Garry2Rs

Thanks for the additional information Aaron. The US retail is slightly higher than Powerpro/Fireline et al. I paid $19.99 at Tackle Warehouse. vs. about $13.99 or $14.99 for the others. Here's a question...if you don't want to answer on the open board please PM me. For a long time I have suspected that Sufix made at least some of Spiderwire and Berkley's braids. The reason for this is that they all seem to bring out new lines, with similar features, at the same time. Since I suspect that Rapala/Sufix would try to tie-up the use of Gore-Fibre in fishing line before entering any agreement, and since Spider now has this new Gore line at the same time as 832, it strengthens my suspicions...any ideas?

I bought 500 yards of 40# Powerpro Hollow Ace last winter and converted 4 bass reels to the knotless leader system. Hollow Ace is a 16 strand braid that casts easily and seems to hold-up fine. I normally use a 20# mono leader for frogs, toads and top-waters. The stiffness of the mono helps to keep the bait from over-running the limp braid and fouling the hooks. On the other hand, I am always looking for something better. Sufix 832 sounded like it might be worth a try.

Rapala bought Sufix, so I would expect to see the 832 line in most places.

That fuzz you speak of is something I have seen with many brands. I have also found that after a year or so of heavy use, my braid starts to break unexpectedly. Perhaps Sufix is right and this unexpected failure is due to the fibres cutting themselves. It all seems to make sense. Spectra and Dyneema can't be dyed, so companies use something like a wax as a carrier for the line colour. The wax would act as a lubricant...The breakage has always been with well used lines, that had no colour, so no lubrication, left in them. A Gore-Tex fibre might indeed be the next evolutionary step.

There are two interesting new braided lines just coming onto the market. The first is Sufix 832 braid. This product is an 8 strand braid that includes a Gore-Tex fibre. Using 8 strands makes the finished line round, as opposed to oval, like the 4 strand Powerpro. Adding one strand of Gore-Tex allows Sufix to braid this line much tighter. In fact the 32 in the name refers to 32 pic's, or weaves, per-inch. According to Sufix, braids this tight were not practical in the past because the fibres would actually cut each other! Sufix claims that the Gore-Tex fibre is extra slippery, and "lubricates" the weave, allowing them to braid it tighter. Their advertising shows samples of line with and without the Gore-Tex fibre, after 1000 cycles. The 832 looks new, while the "regular " looks quite fuzzy. The advantages of a tighter braid include, being quieter as it passes through the guides, less water pick-up, more resistance to stray hook points as well as making the outside diameter smaller for a given pound test. I am now testing some 30 pound test on a casting rod and have ten pound test on back-order for spinning. Obviously it's too soon to know very much. Straight out of the package all lines look good and feel smooth etc. A couple of months of use might make a difference. As expected, this line seems slick, tight and quite small for 30#. I'm pleased to report that there is no white thread running through the braid, like there was in the drawings used in the advertising. The second new braid is from Spiderwire. It's called Ultra-Cast Fluoro-Braid. This month Bass Master magazine said "...nearly half the line contains Gore fibres..." On the Spider web-site they claim the line sinks like Fluorocarbon, making it ideal for Crankbaits and weightless plastics etc. Also on the site is a drawing showing a four strand line with two white fibres and two green strands. Now, two is half of four, not nearly half, so perhaps the drawing is wrong...After all, there is no white strand in the actual 832, and I doubt there will be white strands in this braid. Another idea is that since it will be available in weights from 10 to 100 pound test the number of strands used to form the braid might change with the line's weight. I have not seen it for sale yet, but the Spider-site indicates you can order from them at $21.00 a spool. In the past, I found Ultra-Cast Invisa-braid very disappointing. It was a very loose weave and broke unexpectedly. On the other hand I always liked Spider's Stealth braid and their EZ Braid. The idea of a sinking braid is interesting, although it might mean dedicated rods and reels for sinking/diving baits etc. These lines will probably be at the Spring Fishing Show. I will try to let you know more about them before February. Garry2R's Fishing is my favourite form of loafing.

