Very interesting. Thanks. This is a new reel, just the older design that's long been proven. I tried some 14# FireLine on it and it casts better than before, but there are signs of the line not winding tightly on the spool. Since I was using a relatively heavy bottom fishing rig that has a lot of re...

For a bait caster, Trilene XT. For a spinning reel, Sufix Elite.

I've been thinking of getting some of the specialized scissors for cutting braid. Do they work on 14# braid and smaller? Do they last reasonably long? Thanks.

Fluorocarbon leader material has become an integral part of my fishing tackle. I'm pleased with it. I keep spools of Seaguar or Berkeley 30#, 20#, 15#, 12#, 8#, 4# and 2# on the smallest spools sold. On spinning an bait casting outfits I typically use braid because I like the longer casts. I'll add ...

I think I would like to try topwater fishing with a Sluggo type bait. The behavior I am looking for in the bait is a weedless walking the dog presentation. I'll be fishing over lily pads and in rushes. However, I have no experience with this type of bait. Will sluggo type baits do this? If so, can y...

I double uni knot a fluorocarbon leader to my braid, so the braid never actually is tied to a hook or lure.

I have been satisfied with the drug-store nail clippers. They work very well and they are cheap enough to replace every couple of years if they dull. Ironically, fancier clippers made for fishing have never worked well for me.

Hello: Perhaps you can help me with this: I have been using Power Pro and Sufix braid in 14 to 30 pound test on my Penn spinning reels. These are the older style SS models and the newer style Slammer model. The problem I encounter regularly is a tangle in the first 10 to 20 yards of line that requir...

Why? Probably because it's mostly subjective after you get past the "fast/slow..." and "medium/heavy..." descriptions.

I tried circle hooks for bluegills and had a dramatic increase in deep hooking compared to long shanked aberdeens. When using the smaller #6 circle hooks my hooking percentage dropped dramatically. I guess circles are only good for bigger fish with bigger mouths.

Better prices on the products that were hot in 2006.

Look at the Ambassadeurs, particularly the narrow spoon C4 with thumb bar. If you're on a budget, get one of those and it will last for many years. The cheapo reels from other manufacturers will last perhaps three years if you're lucky.

FishingElbow:

These were Gamakatsu hooks without an offset. My hook sets used the circle hook technique of starting to set the hook. No snap for a hook set. Night crawler part was hooked once in such a way as to not bunch up on the hook.

What kind of a rig do you use?

I tried Gamakatsu #8 and #6 octopus circle hooks and Laser Sharp #12 Kahle hooks for use on bluegills. My experience is consistent with the fisheries research that has been done on these when used with bluegills when fishing with nightcrawler parts: 1) The goal was to reduce deep hooking. The result...

A couple of weeks ago I posted a message about how I tried the Gulp panfish chartreuse maggots and couldn't catch any bluegills with them. The goal was to find a compact artificial bait I could carry in my tacklebox for use in cases when I didn't have live bait. When I bought the maggots I also boug...