J Francho

Chances are you will miss any swipe, unless you foul hook the fish by some stroke of luck. No rod will fix that.

Who said I "softer"? So you used a lower power rod and were losing fish and then upped the power and started catching? That has zero to do with taper or losing fish. A fast taper means you get into the power for hook setting quicker, which actually solves your issues, irrespective of taper. X-fast does not mean soft. Neither does moderate or slow. Your counterargument has too many contradictions. I'm of the opinion that taper matters little with regards to hookset. Taper affects the feel of the retrieve, and the lure's behavior, and to some extent can have an effect on casting. I think this the real reason so many like a moderate or mod-fast rod (myself included) for general casting - it's nice.

How much slack do you need to pick up. Even with a slower reel, it's a fraction of a turn per twitch.

This myth gets regurgitated so often. That's all it is.

Leave it alone unless you are willing to pay a taxidermist. Anything you'd try at home would probably make it worse.

I love fishing in a slow drizzle with no wind.

This.

Fourscore and fourteen years ago...

Agreed, I'm more interested in the form factor and comfort. I simply adjust to the retrieve speed, though I didn't really like using an ultra fast reel (41 IPT).

If you see me fishing it, it's an imposter.

Walleye do it this time of year up here.

Are you 100% positive they're bass?

It works well on white baits. I mostly use chartreuse and methylate, but have all the colors. Watch the man himself do up a fluke:

Drop shot rig is what we always used for cats back before we knew what a drop shot was.

The rods I use for crankbaits (moderate) is the polar opposite from what I use for chatterbaits (x-fast).

A "rig" suggests rigging, as in several components. A jig is self contained, and doesn't require any rigging. That's how I think of it. It's a jig, or a weighted hook. There's so many styles it always pays to mention exactly the jig you're using, even if means referring to the product itself, just like hooks.

Fall is when this rig shines for me.

It already has a name. It's a jig. There are dozens of styles.

Big Game is inexpensive, but it is not cheap. It represents one of the better bang for the buck lines out there.

This is standard apparel all winter in western NY, lol.

I'm guessing this is all part of Gary's retirement plan. Good for him.

I bet it will feel great that you have an extra $20 in your pocket when a fish of a lifetime breaks off. I can't for the life of me figure out why people try to cheap out on their line of all things. Buy a trusted brand of braid, and less expensive rod for goodness sake. It is literally the only thing connecting you to the fish.

I get sent a lot of different baits to try out. I really haven't found any bait that I considered a waste of money if someone bought it, unless it was something simply too big, or too small for bass. There's so many companies trying to sell to a relatively small and saturated market, selling junk that doesn't work is simply foolish business strategy.