Which of you will confess to the ultimate sin?

[Robert McMahan]

Now that a new Pope has been elected it got me to thinking about perhaps the ultimate sin on the FAOL WW board. Which is---------spin fishing or baitcasting. If indeed confession is good for the soul, I must admit I have sinned. The crappie are biting but they haven't moved up shallow yet in the big lakes. They are out past the first drop, staging, waiting for the right water temp before moving up to procreate. I must confess that I tried the long rod but just couldn't keep up with my gear headed bretheren so, like the man says, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em". So I did and I'm now putting a few in the freezer with the ultralight spinning rod. When they move up to spawn I'm back to the long rod but until then, I'll continue to sin.
I feel better already about my confession.
Anyone else out there that needs to come forward and get it off your chest or are you indeed "pure"?

[atomic_dog]

I think I use the spinning/baitcasting gear more than the fly gear. I'm not as proficient at bass fishing with the fly rod as I am with the spinning rod. In fact, about a month ago I caught my biggest bass ever, 21.5" and over 5 pounds. My little 4 wt. wouldn't have handled that fish too well anyways.

When it comes to panfish, though, the fly rod is way more fun for me and I catch a lot more gills with it. The big problem with springtime here, though, is the wind. I'm not a very good caster and even a little wind makes things tough. So for now, unless I can get out on a reasonably calm day, I've been using the spinning tackle. Although I have been tying on a casting bubble and using flies anyways.

[Jeremy]

Man O'man Robert...I respect ya. I mean having the (ahem) to post THAT on a public forum!!!! )

All the best.

Jeremy. ..me? Nah. Ne'er did nutt'n wrong.....

[Coach Robb]

I think the above absolution should pretty well cover all sins, but didn't the original JC forgive the past and tell the sinner to sin no more. The spinning rigs must go, the bait and the bobber as well, let not your brethern and sisterin lead you any more down the path of the fiberglass bottomed,plastic castin, patch festooned,30lb. test, tobbaco spittin heathen. Go in peace to catch some more.

Hey Robert - Am I even more of a sinner since I'm "in the business" ???? ( My rod company does make exactly 4 spinning rods. Does that help at all with some kind of absolution ?? )

Down here on the coast, when it's blowing over 25 with gusts up to 40, and considering that all this fishining stuff is SUPPOSED to be fun, yeah, I'll use a spinning rod.
If I'm Striper fishing below the dam at Texoma & they turn the water on, thereby making my backcast room go away, am I a total sinner if I get a big surf rod out of the car ?? I'm just tryin' ta have some fun.
Here's a bit of a fishin' story from a long-time sinner.....
Years ago, when I was living in Dallas and Lake Fork was newly opened (Yes, I did sneak in there a few times a little "early", but never got caught.), I got it in my head that I just really NEEDED to catch an over-10# Bass on a fly rod, since I was in the FF business, and, naturally, you were bound to catch at LEAST one 10 pounder every trip to Fork. Yeah. Right. This stupid quest took almost a full year.
My main rig was a 10 weight, sinking lines,20 pound leaders and 4/0 things I made that were sort of a giant woolhead sculpin. In other words, I was fishing a jig-n-eel, but with an odd looking rod & reel.
Focusing on Fork for most of one whole year, I did manage to catch several 7 - 9 pound fish in shallow water with more reasonable gear, on the nests (yet a further sin ), but the over-10 eluded me. I fished hard all summer, into the winter, and finally, the next February, in Mustang cove, I caught the biggest Bass I've ever caught on any gear, a 12# 2 oz monster that pulled fairly hard, but was mostly just weight on the line, a pre-spawn female, full of eggs.
Since there was a radio-tagged 15 pound fish known to hang out in Mustang at the time, there were, understandably, at least 8 or 10 other boats in there that day.
We all know how well sound travels across water. When I grabbed that fish, there were 5 or 6 comments that went something like this - "Look at that George !!! (Slim, Bubba,Wayne, whoever) That s.o.b. just caught MY fish on a G** damn trout pole !!!" There were a couple of other boats that came up, congratulated me, and thought it was pretty cool, but most of what I heard sounded resentful. Insane, I thought, and still do.
Well, I caught my over-10, but man was it ever a lot of work. These days, if I get the chance to fish a Lake Fork, and I know we're going to be fishing say, 15 feet deep on structure or hydrilla edges, I'm use a casting rod. Yes, I'm a sinner.

Cary

[lee s]

We are going to sin this comming week. We are going to troll our flies. Oh well...

[fishlux]

I guess I'm unrepentant. I fish with what ever my fishing companion-du-jour wishes. And I'm thinking about drowning some sweet corn tonight!

[Coach Robb]

Please note the winking eye icon. I wish there was one with a tongue in the cheek. Having been married 25 years and having two teenagers I'm not accustomed to being taken seriously. I use a baitcasting rod and braided nylon line for muskies so I include myself in the heathen hordes.

[idabelangler]

I stay righteous with the fly rod, but I do use plastics, spinner blades, spoons, and pork rinds with it. No bait......yet!

[swamp rat]

Lo, my brothers and sisters, I must warn you about sinning against the flyfishing Gods.
Just this past Sunday, I chose tread the path of darkness. I intended to attack the crappie in the pond with...minnows, bobbers, and an ultralight spinning rod!!!! (gasp!)
This greatly angered the flyfishing Gods, and they commenced to smite me for my transgression. First, I got the truck stuck in the sand. Ended up having to spend $100 on a come-along and chain. As i was working on getting the truck out, I opened the door into my cheekbone...hard! I now have an almost-shiner and a cut on my cheek. Determined to commit my sin, I went ahead and lanched the boat and tried to fish. I hadn't moved 20 feet before I knocked over my minnow bucket! And worst of all, NO FISH! So, woe be unto us poor sinners. I think I'll stick with the righteous path in the near future!
Swamp