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For the same reason you want your epidermis to stay put...

Someone who knows no better goes to a place where "experts" who espouse the groupthink abound, what could possibly be the outcome? They will be advised to use the flavor of the month, which will in turn make said item/process even more popular for the next guy, creating the circle, after the flame burns out, we move on to the next best thing, and repeat the process. Its not a bass fishing thing, or even a fishing thing. Its the nature of the beast. I feel bad for the new guys. This is what I tell guys who ask, "less reading more fishing"...

Stand on a skateboard, clip it to your dog's collar and throw a MilBone®. Same results...

Yes, absolutely. There are some lures you won't be able to use effectively, and others where you may need to get creative or make compromises, but it will work. Figure out what lures you will be using most, and work from there. You could catch bass year round with just 6-12 lures (4, if you really tried). Most spinning reels come with 2 spools (or you can get extras for BCs) so you almost have 2 setups there. We tend to over complicate fishing (all sports really) and the InterWb doesn't help.

I fish 10-15 year old reels, because they do everything I need them to do, and the way I palm LP reels (and aging hands) don't feel comfortable on the newer smaller reels. Also, We fish a lot of saltwater tackle, so 9 or 10 oz reels don't seem "heavy". And the concept of aluminum gears (no matter what you call them) just doesn't seem right to me. Now get off my lawn you brats!!!...Oh no!, I'm old!!!...

This ^. Sometimes, I'll go right to a plastic that can do both like a speed worm or ultavibe craw. They are like the best of both worlds.

Depends, I fish my drags for bass either locked down or quite loose, depending on what lure I'm fishing, and the rod/line that I'm fishing it with. With locked down, obviously, there is no further action required. With a loose drag for cranks, poppers, finesse plastics and the like, I'm usually thumbing the spool on the hookset, and then letting the drag take over. I fish a Med of MH leaning towards Med rods a lot with these baits, so that helps a lot. It takes a lot of effort, bad knots, (or being silly and using flouro) to break off with anything over 6 lb test mono. Try this, tie a snap swivel with a 100% knot on your line and clip it to a chainlink fence or the like, walk back 20 feet or so, and try to break the line using the rod (don't blame me if you break the rod) its almost impossible.

Oh, I know this one, after much frustration and a long learning curve, I figured out what works well for me. Now I don't miss very many when they are biting the frog, sure there are days when they seem to just nudge it or push it, but most times they choke it. First, I use the same frog for everything, second, I bend the hooks up and out just a tad, and here's the part that's easier said than done. I don't set the hook until either a) The splash has ended, or the rod gets pulled down by the fish. The hook set is reel down quickly (really quickly) until the rod loads, and then come back hard, and keep the fish coming in one motion. The whole count 2 seconds, wait a while thing just wasn't working, now if I get under 80% or so, I'm not happy.

I find the night bite is different than the morning bite. At night, I want a lure that has built in action like a jitterbug, crazy crawler, buzzbait or spinnerbait. In the early AM, If its quiet I'll go with a popper, maybe a small buzzbait. If its a little windy, or there is clear activity, I'll size up and work lures more aggressively. I don't usually fish a spook or sammy really early and late, I'm sure they'll work, but if I can get them to eat without wearing my wrist out, why not.

Nah, I don't do none of that. I once told a famous angler with a knot named after him (we used to be good fishing buddies) "There are 2 kinds of really good fishermen out there, the kind who want to be famous, and the kind who just want to catch fish". MD doesn't give up as many big fish as NJ, but the largest 2 I've caught have been from there. I'll take a picture and post it here of the next gator I catch, but it probably won't be for a while, I'm going on an African vacation courtesy of the Navy for a year. Large ones in the warm months usually mean live bait deep, and its not fast and furious.

What was posted is synopsis of the study in an article. There is no way of knowing based on that was was actually done, or how scientifically valid it is. I have found from experience that bass do tend to avoid hard baits longer than soft baits. Also the two chosen baits are biased, as a T-rigged senko will catch bass most days, where as crankbaits are more day specific. Sure on days where they have the feed bag on, a reaction bait will outfish a slower presentation, but day in and day out the soft plastic will outfish it.

Yup, works great, specially if you have a well defined grass line or other such cover, crankbaits, jerkbaits and spoons work well too but aren't as weedless of course. But I think trolling is against the LMB law. As far as putting fish in the boat, it goes live bait, trolling, then casting. Anyone who tells you otherwise is misinformed.

This^. Its the reason I like a larger reel for frogging. Even with a 200 size reel, a long cast will leave the spool near empty with heavy braid. I use 4600s for spinnerbaits and cranks, and I can palm them as well as a LP reel.

Always wear wrap around glasses when fishing. Though rare, accidents can certainly happen. Hook sets don't usually line up the lure with the angler, but it can happen. Braid makes it a bit better, heavy mono is the worst. I have seen and have had heavy salt water jigs bounce off the coconut. Recently a salt water angler killed himself while fishing from a rock jetty when a bank sinker that was snagged hit him in the head.

Fishing from the bank (or wading) is no different than fishing from a boat, I even make an outboard motor sound when I head to the next spot...

Time and tide wait for no man...

Need some advice for fishing lilypads and marsh grass on a tidal river. Thanks guys. Frog, T-rig for flipping, and pitching, and a spinnerbait for the edges, a weedless smallish swimbait, and a squarebill for the pockets just in case. The end. Sounds a lot like the Potomac.

We get big ones around here. When I just want numbers, I'll catch a bunch of 14"-26" fish. During peak times I target the bigger fish, and then I'm looking for 4-6 lb fish nearing 30". Every year I catch a handful of gators that go 7-9 lbs, but they are few and far in between. MD, DE, and NJ are great places to catch them.

Throwing squarebills to cover on heavy line, or searching with them a bit deeper is how I usually fish them. When I'm in the mood, and fish them around heavyish grass they can be killer, but you have to pay attention and have your head in the game.

If I'm fishing it like a spinnerbait, I set it like a spinnerbait, but often, I'm fishing it more like a jig or T-rig, then its wind down and set. I don't do the whole giant dramatic every muscle hookset (for anything really), and its a light hook, so it really wants to pierce. Oh, and I bend the point up ever so slightly, makes a difference.

If there is deeper water with suitable O2 levels, they will seek this out. Otherwise they will seek shelter in shallower water usually near grass. This is what confuses folks, it depends on where geographically you are fishing, and all the characteristics of the particular body of water. In the extreme, as in a huge reservoir versus a tiny pond, the differences seem obvious, but they can be more subtle as well. This is a long winded way of saying go find the fish. The good news (regardless of what you may have read) is that fish are very predictable, and barring the year to year variations on weather, they pretty much do the same things, so get out there and learn that water.

We were in Boston Harbor near Quincy this week flounder fishing, plenty of stripers around.

Yes. "Tis a poor craftman that blames his tools"

I don't throw away hooks, I sharpen them. When I do throw one out that has broken I snip the points off.

I'd come home with a 98 on a test, and my dad would ask "what happened to the other 2 points, so I'm traumatized, everything comes in the boat...