Glaucus

Absolutely no reason to spend money on physical copies when it's on the internet for free, and MORE. Magazines and newspapers are going the way of cable: irrelevancy. There was a time when almost every American home had a computer, too. Now I know more people who don't have one than those who do because of phones and tablets. Unless you need a computer for work, it's not necessary at all. More and more people are giving up TVs too because of large screen portable tablets. Shoot, even I watch more shows on mine than the TV.

8# on spinning gear for finesse is about perfect. For most techniques I wouldn't even consider it though.

Interestingly, the big pond at Hummel Park (Heron Lake?) had produced my best Indiana bass up until this point today. Caught on a weightless T-Rigged GP Senko. I wish I'd have gotten a better photo because the angle is an injustice to her. I'm definitely going to hit up White Lick now. It's really clear water, at least over by Hummel. Last time I was there, there was a group of about 30 people swimming in it lol. This has been a couple months. I assumed it was being used as a pool since everything was/is shutdown for Covid. Probably a family gathering. I used to slay river smallies at the vermilion river in and around the Pontiac area in Illinois until moving here. I haven't had any opportunities for SMB since moving here, except when I travel back "home". Sadly this was the best SMB of the year for me so far, back at the old stomping grounds.

I drive by White Lick all the time and have always wondered about it. It's so unassuming. I apparently wrongly assumed it would be a waste of time.

Mooresville by Plainfield. Got this out of the pond in Sodalis Nature Park.

I have a feeling it's going to be like receiving a card for your birthday and it doesn't even have money in it. "Woohoo...uhhhh yay"

It's waaaaaaaaaay easier for me to go to the river and throw a squarebill, Plopper, and Ned and catch a literal boat load of smallies than it is for me to locate largemouth on a big lake or catch them in a pressured pond.

This is like telling someone you got something for them for Christmas, except that you tell them on Halloween and torture them for 2 months about what it could possibly be. I wouldn't have said anything until you had it all worked out and it was a few days away, but then again it's your site.

Best bass since I moved from Illinois to Indiana. Amazing story too. Caught her on this Labor Day about 90 minutes ago. About a month ago I was fishing this 1/4oz Lipless Crankbait when I got snagged and broke it off. A week after that I somehow snagged it and freed it and ultimately retrieved it. I hadn't tied it back on until today. So today started out as a nightmare. The 6 acre pond in a public park was absolutely packed. People to my left and to my right with lawn chairs and bobbers all the way around the open areas. Cookouts, games, picnics all around me. The Ned Rig accounted for 4 small bass and 3 crappie (2 of which were my second and third biggest slabs ever, so I guess it wasn't all bad, but I'm a bass only kind of guy). About 15 minutes before I'm ready to pack up and leave this nightmare I thought, "meh, I'll tie on that Lipless again, if I lose it, I lose it, maybe it can be a Hail Mary and haul in just one more." Reeling, reeling, reeling, BAM everything stops. Is it slop? Boom she jumps. My eyes must have exploded out of my head. I let off the drag, jumped into the pond about shin deep to fight her and keep her down and ultimately lip her. I'm getting her close and now she's finally to me and my heart sank. It felt like she had gotten off and all I can see is slop in her mouth and on her face. I hurry up and lip her. Fear was for nothing because the bait was still deep in her mouth with several hooks holding tight. I'm retiring this Lipless now. It's too cool of a memory and a situation with how it all happened. How I lost the bait, got it back later on, and then caught this fish with it with basically all odds stacked against me and fishing pressure like I've never had before. And besides, I threw it a few more times but whatever she did to it when she hit it made it not run right anymore. She also played a part in ruining my $160 Brooks but maybe that's my fault for jumping into a muddy pond with expensive white shoes lol

I've done a lot of pleasure boating this season on a 50hp 12 seater pontoon boat with the lady and the kiddos. I now see it from both sides. Sometimes it's hard to avoid disturbing fishermen. The coves are the swimming areas as well. And, to be honest, the bass boaters don't own the water. That said I do go out of my way to be as courteous as possible, knowing that it's appreciated and it's all I would ask.

A Dobyns 3 power in whatever model fits your price range would be perfect for "everything" finesse. The 2 power would be better for some things like a Ned, but the 3 power is still more than capable and is good for everything else too.

