I Wussed out and just retired leaders on all my spinning setups with crazy Alberto. I'll practice the FG a bit and make sure I'm tying it correctly but going for winter smallmouth I don't wanna leave anything to chance. I'm not doubting the FG, just my wanna practice it a bit first. I've had enough heartbreak for one week, lost a trophy smallmouth at my feet yesterday and I'm still playing that mini violin to everyone that'll listen!!

I lost the only double digit fishing I'll ever get the chance to even accidentally cast near about 4/5 years ago. I'm MA a 5 pound bass is BIG, a 6 pound bass and you'll walk on clouds for a couple years, 7 pounds and you might pee a little when you see it. I knew a guy who said it took him over 60 years to catch a fish over 8 pounds... I've been heartbroken over that fish I lost, and sometimes struggle to even bring myself to get back out on the water knowing my once in a life time fish came and went.

But in the last year or so I've decided the only way to maybe get a twice in a lifetime fish is to fish smarter and bigger, and hopefully more once the kids get a little older.

I spent a good while practicing my knots nightly on the couch watching TV or something with the misses. Now I've got an FG that will last 10 trips before I even start to get a tinge of nervousness. I would just tie and cut and tie and cut and tie and cut...

I feel you on not putting it in the water if you don't trust it yet, but it's well worth the practice to get good at.

Building rods in MA, Building the community around the world