Hello from sunny Arizona. The weather here is great, about 85 today. It might cool off by Christmas, but with a 6 to 8 week winter, how bad can it get? Glad to hear that the big snow storms have missed you, at least so far. I guess you know that snow collapsed the roof on the Minnesota Vikings home field... Buck and I are doing a little trout fishing in a nearby pond and have been out in the boat a few times for bass. Friday we caught four "stockers" in the pond. We also caught a tiny LMBass while looking for Crappy. This morning, we went over to the trout-pond again for 90 minutes, but the bite was off. When we got up, it looked slightly overcast, but by the time we got going, the clouds were gone and it was another "bluebird" day. Since it's not far away, when it didn't workout, we came home to watch football. Buck had a long play in the water, so he is quite happy. He's now asleep on the floor, waiting for supper-time...grin. We think of our friends in Ontario every time we open the freezer. Stay warm! Garry2R's

I'm in Arizona for the winter. Many of the weather problems I once faced in Ontario between October and April, have simply vanished...

I am using a free radiant heat source. The natives call it the sun. At this time of year it's only available for about 12 hours a day, but it heats my trailer to around 80 and the outside air into the 70's, but it's a dry heat... During the dark hours I find a hoody does the trick until it's time for bed. Since I cook with gas, I find that delaying dinner time until 8PM. helps to hold the inside temperature a bit longer at no extra cost.

Highs of 77 -79 for the next week, lows around 50. No snow in the drive but there is ice in the fridge...

Spinning gear is a good point! Setting a casting reel up to pitch is a PITA! Having done it you can't through a normal cast, if the opportunity presents itself...

Okay... Here's the deal. I have often thought that any fish that I caught on a jig would have taken a Senko. That's my opinion and I can't prove it...

You will have about 12 feet of line out to flip or at least 6 to pitch, so what can 3 or 4 feet of Fluoro hurt. I'm guessing that the water will be pretty clear most days. If wave action muddies it up, I would just use straight braid.

I think most southern flipping guys are now using 65 pound braid, but remember that they fish a lot dirtier water than most people in Ontario. Too many folks never stop to think about what the rod is telling them...3/8 to 1 1/2 ounce baits is a huge range! You can pretty well guess that it won't really handle 3/8oz. jigs very well. So, are you using a lot of one ounce jigs? If not then you may have a lot of headaches with such a heavy rod. Just because it says Flippin' Stick doesn't mean that it's right for you. Kevin VanDam pitches a lot of jig in the 3/8's range on a garden variety 7ft casting rod. But, what does he know? Denny Brauer suggests 25 pound Fluoro in clear water and 65lb braid for water with a little colour. He also suggests that 7'4" is a good length of rod to learn on and 7'6" is the best all-around length. In each case he says you need a flexable rod tip, a stiff tip will turn your pitch into a lob. The reason for the heavy tackle is that in the southern states there are many reservoirs with flooded brushand in Florida there are huge floating mats of Hydrilla. Punching through this growth requires weights in the 1.5 ounce and up range. The fish that live in the heaviest cover are often 5 pounds and up. When you hook-up you have to winch the fish out, before it can turn and snag you. If this is where and how you are fishing go for the semi-musky tackle...If not, think about what size baits you actually want to throw and use a rod that is proportionate.

The Slop rod sounds like it could multi-task as a flip/pitch rod. Don't overlook what you already own. Any medium or med.heavy casting rod will work. I even pitch light jigs with a 7ft. crankbait rod. The soft progressive action is great for smaller baits in clear water situations.

Being a Fan of any Toronto team is like loving a bad women. No matter what they do for you today, you know they will break your heart in the end!

Winter has settled in for me too...It was down to a chilly 50F this morning. The white dot in the sky is a Blimp over the Yuma Proving Grounds, where Gen.Patton trained his Tank crews for North Africa and Normandy. Someone told me the Blimp watches for Illegal Aliens crossing the desert, but I don't know for sure.

