Boomstick

I catch tons of fish on spinnerbaits either in dirty water or clear water with some chop on the water, but I have used them to fish around weeds in clear and calm water and sometimes have had pretty good success as well! I generally use a 3/8oz or 1/2oz spinnerbait for bass, depending how deep I want it to go, and also the time of the season -- I gravitate more towards a 3/8oz in the spring and a 1/2oz later in the season when the baitfish are larger. 3/4oz and 1oz spinnerbaits are often considered pike lures, but they can be great if you need to fish deeper, faster and deeper or simply to target larger fish. I only add a trailer or trailer hook if I am getting short strikes. I will usually go with a trailer over a trailer hook as the trailer hook makes the spinnerbait a bit less weedless. The times I will use a trailer hook are largely on spinnerbaits where the back blade starts after the hook so the bass tend to hone in on the blade instead of the hook and with a trailer hook, these spinnerbaits are still a little more weedless than others but if I am fishing around weeds I may still opt for a trailer. The vast majority of my spinnerbaits that I have at the moment (maybe all of them) are the shorter style. I like the War Eagles with the trokar hooks a lot. I think they discontinued them but the standard War Eagles are fine. I also own a handful of the Terminator T1 spinnerbaits which are discontinued sadly. And my favorite dirty water spinnerbaits are the River2Sea blings -- even the willow leafs work nicely in dirty water. The Strike King KVDs jave also caught me many fish.

I fished a bit as a kid, but nothing too serious until a few years back. When I really started fishing with my kids and ended up loving it, I went on the Internet and started learning about fishing. The hatcambass Youtube channel did a good beginner's guide to bass fishing series which I found incredibly helpful to get started, and I learned a lot from this website, and the Bassresource Youtube channels, which I cannot recommend highly enough. Glenn (bassresource) is generally short, direct and to the point and really go into great detail and cover every angle and some very situational tactics.

My youngest got you beat there and hooked a 300 pounder. I pulled the hook, barb and all out of my side and it wouldn't stop bleeding. We were in a rowboat and I almost took it back to shore, but I'm glad I didn't. What could have been my worst day of fishing turned into one of my best, as on my first cast that day, I landed this massive hog of a smallie, didn't have a scale but it was over 23" long! I didn't get anything else that day, but that one fish more than made up for it.

I don't know but I've seen Mike Iaconelli's collection on Youtube and it's pretty impressive from new and current lures to old, discontinued lures, some of which are just kept as mementos. If you show your wife his collection, she'll either never complain again whenever you buy tackle or go marry him instead (I don't know which category your wife falls in ?) I'm lucky! My girlfriend sees that I maxed out the room on my rod rack and had some overflow lures in an old cabinet the boys used as kids so she goes and buys me a special cabinet for fishing tackle where the bottom holds 3600/3700 trays and has rod holders on the sides.

I have some plain old Cabela's classic life vests. But I hope to get a nice one with pockets eventually if I can find one large enough for my fat ass.

Adjusted for inflation, they no longer come painted or with hooks.

Where do you put yours? I am probably putting mine on the front track so I can get it sitting with a little reach, or standing.

Well that makes it a harder choice then. I could see some areas, mainly in one lake where I might want to anchor in deep water. There is hardly any cover in that lake, so when it gets hot I fish deeper.

The way I have always heard a double palomar knot works is that you basically tie two overhand knots. It can actually be difficult to cinch it down that way on lures like frogs where the hook ring starts to pull out of the body but I can attest that definitely is a very strong knot. That said, this year I am going to try tying it the way that you demonstrated and see how that works out for me.

Yeah, definitely going that route. Just trying to decide if I should get the low profile or full size. I guess the biggest difference is the max depth I could use it in is, 20ft vs 15ft in lakes.

I just put a downpayment on a Topwater 120 non PDL today. This one is for my youngest son. Ironically, I mentioned to the guy at the shop how I met my savings goals, nothing broke too badly this year so I'm getting kayaks for myself and the kids. On my way home, my truck got stuck in "auto" and feels like the front may be stuck in 4x4 low while the back is normal. Probably a new transfer case Anyway here's what I do plan to buy, assuming this doesn't set me back too badly. Myself: Bonafide SS127 Accessories: Yak Attack Swingblade rudder, YakAttack BlackPak, YakAttack Leverloc Anchor Trolley, Anchor Wizard, 3 track mounted rod holders, and a Yak Attack Landing Net. For my oldest son: Crescent SUP+ Accessories: Cooler, Milk Crate & Rod Holders, a short handle net since he's closer to the water, a couple paddle holders and rod holders For my youngest son: Old Town Topwater 120 Accessories: YakAttack BlackPak, YakAttack Leverloc Anchor Trolley, Anchor Wizard, a Yak Attack Landing Net. Didn't need the track mounted rod holders because this kayak comes loaded with three already. And then build a Harbor Freight trailer by adding PVC Pipes to the bottom, some truck rails and pool floaties to store a second kayak up top. Eventually I will get some kayak racks to hold the SUP up top as well but I can initially put that in the bed of my truck.

I'll get the kids to help me so I don't have to do any trickery to keep the backing piece in place. It seems like a real nice system.

