Team9nine

In deep water, heavier weights are probably appropriate without negatively affecting your presentation. A couple other options that should help are shorter leaders, shorter casts (more vertical) and possibly lighter main line (braid).

Original Bass Stalker jigs were very similar with the concave flat stand-up head and were very popular on various online forums, but are also now discontinued.

No - all braid or all fluoro on casting gear, but never both. Spinning is largely the inreverse for me. YMMV

I guess I have a different perspective on this. I have reels that have been spooled with the same fluoro going on 4 years in some cases. I sure as heck don’t take it off between trips, and I also don’t remove it during winter. So I don’t think it really matters when you spool it on, outside of possibly benefiting you on that very first trip of the year by spooling later. Beyond that, it’s a wash. Do it whenever you feel like it.

Has happened THREE times to me on my Honda Ridgeline - all within a two year time span. As you said, warranty wouldn't cover it, and I didn't want to claim it against insurance. New wiring set at the time was $1200 a pop, or I could have them try to just repair the damage for $500 - I went with the latter and paid out of pocket each time. Honda put out a service bulletin to have the wiring harness and related components wrapped with anti-rat tape in these instances. It is tape coated with capsaicin, the active component of chili peppers. The wire coating/insulation on many newer vehicles is made of a soy-based product in order to be more environmentally friendly (and cheaper). Naturally, the critters think it's just a nice thing to try and eat. There were several threats of, and possible class action lawsuits against the companies for not covering this under warranty and basically hiding the problem. See link Chewed Wire Issue

I've always run true rubber net - Cabela's Conservation Series, I believe. They are the best with hooks, and the best for the fish. Those are my top two considerations.

Nice system - This was the original ‘big lure’ system “back in the day” - the giant styrofoam cooler without lid - lol

Mid to late afternoon is about the only time I fish, so it’s always the best bite window for me - because it’s the only one ? I simply adjust to conditions, both weather and water, with my approach. There are also seasonal bait adjustments, but nothing ‘secret’ or special. Use the sun to your advantage when you have it, because nothing positions fish tight to cover/shade better. Also use things like heavy cloud cover, wind, stained water and rain inflows when they occur to position active fish and more aggressive bites (in general). Adjust bait selection accordingly.

I use a lot of 3# - 14# braid (<1-3 lb. diameter nylon) to 6 and 8 pound leader and use the FG regularly without much issue. I finish with 4 alternating half hitches (2 before cutting/2 after) and then a 4 wrap Rizzuto. Don't see how the Rizzuto finish is as large/larger than the Alberto since the nylon leader is never doubled. It's no bigger than a uni or the half hitches and secured on the single main line strand. Main reason for me with FG is greater strength, not thinner knot.

A break could be defined as “anything that alters the continuity of something else.” As such, and as @WRB mentions, the amount and types of breaks in a lake could nearly be endless. In the simplest of terms as to what makes one break better than another, focus your efforts on “breaks along a breakline,” which is what I believe @Catt was getting at - or go read the chapters on breaks and breaklines in your copy of Spoonplugging again (good idea anyway).

I love my Rapala's too, but I catch WAY more fish over the course of a year with Midwest Finesse of some sort - my money should be safe Lol - even KVD caught his largest tournament bass (~12 pounds) on a spinning outfit with shakeyhead Beside, he's from Michigan - he knows the power of a spinning outfit and light stuff at the right time and location...

Maybe I misunderstood him, but he seemed to place heavy emphasis on finding areas where plankton would be highest and get “delivered” to the fish via wind and current, but that’s not how it works. He’s misunderstood the food chain if so. Just my take. His bottom hardness maps were the best little “secret” resource, though again, I get the feeling he didn’t totally understand their relevance.

Almost never occurs to me, so the one or two times a year it does are more like curious novelties to me, so no big deal. Nine times out of ten it’s because conditions were so ridiculously bad, I half didn't expect to get a bite - more like a personal challenge to see if I could.

Long video, but in browsing through it, he’s right (shellbeds are “juicy” - lol) but for all the wrong reasons IMO. He has the tail (plankton) wagging the dog (location) ?

I can proudly say I never bought or fished a helicopter lure ? I have, however, caught thousands (and thousands) of bass now on a Ned rig, so Ned-1, Roland-0. The lack of “superstar” power behind the Ned for years relative to where it is now in the marketplace speaks volumes for its credibility, IMO. Even Bill’s Danc’n Eel could only dream of ever catching bass a fraction as good as Ned ?

They’re not??? ? Lol. I must be doing it all wrong…

If you’re in a boat, your depthfinder (2d, SI) will find them easily. Bumping cranks will frequently pull up shells on a treble giving up location, and they can most easily be felt dragging a Carolina rig or football jig across the bottom. Never pass up a shell bed without giving that location a fair shot. I love them because they are so frequently overlooked since they almost never appear on any maps, including the hi-def stuff on many of today’s units. Kind of “hidden in plain sight.” ?

Lol - I already did - hence my initial reply He put me on them (Keitech CJs) a couple years ago. The color thing I believe is just a function of a poor quality picture, lighting and reflection. It's a hand-tied skirt, so I don't believe he is cutting the originals off and retying them with a different skirt color/material.

I can usually still manage a few in that situation on a Ned rig

Ditto - opposite here, too. I prefer a fast with a hint of moderate involved for jig fishing, like the Loomis MBR (Mag Bass taper). For TR worms, I can live with either traditional F or XF actions.

Keitech Tungsten Casting Jig

E. - All of the above This is multiple choice, right?

It was partly made in jest at how we anglers place such importance on tiny, potentially inconsequential, details, but you can check out these past threads which references the baits/hack I came up with the previous summer featuring those “antenna craws:”

I thought everyone knew it was antenna length of your trailers that determines a good jig bite or not ?

Not worth much, but I have a large set of them myself anyway