JHTR20

I'm with you but being stubborn it has been a much loner experiment.

Merry Christmas to you as well! Enjoy and stay safe!

You will find yourself building rods for every technique imaginable. Don't ask how I know this. ?Have fun!

I learned the neko rig this year. I found it caught better quality fish than other finesse tactics, maybe due to using 5 inch Yum dingers. I also learned I will not be buying any more azuma baits, tried their version of the rattle trap, finish started peeling and a hook fell off within 10 casts, looked nice really bummed me out.

I grew up on Lake Winnisquam in NH and live hellgies were the deal. This was pre plastic baits. Yes I am old. They caught everything and smallies loved them. You could go just about anywhere and buy live ones. Like others have said, mostly black in color. Now if you ask for them you get a really confused look like you are speaking a foreign language. Fond memories.

No, I live in the US but go to New Brunswick for the spring bear hunt. It is an outstanding fishery.

St John's river in Canada. I fish it when I go spring bear hunting. It is world class. Lots of fish with little pressure. Some very good ones. May not rival what I see the St Lawerence put out on tournament coverage but I have only waded to fish it.

Not sure which river you fished but the St John's is world class. Great catches and very nice report.

If an angler wants to be successful today $ wise, they best know how to catch fish and present themselves on social media. And present fresh content on a regular basis. Weekly at least if not more frequently. There are some non pro anglers who have huge social media followings. I think this is more towards appealing towards a specific demographic or just the entertainment value. I can say when I started getting into bass fishing seriously, 30 something years ago, I was influenced by what I saw on TV and read in Bassmaster magazine. My garage has evidence of that in bins where I bought the latest, can't miss bait. I think we all fell victim to it at some point. The name of the bass business game is still how much product you can sell. I can still catch quality fish on a 7 inch black ribbon tail worm just about anywhere I fish. As for the pro side I feel sorry for them. There are so many tours and circuits the marketplace is quite diluted. What tour does Randy fish? I really don't know, yes I can google it, but not MLF or Bassmaster Elites that I find after asking my TV remote. So why should I listen to him? I do once in while but ask if his knowledge share is that good why isn't he in the top echelon of tournament fishing? Do I really think a tour pro is really giving away the goods? Sorry juice, No! And why not watch and listen to someone who isn't a pro? Maybe they present a technic or application you've never thought of. What does it mean to be a pro? You can pay the entry fee. Yes some tournaments you need to ascend to but bottom line is you need to pay to get in. I do like him and he is probably a tremendous human being and caught more bass better and faster than I ever have or will. Just sayin......... Choose your own path. Good luck and tight lines.