TOXIC

Whatever you get make sure it's set up to tow if you want it to last. No matter what, I would put a transmission cooler on whatever vehicle you get if it doesn't have one. Step up your brakes when it's time for new pads and don't go cheap. Make sure you change the oil in your tow vehicle on a regular basis and for whatever duration the owners manual calls for with extreme driving (usually city/dusty or towing).

Jacks Worm on a 3/16 jighead, exposed hook is deadly.

As for the Facebook thing, it is what you make of it. I can stay in contact with my sponsors, see what the pro's are doing, how my local waters are fishing and get a lot of info. I limit my posting to a few groups and some private groups I belong to, one of which is the group of guys I fish with every year on St Clair. Since I only get to see them once a year it's a great way to stay in touch. Don't get sucked into all the drama.

Case is owned by https://fishingcompleteinc.com/ I used to know Charlie Case when the company was here in Virginia. The folks that run it now are top notch and if I wasn't sponsored by Yamamoto (and totally happy), I would be throwing Case plastics.

I've had a client on my boat that couldn't cast a $500 Shimano baitcaster. He said he was sending it back because it backlashed all the time. I took it and set it up for the bait he was throwing and I heaved it as hard as I could and put both hands on the butt of the rod, I never put a finger on the reel. No backlash. What that says is that there is a "perception" that better equipment makes you a better fisherman. My take is that it is a yes and no answer. Yes, the higher end gear will have better drag systems, better braking, better bearings (notice I didn't say more bearings) and are more serviceable, extending their lifespan. BUT.....to me there is a point where you reach the tipping point on price. When guiding, I had all models of my rod/reel sponsor's lineup from cheapest to most expensive. Clients could try them side by side and then feel the difference. Some could tell, some couldn't. For those that couldn't, a cheaper setup was just fine. I will say that it is a mistake to buy a dirt cheap baitcaster if you are just learning to throw one. A mid-level model will actually help overcome some newbie mistakes.

For the senko to fall and not pendulum back with a baitcaster, you would have to be in free spool mode and 90% of us would backlash. The more proficient you are with a baitcaster can help but if you have any spool tension, you are inhibiting the fall. When skipping docks, normally you are in shallower water so it isn't as much of an issue. If it works for you by all means keep doing it!!

There is a basic difference between a bait caster and a spinning rod that I taught all of my clients wanting to learn the two. When you cast a spinning rod you snap your wrist and that is where your skipping power comes from. If you do that with a bait caster, you will backlash. On a baitcaster you use more of your whole arm and load the rod. Personally unless I am flipping or pitching, I am much more accurate with a spinning rod.

Totally serious. For example, the large flake vs the small flake does change the way the bait acts. Likewise, some of the colors have more coloring agent which changes the action. A bait with heavy color and or flake loses some action and it changes the weight. Totally noticeable to me but probably not to most.

Most don't and unless you are a Senko freak like me, it probably makes no difference. I am so tuned into this bait and have thrown it for so long I can tell you some colors skip better than others and there is a difference in the fall rate and action based on color and type of flake or lack of flake........

The Chick is an awesome fishery especially since they stocked Florida strain. I wish I was closer!! Fishing a senko on top of mats or pads is often overlooked. I do it all the time on the Potomac and then let the bait fall in the holes. The slow fall and shad color of the 927 I'm sure looked like an injured or dying shad. I often throw the 901 laminate to cover both worlds

Another old school thought.....You should always let the ripples from your lure hitting the water dissipate before you start to retrieve a floating topwater.

I do events and shows in both. Cabela's keeps their inventory minimal... add to that it's now hunting season throughout most of the country and that is where they will put product focus. Fishing dept will suffer unless you are in an area where there is ice fishing. BPS has a "pecking order" for lack of a better term and some stores can't get the product they want. The supply chain/logistics management is pretty involved and I've been in it with sponsors for 20 odd years with both stores. I believe both stores offer the ability to order on-line and have the product delivered to your nearest store (if it is convenient) at no extra charge and no shipping. Also keep in mind that these stores fill a need for customers that fall somewhere between inexperienced to casual. If you are into the latest and greatest or specialized colors or the full line of any bait/rod/reel maker, you are more apt to order on line. There's only so much floor space in a store and the push is to sell store branded merchandise/products because that is where the profit margin is the best.

