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Can't beat that...I'd say you started out with a bang . You'll be putting down the 9wt. in favor of a 6wt or 7wt before too long.

Thanks for the comments fellas 8).

Jon...yeah, it was pretty cold out there . Actually, I just couldn't find a sleeveless shirt that morning that wasn't crusted up with mud, etc.

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Very well said Frank...pretty much sums it up .

John, You're certainly correct in that stopping a lure and making it drop down subtely can be accomplished with either spinning or conventional gear. I think it's a little bit smoother process with conventional reels, but the difference is not significant. To me, the real advantages of conventional ...

Jeff,
I got a real nice sheepy to eat a Merkin last August (and I lost him unfortunately), but I haven't had much success otherwise. They're tough customers.

You guys who poke fun at bass fishermen don't have much appreciation for true fishing skill ;). Just about any good bass fisherman can make the typical saltwater guy look like a total clown from a casting and technique standpoint. Spend some time watching Jimmy Houston or Kevin Van Dam cast and work...

In the right hands, conventional gear no question. There's a reason almost all professional bass fisherman use conventional reels for just about everything other than drop-shotting and the occasional ultralight smallmouth rig.

Nice bone Chris! I'll have to tear myself away from the Glades one of these days and try my hand at that.

David,
They typically don't have enough water to tail .

Pops and I had a pretty successful weekend sight-fishing reds with the longrods. The fish were quite cooperative and aggressive on Saturday. We managed to hook 17 and land 14, all of which were slot fish from ~18"-25". Saw a few 8lb'ers, but didn't get them to eat for one reason or another...

Nice red .

That entire area is loaded up with gar...I've seen them everywhere from the creeks to literally miles offshore.

I've tried it many times, but have never done much. I've seen some gigantic sheepshead up in the grass, but not many reds.

Very nice fish David...seems that the larger inshore reds are really abundant down that way. Send some up here .

I'll take snook over redfish in the eating department, but I doubt I could bring myself to put a snook in the cooler. I don't think twice about keeping a low-slot red occasionally, probably because I catch so many of them over the course of the year. Snook are just a more special fish. On the subjec...