Choporoz

I'd say 40+% of my trig casts are to a target. I have little patience to work it back if I don't get bit pretty close to where I drop it....they don't get worked back. Another 40+% are being worked down a ledge or a pretty steep slope....those can be challenging to maintain bottom contact, to slight drags and lifts. The rest I most often bring back with gentle rod tip lifts/drops, when I can stay patient.

If I were to find myself asking the OP question, I believe that I would buy a Seigler today, sight unseen. I've followed their story and admire that it is one of the very few reels truly made in the US. I don't know if they have a reel that is designed best for my type of fishing...but that doesn't mean that I don't want one anyway.

I'm approaching retirement from a similar environment and agree with some of that. However, those same kids who expect a Starbucks machine are better educated and work as hard or harder than we did. They may not be willing to put in the hours we did, and have expectations that we never would have considered, but they are productive and results oriented. I see the coffee and teleworking and vacation hours as sort of an offset for not getting the retirement, job security, and insurance benefits that we had.

If a man is is talking to himself in the woods....and his wife isn't there to hear...is he still wrong?

Every post above regarding 'young workers these days' could have come straight from my father's mouth.....40 and 50 years ago

ROFL......."Ok, Mr. Bass, point on this fish doll where the bad fisherman touched you"

Why? Would any answer change your behavior? Are you egregiously careless or intentionally dropping fish now? A little care and respect should be all you need. Knowledge about good handling procedures will go a long ways. I agree with @soflabasser and @J Francho. Pain and injury are different...and unless you are trending well into animal rights territory, just try not to drop them and don't worry further

Used to cut rubber bands into inch and a half strips and use bread tie to hold them on as short term replacements

When I turn my yak visi-pole light on, I put away all the treble hook lures

Pretty cool looking. Do you have another picture? Mouth and anal fin led me away from crappie, but I don't have better answer

Saw that on facebook....initially thought it was a @Bluebasser86post....maybe with a nephew or neighbor's kid along

Not all rocks are equal.

If color is most important, you might start with Zoom. They have quite an extensive list of commonly available colors. As do Reaction Innovations and Yamamoto

I, too, am convinced of this. In fact, there are days when I stop putting Megastrike on Rage Bugs and Menaces, because the 'gills get a hold of a flapper and won't let go until they tear them off.

I would like an EMP device that will disable wake boats and jet skis. And a sensor for my lures that will retract the hooks if a gar, snakehead or catfish approaches too close. And a hand-free kayak rudder that operates telepathically. How about a battery charger that is integrated into a boat or kayak hull? Maybe combination of hydroflow and solar? Never plug in again

Shake off the monkey and try it first! I think you will find that rod is just fine. Then save your $80 and when the monkey comes in a couple months and tells you to get a $150 or $200 bottom contact rod, you can listen. How often do you throw jekbaits? What else will you use it for?

YZH in 6 or 8 (with KVD line conditioner.) Or, consider braid, maybe 15# to start. I currently have braid (or Gliss) on all of my spinning reels.

I can't compare, because I have only ever used Lowrance. But I just wanted to comment that I sympathize with @cookieman. I am really still blown away at how bad Lowrance (and H-bird) sites, settings, features and manuals are. A novice can spend hours trying to understand and compare features and come away more confused than when they started. It is sad...and unnecessary.

In what way(s) is your current rod not cutting it? Sounds like it might be fine. What line did you use? What jekbaits did you try?

Good pictures on tackletour web site. I particularly like the crankbait storage....I'm afraid to ask how much

Nice fish. I'd guess exactly between 6 and 10 pounds

I fish chatterbaits a lot and have ditched every trailer except Rage Tail Bug. White or dark. No need for anything else.

You absolutely can fish it without the o-rings. But the worm will last much longer this way. One fish can shred a Senko without orings or shrink-wrap or hair ties or some other contraption

The key is to first put a couple of Jackhammers in your cart. Then add the Swing Blades....when you delete a Jackhammer, the Swing Blades no longer seem pricey at all....at least that's the way that I did it

A recent thread about hooks got me looking at the Owner web site. I have not heard of this before, but one glance and I MUST have it. Monkey, you win. Has anybody used one?