OkobojiEagle

Thanks for all opinions oe

Is the x5 as "wirey" as similar test original Fireline? oe

Berkley x9 & x5 braids... opinions & comparisons to other braids; especially original Fireline. Thanks oe

I'd don't buy the excuse that "access is preventing me from fishing spot XYZ". Throughout the year I'll be fishing from my boat, canoe, belly boat, wading or walking the bank; there aren't many spots I haven't been able to fish. Weather, on the other hand, is a more often deterrent... OP, what I took from your initial post is your success might be due more from time of day (evening) than bait or tackle... oe

this...

Yes. Most of the time it's a "bou-tube", a hybrid tube/marabou combination. I've been successfully catching many of the fish species (including largemouth bass) in the Okoboji chain of lakes with this bait for many years. oe

Wooden sewing thread spool works as well, and hangs nicely on a lanyard.

Were they vowels or consonants that you felt strongest?

weightless 4" Caffeine Shad... fish slow and let it drop to bottom in pockets oe

Watch for home based sellers on Ebay for jig heads a little better priced than "off the shelf" oe

For bass, I've been using the Albright leaving 1/2" PE line tag end. 1/2 the effort of an Alberto knot. oe

I guess "they" have never heard of Power Bait by Berkley... oe

I had a tour of the new facilities of Gopher tackle yesterday. They have and are using the original equipment and molds. The new owners are very enthusiastic about their new venture. YES, THEY ARE MOLDING THE "BIG JOHN" JIG HEAD! oe

While I've tried others, I've been enjoying 8 & 10 pound test original Fireline since the mid '90s. oe

"Old school" or "minimalistic"... old school and your rods would be 5' 1/2" fiberglass using braided dacron or very stiff nylon line throwing wooden "plugs" or live bait. oe

who is producing and editing?

I cut the front 1/2 of them off at the base, then fan the balance. Usually don't shorten any. I've been known, on occasion, to cut the entire guard off at the base if the cover is very sparse. oe

OK with stated reasons for "buzz cut"... I've not been successful with it. I do catch bass with skirt thinned to 2 dozen strands and also with jighead/plastic sans skirt. oe

Why do finesse jig builders trim the outer (top) layer of skirt strands short instead of using 1/2 the number of strands without cutting them? oe

Equipment wasn't an issue... pike, drum, walleye and smallmouth were the issue. oe

I used them for a while. Decided they were a little too fragile. oe

NO!

I've caught several largemouths this Spring slow swimming a self-tied black bou-tube. (PM me if you want to know what that bait is.) oe

My preference when smallmouth fishing is a lightly weighted tube sporting an exposed hook. Let it fall with it's death spiral. oe

I've cut the forward facing hook from the front treble of several crankbaits. Those particular baits have become my favorite crankbaits... oe