SirSnookalot

Some pop better than others, fish hit any of them. The chug bug is easy to work and it's pleasing to my eye, pretty much the only one I use in freshwater.

Walking the bank I put 2 or 3 old Rapala boxes in my pocket each with 2 lures, pliers in my belt, that's it. I don't change lures too often, the extras I carry are pretty much in case I lose one.

Pop and pause a second or 2 over walking the dog for me.

I don't care for EWG hooks or sure set hooks. I replace with a 4x hook, Eagle Claws work as well any others I've used.

Sometimes they mouth it and swim bit then spit it out, other times they blast it. Just stay with what you are doing.

After I've oiled my reels I spray silicone on them, I put nothing on the line, braid or mono.

I do it pretty much with 3 spinning set ups, lures fairly interchangeable. 6'6 light power pond fishing 6'6 ml power ponds and canals with light vegetation 7' med power canals and heavier vegetation 6'6 med power for worms and jigs, seldom used

Contacts are great if one can wear them, I don't think I'm a candidate. Been wearing glasses 50 years, when I needed reading glasses my astigmatism would not allow me to wear store bought, I had to go to prescription. For day to day activity having to carry 2 pair of glasses was too awkward, I went to progressive lenses in 1991. From the second I put them them on I had no adjustment period, I just love them. Over the years the technology has really improved in all facets of eyewear, If I were younger I consider surgery. At my age cataract surgery may be on the horizon.

That's wonderful !

Both the Mirrorlure poppa dog and catch 2000 do nothing but catch fish any place I use them. I buy them at Walmart, the price is somewhere about 7-8 bucks, not expensive in comparison to to others. I have never had a top water lure that's as durable and well made. I don't often use the dog for bass simply because it's nearly an ounce and I like lighter tackle. The poppa dog is my go to saltwater topwater, if it can withstand (which it does) bluefish, jacks, ladyfish and so many other species, it's doubtful a bass is going to do any damage to it. Taking it a step further I can buy a fairly inexpensive saltwater bomber jerkbait and use it equally as well for bass. Jumping up in size just a tad a Bomber windcheaters come 3/4 oz and one about 2 oz and 6" long, saltwater grade and built like a tank, a bass will jump all over it and they're about 8 bucks. I'll use a more expensive lure like a Shimano waxwing 15-20 bucks, it's just to have fun with some thing else. They do not catch any more fish nor do that last any longer. When a person fishes and catches 7 days a week, I would think they would have a pretty good handle on where to put their money.

Personally when I think of a pencil popper, I'm thinking saltwater. The technique is a little different, the pencil popper pushes water using a constant retrieve, unlike the way I bass fish with pauses and or walking the dog. Pencil popper works well for jacks and bluefish but not as good for snook or stripers, now I'm using something more akin to bass type top water. The lure I could walk, pop or push water like a pencil popper is the Mirrorlure Poppa Dog. The lure has some size to it, I believe it's 7/8 oz, strong hooks and very durable. My second favorite is a 1 oz Zoom chug bug, both lures have been very good producers for me.

The cuda and mackerel do hit swivels instead of the lure, not at all uncommon. Attaching a hook to a swivel will produce one of those fish, certainly not as well as a bona fide lure. I mis ordered a bag of swivels, I got silver instead black, all I could do was throw them in the garbage, silver swivel is too much risk of a cut off. Back to the question, are expensive lures worth the money? For me the answer is simple, if they catch fish they're worth the money, if no better then they aren't worth it. Why do I buy a more expensive lure, just for variation. I actually catch way more fish on a $2.50 bucktail and $5.00 spoon, actually one of my favorites is a Luhr Jensen 1 oz cast champ, $2.99

Yes that is an ATV, I got the turtle nest checking lady to snap the pic, they check every morning. During turtle season all beach construction must stop, it's the law. Jacks can be a caught almost any where, I've caught them 150' of water offshore, and in ankle deep water too. I don't use bait myself, sand fleas are very popular for pompano and permit, both members of the jack family. I fish jettys and offshore as well, just something about the beach that makes them fight harder, all species really. A boat always gives the advantage being able to chase a fish down, on the beach you use your legs. The Jack Crevalle is not the most glamorous inshore fish but probably the hardest fighting.

FYI FDR was not home schooled, nor did he attend public school, he went to a private school then on to Harvard. Many affluent people of that era went the same route.

