HawkeyeSmallie

I'll let you know after I figure out how to get a 3 oz swimbait to land softer/quieter. :)

Have you used it yet? Any luck if you have?

Jeepers, that’s $90 more than the 15% tariff. Pretty stiff add on from DHL. Granted, it does take more administration/work from them.

100% agree with the fluoro. I've never used Shooter but using cheaper fluoro is setting yourself up for disaster and disappointment. All it takes is one not-so-great cast and your rod is done for the day. The spool could be ruined as well. I currently use Tatsu but I'd be open to something similar as long as it performed well.

Let's face it, a lot of men are stupid and put off going to the doctor. My wife's uncle didn't go to a doctor for maybe 40 years and earlier this year they found a grapefruit sized mass in his rectum. He ignored all the signs until he was basically forced to see someone. Four months ago he was 130 lbs and I would have given him about a 0% chance of surviving. He gave up, mentally and physically. I don't blame him as he was going through hell and back. Fast forward to the present, he is going to always have a little cancer in him but he will probably die from something else. Maybe lung cancer since he still smokes and even did throughout chemo. LOL (smh) Moral of the story, his doctor said the mass was probably growing for 20 years. I don't care how embarrassing or whatever it is, GO TO THE DOCTOR. I've always said, if insurance covers it, I'm going to have every single test there is as soon as I can. I'm almost 49, I did the "poop in the bucket" a few years ago, got my PSA checked a month ago, and I'm doing the full blown colonoscopy next month. Life is too short/precious to not get checked out.

You can still have a heck of a ride with expensive gear with not a lot of dings on it. I’ve ingrained the following into my children, they could all repeat it probably word for word: Work hard Save your money Buy nice things Take good care of them I enjoy fishing with expensive gear. You better believe I’m going to treat it very well.

I don't really want to get into a discussion. Agree to disagree, and I'll leave it at that. Good fishing!

I'm not pro tariff, but that's not how they work.

How much was the reel? Did they break down the charges?

Worth and value all depends on the individual. There are people that fish that make $40k a year and there are people that make $400k a year. So the worth of say a $500 reel to one might be completely different than someone else.

I'm pretty sure I've caught the same fish twice since my main two spots are in the 20 and 30 acre range. I can't say with 100% certainty though. Cool story.

I made a purchase in August a week or two before the de minimus deadline and had zero issues.

Now that’s interesting. Didn’t know they existed.

How big is the bait? What about a double willow spinnerbait to resemble schooled baitfish?

Is your first name Bill and last name Dance?

I have a Vanquish but it's on a NRX+ 852S. It's a terrible rod for casting and regret buying it. So yeah, I have one, but I can't really give an opinion on it.

Yeah I can snap a swim jig through weeds EASILY and many times it catches fish. For some reason, ripping a JackChatter was much more difficult. It doesn't take much debris for that blade to stop working. I'm not giving up on them but a swim jig with a 4" paddle tail is still my #1 go to in weeds. It's hard to ignore the success many have with them so I'll keep trying, just in different circumstances. Weeds is a no go for me.

I was in a locally owned outdoor store here in Iowa and the guy that helped me said the Boomerang clippers were invented by a guy here in Iowa. He was an older guy and I have no reason to believe he was making it up. At the time I never heard of them so I held off on purchasing. Lots of good reviews here though.

I'm your Northern neighbor and I wasn't sure myself.

For those that say Jack Hammer whatchamacallits work really well in grass are full of HORSE MANURE. I'm mostly a swim jig and spinnerbait guy but I've had some laying around and tried them out last night doing a little shore fishing before MNF. I think I caught 7 and landed 4. Seemed like a decent quick outing. HOWEVER, I'd say almost 60% of the casts were ruined and I was basically reeling in a nonfunctioning bait. Weeds? Work well? Get out a here!

When clarity is super low they are most likely feeling the bait vs seeing the bait. Use something that "thumps". I don't have much luck with topwaters in low visibility. They are normally closer to cover as well, that's been my experience.

Things have gone up, that's for sure. Social media, covid, inflation, and tariffs, have all have contributed. Fishing is more popular now than it probably ever has. Supply and demand.

LOL, glad I'm not the only one.

I have the 873C CRR, it's one of two NRX+ models I own. This is going to sound stupid, given they are $650 rods, but I'm not overly impressed with either. JMO Was the X Bites too light for your needs?

If you are fishing mono and want to do all of those things, I wouldn't get a moderate rod. I'd get more like a moderate/fast action rod. Mono and a moderate rod seems like a lot of stretch. You can make most rods work just by switching the line. If you were using braid I'd say go with moderate. But I wouldn't throw cranks on braid unless they were shallow runners. Disclaimer: I'm no expert.