Glaucus

Apparently I'm the all time worst at casting because I couldn't even spool something like an SLX unless I had 20lb+ line and a behemoth of a lure. Should be equivalent to about 12lb mono diameter. I couldn't imagine spooling 12lb diameter with a 1/2oz lure. That's crazy.

Always on jigs/swim jigs/bladed jigs, sometimes on spinnerbaits, never on buzzbaits but I don't fish them much anymore.

Because Senkos are proven to be one of the best bass baits of all time and none of the knock offs perform on the same level as a Senko. I like Googan plastics but nothing they did is ground breaking and they're easily replaceable by better.

Googan plastics are actually good and you can fight me. Lol

This site and Bassresource on YouTube is all you need as they provide much more information and it's free.

Most of their videos now are about doing stupid things. I don't have a problem with rednecks at all, but they take that stuff to the extreme. Shooting and blowing stuff up in the most obnoxious "Murica" way possible to show how patriotic and b@d@ss they are. It makes a fool of them and the people they pretend to represent and creates dangerous situations. It's like they've become the fishing version of the TV show Jackass, except they barely fish anymore; it's just videos of stupid stunts, pushing their products, and flaunting their money. Then they throw the random fishing video in there fishing their cheap Favorite rods with $500 Shimano reels to fool kids into buying (or their parents buying) them.

Definitely my worst season too. The bite is tough, fish are hard to find, and flooding, muddy water has kept me from fishing as much as I normally do because when I go it's futile.

There's a place for both forums and YouTube. They are not the same. Forums allow us to interact directly and get questions answered, and YouTube gives us a visual reference. Those picking one or the other are in error. NDYakAngler and Chad Hoover are exclusively kayak anglers who have great content. ND seems about 35 and is the calmest most easiest to watch angler I've ever seen. Chad seems about 50 and is a little more eccentric but very cool, easy to watch, and informative. ND has the best river Smallie content on YouTube. Check him out. Chad too. I think you'll like them.

Why do you think they're off?

This makes complete sense. Living beings evolve over time to protect themselves from what harms them. Fish aren't excluded from this.

The one that killed 200,000~ people in Haiti was a 7.0. American infrastructure and government building codes, as well as this being out in the desert, is saving the day.

Done been tired of them. Back before they all teamed up and got really big I watched a few of them. They were just kids my age or a little younger going fishing. Somewhat educational, mostly just entertaining to watch them fish. Now they are obnoxious, insufferable tools who have let internet fame and wealth change them. Half their videos aren't even fishing anymore. Good anglers to watch are: NDYakAngler Alex Rudd BassResource (Glenn) KickinTheirBassTV (he's loud, full of energy and young, but he actually just fishes and teaches and has respect) DEBO Bamabass 1Rod1Reel distanced himself from the Googans and actually turned down the opportunity to be part of their group and business. He discussed it recently and said that they were just going different directions and he wished the best for them. Which is to say, he knew they were clowns.

It's all personal. For me, High End: $350-400~ for the setup. Midrange: $250-$300~ for the setup. Budget: $150-$200~ for the setup. There's wiggle room between each category if more money is available for something slightly better. In that $100~ range there's nothing that can personally fit my needs outside of finding a M/MF Original Lightning Rod and a Silver Max reel to be just perfectly fine for 1.5 Squarebills and 1/4oz Lipless Crankbaits. Outside of that, the low end of my budget would be, say, a Daiwa Aird X paired with a Fuego or a Fenwick Eagle paired with a President. In that $100 and below range I'm shopping for kids or people who don't fish much. But that's all very personal. I said in another thread awhile ago that I could be happy fishing a Berkley Cherrywood Rod and a Pflueger Trion but I wouldn't buy it for myself.

Some Fuegos are $75 on Amazon. With $50 off you basically get to steal it. Wouldn't Lews version of the Silver Max be the $80 Laser reel?

I definitely prefer to fish alone, but there is a time and place for fishing alone or fishing with others.

So what I've learned is someone took all the Illinois bass and replaced them with Florida bass this year.

No Illinois fishery belongs on this list.

I would never put myself in that position in Illinois. This state bends order backwards to fine citizens and steal property to sell for the state. There would be no understanding on the part of these officers as far as accepting that you have a license but forgot to have it on you.

I've caught many Whopper Plopper fish that way. Would be pretty unfair to call that a foul hook.

Yeah for me. Just like Whopper Ploppers have replaced buzzbaits for me.

I consider the Georgia bass an illegitimate record. Very little information on the fish, almost 100 years old, no idea on the legitimacy of the scale/weight according to modern standards. Nice fish and all but I can't get behind it in these conversations. What I think doesn't matter though.

His record would eat my record in one bite.

I only have a few LMBs over 3lbs this year so far and the best SMB was 18in. It's been a terrible year. Cold and rain has messed everything up. Last year I was on the river catching quality SMBs starting May 4th all the way through October-ish. This year I just want the river to stop going from 4~ ft to 8~ ft every week, which is maintaining a chocolate milk color rather than the clear to green tea that it should be. I play pool in the winter months but right now I'm playing a lot of pool and doing little fishing. Until things clear up I'm not wasting my time. I figure by this weekend or next things might even out.

He could use his right hand?

Reminds me of people who insist they can throw a football 50+ yards until they're actually on a measured football field and it turns out they're only throwing 30 yards.