J Francho

Not always. "Test" ratings are different than break strengths. Some are true. For instance, Seaguar Finesse. That's how you get weird break strengths, like 7.2 lbs. for a 6# size line. Daiwa and Maxima are two other that I know of that are accurate. If you are so inclined to spend $40, IGFA will perform tests. https://igfa.org/line-testing/

Nice catch. Why do mainstream news media always refer to catching a fish as snagging?

Why not just zip tie it to your crate?

I don't care for how Red Label behaves on spinning gear. Given that I have gotten four years out of Invisx, it's worth the price. Look for it on sale.

They're typically taken home and eaten, or fed to the dog, in my case. I've heard of some clubs taking the fillets to a homeless shelter. It would be pretty bad form to leave dead fish behind in a tournament. Just one or two floating corpses would give plenty on shore a bad impression of tournement fishing in general.

Mine has to be at least 10 years old. I don't recall changing the batteries on mine, either.

Jay Cutler played in the NFL and has T1D.

I think good fluoro is upgrade from mono, but that's really just an opinion I formed from using the stuff. When I first tried it, I bought cheap stuff, and thought all the buzz was just hype. I already used Seaguar fluoro leader material, though, and understood the advantages of it for trout fishing (centrepin and fly), but wasn't sold on it as reel fill line. Once I tried a better brand, Seaguar Invisx ,was when I could see the advantages. Seguar invented fluorocarbon fishing line. I trust their technology.

To be clear, you cannot control Type 1 with diet, at all. Period. People with T1D cannot make insulin, the islets in the pancreas have ceased to produce insulin. At this point in the game, an endocrinologist will probably prescribe shots of a slow acting insulin like Lantus for a basal (background) dosing, and a fast acting insulin like Novolog or Humalog for bolus (meal time) injections. You will have to learn how to count carbohydrates properly. To this day, it's a struggle for me. I like to go out to eat, and don't like processed, packaged foods. Often you are guessing how many carbs are in your meal, and correcting later. Low blood glucose (caused by too much insulin) is far worse than high blood glucose. Push your doctors and insurance to cover an insulin pump. It's easier to do one injection kit every 2-3 days than 4-6 injections per day. That pump, linked to a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) will really help you automate dosing, and get a picture of how his body processes carbs. Speaking of treatments, there is a woman, that had islets made from stem cells placed on her organ sack/membrane that has been making her own insulin. She has not received any insulin injections for at least five years. A cure seems likely within our lifetimes. The procedure requires surgery, but I'd do it in a heartbeat. There's hope. Yep. I'm in better shape now at 47 than when I was 30. I hike, kayak, skateboard, play drums, and even played in a wood bat/fast pitch league up until a few years ago. Despite being called out in the Americans with Disabilities Act, diabetes isn't always disabling. In fact, T1D seems more manageable than T2D, despite being what everyone calls the "worse version."

For deep and straight down, or almost straight down, I think it's better. Back in the day, before drop shot was invented in Japan, we drop shotted live night crawlers and soft shell crabs for smallies. Only difference was we used home poured casting sinkers. And mono line. Flouro feels more direct, doesn't get beat up by zebes as bad, and sinks. You are probably fine sticking with what you know works, but it won't hurt to try. Get a good fluoro, like Tatsu, Finesse, or Invisx. Speaking of, I remember watching a local stick do a presentation at the local BPS on drop shot. He was using braid with a leader. The bow in his line just casting into the fish tank was prominent. He never felt the 8-15 lb. steelhead nipping at his bait on the way down. It was hilarious. I knew then, never use the braid and leader for anything more than 8' of water.

I can't count how many times I've smashed my TD. It pretty banged up, but works fine. They're more durable than you think. Doesn't mean be reckless.

It's been the go to rod for those baits since around 2001, when I bought the rod.

I use 6# Tatsu, no leader.

That only happens when you let all the air out. You just remove enough to keep them from floating up, and they're neutrally buoyant.

@Choporoz get some pics up when you get it wired up.

I can only cast with my right. For actual flipping, the reel is already engaged, so you don't need to get back to the reel to engage. For pitching, I can do right handed and be switched before the bait touches the water. I have several left hand reels, though, and I prefer them for pitching. For moving baits, I prefer a right hand reel. Spinning are right handed - meaning the handle is on the left.

The TD needs to be lower than the hull for SI to work. SI can't see through the hull. This is why I use an arm for mine.

I use an arm. I have SI, so through hull is not an option. Too bad I didn't have a Humminbird, otherwise the Hobie Compass is Lowrance ready.

No. I've caught them as deep as 45' and they swim back down fine. It's when you put them in a livewell that fizzing becomes a necessity. I don't bother fishing that deep if I need to put them in a livewell.

This shows the tech off perfectly

6# Tatsu would be my choice. Yes it's pricey, but nothing on the market works as well, and considering I've had spools last me three or more years worth of fishing, it's all worth it.

I fish Devil's Horse and some old Heddon Dying Flutters. I like to use short, fast twitches to get them walk.

And we're done here.

No. A polygraph is a smell test. Fail, and questions will follow, evidence collected. You're being too literal. The whole point of this thread was how do they prove the anglers got no outside help. A polygraph is one way to determine if a competitor broke a rule. Fail, and that's a big smell. You can get into all the minutia, if you want, but it doesn't serve the thread at all. Like T9 said, competitors agree to the terms of the contest at the beginning. If the terms include passing a polygraph, then that's that.

Failing a polygraph is just the start. It's a tool used in an investigation. Doesn't mean the test results were used as evidence in a trial. Keep in mind, you break fish and game laws, the burden on the prosecutor is much less than something like a murder trial. Fish and game officers also have much more freedom to search and seize than typical police officer. Lastly, if proven guilty, many states have reciprocity laws. Lose you right to fish in one state, you can lose it in many. The point I see in the article is your disbelief that someone would go to jail over fish and money. The link provided proves to you that it happens. That is not an isolated case.