J Francho

Since I switched to a centrepin, I haven't touched a fly rod. Come to the dark side.

I have not caught a 6 lb. smallie, and I would not call it a trophy. I’m very proud of my 5-12 and the dozens over 5 lbs I’ve caught. That said, right after I scaled that PB, my buddy scaled a 6-1. I’d say over 7, and maybe. I’ve seen a few 7+ in my days. They’re pretty magnificent. Biggest LMB I’ve seen was a near DD FLS LMB. Biggest northern LMB, 8-5. I’d call that a trophy up here. At at any rate, I love my smallies, but most of the big green fish (over 6) fought as well as any smallmouth, save my PB NY fish. King salmon still rank rank the highest for fight. Bass don’t even compare, regardless of species. But like I said, I’m not in it for the fight when it comes to bass. Kings are easy if you know when and where, which is also easy.

Good stuff. That backhand cast is very useful when you're in the back of the boat with a right handed boater that typically casts off the port side. The spinning pitch is also great for getting under docks.

You're mimicking an injured bait fish - as in injured by the fish that smacked your topwater. I like to wacky rig or nose hook them as a follow up bait.

There are several decent mom & pop bait/shops around here that are doing well. They are usually situated on or close to good fishing grounds, and cater to their clientele. I mean, that's really the secret of any good retail: location and offering goods customers want.

I use both left and right hand retrieve with casting gear. Fly, pin, and spin are all handle on the left, ironically a right handed reel, back in the days when spinners weren't reversible. I only cast with my right hand forward, and left hand on the lower grip, always two handed unless I'm pitching or making the rare flip cast. The message here is, it makes no difference. Do whatever is comfortable, or even challenge yourself, and learn what's uncomfortable. It doesn't matter as long as you have accurate casts.

I only wade in to cast, unless the bank is impassable. I'd prefer not to wade downstream, but sometimes it's a necessity. Often though, I will hike upstream, looking for fish or spots, reading the water as I go, and return as travel back downstream. I suppose I wade fish similar to how a drift boat would operate. Cast are usually made perpendicular to current, and I let the bait swing into high percentage areas. In the case of something like a shallow lipped crank or minnow bait, there's a point where you don't even have to reel line in. At that point just let bait do what it does.

Yes, I fish when the water is wet.

That's no moon....

Congrats @reason, you invented common core, or "new math." I think you meant mass, here.

I love hearing Bills fans groaning on Monday morning about how bad they are.

It's a Triton. They're notorious for chine walk.

Thanks for hanging in there with us nerds!

Years ago, I had a developer actually ask me how to evaluate percentages, lol. He knew how to do it if it was a ten question quiz. He literally stepped through case score is 10, then 100...case score is 9, then 90, etc. The problem was there were 11 questions. LMAO.

L'Hôpital it!

Scope Creep!

Just do the math. Your program only evaluates 1/(2^4) increments. What about fifth and third ounces?

I love spinnerbaits, too. They're such a versatile bait.

If you type "John Franchot" into the search on the articles home page, you'll find some of mine.

I was just gonna ask this. I mean, I put it in it's own category, since "jig" can mean so many things.

@TOXIC The difference is that you are not self promoting, or using this site for self gain. You are welcome, as are your posts, because you are transparent, and you genuinely want to help others catch fish. If it's with a GYCB baits, then so be it. Your take on fishing what you like is spot on. I never pursued sponsorship, I was approached by companies that took an interest in my fishing, both successes on the water, and what I had written. Do I think it's a little close minded to say one bait is better than the rest? Maybe. But maybe also I would have said the same thing before my associations with this site. I used to be pretty stuck on my preferred products. There's a lot stuff out there, and testing and trying new gear has taught me what an old friend always says: "The fish are where you find them." This is perfect. Nothing is more valuable than integrity. If the product is good, it sells itself. All I have to do is tell a good fishing story.

Working from this end of the forum, I've gotten REAL skeptical. You would be surprised how many of those 10% Coupon code pro staffers' posts are removed. They aren't here for the community or the camaraderie, just pushing up impressions for their discount. First time post, "Ever try this bait..." posts a link to the website, lol.

Roadwarror's flip phone doesn't have Siri?

I know when I was sponsored (Wilderness Systems, AT Paddles) the policy was not to talk down about others' products, and get as much seat time in competitors' boats as possible. This was to be able to not just be an expert in the product that sponsored you, but to be an all around expert and draw on your experiences in those other boats to make comparisons that were valid. We were also instructed explicitly NOT to "pimp" our rides.