NYWayfarer

The more expensive the lure, the bigger the tear you will shed when it gets snagged and lost.

I use 8lb Stren Flurocast for dropshotting. I like it. Haven't had any issues with it so far.

I googled news reports out of Tulsa, OK about a missing fisherman. Nothing current thankfully.

Was it this guy, the African Cichlid compressiceps? I had one. Entertaining little fellow. Lived in a shell at the bottom of my aquarium. Retreated into the shell to sleep and when it sensed danger.

I have had many tanks over the years. Mainly Cichlid tanks South American variety and then Africans. My favorite fish to keep were Oscar's. They are intelligent, as far as fish go. Mine recognized their owner and did a dance when they knew they were getting fed. Anyone else besides me entered the room and they barely got a second glance. Oscars get quite big though and the most I had room for is a breeding pair. I also liked the African Cichlids as they are very colorful. The Zebra Cichlid is a mouth brooder, very cool to breed them. The female scoops up the fertilized eggs in her mouth. When they hatch the fry come out but will quickly retreat back to the mothers mouth for safety. Now all I have is a small aquarium with a Betta fish.

This is true. I have 2 Walmarts close to me. One has their fishing clearance items in the general clearance section. The other has a dedicated sporting goods clearance section with camping, fishing, hunting and boating items right by the section where you can pick up fishing/hunting licenses.

If the phone is as waterproof as they claim then an easy way to find it would be at night. Call the phone and look for the light underwater. If the phone is face up it should be easy to spot the glow in the dark of night. If the phone is face down, covered in silt or the battery is dead then my theory is shot.

I have caught just as many fish with my Mitchell 300 Ugly Stick combo as I have on my Pflueger Supreme St. Croix Premier combo. That being said with the Premier I have felt every nibble, every rock I have dragged my bait over and every weed I dragged my bait through. So my answer to the OP's question is the rod is more important. Mind you that is my answer for spinning. In the baitcasting world the reel seems to be more important. Cheap baitcasting reels with a few exceptions, won't hold up over the long haul.

My goals for 2017 are: 1) Use a baitcaster more often. 2) Use my comfort baits less and try new brands and bait styles. 3) Fish at least once a week during peak season.

Am I the only person that's not a fan of the Kryptek design? Great company. I like everything I have from them just not that design. It's bad enough when you wear Huk gear and people ask "what does Huck stand for?" or "What's H-U-K?" spelling out the letters. One guy who knew I am a comic fan asked me "Why are you wearing a Hulk hat?" He didn't catch the missing L. I have to tell them it's pronounced "hook" after the pronunciation guide in the dictionary if you look up hook.

I have a Triumph and a Premier. I am looking at the Bass X next.

Shakespeare rods are fine for what they are. A budget, entry level offering. Rods like my ugly stick were great until I bought my first Berkley Lightning rod. The Lightning rod was fine until I purchased my first Fenwick Eagle. The Fenwick Eagle was the best until I purchased my first St. Croix... That's as high as my wallet will let me go. Hope you get the idea. Yes it's weird but who cares?

Another great reason for going to a tackle store (BPS, Cabelas, mom and pop,etc) and handling the reel before you purchase. Love my Pflueger reels but ordering them online was a Goldilocks experience. Too small, too big, before just right.

I wear a KastKing gaiter. Got it free when I bought a KastKing reel through Amazon. They sent an offer to leave a review on Amazon about the product I bought. Once it's posted they check to see if it was a verified purchase, KastKing will then send an item of your choice under $10 Looks great and works great. Lightweight, SPF 50 stretch material.

Dick's sporting goods has Yum baits on sale. $2 a pack if you buy 5 or more. I got 2 packs of Warning Shots, 2 packs of Christie Craws and a pack of Sharpshooters for $10

I usually take 2-3 rods with me. Anymore than that is just clutter. I have learned over the years to downsize the tackle I take as well. Less is best with me.

Sometimes it pays to downsize. I have a lake by me that has canoe access only.

I appreciate both the mom and pop and big chain tackle stores. I frequent both often during the year even if to window shop and leave with nothing more than a pack of hooks or some Strike King Shim-E-Sticks. There is something to actually seeing, feeling and handling the tackle. This is especially true with rods and reels. I can't say I never purchased a rod or reel sight online without seeing the item at a store first. I purchased my first Fenwick Eagle GT casting rod as no store around me carried the brand at the time. I also purchased 2 Kastking reels as they are only available online. In all 3 cases I am satisfied with my purchases though I would have purchased the next size up for my Sharky II as the 1500 was smaller than I thought. This is a mistake I would not have made had I seen the reel in a store.

I do the same. My company has a very generous time off policy. I use it to take off a day a week during the summer months to fish. The plus side to not being limited to weekend fishing is I can plan my day off around the weather. I also fish out of the way spots. I might have to travel a bit more but it is worth it for the lack of boat and jet ski traffic. Come to think of it I use this approach to other things in my life as well. I hate crowds.

Having been born and raised in Brooklyn before relocating to upstate NY I agree totally with this comment. I have yet to find a real pizza outside the four burroughs. Our local pizza place is owned by a relocated Long Islander so it's as close as I can get. I also hit the local Pizza Hut buffet so I am a hippy critter as well.

I like smaller lighter reels. 8lb mono or Fluro is my line of choice for the techniques I use. That being said I like reels that will hold 100 to 110 yds of 8lb mono. That's usually a 1500 - 2500 size reel. I can buy the small Stren and Berkley Trilene spools of 100 yards and fill these sizes reel with no guess work. Makes my OCD flare up less often that way.

Let it go! (Imagine the annoying Disney music as you read that line) You did the right thing. Forget them as they are not worth a second thought.

Had a nice snow day with the family. Office was closed, school was closed and my wife didn't go to work. We got close to 2 feet of snow. I Snowblowed 3 times. As a reward for my hard work I watched some stuff on my Kodi Firestick and had a bourbon and coke.

Drop shot.

The music of nature is all I want to hear when fishing. I love music just not when fishing.