Choporoz

What is a good lure for bass? There is such a huge spectrum, I don't know what rabbit hole to start down. A few considerations.... -Price: expect to pay $8-$20+ for singles in shops until you start buying boxes, and/or online discount stores and auctions. This range is dependent on quality, brand, demand, and most importantly, your state taxes - @Mike Lis correct that most lighter shade wrappers are milder. Darker cigars can be somewhat mild, too, as the color comes from fermenting the leaves and that doesn't always equate to stronger. (Some brands actually dye the (outer) wrapper leaves for shelf appeal and uniform look, but that is not appreciated by most. -The Acids mentioned above are infused with strong, non-tobacco flavors. Some non-infused cigars have a tip that is sweetened. Both are popular, but strongly cover up or disguise the actual tobacco flavor. - I suggest that you go into a good cigar shop (not a vape/cigarette store) and tell the tobacconist what you can about what you have liked or disliked thus far and have them make suggestions. There's thousands of options out there and every one tastes different.

Rarely weightless; only when I want to work it over emergent grass or pads like a toad. 1/16 tungsten can be very effective in many situations, but I use all the way up to 3/4... so a variety of rods depending on weight, depth, cover, wind, etc.

@TheLastBestFish, I'm not the one to ask if you want a fair analysis. I have gotten to the point where I would probably be OK with tossing the 50 pounds of plastics I carry around and only kept Rage Bugs and Magnum Rage Bugs. I would bet that 3/4 of the fish I have caught the past few years were on them. Every fish in my winning bag last weekend was on one or the other.... and with few exceptions, I think nearly all my fish over four lbs in the last two years. (Spinnerbait, chatterbait (with Rage Bug trailer), jerkbait, deep crank and spoons were some exceptions.) I catch fish on other plastics, but Rage Bug is where my confidence lies.

I accidentally bought some mid-size Rage Bugs. Hate 'em.... (and I think theres even a smaller one). I need to get them out of the boat. Never hooked a bass larger than 14 in with them.... every time I grab one by accident, I curse myself for forgetting to toss them out. 4" and Magnum are all I will ever throw

Empty Gatorade bottle in the boat and in kayak crate. Never had to worry about the other....mainly because I wake at least an hour before I ever go anywhere and make sure I'm good to go...so to speak

Just the bold....but I, too, mostly fish alone, so my patience hasn't been fully tested for the others....but no smoking and no peeing???? I wouldn't know how to fish without a cigar. And I keep an empty Gatorade bottle, but I don't hesitate to just unzip and keep casting

Toad, frog, chatterbait, weightless SKRT Cut-R or Rage Bug I was in heavy milfoil last night at dusk ... 3-5 FOW with average about 12" between grass top and surface. White chatterbait with horizontal white Rage Bug trailer was far and away best bet ... last night, anyway

Maybe...10-0 So hard for me to dismiss all the other variables in any fishing experiment

Yes. Extremely easy...and comfortable

No way I am going searching for a spinning rod if I already know what I want. I hate searching for the right spinning rod. Every little thing from tip to power to reel seat to grips can vary so much between rods in same price range. It wouldn't surprise me at all if you went through three different rods before just giving one of them to you gf and taking your Dobyns back

I'm pretty much there, too. I'd just as soon find really good one year sunglasses for under $40, than great ones north of $100. My favorites were from a local kiosk...$40, came with lifetime warranty; paid the ten dollar warranty fee each year and exchanged them for new pair. Unfortunately, the kiosk gal moved to FL...not sure how to execute the lifetime warranty anymore.

I was just thinking about this thread yesterday.... if I was offered new 2018-ish Smoke 100's for my Zillions, I'd probably accept the offer.

Poppers: St Croix Rage 6'10 MF.... (I maintain a perpetual ebay search for another one of these) Walking Baits: four or five different rods, but often, a AG Fantasista Primier 7' MF Frogs: 6' 11 1/2" MHF Abu Garcia Veritas II. Was an ok rod until I lost tip insert, cut 1/2" off and glued on a new tip. Now it is an outstanding frog rod. Buzzbait: DX 744, and 7'4" Kistler LMH for minis

I see that KK has polarized readers. If anyone getting the bifocals, please post a review later. I've been hunting for perfect polarized readers for years.

Do you have a picture of your front deck? I don't have a Tracker, so I Googled images also, with no luck. I do have a Lowe 175 and the bow looks similar to what I did see. I have my 93 SV bracket bolted right to the raised flat are of the bow, to right of TM. Cover fits perfect. Only potential drawback is climbing off bow onto trailer. Might also ask ask tinboats or ***

We are up to four cucumbers a day and they're just getting going....not sure yet how we're going to get rid of them. Beans almost as bad....40-50/day. Maybe should have let the beetles just take a bean stalk or two when they arrived. Tomato plants have gotten over eight feet tall. Couple pickup truck loads of composted cow manure has been unbelievable difference from previous years. And down at the end of one raised bed is two and half year old blueberry bush. Looks exactly same little 1' bush that it did when we planted it. It has produced exactly one blueberry. Last fall, our granddaughter excitedly grabbed my hand and said, "Grandpa, I have to show you something!" She led me up to the gardens only to find that something had eaten the one blueberry. She was devastated...still talks about it. 🤣

17 years of advancements in lines, bass behavior research, knowledge sharing, etc....and not even a little bit closer to answers or consensus

I fish five different VA and NC lakes and one tidal river 'regularly'. I have very nearly 100% confidence in green pumpkin plastics, followed by watermelon variations. I have zero confidence in junebug. In one of those lakes, I have developed nearly 100% confidence in plum, which sounds weird to me, but the results are there. I do throw a black and blue jig at times, which might be sort of june-buggish, but again, I almost always start with GP jig and trailer.

I don't know if it is related to metabolism, but the fish caught in 85 degree water are absolutely insane. Fished a kayak tournament yesterday and trying to get a bass to sit still for a picture was harder than actually catching them.

Yep and yep. Just because people struggle to catch doesn't mean the bass aren't gorging themselves.

I don't know why, but I cannot hear his name without immediately thinking about this line from M.A.S.H.: "I've seen you somewhere before. I don't know your name, stranger, but your face is familiar. Have you always had that mustache?" And the Animal House scene where he comes down in the morning with Katy

I like big baits and I cannot lie

My advice (that I rarely follow*) is try both. I generally prefer full size spook, but have had awesome days with Jr. I think it has more to do with bait size, than bass size. *Too often I am guilty of trying one or the other and moving on from topwater if I don't get reactions. Even though I know and have experienced that changing size can make all the difference. Only once in recent months did I persist....went from Super Spook to JR, and still felt I could get them to bite....changed to small popper and crushed big fish....for short time. Bass drive me nuts

I'd be surprised if very many BASS boaters have NOT passed safety course. I think most states have some sort of course requirement. Seems like every touring tournament boater should have taken BOATUS or some other USCG recognized training

Thus almost keeps me up at night. We have 3 vehicles right now, 2007 Durango, 2012 F150, and 2015 Toyota RAV 4. Even the 2012 and 2015 have far more tech than I want. I won't seriously consider a new vehicle unless someone starts making them with knobs and mechanical buttons, and no screens. So much stuff to break, and add nothing of value to me. Even stuff as innocuous as tire sensors, abs sensors and emissions sensors have driven me nuts. I rented a car a few months ago and got so pizzed when it pulled me into the lane when I was steering around a pothole. When did we decide that people don't have to learn to safely operate a vehicle by themselves?