snipper, as it is aw ay to combine two of my loves, knives and fishing. (The other two are Jesus and guns.) I use this Case 6.5375 Jumbo Stockman a lot. Most of the time I carry the 6265 Folding Hunter as my belt knife. Once in a while I switch it up and carry the Buck 192 Vanguard, which is my favorite fixed blade. Got to cut out a nice backlash with my LT Wright Camp Muk the other day.

When I was a young adult, I was fishing a farm pond, and I caught a 6 1/2 pound channel cat on a jointed Rapala Minnow. It didn't put up too much of a fight. I weighed it on a de-liar, and released him. I continued to fish the same spot, and in a minute, caught another catfish of the same size. This one put up a tremendous fight, ripping the wire out of the back half of the lure, and the loop out of the nose about 1/2". I weighed that one, and it weighed 6 1/4 pounds. I always wondered if it was the same fish, or a different one. I often catch other species. Warmouth on a 6" Zoom Lizard Pretty little sunfish on a Fat Albert Grub Some kind of sunfish on a 1/4 H20X Mini Squarebill crankbait Pretty energetic critters to go after the Rebel Pop-r Very nice Crappie on the same H20X crankbait Crappie on a Beetle Spin 34" Gar on an H20X squarebill in American Shad color Catch a mess of goggleeyes on various soft plastics, this one on a Zoom Finess worm They also hit crankbaits, like this Ozark Trails This is about the healthiest one I've ever seen.

With the Abu Black Max I mentioned, I can throw a pretty light lure. A weightless 6" Zoom Lizard or Super Fluke. I threw the fluke today. Right at the limit weight wise is a Lunkerhunt Pocket Frog. Supposed to be 1/4 ounce I think, but they are on the light side of 1/4 ounce. This is with 10lb Big Game. If I dropped to 8lb it'd throw better I bet. I got a spool, might as well try it as I am about to respool that one. Right now It has Suncatcher Big Game in 10lb... great to see to tie knots... but I figure the bass can see it a mile away too, so I don't have much confidence in it. I was just trying it out.

I put the hook eye and knot inside the worm, unless I am using a bullet weight, then I leave the eye barely exposed. I trim my tag end to about 1/16" also. I don't think it makes any difference to the fish whether or not the hook eye is covered or slightly exposed. What does make a difference is the way you wiggle the worm.

I don't know what line I'm running, as it was on the reel when It was gifted to me. It's faded, but is still working just fine. I'm going to switch it end for end. I like braid for some things, such as texas rig fishing, but I'd loath having to use it for everything. The worst thing I've done with it is using it for a walk the dog type topwater. It ends up getting into the hooks, then into the split rings.

Of the brands I've tried, my favorite so far is the Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier 2. Second is the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur followed by their Black Max. The BPS PQ2 is my favorite of everything I've tried of mine and my friends'. It is not the smoothest, nor the quietest, but it is the workhorse. It's a day in day out reliable, with nothing that aggregates or causes issues. Dual brakes so you can dial it in right where you need it. I have 2 and use them daily.

I cannot imagine how being in the car would cause any damage to a reel, but the rod I certainly can, which is my primary concern. Up until now, I haven't had a convenient spot to store my rods in the house. Now I have made a rod rack for the ceiling just as I walk in. So I can remove my rods from the car. A little more work that way, but it if means the difference between the rods lasting 10 years or only 5, then it's worth it. I have noticed once all of the sudden my reel needed lube. I don't mind changing line, I doesn't take but about 5 minutes per reel. I got a good rhythm with it. My boy is my spool holder. There was once that I took my rods in from the car, and I laid them on the back of the couch... well, I left the next day for something (I work from home normally), and forgot my rods. My buddy loaned me one as we were going to be fishing together. After that I vowed never to not have a rod in the car. Today I broke that vow, bringing them all in so I could see what the rack looked like nearly full. I will have to remember a couple tomorrow as I am going to town.

Well, since I use a trilene knot... he will want to learn that one. I think its actually easier than the improved clinch, after having done both for quite a while.

The lake for me in question is clearly public for approximately 1/4 of it's shoreline.

Thanks all. So how, do you find out the regulations for such? There isn't anything about it in the guide put forth by the F&W department. It only says you can't release species that aren't native/established. Says nothing about keeping minnows. I know people catch them and use them on the spot. They survived through the night in a jug, we gave them "fresh" water, and found out they love skeeter larvae.

The lake is in city limits. I appreciate everyone's perspective. I've done some research and I have found this, which is in regard to rivers/streams, which have to be navigable. No mention made of lakes. https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Wiki/access:ky#:~:text=However%2C the public can use,by the adjacent riparian landowner.&text=Ownership rights of riparian landowners,right to use navigable waters I will start asking around and see what I come up with. Thank you all for the suggestions.