MAN

Don't ding me again bro...I was just goin with the flow of the thread

Man I really like those Bulldog!!! ...thanks for sharing. I will need to do a full dive into them to see which ones will fit my spinning reels.

Same here my favorite reels are easily over 7.5oz. But targets weight below 6oz are a must now. Once these carbon fiber gears get figured out the heaviest thing about the reel will be the line on it.

2020 was one of the best years the tackle industry has had in recent history . Domestic inventory depleted quickly and China couldn't fulfill fast enough. China is still trying to play catch up but its not as bad as it was and for the most parts has leveled back out. The fishing industry gained a ton of new anglers though the covid ordeal..and compile that with the stimulus checks sent out could be why your seeing this secondary depletion in some areas.

Mine's going to be the zoom fluke. I do enjoy when these threads pop up and someone says...my favorite go to lure of all time is....."insert lure that has been on the market less than 1 year".

I like them all. The EVA used these days is much much better than the first types of EVA that began showing up on rods that fell apart or left indention easily in it. Non slip polymer grips (winn grips) have their place and definitly allow you to add more designs/color to the rod. Now you see nylon and carbon weaved handles as well as full 1 piece carbon fiber handles entering the market. Its amazing to watch how these rods are evolving.

I use both in clear....if water is dirty I will gravitate toward the paddle tail for the added vibration.

Do you mind if I ask what you do for a living?

Basic IM6 blank with Chinese components. Looking at about $13-$15 there. The specific actions and balance of this series are probably the key to its success?

Put me in the "doesn't make a difference corner". Matching the weight color to the bait does look better to the fisherman though, and that means a lot.

@Bubba 460 First ...thank you for your service sir. If you had to sum up 65 years of the fishing knowledge you've gained into one sentence for the newer generation of up and coming fisherman...what would that be?

Goldfish from Petco sir

I used to keep a scrap bin on my workbench that I threw all my broken, tore, old soft plastics in it. When it got pretty full I would spend half a day sifting through and matching colors the best I could, then melting and pouring. Some of the best fish I have caught came from just a hodgepodge of different plastic colors all combined.

Lizards still work just as good as the day they were introduced. They are just not the latest and greatest, and thats what we put all the marketing behind to help catch the fisherman...woops I mean fish.

I can ignore them...which is exactly what I do

We got them pretty much everywhere down here in Southeast Tx. Most of the time they will mosey into the water and leave you alone even if you practicaly step on one. Its only when mama's got a nest hiding that your in for a treat. My city/neighborhood in Texas is currently being flooded by residents from California, Colorado and New York seeking a better life. Its become comical all the neighborhood alerts that get posted daily every time someone see's a gator. As if a zoo animal got out of its cage and kill anyone within visual distance. They even yell and scream at me and my son while we are fishing because there is a gator on the other side of the lake. Anyways small rant over

The best stuff I ever used back when I was painting hardbaits was call Dick Nite Clearcoat.

2 words.....Petco Goldfish

That river screams live/dead bait.

I have had several falcons and they have all been great. Even their overseas series "HD" has held up wonderfully.

Probably keeping it on the extra down low for a big ICAST release.

They are about to release a new Curado that in engineered to throw really light lures.

Depends on what "deep" is? I wouldn't have it a foot below the bobber in 20 ft of water.

I really don't see anything different in that, and the current shallow cranks, other than outdated material/paint job.

Yes in fact will be posting it all up in the neighborhood for sale forum this weekend. I just don't realistically need all the fishing stuff I have accumulated over the years.