Sorry; I should have said "The Government"

There is no mystery here. Ten or twelve years ago there were a rash of accident involving Sea-Do's. The Province was under pressure to do something! They didn't want to ban these toys because that would negatively effect business, and they couldn't set rules for any one specific part of the population...IE. children and teenagers. So the "Card" was a measured response. It showed the government was concerned, and was doing something about the problem...It started by excluding children as operators, then made young adults take a test and get a card, showing they knew the rules of the waterways. To avoid charges that they were "targeting minor's" or "profiling young people" etc. the law provided that everyone operating a watercraft would need to acquire an operator's card over a period of about ten years. Exceptions were made for tourists...after all we didn't want to negatively effect business...WINK-Wink. Is it stupid? Sure it is! The proof is that in the 11th hour they were all but giving the cards away. In the Kawarthas, where I live, you could take the test at the grocery store! Coached tests in stores were rumored all over and there was only an Honour System if you took the test on-line. Did it do any good? I don't know, but it didn't hurt.

Many low profile reels have sort of a bayonet fit, screw-on side plate. If you don't see a latch to release, like Spiel indicated, try just pressing downward, turning the left side counter clockwise. Good Luck, Garry2rs

If you find that you have to change them please let me know. A few years ago when I was making a lot of Musky baits I bought a ton of nickle and brass beads in different sizes. I still have hundreds on hand and would be pleased to mail you whatever you need if it turns out that you have to retro-fit with metal ones.

Personally, I have always used metal beads because I'm afraid that Acrilic beads will shatter when I bounce my baits off of rocks and docks etc. Let us know how yours workout. Thanks Garry2R's

Here's my vote for Canada's Dumdest Criminal...

Big deal, they won second place in a four team race. We all know that, just like in hockey, Toronto can't get past Montreal.

The American Sportfishing Association announced their Top Ten list of influential items that have changed the way people fish. Think you know what they are? Without further ado... 1. Original Floating Minnow: 1936 — Rapala Perhaps the most popular and successful lure in history. 2. Spring-loaded Bobber: 1947 — Nibble Nabber Found in almost every angler's tackle box. 3. Mitchell 300: 1949 — Mitchell Who hasn't fished this spinning reel? 4. Creme Worm: 1949 — Creme Lure Company The plastic lure that started it all. 5. Closed Face Spincast Reel: 1949 — Zero Hour Bomb Company How every kid learns to cast. 6. Lowrance Fish Lo-K-Tor: 1957 — Lowrance Known as the "Little Green Box" that introduced anglers to sonar...the first ones were actually red. 7. Monofilament Line: 1958 — DuPont Stren What did they use before mono? 8. Minn Kota Trolling Motor: 1958 — Minn Kota Lets you crowd that other boat... quietly. 9. Fenwick High Modulus Graphite Rod: 1972 — Fenwick Probably started the "hold-the-rod-tip-to-your-throat-and-talk" test. 10. Shakespeare Ugly Stik: 1976 — Shakespeare So tough it could survive a nuclear holocaust.

If you are using a float, you are float fishing, whether or not you have the extra long rod and precision reel. With any cross-current technique, "drag" is your biggest enemy. The water doesn't all move at the same speed from bank-to-bank. These various, conflicting water speeds will push and tug on your line causing your bait to drift up or at an angle and at a speed that doesn't match the water it is suspended in. Fish will ignore baits that are "dragging" simply because they appear unnatural. To counteract drag, Fly Fishermen "mend" their line by flipping a loop of line up-stream to create some slack above their bait. Float fishermen can't "mend" their line, but they can use their long rods to hold as much line above the current as possible. In both cases these long, supple rods also protect very light line from strong fish. The horns of this dilemma are plain! Too fine a line will not hold the fish you catch and too strong a line won't catch any...HAHAHA. Good Luck! Garry2R's