A-Jay

Considering this " I was a golf professional for 20+ years and gave 1000's of lessons and I can tell you from experience that the equipment used rarely made a person a better golfer. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone showed up for a lesson with a $500 driver and a $10 swing to go with it. My mantra was always "if your swing produces a certain type of ball flight I don't care what you have in your hand your going to produce that ball flight." Having a $500 driver just allows you to hit a $500 slice! Now on to baitcasters. My coworker wants me to believe that if I invest in an upper end Shimano, Lews,Daiwa,***, whatever, that my skills will get better. I don't buy it! I'm a firm believer in fundamentals, learning skills, practicing those skills, mastering those skills, then and only then do you upgrade equipment. Right now my casting skills are at a novice level, pitching and skipping skills are non existent. So how is a $250 to $300 baitcaster going to make that better?" Perhaps initially, apply the underlined principles you listed above regarding your casting skills. Also, once you became a 'professional' golfer, did you continue to use entry level equipment or did you upgrade ? If so, the same thought process may apply to your fishing gear - professional or not. A-Jay

Sorry to hear you're having some trouble. Learning to consistently cast revolving spool gear effectively can be a little tricky. Having had that casting reel for less than one month, this could certainly be the case. While each type of line has it's own 'handling characteristics' the basic premise is still the same. Reel needs to be set up correctly and the user has to perform 'the casting motion' effectively. Perhaps try filling the spool only 2/3's full and see if that helps. A-Jay

Creep a jig & craw in, around and through the middle of submerged, deep water wood. (not on the bank) A-Jay

How do you organize your crankbaits? My boat does it for me. A-Jay

Sweet ! Be careful . . . . Might get your arm broke. A-Jay

Interesting questions. I can't really answer them with anything specific; may boil down to ones local & / or personal preference. For me it's about finding bass. Hopefully active bass. The Season, the weather conditions, water clarity & temperature can all play a role on where I might start. But for sure the above will determine 'what' I'm throwing while I'm looking. Once contact is made I prefer to offer something that has shown it can get a big bite. That's often a jig. (If I'm not throwing it already). A-Jay

A-Jay

Totally agree with this one ~ ^^^^^^^^ And it doesn't matter where I'm fishing OR if I'm targeting Green Bass or Brown. Some of the biggest fish I've been lucky enough to take were the Only fish of the day or perhaps one of two. First DD LMB came from a spot at sunset - I had fished and come back to it 5 separate times during the day. Fished for 30 minutes or so each time - she came on the second cast of the 6th stop there and was the only fish I caught that day. My recent PB Smallie came at sunrise and was the only fish I caught that day. This deal does exclude sight fishing beds. A-Jay

There were quite a few WILD position changes on the Day 2 leader board. Several Guys dropped from way up to way down and vise versa . . . #didntseethatcoming A-Jay

I am (always do) Pre-spawn is full on and the bigger fish are showing up shallow. Dirty water is helping IMO. Tomorrow morning could see some Huge Bags ! A-Jay

Either will work. If you're looking for more distance the 30 may offer a bit more than the 40. A-Jay

Looked a little Sloppy. Nicely Done. Congrats A-Jay

There's a knot diagram in the AWF package on which knots to use & how to tie them. A-Jay

Bass fishing up this way, there's plenty of toothy fish; So I use this product quite a bit - I tie directly to the mainline (both fluorocarbon & Braid) - double uni-knot. No Swivel or ring. Occasionally I'll add a small clip to the leader end to facilitate quick bait changes but most of the time I tie direct to the bait. A-Jay

Congrats ~ So now - Tom's on Tom Time . . A-Jay

While I use a net (or Boga Grip) exclusively - never hand land smallies (Just the way I do it.), landing / handling smallies in cooler water see's less active fish, warmer water see's more active fish. I'd be never interested to know what special powers / properties the 'pros' hand possess that us mortals do not. A-Jay

Nice Bass ~ Congrats on the new PB. A-Jay

PROvider Tackle Bite Size 3.5" performance tubes - Durable - heavily salted - enhanced with natural crawfish/baitfish/garlic scent- that really stinks!!! BBQ Melon is like smallie Crack ! http://www.providertackle.com/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=66_70 A-Jay

Great Bass ~ Congrats on the new PB A-Jay

Pretty Wild Game 7 ~ ! A-Jay

6th Sense makes some sweet swim jigs ~ https://6thsensefishing.com/collections/1-2-oz-divine-swim-jigs A-Jay

Hello JC Lewis and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Sweet Rig ~ A-Jay

And there it is ~ Nicely Done Sir. Bet that felt really GOOD . . . . Congrats and Best of Luck going forward. A-Jay

Yea - I know I'm just talk'in smack and seriously dreaming - But that gobie thing - hold on a minute now. You may be onto something. I'm thinking an A-Rig with 5 Live ones . . . . . A-Jay