J Francho

A 40 year old bass solo that most will probably talk through or leave to order drinks. I give it an 11. In honor of the bass...

Pretty sure I use a 3/0 or 4/0 Owner Rigging hook.

I've returned plenty of things without original packaging. Keep your receipt. Hang on to the tags, if you must. Most bigger places have a 30 day return policy.

Not grubs, but I use a Ragetail Spacemonkey in much the same way. Sort of like a finesse toad. Works great when the damselflies are doing their thing in the summer heat.

So, exchange it.

There's really no easier way to to plum the depths of a deep hole. I'm not really fishing for resting fish, but I'm also not really after the ones you can see in the riffles. I'm not so concerned with "natural presentation" as the ROI is pretty low. Any fishing is is trying to trigger them to bite. Some methods result in more catching than others. Here's a pretty brown. I really prefer fall and winter - less traffic. At least once the kings finish up.

I haven't picked up a fly rod in at least 15 years, and haven't tied up a fly in a decade. Joined the darkside many years ago, and only centrepin now. It's more fun watching guys froth up the water with their spey rigs, while I'm hooked up.

That guide probably never tied up his own bags or used roe. Any color works. When late summer hits, you grab what color is available. If you look close, the netting doesn't change the color of the eggs, which we generally leave in their natural color. I only salt cure them anymore. When you trim the bags, there's no more color. At any rate, when bags don't work, trout worms do, and the top colors are pink, red, and yellow. Probably because that's the colors of roe. These aren't pellet fed trout.

Pointer 110 sp

110s are cool. Not my favorite, by a long shot.

That is a VERY warm hat that I wish I took off my head when my buddy blasted down the lake in his Gambler.

Ever been filmed for a fishing show? I have. 12 hours of fishing for ten minutes of footage. I bet they had some drunken frog footage. Walking is nice to know, and show your friends, but it isn't key to getting bit. Keep twitching, and catching. My only tip: it's a lot lighter a twitch than a typical spook cadence.

I've slipped a couple times. The absolute worst was landing in 4" of water on rocks. Cut my head, tore a finger nail off, filled my waders, and lost the fish. It was mid January, and I had hiked at least 3 miles upstream chasing chromers. Not my best day fishing. The wader belt is a must now. While I've never fell in kayaking, I've been the dummy in cold water rescue training and performed one cold water rescue. Cold water is no joke.

Love fishing that lake. Never fished it for fun, though. Only tournaments. The biggest LMB I've seen caught in NY came from Keuka. A monster 8-5 that was part of a 25+ lb. bag.

Almost time for this nonsense to begin. Lets see those steelhead pics!

I have this old JDM Flash Minnow that I really like. It's one of well over 200 jerkbaits that I almost always throw in early spring. It has a very subtle wiggle. The less you do, the better it gets bit.

It took me around 20 years of fishing frogs before I learned to walk them. I caught fish all along trying.

Once, I almost missed a bite thinking about who made my reel.

I have Avid, LTB, LE, and Champ Extremes, and I would say what @fishballer06 said is pretty accurate. Mojo and Fury don't register on my mid/high end radar.

Waders are not as safe as a dry or semi-dry suit. That said, I much prefer them, even having both breathable waders and a semi-dry suit. A semi-dry has a neoprene neck gasket instead of rubber. It's essentially the same thing as a dry suit, but doesn't rip your hair out when getting it on and off. The main thing waders is to wear a wading belt, and keep it cinched tight. Also look for bib style with clips for shoulder straps in the front. If you go in, unclip the straps to release the water as you get your waist above water, once you're safe and can remove your PFD. The tight wading belt will prevent most of the water from swamping your legs. Always, always, always, always wear a PFD. It will help keep the top free of water, and keep you floating. Once you get over the shock of the cold water (you WILL be stunned for a second) going down your back, do not panic or struggle. Make your way to the boat, and get back to shore.

I didn't know that! LOL, experience is the best teacher.

What he said!

Since we're talking Dshad, I'll add that it's a great bait on a punching Jika rig, fishing the emergent water willow on Oneida for big green fish in summer. I'm not usually a color guy, but *cough-cough* watermelon red/blk flake (208) is nice up there. Like I and others said, this style bait is super versatile.

Rattlin' Raps?

They're waterproof, and attached. The graph would be my LAST worry if I somehow managed to flip.