OkobojiEagle

I don't have a clue how "In Pursuit of Giant Bass" rigging differs from Texas rigging... oe

Don't fish through rocks, fish over rocks. I fish 8lb & 10lb original Fireline with 6lb & 10lb nylon leaders around rocks; have for years. oe

Patience, cottonwood season lasts only a couple weeks. oe

Wear them and enjoy the comfort they do bring... even when they seep some water, they insulate you from the lake/stream water temp AND they protect you from the leaches that are guaranteed when wet wading. There are many greater problems in life than seeping waders. oe

My preference... cut the leading hook from an in-line treble, so unless the premium up-grade was an in-line treble, no I wouldn't want to pay more for a premium hook up-grade. oe

In Charlie's day, the shorter rods were lighter and more comfortable to fish... thus easier to identify the light bite typical of slider fishing. Tonight I brought 3 largemouth to hand slinging a Brewer Spider head with a 7' 6" ml Fenwich Techna AV. oe

And the choir sang "AMEN"... oe

Good for Randy... the bass won't mind either way. oe

Various leader diameters will help change/control drop speed and bait running depth. oe

I believe that was Liberace... oe

I re-tie when my tag end shortens to 1/8"... oe

...no leaders when fishing spinnerbaits. oe

Trilene has been my knot of choice for tying nylon & fluoro monofilament lines. In my opinion, many anglers clip their knot's tag end too short. I leave 1/2"+ of tag with this knot. oe

Caffeine Shad! oe

Thanks for all opinions oe

Is the x5 as "wirey" as similar test original Fireline? oe

Berkley x9 & x5 braids... opinions & comparisons to other braids; especially original Fireline. Thanks oe

I'd don't buy the excuse that "access is preventing me from fishing spot XYZ". Throughout the year I'll be fishing from my boat, canoe, belly boat, wading or walking the bank; there aren't many spots I haven't been able to fish. Weather, on the other hand, is a more often deterrent... OP, what I took from your initial post is your success might be due more from time of day (evening) than bait or tackle... oe

this...

Yes. Most of the time it's a "bou-tube", a hybrid tube/marabou combination. I've been successfully catching many of the fish species (including largemouth bass) in the Okoboji chain of lakes with this bait for many years. oe

Wooden sewing thread spool works as well, and hangs nicely on a lanyard.

Were they vowels or consonants that you felt strongest?

weightless 4" Caffeine Shad... fish slow and let it drop to bottom in pockets oe

Watch for home based sellers on Ebay for jig heads a little better priced than "off the shelf" oe

For bass, I've been using the Albright leaving 1/2" PE line tag end. 1/2 the effort of an Alberto knot. oe