I do it but only at idle. I also have a Troll Perfect that keeps the head from swinging around.

As a general rule.....match the hatch......If you can duplicate what the fish are feeding on then you have a good starting point for color. I have a good friend who was in the Elite Series and he told me point blank fishermen get too hung up on color. Keep it simple and hone in on "hues" more than specific colors. All that being said.....I don't know why the Smallmouth in Lake St Clair eat bubblegum colored baits, but they do.

There's a common saying that if you find the fish you can catch the fish. Gary Klein once told me that there's at least 5 lures that will catch any fish once he finds them. He didn't mean 5 specific lures but 5 as a general number of types of lures he could throw to catch them.

Sometimes it's not about the $$ although there's one thing I will guarantee.....Boats with the max hp motor will sell faster than those with minimum hp. That's just a fact. So, if you plan on selling in the future, you might want to take that into consideration. As for taking the $$ savings and investing it, estimating it will almost double in 4 years is pretty optimistic. It would require a pretty aggressive investment strategy and it would be my luck that I lose my investment and be stuck with an underpowered boat that I couldn't sell.

Old school thought is that when Bass follow and won't commit, it's time for a color change. It isn't normally the action or retrieve if they are following it.

If you've been cruising the net at all, you now know the deal has taken place and has been approved by regulators. Good or bad? We'll wait and see but IMHO you are not going to see much of a change. Both have their target markets with some overlap. I believe it will be backroom operations and management changes.

The way to see the curve is to hold the thick part of the Senko at the top between your thumb and forefinger and slowly turn it. You will see the curve.

Not to be a smarty but every senko does have a slight curve at the tail. Some more than others and it can be hard to tell most of the time. I watched them being made in Page, AZ at a pro-staff meeting. That being said, I have never taken to time to ID the curve on the bait before rigging.

While I don't condone it, I do know of a dock owner who sunk an old bedspring frame under his dock and would "harvest" baits on a regular basis.....

I believe my info from (Jones Trolling motor in TX) who has been in business for many years was that it's much easier to replace a broken pull cord than the pull pins and associated mechanisms on the internal portion of the TM. With all of the built-in and aftermarket "lift assist" components on current TM's, I don't see as many breaking pull cords or the need to use the excessive amount of force to retrieve the TM. And yes I have gone elbows over teakettle with a broken rope!!

There are a few different ways to do it. I'm sure there's a vid on this site or YouTube that can give you some visual help but the basic technique is to get your finger in through the gills and push the shaft of the hook back towards the throat thereby reversing its position.....think of it like the line is running from the belly of the bass vs the mouth. Then just push towards the mouth and the hook will reverse out the same way it went in. You can cut the line to do this but it is not necessary and I have seen some grab the bend of the hook through the mouth with pliers or forceps once you reverse it and pull it out. Once you do it a couple of times it gets easier.

There's sooo many different ways to rig a Senko but you said you Texas rigged them. You can't rig a circle hook Texas style. As a guide who has put a lot of Senkos out there for unexperienced clients, I offer you this advice. 1. Learn how to remove a deep hooked bass for the best chance of survival. Reversing the hook via the gills is a good start. Keeping in mind that there are some places where you hook a bass that their survival rate goes down. The tongue being one of the worst. 2. You didn't say what hook you were using or the size. For a 5 inch Senko Texas rigged use a 4.0 Gamakatsu EWG hook. The extra wide gap will show a bite much sooner as it tends to hit the mouth of the bass on the way in. 3. Stay alert and learn to be a line watcher. Early bite detection is the key. Don't give up on them just step up your game!!

There's a saying I give clients that I rig with Senkos. The first "thump" you feel is the fish eating your bait, the second thump is them spitting it out.