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RobG

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  1. My suggestion too. Leave those gimmick rods alone and leash your set-up if you want to keep it. kinda simple. I'd suggest a salt worthy light conventional (abu 6500, Shimano Calcutta, Penn Squall 15, ect) for live lining. I use my spinner for snagging and my conventional for dropping it down....then I snag a few more while I have the conventional rod fishing on the clicker.
  2. Topwater in that circumstance, 1/2-1oz spook...color doesn't really matter, they always hit it. Subsurface, 1/4-5/8 oz owner jig head and a 4" finS...weight dependent on the current.
  3. For cold water use, neoprene waders. I've stood in a river for 6-8 hours steelhead fishing while the temps were 15 degrees out...pretty toasty. To contrast that, I left the neoprene waders in the truck by accident and had to wear my breathables the next day b/c my neos were frozen solid. I could feel the coldness of the water almost immediately after wading in. I would have to get out once in a while to warm up, but never really ever got warm...it wasn't nearly as pleasant as it was with the neoprene waders. In the cold, 5mil neoprene waders are the best from my experience. Breathables were made to keep you cooler in the warmer months....and they suck in the cold b/c of that...even with several pairs of long johns on. For the guys that think wetsuits need to be wet to keep you warm, you are incorrect. All the neoprene functions as is a layer of air filled insulation that slows down the conduction of heat away from the body and into the water. Water will conduct heat 25 times more efficiently than air will. The neoprene acts as a layer of air filled insulation to reduce this transmission by slowing down the heat loss to the outside environment. It's just like rubber fleece, but more like micro-bubblewrap, it's why you float so well while wearing a wetsuit. As a diver/freediver/spearfisherman, there is nothing nicer than to jump into the water to cool off after putting on your suit. It doesn't take long to start sweating. I will be diving come march/april, the water temps are in the 40's usually. I can actually get overheated in my 7mil open cell suit and have to flush the suit with seawater to cool off while I'm out, water that's in the 40's is cold...water you wouldn't like to put your bare hands in for too long. Neoprene is extremely efficient for what it is. Also, I am nearly dry inside my suit, no water moving around b/c the suit fits properly. If your suit is so big that it allows water to circulate easily, in and out, it's almost useless in keeping you warm, if you go into the water with it. But it will keep you warm out of the water too. But like it's been said a hundred times before.....Warm = Dry...and a drysuit is what I wear when I'm in my yak fishing during late fall and spring.
  4. Yeah, it's kinda nonsense saying a wet suit won't keep you warm when it's dry. People that say that probably haven't worn one for any length of time out of water. I have to jump in from time to time to cool down. My only issue would be when it's truely cold out, you need a good way to keep your feet warm while using a wet suit. To solve this, I wear a thin 2mil bootie over hard sole 5mil dive booties. A bigger problem with a heavy/thicker mil wetsuit, it will be more uncomfortable over time, especially paddling/casting, it will be restrictive. The thickest wetsuit I would wear while fishing would be 5mil, preferably a 5mil johnnie and a 3 mil jacket. If I can't be reasonably comfortable in the wetsuit in relation to the water/air temps, I wear a drysuit...and prefer a drysuit in cold weather.
  5. I'm another vote for the Common Carp. I've caught steelies, sea run browns, and salmon, in slack water and in rivers, NYS and Ak.....never had any of them spool me. Though, I've been spooled by numerous potomac and delaware river carp. Even when I thought I was over-gunned with 50lb braid and an Abu 7000. Engine blocks with fins. Kinda like a black drum or big grouper....they just keep pulling and use the river against you! Muskys are a bit nutty initially, hard to stay hooked and can get really crazy around the boat, but give up pretty quickly and come right to the boat from what I've experienced, they won't run far either. Though most river fish fight better than their slack water cousins. It says something about your freshwater quarry when you go straight for your saltwater plugging setup, without a thought of going with anything lighter....all those fish are a serious good time.
