J Francho

If you set your drag properly, you can still whack 'em good. I do it all the time. Do as I say, not as I do!

That's a bit of a stretch (see what I did there :P), but it's pretty close to good mono.

Is "yes" a choice? I buy whatever polarized shades are cheap and look good.

Snaps, yes. Swivels, yes. Snap-swivels, never. Each has their applications in bass fishing. Anytime a split ring is provided for line tying, you can safely replace with a Duo Lock snap. Swivels are good for lures that twist in the water, like spoons and inline spinners. If you MUST use both, use them like this, just tie on a Duo Loc, and attach it to the swivel:

Pics or it didn't happen. You gonna bling it out?

I'm not overly focused on lost bass, but there's a brown trout that I lost that haunts me. It would have easily blown my 22 lb. PB brown out of the water by pounds. I panicked, and locked my finger on the centerpin spool, and with one flick of the tail, it was gone.

Tatsu is just good line - I don't really care what it's made from. It just works in most cases, and isn't really fussy.

Gang valve from hell!!!!!!

Never mind getting invited to the Wildy Team..... Congrats, dude!

Yep, it's just that one company. Anybody else goes. Bass on a short leash is a bit of a specialty of mine, often fishing from a kayak. It really depends on the bait, though in a general sense, use the same hookset you'd use on a long cast, but a little lighter. If I'm intentionally fishing short range, with say a jig or Texas rig plastic, I'll use a bit shorter rod, but with a decent length rear grip that I can lock into my elbow for leverage. My preferred rod is a G.Loomis 804c JWR. Strong, but stout. Pick your price point with regards what line - they're all pretty nice. I find longish, 7'+ rods a bit unweildy in this situation, even though 7-3 to 7-4 is my favorite worm and jig rod, otherwise. Use strong line, and set your drag so it's below the breaking point of the line or the rod. Keep a net handy and practice landing them yourself!

For that matter, if you can get bit on a senko, you can probably get bit on a jig.

Yes, they are tough to find, but they are out there. 7-1 from a small central NY lake.

Pretty clever!

The debate over subspecies and/or races rages on. The current fashion leans towards the splitters. DNA research supports much of it.

I run an old school milk crate, too. Love to get a Black Pak or similar, but just don't need it.

There's lakers and Atlantics on the east coast as well.

The NYDEC only got their million dollar fin clipping machine a few years ago, and someone correct me if I'm wrong that these fish are from the Salmon R. farm. Can't speak for the rest of the state fishery departments. Anyway, this guy has all it's fins Oh, and while we're at it...check out this weirdo. The top is a Coho. The bottom is a confirmed Coho x King cross, that the DEC denies exists. Note the large adipose fin, and increased spots, as well as head shape. Coloring is all Coho, though.

Also, most salmonoids spawn in summer or fall, depending on range. Typically, rainbows spawn in spring.

I forgot about rock bass (the sunfish family, not the stripers). They're pretty tasty in spring too. Walleye, rock bass, and a couple big sunnies for taste comparison from a couple springs ago:

I'm not sure I understand the question. Jigs come in lots of weights. I generally throw a 1/2 oz. jig as a starting point. Seems heavy, but you get a good feel for it and it's heavy enough to stay connected, but not so heavy it gets caught up in everything.

That's a nice stick!

I think many, myself included, take the point of view of a steward of the water. As such, you should be aware that it reflects on all anglers the impression you make on non-anglers.

In taxonomic terms, they are the first trout. Atlantic salmon are the other species that belong to the genus Salmo. There are also subspecies of browns, though I'm sure how many are just synonyms, and not widely accepted. Depends on who/where you get the info from.

No, browns are not a char, they are a salmonoid of the genus Salmo, species trutta. They literally are the 1st species of described trout, and in fact "trutta" literally translates to trout from Latin.

Make sure you get the BR member discount!