I don't go in freshwater, snakes and gators may stay away but I don't want to be around the one that doesn't. I fish the beach at the ocean often, I stand back a few feet sometimes the waves get both me and my equipment wet, just a freshwater rinsing. However in the event of dunking that reel gets professional cleaned, waves can push sand around.

In fairness I think there is a place for home schooling, that place would be where public education is terrible. The more affluent the area the more resources are available for education, not to mention the family background. Inner cities lack funding, many are 1 parent homes with that parent working 2 jobs and not home enough for any kind of supervision. Quite simply the more affluent students are raised for success while the poor ones are destined for failure. What may be lacking in home schooling is the teacher, speaking in generalities not specific examples. How well trained is that teacher and in how many subjects? Public education employs counselors on subjects that many parents aren't aware of, something they just haven't studied. I believe interaction with fellow students is healthy, from sports, to drama clubs to other elective interests, makes for a more well rounded individual. I'm always saddened when I hear about funding being cut for some programs. If I home schooled my children, not that I'm qualified, their studies would not revolve around the lunar calendar's optimum fishing time.

Nothing gets my juices flowing like catching a nice fish on the beach. The last couple of weeks my timing was off, when I was at the beach there was nothing out there. Got out there about 10 minutes before sunrise, west wind & water couldn't have been flatter, like a sheet of glass. The tide was nearing the end and the water was very low, my thoughts.........oh crap this stinks. Not all surprised to see nothing going on, that changed but for only a few seconds. Look to my left about 15 yds away a school of jacks was swimming in water not much deeper than my ankles, I casted and got an instant hook up, sad to say that fish got unbuttoned. Once I got my lure back in the jacks must have been 75 yards to my right, I ran after them until I was in casting distance, success. Using an 8' med Tsunami that fishes light the drag my tierra 3000 was singing a tune I hadn't heard in a long time, I thought I might get spooled. Caught many a larger jack but this was as hard a fight as I ever hand, I really did not want to catch another. Just as well as the beach went void of fish again.

Very serious, it's been reported as the worst drought in 1200 years in that region, now there is an oil spill to deal with too.

I'm praying for you, we are stroke victims, my wife had a carotid dissection at age 49.

What many do here is have pre rigged leaders (wire usually) attached to their lures for an easy change. I do it myself with a dedicated rod and my dedicated lures for 1 species. The snap/swivel is not on the lure, I don't care for that extra hardware. The quality I see use ranges from the cheapest money can buy to more expensive BB/ duolock ones that I use. To my memory I don't recall seeing one open, break or fail in any way, regardless of the quality being used. I use BB (I'm a bit more anal about this than many here) as an aid in reducing line twist, the smaller seems to work better, my size is #2 40-50# depending on brand. Too small for bigger fish but for 40-50" ones that hit at 30 mph, it's been the perfect set up for me. With a failure rate that I see close to zero, if failure should occur I'd bet 99% of the time it's my user error.

Depends on what the rod is used for, I'm 5'4 and I love my 8' rods but not for pitching. I don't pitch or flip in the sense that most on here do it, I do it with spinning under docks for snook, much easier with a 7' rod, if I have the 8' I'll use it. As far as the 6'6 in the OP, that's a rod size and length that doesn't really match any kind of freshwater fishing I do. I wouldn't buy that size and length, but if I acquired one I could find a use for it.

Different, these tubes spin like an inline spinner, retrieve is very fast.

Fishing Lake St Clair since I was a kid, many a muskie was caught. I fish barracuda now, there isn't a doubt in my mind a barracuda tube would be killer for muskie. If I ever went up north, better believe I'd have tubes with me. Yesterday I used a muskie figure 8 approach for a cuda (not the first time), it was awesome.

I have 2 bulging discs in my neck. The spine specialist told me to live with the discomfort, not worth the risk of surgery. Any time a doctor tells me he doesn't want to make a buck, I take that to heart.

I actually do quite a bit of freshwater fishing down here. I mainly target peacocks, I do it more for the hunt they can be challenging, fun to catch on ml tackle. At times I'll hook a mayan, ounce for ounce lol ( they don't get much bigger than 1#) they out fight a peacock, a bluegill too. I'm never disappointed to catch one, lots of fun but I seldom target them specifically. Not all ocean fish are big, we catch small blue runners pound or so, pretty darn good fight, those I target.