ironbjorn

I agree with limits so the bucket squatters don't destroy the fisheries more than they so often do in smaller waters. I personally strictly practice catch and release. People who litter are trash themselves. The problem I have is telling people when they can and can't catch a fish.

When I can't remember what line is on what combo strictly by memory or where certain lures or terminal tackle are, that's when I will downsize. I try and believe I will succeed in not reaching this point.

Hence why running 60+ mph to get to a spot will never be something I'm foolish enough to do.

Several years ago I was bank fishing a new (to me) pond in a wooded area in the middle of nowhere. It was difficult to cast because of all the trees and brush, but in one little opening I saw a concrete slab sitting in the water a few feet off the bank. I thought that if I could just leap to it I'd have access to much more water. Well, I took my leap, but when my feet touched the slab, it was slick as ice and it sent me falling backwards into the water. When I got my bearings I noticed that two inches to my right, sticking out of the water, was a rusty metal pole that would have impaled me had I hit it, and I nearly did hit it. I instantly felt sick to my stomach and was shaking. I gathered my rod and went and sat in my car for a few minutes before leaving.

Using a gun to kill something out of season and being busted for it and is about as far as things go anymore. Nobody cares about a guy throwing a line. Depending on where you are located your boat might be approached demanding a license but even that is rare. You shouldn't break the law but I'm just saying with confidence almost nobody cares and unless you're a spectacular idiot you'll never get in trouble. Obligatory lol @ man trying to dictate a god given resource

I fish fast. Once I'm out of my target area I bring it in.

Sunglasses, pliers, and scissors / finger nail clippers.

No, I'm just trying to afford food and lures, dude. I suspect that most people live on a lake for the beautiful pleasure of it, and not for the bass fishing. I think most bass anglers are travellers. Hence the jet skis and pontoons.

Knots are my biggest OCD. When a knot just won't stop crinkling the line I keep cutting and will eventually use a heavy dose of KVD to make sure it tightens perfectly without messing up my line. PTSD from the crap known as fluoro I'm sure.

Nope. I always make time for myself. Always have, always will. We get one shot at this, yards and decks aren't going to hinder it for me.

Run true

I swore off spinning rods but I don't want to take BFS to the creeks where I wade, fall, set things on rocks, etc. Been eyeing a Maverick spinning rod for this purpose.

It is my escape from the world which just so happens to also be the funnest thing I've ever done. I love it. It's no deeper than that. I specifically only bass fish because I don't enjoy fishing. I enjoy bass fishing because of the close combat style and the sense of accomplishment having done all the right things with the gear and artificial lure to make it happen. If bass fishing didn't exist and if fishing was the typical sit and wait with a bobber I wouldn't do it.

O say can you see, by the crocs on his feet, what so proudly he wore...

I don't have a favorite brand of reels per se, but I love how Lews fits into my effeminate Burger King commercial hands. I think I probably have more Shimanos now though, they're just better. My favorite rod brand is Dobyns. I had an idea of what I liked in a rod, but I never could quite find it in any of the brands I was trying. Strong backbone, some tip, something not moderate fast but also not fast. My first Dobyns rod (which happened to be a Fury) was IT. I didn't want to spend the time or the money for a custom, mostly because I'm impatient as all get out when it comes to waiting for items (I overnight ship almost everything even if I can't immediately use it). Dobyns was everything I was looking for. Some lines are faster, some are slower, but they still have the characteristics I was looking for. I eventually moved onto Sierras and Kadens, and now Champ XPs as well. I'm sorry but specs alone show that equal offerings price wise between Abu and Shimano/Daiwa are not the same, Shimano and Daiwa are clearly better.

I would ask if Pure Fishing pays him, but sometimes it might seem like Dobyns pays me (they don't) lol. Everyone has their brands.

Excuse me sir, Sierras, Kadens, Elites, and Tatulas still exist.

From my perspective the very vast majority of people here respect you and your thoughts as gospel. I've seen you get into one spat, I think, and it was just you misunderstanding what someone said. And that's the problem with the internet and communicating through text. It's easy to misunderstand, then the snide remarks happen, and then the blitz. 93% of human communication is something other than words. We're literally working with 7% of our communication skills as a species in places like this and when we text.

Hardly anyone does, although they think they do when what they're actually doing is pitching.

It's barely better than Invizx imo, and fluoro stinks. So that's a yes from me lol. ?

T-Billy please shoot to confirm

Indiana here, my last bass of 2021 was on December 29th using a Super Spook Jr (for 2-3 weeks this was my go to as the water got colder and colder, for some reason the bass went wild, I couldn't even count the number of bass I caught on a Spook by the end of those few weeks before New Years) and my first bass of this year was a few days ago on ... A Super Spook Jr. Small fish, but it was a fish. I kicked off about a week and a half ago after ice out and at the end of the day having had no strikes I picked up where I left off last year and 2 bass went airborne for the Spook. Neither connected, but it taught me that I know nothing and the cold water information we think we all know is not set in stone. There's no such thing as too cold of water apparently. So long as it's soft water and you can tolerate the weather and put the time in, they're there, they're willing, and they get shallow.

Dobyns Sierra 704c Can't always go by the label

This is why we have Covid

There's zero chance of me ever tying on a spider lure. That's gross.