Steveo-1969

I've only caught one spotted bass in my life. It was 12" long and caught in Kentucky. I'm guessing it was a Kentucky-strain spotted bass. ?

You will obviously get a better quality hook with Siebert. And more choices for skirt color. And a wire tie if you want it. I've used Siebert's Sniper jig for river smallies and it's a really nice jig! And if it cost $1.79 that's the only jig I would use. But it costs $3.35. This year my fishing opportunities were severely limited because of repeated river flooding and I still lost 23 jigs to the snaggy bottom. I'm not convinced a better quality jig would help me catch more river smallmouth so I save some $$ by using Bitsy Bug jigs.

I use Strike King Bitsy Bug jigs (not Bitsy Flip) for river smallmouth. I lose a lot of jigs to the rocky snaggy bottom of my river and the Bitsy Bug is my #1 jig choice because of their price. They can be found online for $1.79 each. The hook is a 2/0 bronze (not black nickel) but usually sharp out of the package and easily sharpened if not. It won't bend out if you match your rod and line size accordingly. I fish the 3/16 ounce with a SK Baby Rage craw trailer (usually shortened by two segments) on a ML casting rod rated 1/8-1/2 ounce and 10# FC line.

EGG NOG!!!!!!!!!!!!

IMO the Orras40 is too big for bass fishing. I have the Orras30 on my backup spinning rod and really like it.

Favorite lure? That's easy. Jig. I am completely addicted to the THUNK of an aggressive jig bite.

X2. I'm looking at buying a spinning rod and have eliminated quite a few based on the reel seat alone. I'm not buying a rod with the lockdown nut and threads above the reel. I'm using a spinning rod like that now and I can't get over how uncomfortable it is to hold.

I absolutely respect your opinion. On my TV I can't see downfield and don't know if Trubisky made a bad read or missed an opportunity unless the announcers show it on a replay and talk about it. What I do see are too many inaccurate throws. But you won't find many Bears fans that would rather have Cutler. I'll take Mitchell's youth, enthusiasm, passion and leadership all day over Cutler's shrugging and pouting. And from what I've seen on the interwebs the team culture inside the locker room and at Halas Hall is intoxicating. And Mitch is right in the middle of it. He only has 23 career starts and only 11 starts in Nagy's offense. In a couple years I might be eating my hat and saying you were correct. But as a Bears fan, for my sanity I have to look at this with rose-colored glasses and believe we will have an above average QB that can help us win a Superbowl, not a Blake Bortles....... BEAR DOWN!!!!!!!!!

Interesting opinion. Not sure how you are measuring his intelligence by watching him play though, especially the limited view of the field you have on television. And Wonderlic test scores are very hit and miss. Some of the highest scores are QBs I've never heard of and some of the lowest scores are HOF QBs. It's a little early in Trubisky's career to already write him off. To be fair he needs a couple more seasons in Nagy's offense before we can call him just average.

PREACH!! It hurts every time I watch a Mahomes highlight and think we moved up to draft Trubisky before Mahomes was picked, but we have to believe Mitchell will keep improving. I just wish he was more consistently accurate. We WILL beat the Packers on Sunday and be crowned division champs! Defeat is not an option!!!!!!!!!

Great win for Da Bears last night (despite Trubisky repeatedly throwing to the wrong color jersey. Ugh.....). Now if we can just get over our mental block and actually beat the Packers next Sunday. BEAR DOWN!!!!!!!!

@J Francho Do you really say "HOLY CARP"? Hardcore fisherman right there.....

^^ This. @Delaware Valley Tackle (DVT) made a custom rod for me this year with a St. Croix SCV blank (same blank that's used for the Legend X, Legend Elite and Legend Xtreme rods). Same price as the St. Croix rod would have been but it's tailored to exactly what I wanted.

I use the Trilene Knot for every line type.

I always wondered how people could afford nice boats too and then I went to Kentucky Lake on vacation for the first time. It seemed every house we passed was a run-down-can't-believe-someone-lives-there trailer. In the yard filled with "planters made out of toilets" and old couches and washing machines and tires was a hooptie pickup truck. And right out front was a brand-new shined up ready to rock 'em bass boat! And then I understood. It's all about priorities......

Sounds to me like the OP needs to sell his fishing equipment and buy some golf clubs. Y'all ain't gonna hurt that golf ball. WHACK AWAY!!!!!!!!

Looks like you had a great year. Smallies are the best! GO BEARS!!!!!!!!!

This is my experience too. I shore fish below a dam that has open water in winter because of current, not water temperature. I've rarely caught a smallmouth there in the winter. With you being in Wisconsin I'm assuming there are walleyes? That's what I fish for in winter to scratch the itch.

You found him!!!!!!!!

Yes, of course. For whatever reason, it feels VERY unnatural (for me) to reel a spinning reel with my right hand (or a baitcast reel with my left hand). There are lots of threads in the forum telling me I should reel both types of reel with the same hand. I've tried but my brain isn't wired that way.

My biggest fishing change (to date) caused by health problems was 3 years ago when I changed from primarily spinning to baitcasting. I injured my right arm in a fall and because of the pain I couldn't hold a fishing rod with that arm. That meant no spinning rods (I hold a spinning rod in my right hand and reel with my left). BUT I could fish with a baitcasting rod because I hold that rod in my left hand and reel with my right. After 4 months my arm was healed up but by then I learned I really enjoyed fishing with a baitcaster and rarely use a spinning rod any more. Probably wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for those darn rollerskates!

Dumb and Dumber Because of the size of their tiny brains I've heard people say fish are "dumb". Well that means most of the time I'm even "dumber" because they outsmart me!

I was on their website today because they are having a 50% off MSRP sale right now if ordering directly from the factory. I'm not in a hurry to receive a rod so might make the leap. Do you have a casting or spinning rod? (I'm looking at a spinning rod.) I hold a spinning rod with my whole hand in front of the reel stem and am wondering how comfortable that would be with this reel seat?

Welcome to Bass Resource. BEAR DOWN!!!!!

The Kentucky Lake resort we vacation at each summer has 2 pontoon boats and 2 Tracker bass boats for rent to guests. For the first couple years we rented one of their 14-foot aluminum boats with 15hp outboard because they were only $211 for the week. Then 2 years ago the owner said "why don't you use a Tracker for a couple days free of charge?" Yeah, smart guy. We now rent a Tracker for the week at $975.