RoLo

Not anymore. The original Pop-R was the king of 'spitting' poppers. Oddly, enough, the reincarnated Pop-R has a redesigned face that lacks the ability of the original. Today, the Lobina Rio Rico is the king of topwater spitters, but their price is insane. Roger

You rarely find fish without structure, but there's lots of structure without fish. Roger

When I incorporate a leader, which isn’t often, I strive for two things: ● LONG enough so I won’t be bothered having to replace a short stub ● SHORT enough so the connection knot can’t enter the reel spool. Depending on rod length of course, this will result in a leader around 6-feet long. This is easily achieved without any measuring. The distance between your fingertips on horizontally outstretched arms is roughly 5 feet. To this, I'll draw off an extra foot, then snip the leader from the supply spool. Whether the target is bluegills or mako sharks, the connection knot will always be a double uni-knot. Roger

Roger

One of the best deals I've gotten in a reel is the Shimano Symetre. They cost something like $60 apiece, and I can't say one bad thing about Symetre. In spite of brutal abuse, both of them are still kicking around in my den. Roger

I've had a 12-ft Minn Kota Talon in my last boat, and now run a 15-foot Talon. In the dishpan lakes of Florida, "shallow-water anchor" seems like a misnomer. In brief, it's the cat's meow. Roger

True that. Oddly, the Pop-R stole the popper show, but was then discontinued, then was later reinstated Roger

All my spinning gear is not centered on ultralight lures or finesse fishing (Far from it). I base line-test on the size of my target fish and the predominant cover I'm dealing with. Whether it's spinning gear or casting gear, the braid may run the gamut from 15 to 50 pounds. Roger

"I'm Over The Salt" Need to try anchovies?

When pike is the target, the two colors I favor most are Chartreuse & Silver. Roger

I'm not easily impressed, but for one so young, you've really got your ducks in a row Roger

When I ran saltwater boats, my reel brands included Penn, Shimano, Daiwa, Pflueger and Newell (Now defunct). Aside from Penn Internationals (bluewater specialty reels), my favorite saltwater reel brand is Shimano, followed by Daiwa. Reel brands I’ve used in freshwater include Mitchell, ABU Garcia, Shimano, Daiwa, Shakepeare, Cardinal, Quantum~. Here as well, my favorite freshwater reel brand is Shimano, followed by Daiwa (Shakespeare & Quantum on bottom). Roger

? The J-spoon goes where buzzbaits fear to tread Roger

Search for spots along the outer weedline that are accompanied by rapid depth change (structure). Within these sweet spots, focus on available pockets, points and irregularities in the weedline. In particular, favor spots where 2 or more weed species come together. Roger

In the wake of Covid19, everyone has stopped 'shaking hands'. Not because of the virus, but because people are out of toilet paper! Roger

Frankly, I haven't spent enough time throwing lipless plugs in summer to offer a meaningful opinion. But if a tight wobble is attractive during a low metabolism, it's not far-fetched to believe it would appeal to fish in a negative disposition, during any season of the year. Roger

If you're looking for a highly weedless swimbait jig, check out the Revenge Swim Jig. It's available in 1/4 oz with a 5/0 round-bend hook. Roger

Spinning gear is highly versatile, which can be used from bluegill sunfish to bluefiin tuna. With respect to ultralight lures, spinning gear gets the nod, because it's easier to peel line from a fixed spool, than to rotate a revolving drum. Roger

Love it or hate it, the most precious attribute of braided line is its remarkably thin diameter. As the diameter of 'any' line material is reduced, several vital line properties are enhanced: > Less weight is needed to achieve the same depth > Reduced line bow (the archenemy) > Greater angler sensitivity (separate & apart from line-stretch) > More natural lure delivery (reduced line-drag) Why would I intentionally inflate the diameter of braid, and discard its greatest amenities? Roger

Sounds like you're talking about spirogyra, rather than chara. Muskgrass (chara) has brittle, fragile stems that only occasionally make it to the boat, and its existence commonly goes unnoticed. Roger

Chara and Nitella are the highest forms of algae, and also the largest algae families. Anglers are probably more familiar with their common names, which is ‘muskgrass’ for chara, and ‘stonewort’ for nitella. When a stem of muskgrass is crushed, it gives off a garlicy odor, but stonewort does not. Nitella may form a carpet on the bottom, but usually under a foot tall, non-obtrusive and routinely overlooked by anglers. Ever since Hurricane Charley (2004) this low-lying algae has been a key holding feature in Lake Walk-in-Water, for offshore bass (~8 ft deep). As you’d expect, many anglers are totally oblivious of its existence. Roger

Regardless of line brand, '30 lb' braid is arguably the all-purpose pivot point Roger

Against the grain? What would fluorocarbon offer you that nylon would not? Roger

Heddon - Vamp? (I think their River Runts are plastic)

Casting for $100 bills