OkobojiEagle

Buy a shorter rod... oe

They're a little large for my taste, I'd prefer them in a 9 size. oe

If you are not already... develop a two-handed cast. Fishing should be relaxation, slow down and enjoy the experience. Like most endeavors let your brain become a more important participant, think a little more about where and how you want to place your next cast and become more deliberate in doing so. oe

I concentrate more on location and presentation than bait realism... 3" or 4" curly tail grub in a color similar to the prevailing forage, married to a 1/4oz mushroom jig head. Scoot it along the bottom with occasional rests or swim it slowly a couple feet above bottom. oe

My frame of reference is smallmouth in heavily pressured clear lakes... my opinion is a strong, bright flash grabs attention from a distance, but can deter the final strike. The rhythmic vibration is an effective call that I'd prefer to follow up with a more subtle visual enticement such as "tarnished" silver, gold or painted blades with an appropriately sized silhouette. I'm more inclined to use a highly reflective blade in low light or broken light conditions where I'm trying to reflect and blend in with the surrounding cover. oe

Are bass (smallmouth & largemouth) hitting your spinnerbait because of the blade's flash or in spite of its flash? oe

I've been a proponent of barbless bass fishing for many, many years. My preference is to file the barb off rather than crimp it. I've come full circle about keeping my spinnerbaits barbed and most of my smaller jerkbaits and crankbaits have barbs left on the front (or middle) treble hook. I agree with Crestliner about the drop-shot hooks and fish that technique barbed. Lighten up the tackle and go barbless = more enjoyment. oe

Zimobass... Thank you for the timeline... just what I was looking for. oe

What was the first year of the Curado? oe

Replace it with a braided PE line... oe

Texas Tackle split ring pliers and any 7" needle-nose... I fish mostly barbless oe

If you don't plan to keep them, fish barbless... oe

... or make it a point not to fish those non lead states. oe

I haven't watched any fishing shows on TV for several years... if I had one to watch it would be Lindner's Anglers Edge. oe

Type the word Brewer into the search box above and find plenty on the topic... oe

thin rabbit zonker strip or 3" Brewer boot-tail grub oe

I believe knots that pass through the hook eye twice (Trilene knot) are stronger terminal knots than those that don't (clinch). oe

Type any technique you want into the YouTube search... oe

TSI 321 oil; Shimano drag grease oe

Metal body/stem, side plate and rotor bearing supported line roller front drag with large carbon fiber drag disc(s) balances intended rod well oe

I've never thrown an Alphas SV, but I've read glowing reports about their light lure ability. I do have a Pixy 68 that will do everything your asking and are frequently found on swap boards at prices well withing your price range.. oe

Interesting... so your local lake maps are peppered with everyone else's waypoints. The maps must reside on Navionics' server not on your individual phone? I'm assuming there is an annual fee to access the maps after you download the app? Might be worth my dollars if I used it more than a half dozen times a year, but I doubt I would. oe

Wayne... From the online promo information I couldn't decipher whether the Navionics Boating App would let me place and store waypoints? oe

I actually wouldn't want it for a sonar. Thought having contoured lake maps to store some waypoints on might push me over the brink to get a smart(er) phone. My wife would immediately buy it for me as she's been trying to convince me to join the 21st century. I don't think I'd use the feature regularly, but occasionally drop a waypoint to check back on later. oe

I'm as old-school as anyone, still am happy with my flip phone and don't own a sounder with GPS. A conversation with my two techie son-in-laws led me to thinking... Are there any smartphones with a GPS app that is "fishing applicable"? Down loadable with contoured lake maps and able to load/store waypoints as GPS units available within locators are? Maybe there's a good reason I haven't seen an ad or discussion about one. oe