J Francho

A black 10" Powerworm is responsible for my PB largemouth from NY state, a 7-2. I don't throw these much anymore, but this is a staple bait that will produce anywhere.

Heavier weights do not fall into the cracks and crevices that smaller weights can, and therefore hang up less, in my experience. Great/Finger Lakes bottom composition probably has more to do with it. I don't feel any deadening using a 1/2 oz. over a 1/4 oz. weight. Not sure how that would make a difference. The strength of a drop shot rig is sensitivity, since it's a straight line connection between the hook, and your rod tip - with no weight in between.

I like them on a weighted swimbait hook. Don't be afraid of the 10 inchers - I think they are a better bait than the 7" version. More action, more level fall.

I really had no idea Utah had so much. Those are some really respectable numbers. Come up here, and I'll get you to double your brown and 'bow PB's

I will say this....I never fished Texas. One trip to Falcon, and I may change my mind, lol.

Get the 10" Annies. 4" of it is tail.

Oh, I forgot to mention....gators. I bleeping hate gators, lol.

Not blowing smoke. It isn't just about catching 10 lb. bass. I've got fish living next to the bass that will eat your 10 lb. green fish. There's a lot more to it - as I mentioned - diversity in both waters and species in freshwater fishing. I've fished Big O at least a dozen times....boring. Yes, the fish are bigger, but they are fewer, and far between. NC and SC have great fishing as well, as does AL. But from the places I've fished, VA and NY are far more interesting. VA is probably where I'll end up retiring. And BTW, a 3-4 lb. fish is merely a "nice keeper" up here. Some upstate NY dinks....

I've fished Florida several times. Not the best, in my opinion.

Probably?

To me, they are completely different baits. The Annies are worth trying, but you'll see what I mean when you fish them.

You're probably not going to come in the money with a bag of 2# fish. Swing for the fences...big cranks, big jigs, hollow belly paddle tails on heavy jigheads, and stroking heavy single blade spinnerbaits. I wouldn't forget to toss a big topwater over 20+ FOW in the early hours either.

Slice it half, and put it on a drop shot.

Not if you put the bait in their face. A 6XD is the same size as the two other baits I mentioned.

That is your issue, right there. I've caught 2-3 lb. smallmouth on 6" swimbaits. Tie on a CBD20 or DD22 and go get 'em.

I spend my nights worrying about where the fish are, not what the other guy is using.

I never understood the reason for using light weights. I use 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 oz. This gets the bait down quickly, and keeps it in place. Lighter weights just bounce around, and if you cast the rig out, it just drifts back at you.

Just a quick bit of info, rockies and black bass do not hybridize. Same for crappie. They are too far apart, genetically, though both belong to the sunfish (Centrarchidae) family. Here's a cool article: http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/08/24/hybrid-black-bass/ Here's a smallmouth with red eyes:

Citing hacks on FB as reasons for BassResource.com not to use it to promote our forums is like saying not to put your money in the bank because they get robbed. We use FB to spread the word about our great community here. Nothing more, nothing less.

The best two states I've fished, in terms of variety of water and species would be NY and VA.

The other side of the coin is all the drivers that don't want to let anyone in. That causes people to wait until the last minute, and is the start of the rubber band effect miles back. Once people realize that NO ONE is getting there any earlier, and utilize the concept of alternating merging traffic, grid lock will be the way. No sense in losing your temper over it - you're all stuck in it together. And oh yeah, minivans are always the source of all traffic delays, lol.

It's like any other piece of tackle...takes practice to get good at it. Give up now, and you'll never be good with it.

Obviously, not. The issue was an unencrypted FTP feed to the main office that was intercepted. Thousands of customer accounts were leaked, and had to be changed. I work in the IT industry.... you'd be surprised what is and isn't secure. I have no worries about Facebook. Your paranoia in unfounded. Everyday, financial institutions are compromised, government records leaked. I have yet to hear of one time that someone's FB account was "hacked" without some user error or intervention. Apps that steal your info don't install themselves. I've never heard of someone's kid getting stolen or molested because they shared a picture on FB. The notion is highly, highly, highly unlikely, so long as you do not post things like, "My SS# is .... and my kids will be alone in an unlocked house at such and such address.." I know that sounds silly, but I sometimes wonder if that's what people believe. It's just social media. At any rate, if you think your world will be destroyed by using FB, then don't. It's just a little contest to bring new members into the fold. Can't argue with the benefits of that.

Slugg-O would work too. I just like the little tail on the Caffeine Shad. Has some wiggle.