Choporoz

This. Especially on the lighter side. I don't much like weightless plastics, but I love trig with 1/16 and 1/8 weights. I always enjoyed it, but once I got a Helium LMH rod, and I could clearly interpret every tiny bump and tap, it became even better. As long as wind or current are cooperative, I can use 1/16-1/8 trig plastic in nearly any situation I come across.

Breaking? Or failing? What braid and what fluoro? I ask because if the braid is smooth and smaller diameter, you may have some risk of it pulling through with alberto. I use alberto all the time, but when I tried really slick, fine braid with thicker fluoro, it can pull through unless I double up the finish. 15 Gliss to 10 Abrazx will not work well. I have also nicked the fluoro turn while trying to trim the braid tag close. I was reminded by someone here that the braid tag doesn't need quite the same close crop. No problems since.

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/search/?&q=Shenandoah &search_and_or=and&search_in=titles

You haven't lost a rod; you've created a spider web removal tool.

Owner Twistlock Light

@gimruis, for no great reason, neko falls in behind wacky for me. Never caught a bass over 12 in. on a neko rig. Your summer weedlines are a favorite of mine, too. Usually found 11-17 FOW. If I'm working it out from the grass, I use 1/16 or 1/8 (3/16, if windy) tungsten worm weight with a skinny-ish worm. If fishing deep up to grass, I,ll usually go up to 3/4

Not me. But the above seems wacky to me. I can't fish a weightless worm in wind....or maybe won't is a better word. And it seems like I fish in wind 3/4 of the time. Ok maybe skipping docks or real shallow....but I got zero confidence in bite detection in more than 2 FOW with any wind at all.

It's always easy to blame the ref.

Owner Ultrahead Finesse Ball Head is ideal for finesse fishing in rock. My preferred head for rocky current, especially

Banana Boat Sport or Coppertone Sport. Both are good sprays

So....for those that haven't watched....there's two things mixed up in the comments above...but also a bit mixed up in the video; fishing where you saw someone else fish once....or driving up to a spot while they're fishing there. The guy with the complaint mixed the problems up all by himself - trying to illustrate an example, but his words had already betrayed him a little bit. I think the host was just trying to set up the show by saying, here's a better way to fish offshore than by following someone. My transcript - not EXACT, but pretty close: Two long-time, successful, professional fishermen out with a youtube host. Host: There are some folks who spend as much time looking for fishermen as they do looking for fish These two guys are going to help us figure out how to find off-shore fish…. Pro 1: about above “I hear this all the time…guys coming up to you and marking you on the lake…..I’m not saying you can’t fish here…the whole point…is that we work hard, we spend a lot of money, we put in a lot of hours….and to me, if you put in a hundred hours and hundred bucks in gas….just to have someone drive up and mark you…that’s just not right….just go find your own fish”

2 more professional bass fisherman who feel they have earned the right to be treated different than Joe weekend angler. Reminds me of Hackney saying, that if he's in tournament and he can see you fishing, you're too close. I understand what they are saying, but I think they're disconnected from the 99%.

What are the stakes?

I figured from the OP that you were in a slightly different place. Could be that differing perspectives were developed on different types of water. My 'home lake' in VA has main lake summer points where boats literally line up to wait their turn. If I see that for years but don't fish it....then one day, pass by and there's nobody there....I think I'd be foolish not to figure out what's the attraction. On my NC lake, I've figured out a lot on my own in 2 years. But there's spots that frequently get plenty of attention and I haven't fished them yet. Should I avoid them because I didn't stumble into them myself? I pride myself on figuring stuff out. But I got no problem if my seeing others in places is one part of the observation tool kit.

My closest call in a kayak was last year near sunset. Until that evening, I hadn't thought about my invisibility to someone driving into the sun before. I saw him coming from the east and could see him perfectly. Was pretty late in the scenario before I realized that he couldn't see me despite chartreuse paddle blades and yellow pfd. Not making excuses for him being WOT in a channel right into the sun....but I'm a defensive paddler and that was a lesson for me

Now, on the other hand, I recently faced a slightly different, but similar situation. A club member has vaguely described a spot where he's done well. On a non-tournament day, I fished an area that I thought he might have been talking about. Hard to say, but I might never have been there without knowing a few things he'd said. Had a great couple hours there. BUT, next tournament on that water, I didn't even go near it....not even to check if no one was on it....just didn't feel right

I have zero hesitation to graph an area where I regularly see boats. If I think I understand the spot, I will also fish it.

Sometimes. My thinking and actions are so nuanced, it probably isn't helpful. Here's some thoughts that will go through my head in that situation: - Were some of those hits on the fall? If so, will something falling faster or slower be even better? - Are any fish hitting on the retrieve? If so, maybe I need to try a moving bait? - Are the fish all under 2#? Are there 4 pounders close by that might respond to something different? I guess a wacky rig isn't a good scenario for me to hypothetically run through, because if I am throwing a wacky rig, I've already tried every other single bait in the boat...but the idea is same. I will still try different things. But my patience won't be great and I'll probably be back to the magic bait pretty quickly. I'd enjoy a 30 dink day...but I'd prefer a 20# limit, so I'll keep outsmarting myself

Hover strolling?

It is always there. Tinnitus contributed to my calculated veteran disability. I just mostly got used to it. Best triggers for noticing it are someone talking about it....or seeing a post like this. (Thanks, 12#...& everyone who keeps topping it :D..lol). Only rarely does it have big impact on me. Usually, good focus on something else pushes it into the near-sub-concious . The pitch varies a lot, but there have been rare occasions when it completely masked some other sound. Our septic tank high level alarm going off one time was an example. Wife could hear it fine. I heard nothing. Other times, I've heard that alarm clearly, so it wasn't my ears...just the ringing.

What are your limitations? Are you a co-angler? Rod locker full? Don't want to be tempted to tournament-test something you aren't comfortable with? Do not underestimate how fast you can go from bed-fishing to 'deep fishing'...like same day, even. You don't want to fish deep lipless, that's absolutely fine. But you may want a 1/2 oz trap with you, anyway. You can fish it in relatively shallow grass, or bounce it down points to 20' Not saying to throw low-confidence baits in a tournament. I agree with @Fishingmickey to fish your strengths....but always work on trying to ensure that your strengths are varied....for season, water body type, depths, etc.

-Put her on fish -Don't fret if she takes breaks to read or be on her phone. -Be mindful of 'bathroom challenges' - that may mean keeping constant scan for places to get her on shore, or be willing to get back to ramp, or perhaps giving up a livewell when she's with you -Start with short trips -Put her on fish -Teach her, but be extremely careful about suggesting she is doing something 'wrong' (I bit my tongue pretty hard when my wife tied on a buzzbait and fished it 4 feet below the surface...but then caught a good bass on second cast with it.) I got lucky and my wife hooked up with a 3 pounder 30 minutes into her first outing about 12 years ago. She was instantly hooked. This weekend:

In that case, I cannot recommend JDM Zillion high enough. I used AsianPortal with great success.

Firm budget? Non-sale prices? Maybe St Croix Victory rod with Daiwa Tatula CT reel.

I'd always read this. But once I tried 1/16, 1/8, 3/16 tungsten, I'd have a hard time going back to lead. Moving smaller tungsten through wood and grass seems to make a difference to me. And, could be in my head, but I swear that the 'feel' has better definition with tungsten.