CrashVector

I always wear boonie type hats when I'm hunting or in the kayak. Camo for hunting, one with a neck protector flap when I'm in the kayak. The spots that fishermen usually develop skin cancer: nose, ears, and the lateral area between the corner of the eyes and the hairline.

Why though? You're gonna drop a chunk of money...for more speed...in a fishing boat. My 18' hydrasports with a 115 Evinrude is capable of about 56-58mph wide open. I RARELY go above 30-35. You're going fishing. Enjoy the ride out to your spot. It's a fishing boat, not a drag race.

Abu Garcia Fantasista X. 7' MH/XF

Zoom trick worms are some of my favorites. The watermelon red candy color has been getting it done for me this year.

I'm no wacky rig expert, but I DO use them on occasion. I've used literally every brand of stickbait I could get my hands on. The one I've caught the most fish on...is the bass pro brand stickbait, specifically in green pumpkin magic color. Wacky rigged, I use the 3degree offset VMC hooks or an owner rigging hook. No o-rings. The rings don't seem to keep them from getting torn up anyhow.

This is true as well to a large degree. People tend to do best with the equipment/lures they've used the most, and therefore have confidence in. When I got my fantasistaX combo, the first few times I used it, in my head I was going "Oh crap. I just wasted $600." because it was just different from what I was used to, and there was an adjustment period where I missed fish bc I wasn't used to the way the rod felt, despite it being FAR superior to my tournament edition veritas rods. Regardless of the exact specs, a rod that you are accustomed to will feel more "natural" in your hands, and you'd likely not miss many fish despite it possibly being inferior and less sensitive than the new rod. I know that was my case at least until I got used to the newer one.

I get it ..I'm all for a standardized system. I'd like it to be regulated in fact so that consumers had an industry-wide standardized system so that fishermen could directly compare rods from different manufacturers to one another.

Because Abu Garcia says they're both ML with identical weight specs.

Nope. I have a ML/mod veritas, and a ML/fast veritas. The ml/mod is far more "floppy" as you put it. I'm not confusing the two, and am aware of what each means. Two identical rods. Identical power. One moderate action, the other fast action. The moderate action rod will have the softer tip.

The rod powers aren't identical bc there's no standardized scale. Abu's MH is different than Shakespeare's MH. A rod's action is commonly also called the rod's "tip" because it refers to how far down from the rod tip the blank deflects before really getting to the backbone of the rod. How much of the blank bends with pressure...on the rod tip They were commonly referred to as "medium power, fast tip" for example. Faster tip = stiffer tip. Therefore, an Xfast rod is stiffer, not softer, than a fast. I'm aware it's the entire rod. It was just another term for the same thing. However, my point remains. An Xfast rod doesn't have a softer tip than a fast rod. Exactly opposite.

No I know what you said. I have, for example, two nearly identical casting rods. Both mh. One is a moderate fast tip, other is fast. The fast tip is stiffer. Your definition is backwards. The rod that bends the shortest distance from the tip is the faster/stiffer tip. Moderate action will bend the upper 40% or so. Fast will bend ~ the upper 25%. Xfast is roughly 15%. Faster action = stiffer tip

This. I prefer fast or x-fast tips bc they're more sensitive, but tip action isn't everything when it comes to the sensitivity of a rod. It's the exact opposite on every rod I use. As you go down in tip action, they become less stiff and sensitive. Light>moderate>fast>Xfast in increasing order of tip stiffness

I own and use Shimano, Abu, Pfleuger, and Shakespeare reels. I've never had one break ever.

A 7 foot ticked off alligator.

If money is no object, the Abu Garcia Zenon spinning reel and rods....are amazingly light. Just be be prepared to drop about $1,000.

Uh yep. This sums it up pretty well. Lol

1. That gear snobs spend more money trying to catch a fish so they can brag about how much money they spent catching that 5lb PB. 2. People who think that Abu and Lew's are inferior to Shimano and Diawa are dumb. I kinda think it's silly too to be honest. We just always called it "fishing with a worm/jig/etc". But I guess its easier to slap a bigger label on a group of lure types so that everyone knows what you're talking about because there's so much variation in it.

Sometimes you gotta annoy them into biting. A ned rig is really good for that. Throw it out and just bounce it right in front of em til they bite.

Depends If I only have an hour or so, I go play bank-beater at a local lake that's 10 min from my house. If I have half a day, I go to familiar spots in the kayak to go bluegilling. If I have a whole day to spend, I'll go to a new spot where I have time to explore around...fish for bass, bream, and drop juglines for catfish.

5-10min tops lol...then I break out the pocket knife and respool.

Mostly I go alone, but my fiance will drag her kayak out on occasion. I also partner up with a fairly well-recognized yt fishing guy. He shows me new places, and I show him how to catch big bass lol! Last week we went, he must've caught 35+ big bluegills, and I brought in a limit of largemouths.

Yep. Last year's bass spawn, they were right up next to the bank in about a foot of water. This year for some reason, they were much farther out in about 4-5 feet. Went several places trying to catch the post-spawners, but I kept finding beds out in the deeper water. Not necessarily. It's more on the daylight hours than hard temps.

No..that's a type 2. Type 1 vests are the ones that turn most people face up. A type 2 is listed as turning "some" unconscious people face up. Most common ones are type 3. They're not rated to turn you face up. Type 1s are huge bulky vests mostly used offshore.

Bass spawn here in mid-late Feb thru the middle of March.

Exactly. The bass have been hanging around the perimeter of bream making nests here. Find a bunch of bream on nests...cast to the nearest bunch of submerged hydrilla. Money in the bank.