J Francho

You *have* to drill holes.....

Both cards have the same protections, even more so when used automatic debit, skipping the PIN entry step. I've had my cards compromised twice, neither time was through anything I did. The compromise was on the bank's side. Both times were simple processes to reverse the issue.

Your bait being completely ignored is a reaction.

We're done here.

For RB, this list is pretty good. I don't think anyone is missing: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2797764-the-top-10-nfl-running-backs-of-all-time

Better control of the bait and faster recovery from the twitch. Bites can be very light, so crisp detection and fast hooksets are a must. All these things an XF does better than a slower rod. For throwing lipless and squarebills, I want to react quickly to contact with wood or grass, and a slower rod doesn't work well when you need to kill a bait or snap it off the grass.

I carry cash for tipping. My grandfather always said don't do anything that your cash in pocket can't get you out of. I almost always use a debit card. I have a credit card as well, but that is paid off before interest accrues. So far doing that has actually raised my credit score, which was useful when it came time to buy my new house. I do think credit cards can get some into trouble, but they are a useful tool if you approach it as an intermediate pipeline for paying bills and not "free" money. Accruing interest on those things is the devil and will lay waste to your flow through.

Rod, reel, line, knot, and bait are a system. Evaluate all the parts, and put together the best possible solution for catching fish. Think of it that way, and the mythology gives way to logic.

I don't see too many of these perpetuated here, but maybe elsewhere. Two terms that make my skin crawl are: "reaction bite" and "confidence bait".

Slugg-O 7" Culprit Ribbontail Worm Lil' Cleo Creme Prerigged Worm

That's because 1/2 of the band is from the Allman Bros.

Squirrel I tried was gross.

I thought you didn't want to eat squirrel in warm weather?

I've fished out of a ton of different boats fishing in random draw team tournaments. Most boats from well known builders were decent enough. When it came time buy my own boat I ended up buying an Xpress aluminum and a Bullet for fiberglass. My next boat won't even be a bass boat because I don't fish tournaments and the configuration doesn't work for my purposes. I'm looking at bay boats from Scout, Boston Whaler, Pathfinder, and Cravalle. if you're buying used, do as much due diligence as you can on it. Assume whatever anyone that has any vested interest in the sale of the boat is not telling you the full story. I paid cash for both my boats used, and had significant seat time in both before buying. Lol, it depends on the builder. My Bullet had balsa wood stringers and transom and there were no issues whatsoever in the 30 year old hull. That might not ring true for another builder. It really depends on how the boat was stored.

All that matter is having the fish in hand.

Deliberate? Bass can't deliberate anything. They do not have the part of the brain to think. All your examples are reactions. There's no such thing as a reaction strike. That's a human construct built out anthropomorphism. Speeding up your presentation is a reaction by a human to not getting bit. It's got nothing to do with a bass thinking it through or not. Sometimes slowing it down works too. Most often it didn't really matter, you were just lucky enough to put it front a fish willing to bite. It's nice to take credit for the adjustment though. I do it all the time, lol.

Nothing a bass does is thought out, everything is impulsive. They lack the part of the brain that could even think something through. We give them WAYYYYY too much credit. We are the ones that outsmart ourselves. We also give ourselves WAYYYYY too much credit for "figuring it out."

Every bite is a reaction.

I think the notion of faster taper and losing fish on treble hooked baits is phooey. If it was true, I'd NEVER catch a fish on a jerkbait, squarebill, lipless, or topwater, since I use an X-fast taper for them. The only things I use a moderate taper for are diving crankbaits and super heavy cover rods. For the former, it's all about deflection and how the rod doesn't snap the bait back in line, rather allowing it do its thing briefly before returning to it's normal track. For the latter, it's all about not having any weak point and applying every bit of power during a "lift and separate" hookset. Now, talk to me about fish much larger, stronger, and faster than bass while using light line, and I will definitively tell you that the slower action protecting hooks (even single hooks) is absolutely true. But I'm speaking of steelhead, brown trout, and various salmon, all well over 10 lbs. in small creeks using 4-8 lb. leaders. For bass fishing, the scales are tipped well in favor of the angler.

Getting to be that time of year....

There's only a few times when smallies are in water less than 20'. There are times when they will shoot up for a topwater, but I prefer a Sammy or Popmax for that. Anytime they are more shallow - spring and fall - contact baits seem to work best. I've done a fair amount of cranking for them in current, and I bet a plopper would work there, but I'm probably not going to throw it. My resistance is a little unfounded, considering the number of northern I catch on larger tail spinners.

A buzzbait is a just that, a Plopper is a tail prop bait. Two different things altogether. I don't think I've ever caught a smallmouth on a buzzbait. I don't throw a Plopper very often, and not in smallie territory.

Yes. I had three, plus and Alphas Ito Ai, two purple Alphas, and another Alphas F. To say I liked that platform is an understatement.

Michelle makes me clear my gas from her work area too.