Almost all season I've been beating them to death with casting gear. For many years it's been 50/50 casting/spinning since I did 50/50 LMB/SMB. For reasons I've been relegated to LMB waters and have power and power finesse fished, almost entirely casting. In fact today was the first time I'd used spinning gear this season for any other reason than the Ned Rig. I took two rods, casting and spinning, to a pond. I've been fishing Senkos every which way on casting gear but put one on spinning gear so I didn't have to untie a Lipless that was killing it. Dudes, I hit more shoreline trees than I did water (exaggeration). It was unbelievable. Spinning felt like straight trash after going to long minimally using it. My motor skills didn't retain much info on how to pitch with it or cast very accurately. It also felt like a true fairy wand using it for anything but a Ned. I felt like I had none of the control or comfort that a baitcaster provides. I have a strong feeling I'm going to be investing in some baitcast finesse.

This year I've gotten on an amazing fluke bite. But I'm so sick and tired of half the packed being completely trashed right off the bat because they're poorly packaged. Even using the boiling water trick doesn't fix a lot of them. So I got some SK caffeine shads since they're packaged a lot better. The action isn't even close to that of a fluke. Do I fish these differently?

ML+/MF-F It won't be labeled like this. You know it when you have it.

It's no different than anyone else who destroys the environment around them. Littering is terrible every time. Littering on top of stinking everyone else out is rude. Littering playgrounds and having kids pick up your trash and put it in their mouth is shameful. If you're going to smoke, step away from others and do like @MN Fisher and be mindful of your butts.

I'm glad you're in good health and thank you for being mindful of your butts.

Smoking really is abominable. Other than the obvious horrible effects on health, it really does smell THAT bad even from a large distance. The smokers are immune to the smell but everyone else around is disgusted. It's horrible. And I've never known a single smoker who doesn't just toss their butts wherever when they're outside. I'm not saying our BR smokers are the same, but I've never known one. It's disgusting hitting the water and seeing butts all over the ground and in the water just floating and waiting for a fish to inhale it. Then of course there's everywhere else too. Most annoying of all and what makes someone a truly awful person is littering playgrounds with them. All of my kids when they were little have picked them up. That's disgusting.

I just don't fish spinnerbaits anymore if that's what you're asking.

I have a couple more to add that have seemingly been a constant nuisance since my first post in this thread. When random people come over and stand right next to me to have an unsolicited conversation. They're ruining my ability to cast. When I'm fishing down a bank and people set up 15-30 yards from me, which happens to be exactly where I'm casting to and running my bait. They must think they're doing right and giving me space. They must also think everyone is casting straight out in front of them and letting a bobber sit for 15 minutes at a time. I feel like I would be smart enough to realize someone was running the bank and give adequate space.

Good for destroyed baits to keep using to save a penny. But nothing beats elaztech.

I was fishing a 1/4oz lipless crankbait. When bringing it back to the bank off one cast I was coming close to some slop a few feet from me and slowly reeled around it. A bass came out of nowhere and edged up to it and took it softly. So I just started jigging it a foot or two from the bank and one after another, the bass slowly came up, examined it, and then took it. Was like catching fish in a barrel.

This is way too vague. Freshwater or saltwater? This scenario would almost certainly be salt water, and since I've lived around the great lakes all my life, I wouldn't have a clue what saltwater lure I'd want. I'm just going to pretend we're talking about freshwater. Now the question becomes, one lure period, or one type of lure that I somehow have an endless supply of? One lure period: It would need to be something that lasts a long time and that I'd be least likely to lose. That means some kind of hard topwater. Probably a Whopper Plopper. One type of lure with an endless supply: Easily the Ned Rig. I would rarely if ever get skunked and therefore always eat, and it catches many different species.

The only reason I like a leader with braid is because it's easier to break off a snag.

I guess I'm not seeing the logic of complaining about an excellent multipurpose tool and wanting to get rid of something that does a little of everything.

We hear it all the time in sports: the things we can't teach that separates one athlete from another; when, all things being physically equal, something makes one person better than the other. The intangibles. The unreachable things. Is it this way in fishing? I think probably most of us a really good anglers. Few of us are professionals, and certainly not me, but I'd say most of us have something most other fishermen don't have. I've spent a few years reading and getting to vaguely know many of you, and we're a pretty experienced bunch. We're all here for a reason, and we quarrel over this and that because we care, while the average person doesn't really care about this or that. There are intangibles and unteachables that separates the addicted from the weekend warriors. We all have "something" that can't be taught, hence why we "got good", persevere, suffer through the hard times and terrible weather, and are never willing to give up. What do you think you have that makes you a good angler? For me it's scanning a body of water and knowing where to find fish. And then it's the things we can't see but an enthusiast can envision it. I become one with the water. All my senses are in tune. Every bump, every nick of something, anytime something is brushed, it paints a picture of the underwater world in my head. I can vividly imagine what I'm fishing and how a fish would relate to it. It's something unteachable. This is sort of a late night spiritual thread with perhaps a splash of ego boost, but I'm serious. We all have something that makes us different than the rest, even if we aren't quite gods (pros).