garroyo130

If the same would have happened to me I would have just figured she was hungry and ONLY interested in the fish!

If you think the comment was about you, it wasn't. What I'm mainly referring to is people trying to make a living off catching "big" fish on youtube or instagram doing stuff like this.

Only pictures I take are when im fishing with the kids and they catch something (anything really), and I'd rather not post those. But rest assured that if a fish is big enough to warrant a picture I'll make sure to take 2. 1 on a ruler and 1 on a scale. Nice fish

< 1lb - Dink 1-2lb - "A fish" (dinks dont count towards totals of fish caught) 3-5lb - Nice 5-8lb - Good After that, Toyota wrote the book 8-10lb - Lunker 10-13 - Lunker Elite >13 - Lunker Legend ... I'm still chasing that lunker

Key point right there. And dont give me no outstretched arms towards the camera to make a 3lb fish look like a 10lber.

Yes but id sooner go to a 7 speed reel than 8:1. More versatile and IMO the best speed for lipless cranks.

8:1 for faster line pickup when fishing lures that are fished with the rod and not the reel such as plastics and jigs as opposed to lures fished with the reel such as spinnerbaits and crankbaits.

It took me a while to realize it but often times what I blamed the reel/rod for was an issue with lure weight. A bait that is hard to cast into wind will sometimes be hard to control even if you are able to cast it.

I use inline spinners regularly and the standard Black Fury (treble hooked) even in weeds. I have to clean stuff off the hooks fairly often but they still catch em well.

The ports on the Lews are indeed for lube. Perhaps the grease just found its way onto the spool shaft from excess running off the pinion gear?

Rods alone don't make or break the setup. If you want to fish plastics with this, go with braid. The more forgiving action of a moderate rod will will be offset by the lack of stretch with braid. It may take some getting used to, but you should be fine using that as an all around rod.

The Rich Z dropshot article is one of the best for learning the basics

Could be a number of factors but if you can see the fish they can see you. That alone is typically enough to turn them off from biting/striking.

I believe this as well. About a year ago I was out fishing and was throwing a #4 Mepps spinner. To my surprise I hooked a hybrid sunfish. To this day, I still believe that it may have been state record (granted Texas record is 2lbs). Anyhow, I was not able to take pictures and simply released the fish. Needless to say upon returning home, the wife and children responded with the usual "oh you and your fisherman's tales" talk. I decided to do some research and found that this small unassuming pond in Austin, TX shared many of the same features as Ketona (the record bluegill body of water). - Old quarry with abundant limestone (limestone helps sunfish grow?) - Steep sides - Spring fed - Limited fishing pressure I believe that conditions play a huge role in the growth of fish to record sizes, possibly moreso than genetics. Although its hard to argue with Butch Brown when he talks about the spot that bass have (1:03:51). BTW im surprised this podcast hasn't been linked to this thread. Butch talks about some good observations including moon visibility and trophy fish.

Id go with a spinning rod and start with small, light/weightless plastics. You mention you're just learning to fish plastics and a big part of learning to fish them is learning to feel the bite. A spinning reel will allow you to throw smaller baits, get more bites, and familiarize yourself with fishing plastics. Id start with spinning tackle and some trick worms or small gitzit type tubes.

About 2-3 years between generations .. factor in Covid and proably 2022

Fuego CT 100%. In my opinion this is the best bang for your buck currently. As far as the SLX, just the reports of them feeling "geary" would make me look elsewhere.

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/175280-the-latest-sale-thread/

Ethos HD rod is a great buy. And they go on sale frequently. I saw them before COVID 19 for about $40 https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/h2o-xpress-ethos-hd-baitcast-rod Is there a price range youre trying to stay under? Also, what application?

Right handed baitcasters and spinning reels get the handled moved as well

I have a couple of discontinued 6" models that came with my gamefish grab bag. Can't wait to try them ... although I'm still trying to figure out how to best rig them.

Worst I've had is the nipples on the end of the Trick Worms which you have to clip off

Mepps black fury #3 is a solid producer for me. It casts well especially if you get the dressed version of the bait.