J Francho

Drop shot, stand up jigs, wacky jig, and split shot rig are a few I use.

BZZZZT! Wrong answer! Has to be an aluminum frame reel for my money.

Not sure why a reel's gear ratio would be too weak due to gear ratio…I always use the rod to move the fish, not the reel.

Lol, Raul, I think this is probably a topic we agree on. COLOR is way down on my list when unlocking the puzzle. REALISM starts to come into play if I'm throwing bigger baits. And really, I can probably throw that out the window, since I catch a good many swim bait fish on a follow up bait. So often, the big bait draws them out, and I polish them off with a jig or worm. But this about crank baits, which are smaller, and move quite a bit faster in the water. I've had days where color really mattered, but I've never figured out any rhyme or reason to it. Something different worked that day. Why? "Because!" To quote my old timer bud, Marty Friedman. If you like a color, and you feel like you'll catch on it, you throw it more. Therefore, it's a more productive color. Throw in some conditional patterning, like water clarity, that affects what you throw, and it usually bears out that some choice was the right choice. Is it exactly true all the time? It is if that's all you do in those conditions.

Why would it be over kill? You use the rod to work the bait. Any reasonable fast to fast retrieve is fine for frogs, so long as it's a metal framed reel.

They're literally called "fish grips." Look them - lots of places sell them.

You think place of manufacture and MSRP might have something to do with the lower replacement cost?

Never really gave the noise a second thought. Too busy fishing. Some brands are quieter than others. Braid also breaks in and gets quieter with age.

I bite a half inch off the head and thread it on. I'll also use the baits with the front flappers missing.

There are some jigs that are designed to be fished without a trailer. Marabou and buck tail jigs come to mind. I helped design the Siebert Bed Bug, which can fished with or without. But the typical bass jig fishes best with some sort of trailer bait.

You should take a spin through our articles. There's plenty there on fishing jigs.

In clear water, I like MS American Shad. Coincidentally, it's the same I like for dirty water. Occasionally, I throw a very brightly colored bait, chartreuse or pink or some combination, but I throw them in all water clarity.

Distance is way down on my list for why I'd use one or the other. If you know how to cast, it doesn't really matter. Now you want to compare different brands and different diameters, that's a different story. I have to say, I'm not sure what the recent flurry of distance related posts is about, but I can assure you, if you can't cast far enough, you're setting your sights too high or need to practice. It's nothing to do with line, reels or rods. You're better off with a well placed cast, putting your bait in the right place than out casting everyone else at the bank.

Loaded question. What are you trying to accomplish? What size reel? Which baits? What rod? How about line? I own a few Es, and have played with an I. I can get a bait hung in the trees with both.

I've been playing drums for 35 years. Nothing I do fishing will ever compare to what I put wrists and hands through while playing. If your getting chronic pain from fishing, you need to see a doc because there's something really wrong.

When I can. Anything to get off the shore.

I'd believe it if it were smallies. My dad and have had a few trips with over 150 in the boat. We usually quit at noon.

No, they're just different tools. Keep in mind, I have two bass boats, one an 18' aluminum, the other a 22' glass performance boat. Also consider my location. I've got lakes that range from shallow puddles up to two Great Lakes, and everything in between within an hour drive. No single boat does all that best.

There's a deeper question here - Wayne probably knows what I'm gearing to, he has a pro photog in the family. It boils down to photographic ethics and whether a photograph is a document of the truth, or or the moment, and all the emotion that accompanies that moment. I could go on and on, and I might later when I have a moment. I'm of the opinion that a picture's purpose is capture the joy of the catch, and to celebrate both the angler and the fish. Nothing else. Publicly, I've softened on my opinion of outlandish claims. Privately, it still chaps my rear just a little.

Speed, I trust your statements and pics, so long as you don't wear one of those black, flat brimmed poseur hats, lol.

I fished a deep v tiller for years. What a great boat. 17' of wide open fishing space, and handled big water like a champ.

Hard to discuss potential causes without knowing make, model, and year. This could be a two year old Honda 4 stroke, or 30 year old Black Max.

Pick your favorite flavor. Pretty much every company makes a great reel at that price. Weigh in things such as retrieve, spool size, weight, frame material, etc. don't overlook lesser known brands. I've got an Okuma Helios and a few Pinnacles that are as nice as my Daiwas and few odd Shimanos. Pinnacle on particular has really stepped up on quality, and Okuma is entering the land of super light high end reels.

The 744 or 745 will work fine. I choose based on what size bait I'm throwing. 5/8 or under, 744. Over 1/2, 745. Good luck, you're gonna have fun.

Jeez, I forgot about JT. He's a good, honest guy.