I like pretty much all seafood to be honest, shellfish, filleted fish, king crab, blue crab, clams, oysters, cod, salmon, catfish, tuna, swordfish etc. I live in Western, MA where we don't have the same access to fresh seafood as the eastern part of the state, but we can still get it fresh and never frozen it's just a little more expensive. When I was a kid, I had a fairly mild allergy to seafood. I wouldn't die or stop breathing, I'd just feel sick 30-60 minutes after eating it, throw up and then feel fine. I could eventually keep down anything besides lobster, just stop eating when I start feeling slightly funny and I'd be fine, and eventually that went away and the last couple of times I ate a lobster tail, I kept that down too.

I added those to my wishlist the other day. The installation of the non HD kits looks mad easy, the HD is a little bit harder but I think I can manage.

Did you get the HD version or the regular? The install of the regular is cake, the HD looks slightly more challenging.

I cast with my left, although I am capable of accurate shorter casts with my right too, but I have to reel with my right -- it feels super super awkward reeling with my left. As far as some of the others you mentioned: Basketball: Primarily left but could shoot right too Throwing: Left. Couldn't throw a ball 10 ft with my right arm, even though it's actually stronger. Hitting: Both. Better power batting left handed but better contact batting right. Golf: Right. I started off playing left handed, and I'd always miss the ball and couldn't hit it far at the driving range. One day the driving range only had a right handed club, and I was hitting them 300+ yards into the woods. Who knew? Hockey: Never really played but I feel like I could actually puck handle better left but I'd whiff on slapshots. Writing: Left. Some others: Mouse: left Guitar: Right handed - so the left hand does the majority of the work in the styles I usually play (I'm terrible at acoustic fingerpicking!) Grabbing a coffee cup with a handle: Left. Can't hold the handles with my right. Grabbing something without a handle: Either, but I will go with my right hand if I can place it on my right side. Scissors: Right, perhaps because I was a teenager by the time I got left handed scissors and was used to using my right though? And as far as my feet are concerned, if I am kicking a ball, I am using my right foot 100% of the time if I have a choice. I'm honestly not sure if it's because my right leg barely moves at the hip or preference. That is, I can put my left leg behind my head, but I can barely put my right leg over my left knee. Why is that? Because we go through challenges that right handed people don't, forced to comply to the right handed convention and thus get better at problem solving, think quicker, are better at things like math, art and music? Or maybe it's because many of us got bullied in school but not as much by other students but by school staff telling us we're writing with the wrong hand? Or is it simply because we're never right?

^ On a related note, I saw this today: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/people-are-scared-of-buying-corona-beer-amid-coronavirus-fears.635159/

I'm waiting for NattyIceVirus, now there's one to be afraid of!

I think of all the potentially worse epidemics we've missed in the past and I can't see this one really living up to the hype.

Aww no more buy one Berkley Trilene Fluorocarbon this year. I have been all over that one the past two years so I didn't buy any on Black Friday hoping

I would probably skip the Bass X and go straight to the Mojo Bass if paying full retail, but if you can get a Mojo Bass for $113 then I would say the Bass X should be out of the quest. While I have no experience with a Fury 704C, I bought my son a Sierra 704C for his birthday a couple years ago and it's an absolutely fantastic rod for T-Rigs and jigs up to 1/2oz. My other son has a Mojo Bass Jig and Bait rod (7'1" MH/F) and that's also a nice rod. Some people complain it's a little tip heavy but to be honest, I don't think it's so much tip heavy as it just is super, super light. If you go the Dobyns route, the 703C would be a nice addition in the future that would compliment the 704C nicely for weightless soft plastics and treble hooked lures. It has less backbone and a more moderate fast tip, at least the Sierra does. I can't think of a rod in the Mojo Bass lineup that makes such a perfect compliment, maybe the 6'8" M/XF topwater rod would not be a bad option -- I have that rod and it's fantastic for poppers although it's more tip and less backbone than the 703C. For a reel, you can get a Daiwa Tatula CT on ebay around $90. The Daiwa reels will brake better than the more expensive Shimano Curado but the Shimano will cast further and I would expect the SLX to be about the same, so I would weigh that in with what you plan to be using it for.

To be honest, I don't think you can go wrong with either reel, they're both super light and smooth reels with great drag. I ended up getting a Ballistic LT on ebay for less than I could get either for and much less than retail for my girlfriend last year and it's a fantastic reel.

Personally, I don't use anything less than 30lbs on a baitcaster, more out of necessity but you can go as low as 20lbs for things like crankbaits. I have seen some people who use 15lb line on a baitcaster, but I wouldn't attempt that. As far as smackdown goes, I would use nothing less than 30lb which is basically 20lbs of most standard braid.

Hello and welcome to the forums. I too live in Massachusetts but I probably do the majority of my fishing over the Vermont or New York lines as I live near the border of both states. What's fishing line in eastern MA?

Hello and welcome to the forums. Your story of how you got started is very similar to mine. Every year, we would go camping and every year, my youngest son would ask if we could bring our fishing gear. I always had a small car at the time and we literally packed it to the ceiling so we never had room. Well after a handful of lemons with a hefty payment, I went out and bought a '92 Cadillac Brougham in cash and we could fit virtually everything in the trunk of the car, so that year I went out and dropped roughly $1000 at Cabelas on fishing and camping gear. That $1000 quickly turned into another few thousand and now we all have a number of quality rods and reels, a massive tackle bag and a new summer hobby If you stick with it and put in the work on and off the water, your 1.6lb PB will quickly turn into a 3lb, and then a 5lb and so on. There's tons of great resources on this site and on these forums, and Bassresource's youtube channels has also proven invaluable.