ironbjorn

I probably catch 90% of my detected strikes, but I would be surprised if I catch 50% of the bass that put my lure in their mouth. There's a difference, and it's one of the reasons we post on here and professionals are touring the country.

Hardly ever see any professional with a fleet of these essentially collector's items rods. On the internet discussions though you'll see it everywhere. Guys get worn out by what amounts to a sip of water so they need to spend thousands to rid themselves of this truly heavy burden. You'll also see a whole lot of "how to not lose lures" stuff. The guys who want to catch bass know you're going to beat your gear up $10-$20k in rods isn't easy to replace, and they also know you're going to lose lures if you're fishing where bass live. Bass culture is going insane. You need $1000 outfits and you need to stare at a screen to catch fish. It's ridiculous. It's mindless.

Remember to keep your children and dogs quiet in the morning. Some of us will be up all night setting off fireworks. Happy 4th!

Yes police, I'd like to report an assault.

Taking a break from some early morning action. Only two bass so far, but the first one was the right one. Bit under a tree on a Strike King 3/8 oz Banshee Spinnerbait in Bluegill. Every time I wear this shirt fishing good things seem to happen. I started wearing it a lot because it's light weight and cool, very breathable. I think it will become THE fishing shirt. Also, this is the first time the new Max X reels have felt like $50. It definitely did not feel sturdy during this short fight, but it got the job done. I'm still impressed. Knowing what it is, you can't complain. Also also, I'm getting fat as hell.

I'd pitch at every piece of cover I saw, every bit of shade, every overhang.

1/10 with the wire guard in rapids and 1/15 without the guard in any other conditions

Unless the bass are in a plane it doesn't matter

I must be a giant potato because I mindlessly twitch, twitch, twitch, pause and it works.

Always ?

3 power Fury, 4 power Sierra, and 3 and 4 power Champion XP. Situation and size of SB dictates the rod.

I will never understand the EWG low hookup ratio claim. They're the best hooks for all my fishing, especially Gamakatsu.

I tried hard to believe in this but I've never noticed a bit of difference in hindsight and haven't used them at all this year

Any standard 4 power Dobyns has generally done really well for me with spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and swimjigs.

The KVDs haven't let me down yet

Something you should never touch in a doctor's office if you want to still be healthy in 72 hours

Smacked her in the upper lip ?

The last week of May and the first week of June was killer. Then the bite went to hell until today. Landed 6 on a Fluke in about an hour. I'd sworn off buying the Zoom Fluke because of trash packaging and half always being warped, twisted up garbage, but happened upon a few packs in excellent condition. Best bass of the day is pictured. I only caught them under overhanging trees and bushes, and always on the initial jerk.

I bought a few from TW for $50 each. Left handed. Not sure if the right handed sell for more or something. I know AG lists them for $60 on their website. The new Black Max (Max X) is narrower and palms better, not that it was a problem before. The spool is a little lighter and the reel casts better than ever. I put mine on a few old rods and have been pleased. If you're one of those people who notices and is bothered by the weight difference that is equivalent to a sip of water, the reel will never be for you. I do not say that condescendingly. This is a huge issue for some while others literally do not notice. I'm in the others camp.

1/0 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hook Believe me or don't lol

Omniflex is essentially the same diameter as Big Game. 12lb for example is .013 for Omni and .014 for BG. The fact is Omniflex is stiff and brittle.

Never had that issue. Omniflex is stiff and breaks easily.

As an aside, Abu Garcia (Pure Fishing) knocked it out of the park with the rebranded Black Max (now the Max X) reels.

Oh Lord NO. Omniflex is nowhere near as good as BG, XL, XT.