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Well, I live in Washington, so I suppose I'm a coffee snob. LOL But...ya, I kinda am. Starbucks is the McDonald's of coffee. It's ok, but not great. Most restaurants don't make coffee strong enough for me, unless it's French pressed (I love French pressed coffee!) I like a strong cup of coffee. The kind that makes you see sound. So I grind my own. Every day. Boca Java is my preference. I like the "Light Up Las Olas" and "Espresso" blends, plus they make a dark, rich, smoky blend called "South Beach Rhythm" that I really like.

I grew up in WI reading about all the muskie slayers and their Tuffy Esox Magnums. Always thought they were stellar boats. Strangely they never caught on in the bass world despite a cult like following among hardcore muskie/pike fisherman in the Midwest, and the use cases being nearly identical. I scooped one way out in Eastern WA this past Spring and can't think of a better "bass" boat for small/medium lakes, especially those with remote unimproved launches like so many Northern fisheries have. 31mph with 2 anglers and 2 dogs, 17 feet but fishes bigger than many 20 footers I've been on due to wiiiide open layout. Easily store rods up to 8'6"...and lots of em. Massive front deck, plenty of gear storage, TWO live wells. The sponsoned hull makes it ridiculously stable, basically a floating dock, but still keeps ya dry in chop. Best part is you can scoop a used one fully rigged every day of the week for $8-12k The 300HP 21 foot aircraft carriers are cool but totally overkill for 90% of the water lots of us fish.

Really messy day of fishing and I made a lot of bad decisions but got lucky with one over 6lbs on a jerkbait. Long fish. About 23”. Windy, cold, rainy. Pardon me if I don’t look more excited, lol. Fun fish to catch

It's officially winter fishing season down here with the first good fish caught on a blade bait. This one came off the Dyna Response, which I plan to fish quite a bit more instead of just the Vault this year. Much more of sneaky bait than the Vault. 6.3

Ok, got the new rod and new reel from TW today. The benefit of living within a couple hours of the Alpharetta, GA store is that I get FedEx next day while paying for FedEx ground! Anyway, a new rod deserves a new bait, right? I believe that’s the law. So, I grabbed something… Just a little SK football jig. 😂😂I had to go get a spool of line to spool this reel. Figured I’d not break the law and not buy a new bait for the new gear…

Daiwa Saltist West coast light action surf rod 9' medium. I wanted something to send 1oz kast masters into the next zip code.

Maxwell house Breakfest Blend. But it all tastes better with Bass on the cup

Built for picking apart structure and associated cover, football jigs excel when the water temperature is at its extremes. Warm up your December bass fishing with one, scoring more and bigger bites with these four points. https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/football-jig-december.html

I started using a French press about 2 years ago. I can’t go back, so darn good. It has to be beans though that I grind myself right before adding them to the press and the water 205 degrees. Worth the wait!

I don't drink anywhere near the Joe I used to. Retirement does that. But when I do, it's usually for effect and happens late afternoon. Also has to be a dark roast. I go over pour, so 1 cup at a time. I switch back & forth between these two. https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/ A-Jay

Counter Culture Hologram is my daily driver of roasts. Roast date is on the bag so you always know when and where it got roasted. We also do Cometeer pods. They are aluminum pods so they are recyclable, and the coffee in them is absolutely fantastic. They are cheaper than a cup of Starbucks, but not cheap as pods go. They’re worth it for me, especially for hockey road trips where access to good coffee can be questionable.

Stocking Mill Coffee, Direct Action. It's a medium dark roast. The flavor reminds me of dark chocolate and caramel. Not bitter or burnt tasting, just perfect IMO. It's my favorite ever by a long shot and I've tried quite a few. Low acid also, so I can drink a whole pot without getting "coffee belly". 1 Tbs per cup, run through the Bunn. I drink it black. https://stockingmillcoffee.com/

I use 10lb braid on all my spinning gear. Its thin diameter gives me maximum casting distance and also lets lures run deeper than thicker lines. It’s also very strong but not so strong that it’s too difficult to break when you get snagged. For my fishing, 10lb is strong enough for anything I’m going to throw using a spinning rod. If heavier lines are needed for getting through thick weeds, I switch to my bait casting gear. Anything thinner than 10lb braid is more difficult to tie especially if you want to tie on a leader.

I thought we were gonna see some bass tattoos on people

Neither or both ~ I like to catch long fat bass. A-Jay

Cosmo and I have been pheasant hunting a few times now since deer season finished and it's been gangbusters. The area I hunt is up a whopping 70% from last season according to the roadside count. Stunning 44 degree sunny day today, finished in about 2 hours. I don't know how many seasons or days I have left with this dog, but for now she is still charging ahead, finding them, and retrieving them. I consider this a priceless experience with my loyal four legged friend. Also, just for the record, I'm 9 for 9 shooting at roosters this season thus far. I literally haven't missed one yet. Not sure how long that can continue. My previous record was 13 in a row, way back in 2007.

