GReb

I’m not an expert by any means but several years ago at a conference we had an Executive from Visa speak to us. He said credit cards are federally protected and debit cards are not. Meaning that as a user you are 100% protected against fraudulent activity when using a credit card but a debit card is at the discretion of the bank. I’ve never heard of anyone having issues with a bank covering fraud though. Either way it’s a good idea to only keep a small amount in your checking account

I saw the Blaukat video. Randy loves to tinker his way off the leaderboard.

In the last 24 hours both mine and my wife’s credit cards have been compromised. Tackle warehouse is one of the few common vendors. I made an order last night and my wife bought some gifts last week. In addition my fathers card was also compromised last week and he’d also ordered from TW. There’s no way to prove it but does seem suspect.

I know guys that still throw them at barnett. Pretty sure you can even buy them at Tommys

I never could dial in the dual brake system on the MB.

Either will do what you want and then some. What my hands feel may be different than yours but I wanted to give you my opinion. I know @MidwestBassAttack reviewed the Cara Amistad last year and had similar feelings. Maybe he will chime in.

This is strictly my opinion but I think the Cara probable excels for finesse presentation, in open water, or deep….such as cranks, jerkbaits, deep football jigs, wacky, etc. Meanwhile the Expert is better suited for shallow water power fishing

Cara and Expert blanks have the same action for each model but are made of different material and the Cara is a little stronger power. This was according to someone I talked to at Falcon The Cara and Expert feel very different to me. The Expert blank is very sensitive and provides great feedback but is more “muted”. Meanwhile the Cara feels high strung and alive. The first few outings with the new Cara every limb or piece of grass I hit felt like a strike and I missed quite a few fish because I had a hard time discerning between the two. I personally like the feel of the Expert better and have an easier time telling what my bait is doing. The older Cara feels a lot more like the Expert than the new Cara does.

Falcon has a 6 and 7 power Heavy. Both are listed as “heavy” but there is definitely a difference. The 6 is more of a MH but the 7 fishes like a H in my opinion. The Amistad is a 7 power

There are certain players who have an infectious desire to win and elevate the team to perform above their talent level. Joe Burrow was one of those. Such as Matt Corral has been for us this year. They don’t come around often. But if anyone is to be credited 2019 it’s Joe. Those players refused to let him down because he refused to let them down.

I find the Expert to be very sensitive. There are a lot of models I haven’t used so it’s hard to say but I have owned the Zodias, Champion, and quite a few St Croix. I prefer the Expert over those. But that’s not to say you would agree as sensitivity is objective. The Amistad will handle anything in the 3/8 to 1 oz range easily. I’ve never thrown anything over an ounce. I pitch jigs and texas rigs into lilly pads all year with no issues. It has a very strong backbone but a nice tip. It’s not a pool cue by any means and it’s super versatile. I believe the rod weighs 4.2 oz so it’s comfortable to maneuver all day. It is hard to find info on Falcon but I have called them directly on several occasions and they have always answered my questions and provided additional info I wasn’t aware of. They are a super helpful small company similar ALX

I own a Zolo Toadface and a bunch of Falcons. The Expert Amistad would be my choice. The Cara is nice but not worth the extra money. To me the Expert series is just special and I know others agree.

Dan Wolken is my least favorite media person. I borderline feel hatred towards him lol Home run hire. As a Rebel I was hoping you would hire Lincoln Riley. That dude is so overrated. Kelly will win big at LSU. If Ed and Les could win titles in Red Stick then it can’t be too hard! I still can’t believe Ed won one even though he had plenty of help and a generational player at QB. At least it now looks like we will get another year or two from Lane

Shimano has the XG listed at 7.9oz. It’s the heaviest 150 size reel on the market to my knowledge. It has to be mentioned when reviewing whether it makes a difference or not on the water. Especially since the JDM Met is typically only $40 more, weighs 6.3oz, smoother, and casts much better in my opinion. But at the same time I know others who prefer the Bantam

Mine both weighed 7.8 oz.

Built like a tank. Smooth but heavy. Casts and pitches well but nothing special. Just does everything you need it to. Depends on your palm the spool side place can cause pain after a while.

I fish a river system reservoir and it changes overnight. Even more if you only get out a couple times a month. You have to “junk fish” to a certain degree. Typically you know that one or more of 4 or 5 areas will produce but the baits that work change. You’d be handicapping yourself to just take one or two baits to figure them out. Last weekend I was on about bait #10 before it clicked and caught several 3-4 pounders. Had I not been “junk fishing” I may have gotten skunked.

Pick up a few Sniper while you’re at it. Great for colder water

This is going to be unpopular but I didn’t find anything special about the Bantam. It looks cool and is an absolute tank but performance wise it didn’t stand out for the price. In fact I replaced two Bantams with SLX MGLs and am just as satisfied. That reel is amazing for the price (I paid $89 each) The new Metanium is the best performing Shimano I have owned. I’d really like to add a few more this winter.

All of the above

I don’t fish a leader but have tested it before out of curiosity. I used a blood knot with 30lb braid and 12lb mono and it passed through the guides however it wasn’t the smoothest. You could hear it passing through the eyelets and every once in a while would get hung up on the cast. While not microguides they are pretty small. Nice quality though with strong frames.

Load up on terminal tackle. Hooks are expensive, especially trebles. Take advantage of the sales And if you have to treat yourself, nothing is cooler than hard baits. A few new cranks and top waters make the monkey jump for joy.

Throw a shallow crank (1ft diver) parallel to bank and cover

Falcon Lowrider Head Turner