Frank5

I have no specific incident, but know the feeling of feeling like I’m being watched or that something bad is about to happen because i fish alone at night all the time. Have fished alone overnight during the more off nights of the season in IBSP on the bay side of the island when the park is practically empty. Hopefully others here have done this as well so that they know what I’m talking about, but wandering those narrow wooded trails alone in the dark and sometimes getting them confused is pretty damn freaky in my opinion even with a headlamp on. I also hate feeling the need to look over my shoulders all the time on the beach side of IBSP just to keep a bead on those mangy little foxes staring at me and creeping around while I’m fishing.

I’m sure this response won’t sit well with some, but the truth of the matter in the way i see it: People wonder where stereotypes and racial/ethnic animosity comes from as if it is not warranted, but at the end of the day when u wipe the bull**** out of your eyes and take an honest look at things, there are most definitely unfortunate trends that exist among certain groups of people. Not all hispanics are to blame for illegal overfishing, but there definitely seems to be some reoccurring themes with poaching striped bass as it relates to them. In my opinion, it’s bad enough if your an undocumented/illegal guest in this country, but to have the audacity to commit acts and crimes like this is just a freaking joke. Im not sure about the rest of you, but whenever I’m a guest in another country I try to behave as politely as possible, follow all of the rules/laws, and have respect for that country, it’s people, and it’s culture. And if this post happens to offend any high-horse riding self righteous individuals looking to save the day with a politically correct BS moral lesson so that they can feel special and get some attention, save yourself the response because your not gonna change this guy’s opinion and perspective.

2 3/4 oz SS little neck popper swam and popped at night in complete downpour

On a 9 footer I’d def go with the 4500. 5500 would obviously work fine too just heavier. 100% would not get the 6500 for that rod. Max drag pressure capability is not an issue at all for a 4500, the real question is what kind of line do you use mono or braid and what pound test?

Another vote for BD Storm here. Not the most durable casing but their warranty is excellent, it’s bright enough, has great battery life, waterproof, affordable, and love the 3 night vision modes.

They are truly awesome. Swim them like a metal lip, jerk them around, pop them, unreal casting distance.

I swear chartreuse looks better under water than any other color, but that’s my with my eyes...With that said, Ive prob caught more fish on white so i guess that answers my question.

I don’t have enough good things to say about the Yozuri Hydro minnow. Have had had great success with them since they came out. I prob have some 15 plus Daiwa SP minnows (different sized floating never liked sinking models) that I seem to not really even fish anymore because I feel like the the hydro minnow out does it in all categories. It has a slight but noticeable edge with casting distance and i def think the action is better than an SP. With fish in close, light or little wind, or wind at your back you can’t beat a Bomber 16 Long A’s swimming action in my opinion. All in all, when it comes to minnow type swimming lures, i pretty much exclusively favor Hydro Minnows and Bombers. Just my $.02

I did not call VS directly about this. I called one of the “licensed” Van Staal service centers/tackle shops and that is what he recommended. Theres prob numerous ways to skin this cat, but I’ve been doing as was suggested by this reputable tackle shop and VS service center. As as far as the gear oil is concerned, it’s pretty easy to find. I get mine at Walmart and it’s cheap. I believe the bottle I have now is Vavoline 80-90W.

I’d call one of the service center tackle shops and talk to one of the Van Staal techs there to see what they suggest. The last time that i spoke to one about this same thing, they suggested some Simple Green solution diluted in water to clean and 90 weight gear oil for lubrication. This is what I’ve been doing for the general cleaning and maintenance that you speak of. Hope this helps.

Fair enough. I cannot speak to that only the customer service issue. I have ordered from both RH and CTS. RH was not an ideal experience, but CTS was super smooth, helpful, and responsive to the point where when i see a claim made that they have bad customer service i feel compelled to say something because the experience i had was so impressive. I respect your acknowledgement in clarifying. I do not know the ins and outs of that distribution question so cannot comment on it.

Well apparently you had no experience with CTS directly only RH correct? Because if that’s the case then you really can’t even make the claim to have had a bad experience with them?

Very interesting. That’s cool. Sounds like the right kind of ammo for canals and inlets

Roddy, Those look great. Love the Black over Blue one. How does it swim and where in the water column? How long is it and how much does it weigh?

Have a buddy who makes some great ones. These are my plugs of choice when peanuts are around. The ones I’m holding are slightly bigger than they appear. I’m 6’5 and have abnormally large paws haha