A-Jay

I get it. Fishing should be fun. Perhaps leave your casting gear home for a while and see how it goes. As for advantages . . . . While we can all fish very differently and have equal success most of the time. I'll tell you that spinning gear excels for me when I am casting into a stiff wind AND moving the bait with the rod, and picking up the slack with the reel. So jerkbaits, topwater baits, and some bottom contact baits (in lighter cover). Most anytime I'm moving the bait with the reel only, IME casting gear has a distinct advantage. So any bait with blades, crankbaits, swim jigs and any bottom contact bait in moderate to heavy cover. If a basshead can pull ALL of that off with spinning gear - well there you go. Finally, I surf fished off the east coast for years, I used both types of tackle. The casts were longer, the baits and the fish were bigger than what happens fishing for SMB today. I even caught a few. A-Jay

Perhaps think of it like this. What if your tackle usage & proficiency were REVERSED? And all you've ever used & known was casting gear. I'm not sure I could convince you that once you get better at using the spinning gear, and eliminate the casting problems, that the spinning gear can be a fun and very effective method of fishing. Especially for bass. You might be better with the casting gear than when you started a year or so ago, but it sounds like you still need work. I can say that with some confidence because you seem satisfied with the performance of your spinning gear. Which, in my mind, indicates that you have a useful level of experience with it. How long did it take you to attain your current level of effectiveness with your spinning gear ? Whatever time that was - please know in most cases, casting gear proficiency comes on a lot slower. Good Luck A-Jay

Timely post. The units (6 in all) in our home were 20 plus years old. (date label on unit) All hardwired with battery backup. As far as I know they were operating properly but in an effort to take the guesswork out, we had an electrician here a couple of weeks ago replace them all with new ones. The man was a machine and completed the job in short order. Including the carbon monoxide (CO) detector. Cost was reasonable for peace of mind. 🔥 A-Jay

Sweet - Btw, I love that reel too. A-Jay

I am very happy to shop online at TW, Cabela's & BPS; all offer a 10% military discount. Sometimes they will stack that on a sale price. Sometimes they do not. Scored 2 RE-ARMING KITS for my inflatable PFDs from TW. (It was time) They did stack the discounts there, so that was nice. A convenient deal is the military discount, rarely if ever "excludes" anything. So most times I don't even wait for sales. The discount isn't a ton of cash, but it does cover or at least reduce the 2-day shipping, which is my preferred choice. YMMV A-Jay

I will admit to salting away some scratch during hard water season for pre-spawn & pre-Fall truck & boat gas. A-Jay

At what price point does your bank start to crumble ? A-Jay

Fixing to wrap this one up. IAW the rules in the OP The contest runs from sunrise 01 March 2025 to sunset 30 November 2025. I'm done for the season and have been for a while. Figures I start this one up again and then have one of my worst big fish seasons in recent history. Either way, we're looking at a week or so before it's over. Might be time for one of you motivated bassheads to pull out a Hail Mary Fish. I'll be watching for the post, popcorn in hand. Good Luck A-Jay

See now you're just being mean . . . . . . Yes they work for pike but so does everything else. Especially when there is NO wire leader involved anywhere in the rig. But you know that. Don't think they work for tuna. A-Jay

Winterized ? I wear that gear in MAY ! You GA guys are a hoot. 😎 A-Jay

Back around to Workout Day 1. Completed three working sets of the five movements scheduled. I strive to be a man who shows up and resists the urge to give up. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

It's rumored that my 'budget' sort of varies ~ A-Jay

Why give up your happiness ? Life is short and getting shorter. Don't wait too long. Urban life vs Rural living is a trade off. Both have their positive & negative sides depending on what folks want & like. For example, here everything is really spread out; driving a while is a way of life. If I can't get it with a 60-minute drive, I'll probably need to order it. But I'm never really sitting in traffic. IMO, after living in 'several' different places, this is not the easiest area to live in. But that's what I like about it most. A-Jay

I can admit that I might not be the sharpest tack in the pack. But I am just savvy enough to always give the obviously witless the biggest buffer zone I can. Then simply allow Darwin's theory of evolution to run its course. Finally, I've been running a windshield-mounted GoPro in my truck for years. With a simple button push, I get to relive the insanity as needed. Fishing is Good. Dogs are Great. And people are Crazy. And you can quote me on that. 😎 A-Jay

I can't help myself. Once you get a 7 plus on a Shrimp Pattern, there's no turning back ! 🤓 A-Jay

It is just getting all crazy up in here . . 🤓 A-Jay

As crazy as this sods, we do too. Not complaining A-Jay

Workout Day 4 ~ Grip strength is a powerful yet often underestimated marker of overall health and longevity. From reducing my risk of chronic diseases to preventing falls and maintaining functional independence, grip strength plays a significant role in my well-being. The negative effects of decreased grip strength can be far-reaching. But the good news is that improving one's grip is possible through consistent exercise or physical therapy. #borninfiftynine A-Jay

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/107540-oldschool-horizontal-jigging/ A-Jay

Happy Birthday, my friend. And don't kid yourself, the world is still trembling . . . . A-Jay

3.14159265359 A-Jay

When it comes to jerkbaits, I've had some success leaning towards somewhat subtle patterns with just a touch of color. Might be a clear water deal. Going to see if a few of the resident brown bass might fancy this one. Megabass calls it GP Baby Kingyo, which, according to Google, translates to "goldfish" in Japanese. I'm not seeing that. Either way, digging it already. A-Jay

Since your current setup, throwing a 3-inch bait with a medium spinning rig, "works," you're probably targeting smaller bass. Successfully and routinely hooking & landing healthy 4 lb-plus bass from any distance in a thick-stemmed lilypad field, is rarely accomplished with anything medium. More heartbreak than anything else. So there's that. I recommend ditching the spinning gear, go all in on a frogging setup with at least 40 lb braid and get to work. Good Luck A-Jay

Agreed ~ Sounds really sketchy to me . . . . A-Jay

The Green List is Awesome ! Congrats A-Jay