J Francho

A fast action rod works better for traps in grass than a typical cranking stick.

Bocas are overrated. 9/10 times, a bearing flush will give you all the performance you need. I do like Ceramic Hybrids with metal shields as a good choice over OEM for replacement of bad bearings. Smooth Drags and Hawgtech are two companies that sell a good bearing at a fair price. I think it's pretty funny that people pay extra for "orange seal" bearings, and then throw out the seals.

No, and I think we're done here.

Not sure the circumstances around that fish are still there. I know other lakes, like Castaic, have suffered a bit of decline due to low water and the cessation of trout stockings. I really think the next WRB willbe a smallmouth, or spotted bass.

That fish has passed on.

Kurita said there were bigger bass than the record he caught. So, for now I'll go with Biwa.

If you can turn every lost fish into an opportunity to up your game, you're doing something VERY right.

Never the end. Not many, myself included, have been to the top of the mountain. With the help of other anglers on this site, I dink drop fish under 2 lbs. I don't bother with pics or weighing them. BammerBass can get there, too. It doesn't matter where you live - a five is do able, and a testament to getting out there. After that, the sky is the limit.

Largemouth are more territorial than smallmouth. In lakes where there are only smallmouth, they tend to occupy prime real estate that a largemouth normally would. There are VERY few lakes where this is the case though. When both species are present, smallies either wander, or occupy the next best location, often deeper and cooler. Some wander sop much, they key on baitfish, not structure, so you have to learn how to read super structure, and how huge schools of bait relate to it. The notion that largemouth are a larger species isn't exactly true, either. Northern largemouth bags are often overshadowed by smallmouth bags when smallmouth are accessible. On the Great Lakes, while there are smallies in the warmer protected bays, they are dominated by largemouth, while the open water lake, and it's huge schools of pelagic bait are the domain of the smallmouth. I'll tell you this much about growing up on Port Bay, Lake Ontario: while I love largemouth fishing more than just about anything, if the weather cooperated, I'd leave the bay, and look for smallies in the big lake.

The Flying lure is still available. Funny thing about it, it works. It does what it says. I fished with a buddy that uses them. I wouldn't say he outfished me, or that I could have done better had I used them, but you could say that about many lures. Had it not been lumped into that "as seen on TV" jokes, I bet it would not be so looked down on. I sort of see it like OxyClean and the Swiffer - both "as seen on TV" products that work really well. PB Blaster is another.

There's a shop on Sodus, where I launch my boat from. I pay the $5 launch fee, and usually buy a couple of $8 bags of Senkos and some cold soda.

Yes and no. I would not have it spooled with braid if I was using swimbaits, but with a reel spooled up with 50-65# braid, sure.

They aren't really many local shops that even carry what I'd use.

1. I like Seaguar Leader material, not reel fill line for this. It's much tougher. Size depends on what your doing, but 6-12# should suffice. 2. Again, really depends on what you're tying up. generally, the length of the rod is a good start. Retie when it gets under 18-24". 3. Alberto. There is no other. Back to Back Uni knots will fail. I've seen it over and over from devotees of this knot. You've been warned. 4. Palomar, Improved Cinch, Uni, SD Jam....whatever knot you can tie well.

Any "play" from the AR tube on the crankshaft would limited by the amount drag pressure. I'd be curious as to ice's solution.

That's an exellent plan, you won't go wrong with that rig.

Congrats!

Very much so. Most of it is subjective, though. I don't mind a little stretch, but I also don't have as many manageability issues as most either, so I suppose I'm a little less picky.

Keep playing, and posting questions - you will catch one. Here's one that was a little bigger than that one. No scale shot, lol. I just posted that up because it drove my point home. 7-1

No, it doesn't harm them. Maxillary tissue heals quickly. The important thing us to avoid torque on the jaw, like you see in magazines all the time.

I use plastics that are much thicker than the thick end of a Jackall Flick Shake, without issue. I'm going to wager that the hook itself, along with the head first rigging is what gives that bait it's action. It didn't look "stiff" at all in the video. I don't use octupus hooks too much, but they work fine. Nope, not rocket science, just fishing.

Surface temps don't do much for me, other than making comparisons to other lakes when looking at local reports, even then it's a piece of data I only really pay attention to in spring and fall, when temps are changing. A pool thermometer will usually be close enough. I have one that I sometimes tie off on the kayak. I usually let it sink about 6-10 feet.

East, in Auburn, NY. Yes, there is a Bass Pro Shops in Auburn as well, lol.