  6. I like last year's regs. I regularly freedive several MoCo beach spots...I see big fluke all the time and once in a while double digit dormats. Problem is they don't hang out where you can access them from the rocks or beach for the most part. You need a kayak to fish those spots effectively. You just can't drop your lure in from the land and get close to the big fish without getting totally hung up. They usually don't even move when you approach them, they don't leave their hunky hole and chase bait either. They just wait in ambush, so they are hard to get a lure to. But trust me, they are there. But there are tons of keepers laying all over the place too....especially this year. The runts are most prevalent close in and on the sand, where most guys are targetting them. I've also noticed from one day to the next day, there may be fluke everywhere, then they just disappear the next day. They do alot of moving during the summer....probably during the night. That always amazes me that when you think you have it figured out, they change it up on you.
  7. Probably won't make a difference for your application.
  8. This is correct. Using an octane rating higher than recommended by the engine builder/manufacturer is a waste of money. Many people dont get the whole octane/performance connection. High octane fuel is meant to slow down the combustion process, reducing pre-detonation (knock), in higher compression engines/high load conditions. It doesn't make more power, it just slows the rate of combustion. Higher performance motors with high compression ratio's require it to keep the fuel from pre-detonating due the physical property of gasoline's ingnition point becomes lower when compressed...it can be ignited from the heat of the cylinder before the sparkplug ignites it....causing the "knock" you hear when using too low of an octane rating. Longterm knock can cause serious engine damage. Using too high of an octane rating, probably will cause carbonization of the exhaust tract...but that's just a guess. Though, todays computer controlled engines do amazing things to reduce pre-ingnition by analizing the exhaust gases and adjusting accordingly. Fresh fuel is always better than old fuel. From what I have read, the newer fuels degrade much faster than the older formulated fuels. Any fuel/gas that's older than 30 days is concidered "old" by todays standards. Not that it won't work for you, it just won't have the optimal performance.
  9. Waders and a drytop is probably the most versatile combo. You'll have to buy some type of top (splash/dry) and it will be hard to get a fullsuit or john for less than $100. You may try a local dive shop that rents suits, they are always selling off their used suits. A 5mil-6.5mil john you could probably pick up for $30-$40. Also, depending on where you live, Scubadiver Fleamarket is held every year at Toms River Middle school. You can get some sweet deals on the cheep and plenty of new suits to try on at bargain prices. It's usually held on the 3rd saturday in February. Be there if you want a deal on a wetsuit.
  10. I think it was said many times....if you want them to last, you have to tear them down, clean, regrease and re-assemble. And rinse them well with fresh water asap after fishing. If you want throw-aways....Shimano FX. If you want reels that you can rebuild without much hassle, Penn Spinfishers. But they are all good reels as long as you treat them right and leash them if you fear losing it over the side. To make a point, I have some Diawa silvers and golds from the early 70's and a couple BG's from the early 80's that I still fish b/c they still work well. Weren't the best reels on the planet either, but good in their time. Oldschool, but totally fishable, still land bass....and if I dropped them over, so be it, served me well since I was a kid b/c we took care of them.
  11. B/C there is no "straight" answer...it all "depends"....on air temp, water temp, conditions and location. A New England spring is different from a Virginia spring....and March is very different from May. You want to learn your system...jump in the water and test it out. If it works for you, it works for You. May not be what works for another. But dry is always warmer than wet, with all things being the same. Can you get by with a 3/2 in late April/early May (water in the mid to upper 50's), sure. But if you are constantly getting soaked or the air is blowing and cool, you may get cold....and water always pools in your booties, can make your feet a bit cold too.
  12. What KenD and Gatabout said. Refer to the several schematics and it will all make sense....and some Penn reel parts have been recycled for use in many later models.
  13. I have those cups, they needed to be shaved down for clearance for my application. The steel washers work just fine for magging jigm and squiddys...I tossed the cups. Personally, I like the squidder with the plastic spool, just feels better in hand. I've heard guys have experienced cracking spools over the years, but I've never seen it in person. I have a #99 conversion, it's a worthwhile project if you can get the parts cheap. Better yet is a 220-229 newell parts swap, stainless gear sleeve and 1:5 gears, 20lb mono.....or buy a Newell 229...if you can find one at a reasonable price. I love my Penn's
  14. ^^^ What Lurch and Tidewaterfly said. I connect my braid to mono/fluoro leader using a micro barrel swivel whenever I'm using lures the rotate around the line's axis. Nothing more frustrating than wind knots in 12lb braid due to twisted line.
  15. Damm, this is a great loss to the fishing community... RIP John.
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