J Francho

@gimruis Sounds like your experience is based on using a trailer hook that was too big. I'm in WNY - we have weeds too. The bait should look like shown below. There's a ton of things on a spinnerbait that can catch weeds. The trailer is still completely protected by the same design elements that protect the main hook. Don't ask what brand this bait is, can't remember, lol. Often a little pop clears them, and can draw strikes.

When they helicopter is when it's the worst.

That hasn't been my experience at all. If you leave the hook free swinging in the same direction as the main hook, it is as snag proof as without. To my point, I turn to a spinnerbait first when encountering laydowns and submerged wood. I can assure you, this is a problem made up by people that don't use trailers.

Why is that feeling of a fish spitting your jig more defined than picking it up? Man that's the worst.

Once you get your braid twisted around a blade you'll see why it isn't the best for this. Otherwise, it actually seems like a sensible choice. The lack of stretch makes driving a fairly large, thick hook home easier. For the missed fish described above, I wonder if those fish were crashing the blades. You'll lose fish every time they do this. A trailer hook solves it. If you are using a trailer hook, and it is hooking the fish in the chin, that will confirm they are crashing the blades. Otherwise, I don't think you did anything really that wrong.

A couple guys in a bass boat pulled two decent fish out of the slop next to our dock. I asked them how they were able to fish those weeds and one showed me a Texas rig. They gave me some bullet weights and weedless hooks. A whole new world opened up to me. That was probably 40 years ago.

Fish that taste fishy. Weird.

I have no idea, but that's super cool.

You mean like cigarettes?

Unless I have to saw through the slop or need the line to mostly float, I prefer heavy fluorocarbon to braid. It actually picks up less junk because it mostly slides off the smooth line.

The perforated boxes absolutely, 100% work perfectly. I've used them for over a decade, and still use them. I've always resisted waterproof boxes, because I'm not sure you want water trapped in the box once it gets wet. That said, I've been using an Edge terminal box for a few years now, and it does keep water out, and as long as you dry it out completely, no rust issues at all. The best solution to rust is to do what you can to prevent it. Knowing how long you can procrastinate taking care of your gear is just gonna lead to failure. Stuff happens, and you don't get to it in time, and then you're cooked.

That's kind of an existential question. It isn't important at all to me when I'm on the water. I pick the best line for the job, in the right size, for the right cover so I can forget about it.

I have my best results selling fishing stuff right here. I've NEVER had a bad interaction or transaction. I would wager being a mod here for 13 years probably chased the tire kickers away, but I think it's a pretty decent way to unload stuff or get stuff at a better price.

Pic for attention! FB is a cesspool. I've sold there, but it has always been fairly high ticket items and I don't entertain clowns.

That's a really good one.

I tossed the NY state record google eye back and immediately regretted it. Later that year, a kid caught it from the same dock and currently holds the record. I'm okay with that.

I will give some of my catch away. They are usually nice eating fish I'd want to keep for myself, but didn't catch enough for a meal or if I feel like they need it more than me. I'm eating a couple perch fillets today because no one at the launch wanted them. I thought I was on them and would get a limit, but it wasn't the case. Milk, egg wash, penko, and hot oil it is.

Every single reel I own has Smooth Drags in them. Almost all of the many hundreds I serviced had them added as well. I run my cranking reels and spinners with a vapor thin coating of Cal's. All others are run dry. After speaking with Dawn, there actually is a proprietary coating that allows you to run them dry. I wouldn't do this with carbon washers that are from the factory. They almost always require some grease.

I tell people that if I kept what I caught, there'd be no fish left.

I have a few 1 and 1.5 oz. baits from an old sponsor here and other than the extra weight being below the skirt, there is t really anything special about them. They certainly were a little more than a regular spinnerbait but not 4-5 times that. They do have a very specific set of use cases and I don't throw them much, but they work.

That is a deal. we don't have any Menards near us. There's a bunch of local independents, but they are really expensive.

Has anyone priced out casters at HD or Lowe's lately? It's cheaper to buy the $11 dolly at Wally World and pull the casters off that and use the dolly for kindling. that motor mount looks awfully familiar - nice job!

That was my point. I bet your baits are awesome.

$14 in raw materials for a spinnerbait? Sounds about $12.50 too high to even think about making money. You cant compare buying parts at Barlow's to the economy of scale of a place like Megabass.