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Daiwa J Braid x8 in 8# is hard to beat for that use. It's what I run when I am throwing something that needs braid. The 4x is a 4 carrier line, and is rougher, more of a flip and frog line. They have a new one out Grand, also an 8 carrier, but I didn't like it enough to spool any yet. It's slick and stiffer than the 8x regular. Several colors available. That said, your trouble with FC might be due to spool size. 2500s are too small to handle it well, as are the new Daiwa LT in the 3000, or the Lew's in 3000ish. The Daiwa Black Gold and Eliminators still use the old big 3000 spools, and the Lew's 35 (saltwater) and 40 are ok for it. It also needs lots of line conditioner, as does the braid, really. Braid remains a mess in wind, and it has some other quirks. It's not the almighty twirly reel solution folks make it out to be.

Ick.

Seems it.

Absolutely beautiful brown fish.

Nailed it.

There's definitely an elephant in the room with all of this, and Blue's "crossing the main channel" gets right at it. Used in creeks, coves, sheltered areas there is much less chance of tragedy. Trying to cross big water, and play out with the big boats? 🐘

His mailbox is probably under a flash flood warning.

Many of them.

Fun stuff. Hope you catch some decent weather for the yak deal, but not so decent everyone is out in anything that will float. Lot of solid "economy" gear out there.

This is why I've ordered two boats without a hot foot. Learned that lesson a long time ago.

That's about right.

I'd be more concerned about suddenly going swimming with them 😂.

Yep. One of our guys got popped when we were up there in 95 or 96. Something like a 30mph limit, iirc? Can barely keep it on plane at that speed.

Yep. I never leave the friendly confines when I do it. Plenty to fish without prowling around in the dark.

Mercy.

Yep. I've done the pre-pre-dawn thing a few times working around tournament messes. Get 8+ hours in by noon, then crash. More workable in terms of lifestyle, too.

I'd like to do it enough to feel comfortable with it. Not close to that point yet, but I enjoy the odd run at it.

Right they'd be used after a collision. That's about it. Only lake I've been on where I've seen a speed limit enforced was Minnetonka, years ago. No idea if they still do. Cal could probably tell you.

Come to the Dark Side, my brother. We have cookies.

Let's just say I have salt craws, black blades, and my lights packed. And black and blue Ned rig parts, of course.

That's hardcore. Bo would have been proud of those night pics.

Deadstick that joker as much as possible. Slow drag if the wind won't let you. Shake your slack, or the bait, if they're eating it. Not quite there yet, but when they fill up the spawn coves slow swimming it and shaking it all the way to the boat will catch them. 1/32 or 1/16 heads for that, the 1/8 will move too fast.

I can't get my head around the fun of leaning out over the gunnels on one of the Great Lakes, but to each his own.

I've run mine hard precisely twice in the last 4 years. Once, at daylight in the summer, when I realized we'd left a bag of baits on the table. The other was in '20 running back from Mill-ish to Schooner through that chaos on the so-called last day of "lock down". That was more about hammering it when you could, to get through the few open spaces. It was a lot like running the channel on the Upper Mississippi on a Saturday. Not much good happens at WOT.

They use them quite a bit up north. Had to laugh, was fast forwarding through MLF earlier, and the tease for next week shows Jeff Sprague using one on smallmouth. Tune in, lol.