PourMyOwn

If it's a tackle box made after 1990, chances are good it is worm proof. I hadn't heard that term in ages!

Non worm proof boxes will react poorly with worms. You'll get a melted worm and a hole in the box.

When I was 13 I threw Mepps spinners and Mister Twisters on ball head jigs and caught tons of bass-then I grew up and got "smart". As most have stated, they are great fish catchers, I should probably dust them off!

I've bought a few used rods off of Ebay, and have been happy. I do agree that much of it is priced at 90% of retail, which is ridiculous.

Since this is an old guy thread, I'll say that I'm 42 but have used braid since 1993. Here in NH we have a lot of shallow ponds filled with lily pads and heavy grass. I've used 40-60 pound braid for all applications in those ponds-all using Palomar knots. I watched many a friend lose fish in the pads to mono. As others have said, brand isn't overly important. I went through miles of Fireline, now I use power pro. On most of my spinning rods I do braid to leader on all but my dropshot outfit, which is 8lb Silver thread. All of my other baitcasters have mono or copoly. There's a place for all if it.

I like my SLX, although I prefer the Fuego CT. That being said, it's a good little reel-I think it has found its home on a 5'6" rod with 10-12 pound line throwing small crankbaits. The SLX is a little noisy, maybe I can fix that when I clean and lube it in the offseason.

I have an old Falcon 5'6" medium glass rod that I dearly love. I put my Shimano SLX on it with 12lb test and I use it for topwaters and small crankbaits/squarebills. I hadn't used one in a really long time, but was pleasantly surprised at how it loaded up and tossed a baby torpedo. Yes, my wrist felt it, btw.

I use Yamamoto Flappin Hawgs or Hula grubs. Otherwise I use homemade trailers from a mold very similar to the Flappin Hawg. I like bulky and compact trailers.

I've found the best way to handle a surplus of soft plastics is to spend a pile of money on injectors and molds and melt them into something I will use-someday. ?

Dicks puts their Lews Carbon fire rods on sale for 39.99 a couple of times a year.

Make sure you get enough trailer for the boat. I see a lot of boat show setups with tiny trailers. I'm sure it's a cost thing, but three feet of unsupported boat and outboard is not good.

I fish right up until ice just over the border in NH. Don51 has you covered for baits, although I would add a jig and pig to that. I throw a lot of them in dying vegetation in November.

With that many variables, your best bet is trial and error. I usually put my favorite reel on the rod I intend to use the most and go from there.

I use braid with fluoro leaders on most of my spinning rods. I have one with mono (copoly to be exact-8lb Silver thread) that I use also. The people who say it doesn't work just echo what they hear from others, they more than likely don't have first hand experience.

I'm also in the cheap frog rod camp. I use a 7'3" Lew's Carbon fire heavy fast that I got for all of 39.99.

Maybe that's old thinking. 7 foot rods, cheap or expensive are a heck of a lot lighter than they once were. I know that I use longer rods than I did 20 years ago.

Not Jig Man but I prefer the Midwest Finesse jig from a Do-it mold. I'm sure lots of guys sell them on Ebay. I make mine out of bismuth/tin to be legal in my state, plus they are lighter than lead, which I like for this application. My favorite hook is the Eagle claw Lil Nasty-sharp and light wire, which is what I want with 6-8 lb line. Here's what I'm talking about.

I'll never be without my oil. My feet and ankles no longer hurt-they are beat up from a lifetime of football and basketball (and being 250+). The gummies work, as does the oil. I feel like the oil works faster. Like you, I sleep better. I also feel less anxiety. It took about a week for results, but I notice if I forget and skip a day. I have two family members who are also on CBD daily and they are as happy as I am.

For my Ned rod I use 20 lb braid to 8lb fluoro. I have used 30 lb braid to 8 as well, can't tell a lot of difference.

I'm torn, I'm a HS teacher/football coach. My vacation is nearly over, and my only chance to fish is on Sundays in the fall. (This Buckeye doesn't watch the NFL until December)

I start off by purchasing two or three, if I like the style then I buy the mold and make my own.

Similar to Todd2, I've thrown them for crappie and end up catching some bass.

Strike King Bitsy Bug is worth looking at. They are cheap and I've caught a lot of fish on them over the years.

They still catch fish, I use them with Mann's Auger tail worms all the time. In the 80s they were all the rage.

I have an older reel in .y boat at a times-a Pflueger Supreme 5.1:1. I probably bought it from 98-02. It's my cranking reel, and is surprisingly smooth for a reel with that many miles on it. That being said, a 75 dollar Fuego from 2017 makes it seem heavy and awkward. The true question is will my Fuego still perform flawlessly in 20 years?