Bought a few of these about a month ago (or so) and tossed 'em in fresh water. Really nice results - bass, crappie, etc. Love these little guys. I put a Ned craw on them and pure awesome. Anyone else try these? Ordered a bunch more on Black Friday....

I'm making this post to remember the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and brought the US into World War II and all those who gave their lives as a result. I watched and listened to my local news for most of the morning and didn't see or hear a whiff about it. It seems that it's mostly forgotten. I won't forget it. 🇺🇸

The nectar of the gods. Espresso, Cappuccino, Latte, Cadillac or black that a spoon would stand up in it, I definitely like to enjoy a good cup of coffee. As I type this I’m enjoying a cup of Peet’s Holiday blend, that’s similar to their Peaberry blend which is really good when it’s available. But I gotta admit it’s always nice to visit the state where it’s grown and have cup at the source…

Couple from this morning, jerkbait and spook.

I drink mine black as it was intended. I spend a lot of time & effort securing my favorite.

Interior: OK but only cuz you twisted my arm. Unique hull shape in the fishing boat world: very stable and dry Looks like an epic ride!

Black Rifle is most decent IMO. I really like the packaging ~ and the military discount #25% A-Jay

Long and thin may be in but short and fat is where it's at 😉

I mean long and fat is obviously what we all want but between the two? I am fine with either - I understand there are a variety of circumstances that lead to a huge range of fluctuation in size through out a year for a bass and unless I see some sign of serious problems - I'm happy! I like healthy looking bass (broad shouldered/thick tailed/smaller mouth/longer/taller). I'm less concerned with whether they are pre or post spawn 😉😉😉

Mmmm. Coffee. Black. Like @Glenn's pic, not see-thru. Black. Don't shoot me now, but I actually got into Folgers Classic Roast about 10 years ago when on vacation. My sister brought some and I was shocked at how good it was. Of course, the way I like to brew it gives my wife a stomach ache, so she avoids it. If I make a 12 cup pot, It is usually 8-10 somewhat heaping scoops of my Ninja scooper (one level scoop = 2 cups). But I love me a good triple espresso from a coffee shop.

I've gotten used to the pick point being slightly inset, helps line up the smallest split rings by getting the ring around the clean arm slightly. When you miss with the dull pick point and slight recess, small adjustments are possible because it's still mostly lined up. If you're happy with the kast king return the TT and buy another lure, that's what I'd do. scott

and the beat goes on......(12-1) 😊 The Bills are my AFC team. This should be a great game, can't wait. Hopefully will get some starters back by then...

A few of the die-hards still at it.👍🏻 Update from Canada: The boat is still sealed up and most lakes are freezing over now. Only about 4 months left until we fish again.😩 One good thing about getting old is the 5 months of suck will go by as fast as our 5 months of fun did.

Just to close this loop - I ended up with a Echomap 63sv for close to $600 on sale. It is perfect for what I want to do. If I ever want a bigger screen I’ll throw a Striker up on the bow. Thanks everyone for the input!

My favorite is a double espresso just way it comes out. French Press is smoother without an after taste but it’s a lot of work at 5:00 am We also drink Community Coffee but lately the Boss has started buying Happy Belly Kona Blend K cups for a quick one That’s also only available on line I can’t stand any of the Starbucks blends as they taste like dirt to me. Always black, no additives Mike

Does it look like this?

I prefer a dark roast, black. Peet’s Major Dickason’s and Community Signature Blend are what I turn to usually. I make my coffee in a pour over that my old roommate traded with me.

…..why I quit cutting, splitting and stacking my own wood. In my younger years, I harvested from my land and split and stacked. I have a fireplace in my great room that will take large cuts and has built in fans to push out heat. At one time before we figured out the problems with our hvac in that addition, it was unusable due to insufficient heat. We also have a finished lower level with a wood stove insert in a fireplace that started out wood, switched to gas and after a couple of gas bills, bought the Vermont Castings insert. It is great and can pump out an unbelievable amount of heat. The wife requested we resurrect the fireplace so I called a local wood seller and got a cord and 1/2 dumped in the driveway. Pulled out my 2 upright wood racks, our circle rack we keep on the porch and filled the wood box that is accessible from the deck to load and opens into the great room. Just so happens that amount of wood fills them all. Just so happens after stacking and moving that amount of wood, it feels like I’ve been doing 500lb squats all day. Good reminder.

