RoLo

I've been very lucky with spinnerbaits, they usually don't break until the last fish.

Great story! Your lake is well worth an hour drive, she's pumping out big ole girls, smack in the middle of the country Roger

Not always knowing the depth or gradient I might be fishing, I stick with 'teardrop' sinkers (middle of the road). Roger

TnRiver, You Da Man Roger

When Fred Arbogast's Hula Popper was a big hit, I was just a kid. Of course, it still works today, but they're not on my short list. Many topwaters today have better area coverage and better "weedlessness" (e.g. frogs & toads). Roger

With the possible exception of topwater lures, you can throw whatever you wish. With regard to spinnerbaits: yes, they're definitely more productive on a windy day and in dingy water. Roger

The water current generated by wind tends to stimulate the feeding urge in predatory fish. For this reason, windblown water is something you would seek rather than avoid. Even in a strong wind with whitecaps, you can usually position the boat so you''re just outside turbulent water; game fish are doing the same thing. Roger

Having lived in the same 50s to 80s era as Tom, I know where he's coming from. Back in the 60s, if you had the insane notion of actually releasing a fish you just cranked to the boat, you'd better hope that no one witnesses that unseemly event (They'd likely call the men in White Coats). That's in wild contrast to what we have today, which underscores the power of contemporary sentiment. Roger

Far too much emphasis is placed on reel ratio. I'm all for boosting the U.S. economy, but I seriously doubt that reel ratio ever made the distinction between a poor and an exceptional angler. If 'all' my reels suddenly became 6:1 ratio, I'd live happily ever after. Good choice for bank fishing: 'Short' spinning outfit with 30-lb braid (Leaves the field wide open). Roger

Besides punching, how do you fish milfoil Horizontal probing Roger

One has to wonder, did Hank ever wet a line? Roger

A cheap battery is more likely to break the bank. Roger

Granted, Tracker has enormous market share (I've owned a couple), but if you're looking to upstage Lund, it's gonna take more than Tracker or Lowe. In my opinion, Alumacraft & Crestliner are more formidable opponents. Roger

Ain't that the unsettling truth?

Regardless of the lure, varying the retrieve speed & cadence is a given. My favorite retrieve for a Jitterbug (day or night) is slow, steady & burbling. Roger

Simple as it may sound, you won't go very wrong with 'medium heavy' Power and 'fast' Action, which applies to casting and spinning alike. Needless to say, the more specialized an application, the greater the deviation. Roger

Not to hijack this thread, but Amazon should be compelled to state the 'country of origin'. (I've recently been duped). Roger

Anglers will concede to a fiberglass rod to have the forgiveness needed for treble hooks. But after that huge concession, the need to avoid braided line eludes me. Roger

My sentiments precisely

Your final decision must be linked to your personal knowledge and budget. In that context, my opinion is pretty close to worthless. In any case, my brief experience with Motorguide has not been positive, and though "Minn Kota" was far from infallible, I've been in their court since they introduced the first 30-lb thrust electric motor (Not the least of which is their 'Talon' electric anchor). Roger

Gander Mountain doesn't even answer the phone

Grinding/Loud Noise When Casting. Oh yeah...and that was the last time I invited my mother-in-law fishing

Hmmm, if you're talking about a musky crankbait, that might be a smidgen too fast ☺️ Roger

When rod failure is attributed to a manufacturing defect, the blank will generally break during the first few outings. I've only experienced that particular scenario once, it was a brand new Browning blank and I was drifting for summer flounder (about 100 yrs ago). "Graphite" is remarkably strong & remarkably light, but continual flexing causes graphite to become more brittle, which ultimately explodes. Graphite fatigue is the reason (the only reason) why bluewater anglers prefer E-glass blanks to graphite blank. That said, the 2 occurrences I noted above are the least common, while the vast majority of blank failure is angler-induced. A common example is 'high-sticking', which is an effective way to test the status of graphite fatigue, but eventually you'll be disappointed by the feedback. Another example is when setting the hook on a topwater, or tearing the lure from a lily pad. The rod smashes brutally into the gunnel, but thank goodness it didn't break < Not Yet > Roger

I can't speak to 'best' size, but with a 4.3" Keitech Fat Swing, I use a 4/0 Gamakatsu weighted spring-lock hook. Roger