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The Shimano G's were a dud, but the D, E, and I are all excellent reels as far as I'm concerned. Obviously, the newer I-series hasn't really been around long enough to truly 'stand the test of time', but the others have. Speaking to Shimano's longevity, in 2009 I completely retooled my rod/reel selection from the mix-and-match selection that I previously had which consisted of Shimano, Daiwa, Abu, and Pfleuger in the $75-100 range mainly. I picked up 5 Curado E's, 2 Citica E's, and 3 Abu Revo STX's in summer 2009. At present, 2 of the 3 STX are inoperable and need repair, while the E's series Shimanos still run like new after each annual breakdown and cleaning. To add insult to injury, one of the now-broken STX was replaced by a 10-year old Curado DHSV (D-series), which I tried to replace with the lighter, smaller, smoother STX back in 2009. Clearly that didn't work out -- I came full circle -- and the big 'ol clunk of a DHSV again works perfectly on my frogging stick, despite it's size.

Good share! I'll try it tomorrow.

Same with junebug, a personal favorite

3/16oz Owner Shakyhead jigs, and some 6" Roboworms in watermelon/red flake, green pumpkin, and maybe a dark purple. That'll run about $15 and cover a lot of circumstances.

Trial and error is the way to go. Keep in mind that color is just one factor in lure choice, and more often than not, it seems that it's fairly low on the list.

Danielson generally makes low-end products with low-end prices. Like bluebasser mentioned, the relatively dull bronze hooks would be a deal breaker for me unless I was fishing an extremely snaggy area (like a rocky river) that will likely claim quite a few jigs. In that case, I would just sharpen the hooks with a file.

Unweighted Zoom Super Fluke or similar bait.

It wouldn't go so far as to call it a 'numbers-only' bait; however, the fish I usually catch on it aren't anywhere near as big as those I catch on a medium-to-large jig/craw or 10" T-rigged worm.

Sometimes, shallow-water bass are well aware that a dark, shadowy figure is standing not far away. They're not spooked enough to flee, but spooked enough that they won't bite, no matter what. These fish are nearly impossible to catch, not even with a Senko, and the more lures you toss at them, the more they realize that something just ain't right, and the more tight-lipped they get.

They're good baits, but it's a shame they cost twice as much as the comparable 4" Pit Boss.

In comparison, the Ned is more of a swimming presentation, swimming it along very slowly while it nudges the bottom like a bottom-oriented baitfish. The shakyhead rig is meant to stay on the bottom for the most part, being dragged along and jiggled whenever it meets a rock, wood, or any piece of cover.

Good share! The price is right at $2. How deep of water do you generally snag baits in? It should be that long plus a couple feet.

You'll see surprisingly few bass anglers doing that. People generally respect the conservation laws up here.

The season for all gamefish aside from panfish and catfish is closed from roughly the end of February until mid-April. This (hopefully) protects the spawning window, and it also gives the fish a much needed break after the ice fishing season, where the fish, especially walleye and crappie, take an incredible beating from anglers. Catch and release is practiced much more often is the summer, but is nearly unheard of in the winter. Fish are remarkably easy to catch through the ice on Minnesota's natural lakes, which are often weedy and green-tinted during the open-water season, but crystal clear and devoid of any protection for the fish during the winter because the weeds are all gone. The fish also tend to school and really stack up over the warmer, deeper basins of the lake, so they're very vulnerable to over-harvest. This is a crappie hole on an average lake near my house this February.

Opener is 5-14, not 5-8. It's 2 weeks earlier than it has been in previous years due to our spring coming earlier nowadays. It used to be the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. This new routine began in 2015 to good reviews. So from 5-14 to 5-28, it's catch and release only. After that, it open season for the meat hunters. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/seasons.html

With cranks, some stretch is preferable. With jigs, it's not. Ideally, two distinctly different combos are used for these techniques.

Bring on the DEET! In your case, long-sleeved clothes and DEET.

Daiwa Samurai and Sufix 832 are the best two braids I've used.

Costa Man 'o War frames are pretty huge, too. I also require an XL frame. I'm very happy with my Costas. I actually prefer the plastic (580p) lenses over the glass (580g) due to weight. I like the silver and green mirror equally for fishing. I wore my G30 black iridium Oakleys on the water the other day after forgetting the Costas, and I could hardly see a thing underwater. Otherwise, Oakley G30 are some first rate polarized for general use and driving. Durabilily hasn't been a problem for either brand. Losing them has, however.

Costa silver or green mirror lenses are hard to beat. The Man 'o War frames fit my giant grape nicely without being at risk of falling off. I don't use or need a lanyard for them.

Tie a piece of string to the rod handle and tape that to the outside of the tube. That was the rod won't slide back and forth, damaging the tip.

How does one access or remove this metadata? Does it show up for all pictures posted to sites like BR?

The prices on Shimanos look too good to be true. I just tried to check out with a Chronarch in my basket and it said, "Minimum order must be USD $300 dollor" because they're a wholesaler yada yada. Dollor.

But which is better?

eBay has some good deals on Tatsu from time to time that rival the TW sales. Plus I like purchasing from eBay sellers whenever it's reasonable because they're like the modern version of the Mom-and-Pop sporting goods store.