ww2farmer

I hope it's not being discontinued. It's been a staple for my for as long as I can remember....almost 20 years...maybe more.

Get well soon

II honestly don't remember the last time I threw a lipless crankbait, yet 10 years ago one was one my deck seemingly year round. I also don't remember when the last time I deep cranked....also a staple 10 years ago.

I used to be a big SK, Spro, and Lucky Craft guy, buy in the several years I have been silent here, I have grown quite fond of Ark, and YoZuri shallow crankbaits. Both offer baits that I think fit your requests

I think "shades" have always mattered. Specific colors not so much. Uneducated, low pressured fish will likely bite anything perceived as easy prey irregardless of color. Highly pressured fish, in my experience , are more color selective. Sometimes doing the opposite of conventional wisdom on those pressured fish works extremely well. Some of my best days in gin clear water with lots of boats fishing have been with obnoxious colors instead of natural.

1/16th, 1/8th, and 3/16th... coincidencently those are also the same size ned, hover rig, and finesse swimbait head sizes I use as well. 1/16th = super shallow, calm water. Also the best size for skipping 1/8 = the "do all size"...great shallow when there's a little wind, and great out to 10-12 feet If it's not too windy 3/16 = deep grass line, or rock pile size. Also is my preferred size for slowly dragging a worm around as it ensures bottom contact better than 1/8th in water over 10 feet deep.

Most of the lakes I fish DON'T have shad (a couple have Alewives) and shad colored swimbaits work well. Like MN Fisher said, many if not all lakes have some kind of shiner/minnow type schooling bait fish that behave and look similar to shad that it's not a concern color selection wise.

That rods probably a decade old and has long since been discontinued. That said....yes, I had it and used it for jerkbaits. It's been a while, but it was a good rod, the whole smallmouth series was a good series...their Achilles was the reel seat, I twisted more than one of them off trying to tighten then down on the old Team Daiwa Sol, and Fuego casting reels I had on then that never seemed to stay tight without use of electrical or duct tape on the reels feet.

I have been a braid to leader guy for probably 20 years. Longer than it's been popular that's for sure. Once every few years I get curious to see if I'm missing anything with straight flouro or mono...and that experiment usually lasts 2 outings on a combo or two and then promptly back to braid/leader.

I grew up in the 80s watching Bassmaster on TV. Bass fishing got it's hooks (no pun intended) in me very early. It's about the only species of fish I have ever pursued going on 40 years now. I never fished a tournament until I was in my mid 30s, did very very well on the local scene for 15 years, gave it up when things in my personal life were in transition, but kept on recreational bass fishing. A few years later, other than the comradery with my friends, I 100% DO NOT miss tournament fishing, but I'm still just as, if not more passionate about bass fishing as ever.

Idk if they are the best or not, but I've had far fewer issues with Picasso than other brands I've used, which includes Yum, Strike King, Mann's, and maybe one or two others I can't remember. Quality hardware out of the package, and durable wire are my main 2 criteria, and the Picasso checks those boxes.

I've used about every brand of baitcasting reel over the last 25 years....I keep coming back to Daiwa. Whatever they call the brake system on the fleet of Fuego CT's I own is my favorite. My least favorite was the older Shinmano system 6 pin brakes that you had to take the side plate off to adjust. It was the one thing I didn't like about my 2nd favorite reels of all time, Shinmano Curado 51e"s.

Time to update this story. As far as the crazy ex-wife goes. She did her time, was released on parole, and lives a couple hours away with her mother. She sees our youngest daughter (now 15) about once every 6 weeks for about an hour or so. My oldest daughter, now a sophomore in college, and living on her own, wants nothing to do with her mother. Can't say that I blame her, nor do I force her too. As for my life.....I'm in a new, fantastic relationship with a great woman. That's going on 2 years now. I had a few health hurdles in 2024 that have been cleared. In June, I had a freak accident that wrenched my neck badly, it actually tore my carotid artery and I was rushed to a major hospital to be stabilized and repaired with 2 stents. That's all good.....but.....while I was getting all the scans and MRI's and other stuff done on my head/neck area during that, they found an AVM on my brain. Those interested can look up what that is. Long story short on that...I was born with it, had brain surgery in late August to remove it, and was given a full bill of clean health and returned to work the first week of October. For the first time in several years , I'm excited about life. Have a great girlfriend, my kids are doing amazing in their post mother nonsense life, I bought new boat this past spring, and will return to making bass fishing an important part of my life. Heck...I might even hang around here like I used to.

I have been here a long time, but not real active the past year or so......and for good reason. What a personal life Rollercoaster it's been. The short version: I'm doing well, my two daughters are doing well and are with me, and things are moving along ok given the circumstances. The TLDR version: Late last spring, after 20 years of marriage and a 30 year relationship that began in high school, my ex wife and I separated.....this is where the fact is stranger than fiction part comes in. Without being to specific, let's just say I found out that for quite some time prior to me leaving, she was leading a second, secret life, under aliases on line, and traveling under the guise of "work trips" to Ohio and Wisconsin hooking up with these dudes she was scamming. But wait, there's more lol.....This past January I got a call from the Police, they urged me to move back into the marital home, and take full custody of my daughters, telling me my ex had fled the state, abandoned the girls, and was unlikely to return, and she had been gone, leaving the girls alone more tines than not for the better part of 9 months. I had my girls on the weekends and whenever they wanted to come to my place the entire time I lived elsewhere, and not one SINGLE word of this was mentioned to me , other family members, school staff, or anyone else the entire time, as they were having their phones, and other things held over their head to keep quiet about it. Back to January.....Without hesitation, I break my lease on the rental I was living in, and move back home lock stock and barrel. After about 2 weeks of being back, getting settled, and dealing with two very hurt and confused teenage daughters.....the police show up again, and tell me everything. The just of it is.....her secret life has been going on since at least 2018, and to fund it, during that time period she embezzled $105k + dollars from her employer, and when they moved on her to arrest, she fled to one of out of state boyfriends. They eventually coaxed her back in February, charged her with an arms list of felonies, and was convicted of most of them in mid March. In two weeks she reports to the State of NY to begin her prison sentence. In the meantime I have tried my best to make things better for my girls, and we're getting by OK. They have stability and a responsible parent in the house for the first time in a year or so, No more bribery or blackmail, and hopefully this summer is much much better for them than last. They don't talk about their mother much, and she's had little to nothing to do with them since January....and I don't force it. I'm just here for them.

Yup... not a fan of the keitech stuff as trailers. I like them much better as a stand alone bait