Dwight Hottle

Finally a moderator with a very unique sense of humor!?

Yes to the redfish. Strong fighters & good to eat. Win Win.

crepusclar Had to look that one up.

You know there is a reason the betting line is so close on this game. The underdog has a really good chance to win.

Well I hate to tell you they did stand a chance.

Overall 2021 was a good year and I'm thankful. Managed to stay healthy, traveled a little & caught some good fish. My best five bass for the year went 43-12 anchored by a DD.

Exactly. I called Progressive my insurer & asked if they cover damage to the motor's lower unit if you hit a rock. They told me yes its covered under collision damage minus the deductible.

Welcome to BR.

Sent you a PM.

I just read it this morning so it's really fresh in my mind. They Condition Smallmouths, Don't They? is the title of the article. It fits with the OP's subject really well. It basically talks about the premise of lure conditioning to bass. They discuss bass relying on instinct & poo poo the experts that insist bass simply exist by instinct. They also argue that anglers believing fish are stupid are missing out. Quote " The brain of a smallmouth might be the size of a pea but -cognitively speaking- it's thousands of times smarter than any comparably sized computer. " They also talk about catchability being altered by pressure and negative stimuli like noise, trolling motor hum & electronic pinging. Very good article. Thinking about how bass react to certain lure or baits I remember back to my smallmouth fishing on lake Erie. I found one particular bait would absolutely crush the bass for a whole season. When that bait started to wane I would try something else like we all do. What I found is that a new bait replacing the old one would get hot because the action/color/noise of the rattles was different. Then the cycle would start all over again. Every year or two I had a different bait dominate for a similar period. The bass were getting conditioned or pressured by that one particular bait. When I retried a bait that had been extremely successful previously at a later time frame it would still get some bites but not like the currently hot bait.

This last trip was only my second time fishing this body of water. I fished it for the first time early this year so I can only compare two trips experience but it's a renowned fishery in Florida. The link is from my first trip there.

X2 hiring a guide will eliminate you buying tackle you will not need.

8-12 caught on the St Johns river

Made a trip up to Deland FL to fish the St Johns river for two days. The first day was the best with the 2nd day colder & heavy fog until late morning. Caught a bunch of good fish & as always enjoyed the company & beautiful river views.

I feel your frustration. If I'm fishing from the bank I throw just in front of them to let them know how far I can cast. I do the same to another boat encroaching into my area. If they don't get the message then I verbalize my feelings by telling them if they are within casting distance they are too close. 9 out of ten respond semi apologetic & move away. If your alone & feel intimated because your out numered it's probably best to just let it go.

Somehow I think your going to fail at golf as well.

Obviously a loser troll.

You should stick to blugill & cropie then.

My brother & I met him at Hartsfield airport in Atlanta. We noticed him dressed in a suit & tie walking to his gate. He was very gracious and easy to talk to.

X2 Find a surgeon that has done a high frequency of rotator cuff surgeries.

My first boat trailer came with Carlisle, first trip out of state one blew out and the 2nd one had a ply separation (bubble) in the sidewall. Replaced them all when I got back from the trip.

It's all about the money.

It's up to you but I would note which are nose down versus tail down because sometimes that is a trigger to getting more bites. The fact that you notice a difference shows your going to do well with jerk baits. Good observation.

I thought you said you did not bleed them?

Like Mike suggested shiners rule on Rodman. If your first day isn't productive switch to another area. Good luck with your trip.