Cheap, bitter, strong. I usually get JFG, it’s made in East TN and there used to be an iconic sign right near my house just across the TN river from downtown Knoxville. The land changed hands and the sign had to go, but luckily they put it up elsewhere since it is a historical landmark https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/watercooler/knoxville-jfg-sign-comes-down/51-71ddd395-45b8-4192-9bdd-14b1dbf02aa7

My Silver Wolf sports a Roro X-27 spool, and it's a baddasss BFS reel throwing 2 g past 130' on PE#0.6 (smaller braid than most want to futz) My stock 1000 SV Boost PE Special spool is a back-up PE#1.2 for my inshore ML reels. What you gain with Silver Wolf (Daiwa SS Air, Alphas Air, etc) is increased level wind pitch that prevents line dig using braid smaller than PE#0.8 (slot red on Silver Wolf) @Tennessee Boy fishes Silver Wolf with the stock spool for BFS and has posted he's happy fishing braid. Here's the chart that gives PE# diameter and breaking strength: https://www.jpfishingtacklenews.com/japanese-line-size/ @DaveT63 Alphas 800 will do the job if you want to fish light mono. Aftermarket spools are readily available on ebay, JDM vendors, Rorolure (Hong Kong) and A/E if you want to later add a shallow PE#1 spool.

I have a few and just bought a couple replacements. I have caught just about everything on them. I found the best jig for it is the Valley Hill Devil Shaker. It doesn't look like much but it brings in the fish. I also use the 2in Dolive Craws. The only issue I have with these are that they are totally useless at most lakes with current and wind. It takes forever to hit the bottom if it does at all.

I've not had braid breaking from a birds nest. Believe me. I can bird nest any reel. I did cast a 1/2 oz. jig have way across the lake when 30# braid got wrapped around the rod tip and I didn't notice it. This was on a MHF spinning rod. My first braid was 40# because that was the lightest suggested at that time for use on a baitcast reel. Now some use way lighter than that nowadays. Purchased a used reel with 30# braid spooled on it. Spent first 10-20 minutes I used it casting, removing a tight spot, and repeating. No problems after that. However, I don't cast 6 inch swimbaits. My personal opinion is go heavier if you want to use braid. Too much chance for the line to dig in with that combo IMO. Should I ever start using big swimbaits my choice of line would be like yours...20-25# mono or co-polymer. Less chance of a breakoff. I'd about pass out spending that much on a lure. Breaking one off would have me crying a river of tears.

It's just an acrylic emulsion, not a finish, you should be fine.

It's a bushing reel -no bearings - but they're good reels with good bushings. Many aftermarket suppliers make bearing-size bushings to turn later -C reels into your reel. Some people prefer casting heavy weights using the slower bushings in place of faster ball bearings. They used serial numbers for first production, beginning 1954-ish. They switched to lot codes in the '60s, changed the lot codes to begin with the actual year in the '70s. Note if your reel was '50s, there would be a "Record" stamp on the tail plate. If you notice, I defer to Fred who knows more than I do - he defers to Simon Shimomura, who knows more than he does.

Trilene xl casts really well and is smooth. Big game always on shelf. Also trying bps excel, got a great deal so it’s on shelf imagine that.

Both of those colors are great colors. PBJ is know around here but our waters are clear or stained for the most part. Cant go wrong alot of times with gp and blue like the Okeechobee

I have been using a lot of YGK Xbraid #0.8 to #1.2 PE. I like Ohdragon, Upgrade and if you want crazy expensive, there is Shinji. I bought a spool of #0.8 with an Amazon gift card I got from work. I have it on a 2000 Twin Power. I would never buy it outright. Fantastic line though and the best I have ever used. Ohdragon is sinking braid. This great for bottom contact baits. Upgrade is your get it done braid. Nothing fancy but good line. I use 10 or 12lb leader. I like Seaguar Gold Label and Seaguar Grand Max. I also use Daiwa Saltiga. Another line to look at is Sunline Almight. I have only used it on BFS gear but so far it casts great and holds up well.

I use 15# with various leaders.

Filler spool is too close to the reel. Run the line through all the rod guides this will resolve the problem. Now that the line is on unevenly walk off the line and respool by running the line between a folded wet towel for tension with the line through all the rod guides. Tom

I'm in the thick and looong camp.😎 OK... I know the question was about bass, but I can't help myself. When you have critters like this available to ya, going from them back to bass is like going from bass back to bluegill. No interest in it, with the exception of chasing giants. I think that applies to most species, because no matter the species, giants are hard to come by.

If they weigh the same, id rather a longer bass every time. PB has two meanings, weight and length. Well atleast for panfish and trout the length applies. Bass for me is the same. I still remember when i first started bass fishing my PB bass was 19", had no clue about weight back then.

This. Or I'll go with none at all. But most of the time I want an added profile like the Strike King Blade Minnow provides (trimmed down a tad). Not a fan of paddletails on spinnerbaits at all.

Why go through the trouble of doing that when Plano has one already - $11 on Amazon 3700 Open-Compartment Deep