jimmyjoe

Even out your casting stroke. Slow it down a little, too. The worst thing about going to a new setup is the muscle memory and habits of the old one. With a little practice, you'll do fine. ? jj

Orange topwater? Now you're really freaking me out! I used to cull topwater or super-shallow lures that had orange anywhere near the belly. But that was in the river, too. Now I'm fishing an impoundment. Might make a difference. Might not. jj

Spring .... that I knew about. But what surprised me was orange being productive right now (end of July). I've always said I like to experiment. It appears that I better experiment a little more! ? jj

Nailed it, 100%. jj

I think I found the answer. ??? ??? ??? ☹️☹️☹️ ??? I skunked out tonight, so @MIbassyaker was right. Oh, well .......... jj

My parents were married at the beginning of the Depression. Modern recycling doesn't even begin to approach the level of non-waste and re-use that people practiced in those days! jj

I hate hornets like the Demon Horde. I accidentally found out that there are many things you can use brake cleaner for. jj

Interesting. What time of year was that? jj

I'll find out in about 3 hours. ? jj

Please notice that the rod I use is a Heavy power. That makes all the difference, in my opinion. Good luck! jj

Some things I just never really thought about ..... at least, not until I came here. One was orange lures. I used them in spring for bass and in fall for pike. I always used them close to the bottom, and I never used them in July, August or the first half of September. Last night I was fishing in the Sand Pit. It's the only "clear" water around, if you can find clear water in the Midwest this time of year. I've been skunked the last 2 times I fished there, which is unusual. So I ended up throwing everything plus the kitchen sink. I threw lots of different spoons, among other things. No go. Then I looked down and saw a black-and-orange 1/3 oz. Eppinger Cop-E-Cat. I thought to myself, "Why not? Nothing else is working." I tried it high. Nothing. I tried it low. Nothing. Half-heartedly, I threw it in mid-water-column. BINGO! Bass! Not big, but healthy and aggressive. Obviously, I don't know as much about orange lures as I thought I did. Why mid-column? Why now, at a time I thought orange was a dead deal? Why an orange spoon when I had tried orange Mepps spinners with no luck? Any insight is appreciated. Thanks. jj

I have (had) the 7'-01" MH/F Mojo Bass rod. I loved it for spinnerbaits. I tried using it for frogging. I broke it about 2 feet from the tip. My fault. I bought the 7'-03" H/M Mojo Bass Glass rod, and have had absolutely no problems with it. Not one. BTW ...... I always use braid for frogging, and the fiberglass rod seems to work better overall. jj

That is an AWESOME rod! jj

PM sent.

A friend of mine has the 7' MH/MF John Crews squarebill rod from Cashion. It's his favorite rod. He let me use it a bit, and I noticed how light it was. I suspect that the light weight causes some people to doubt the ruggedness and longevity of the rods. Time will tell. Have fun! Catch fish! Smile a lot! ? jj

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool shorecaster. I use both spinning and casting gear. Most people prefer one over the other, but if you search out the right gear, you can do anything you need to do with either one. The real difference comes from that preference. Go with your gut feeling. ? jj

Are you referring to the M/F Mach 2 spinning combo, with a rod 6'-09" long? That isn't what I would prefer for cranks, but it'll work. People tend to use spinning gear on their strong side, which is the most sensitive and quickest to react. Good for bottom contact, but bad for cranks unless the rod is "floppy". I think @Dwight Hottle had it right; wait for resistance before setting the hook. Just my 1/50th of a dollar. jj

Did you see any of the rapid-fire pistol or free rifle events? jj

If "relevant" means "profitable", then yes. If "relevant" means ""cutting edge", then I doubt it. jj

Now I realize why i have, by winnowing habit over the years, come to use reasonably steady, tight line retrieves. jj

For a beginner? I'd say no, for an obscure reason. Most fishermen retrieve lures at too high a speed. Or to say it another way .... they're moving the lure faster than they think they are. Slower retrieves will catch more fish and also allow more consistent hook-ups. This is very important for a beginner. It's not good for a beginner to get frustrated. They can either lose interest or begin a wild-goose-chase of lures that leads nowhere. Just .... slow ..... down. The lower gear ratio makes this a little easier to do. It's not magic, but it helps. And sometimes, every little bit of help is what ya need. ? Good luck! jj

I've landed big fish on my light power (Fenwick River Runner) and ultralight (Daiwa Presso) rods, but ONLY in unobstructed water. As soon as there is any kind of problem on the water's surface or under it, I go to a strong Medium power. However ....... if the water presents no problems, I admit they're fun as can be! ? jj

I don't use line conditioner. I suppose that's one of the reasons I used to hate fluorocarbon line. I found InvizX by Seaguar, and now I'm happy with no conditioner. If I really needed to use conditioner, I would have stayed away from fluoro line permanently. jj

What sort of flowers did they have at the funeral? jj

Because sometimes ...... just sometimes ...... things happen with larger hooks and larger fish that you thought would never happen. ..... and for your sake, I hope it never does. ? jj