Glaucus

A Dobyns 3 power in whatever model fits your price range would be perfect for "everything" finesse. The 2 power would be better for some things like a Ned, but the 3 power is still more than capable and is good for everything else too.

Almost all season I've been beating them to death with casting gear. For many years it's been 50/50 casting/spinning since I did 50/50 LMB/SMB. For reasons I've been relegated to LMB waters and have power and power finesse fished, almost entirely casting. In fact today was the first time I'd used spinning gear this season for any other reason than the Ned Rig. I took two rods, casting and spinning, to a pond. I've been fishing Senkos every which way on casting gear but put one on spinning gear so I didn't have to untie a Lipless that was killing it. Dudes, I hit more shoreline trees than I did water (exaggeration). It was unbelievable. Spinning felt like straight trash after going to long minimally using it. My motor skills didn't retain much info on how to pitch with it or cast very accurately. It also felt like a true fairy wand using it for anything but a Ned. I felt like I had none of the control or comfort that a baitcaster provides. I have a strong feeling I'm going to be investing in some baitcast finesse.

This year I've gotten on an amazing fluke bite. But I'm so sick and tired of half the packed being completely trashed right off the bat because they're poorly packaged. Even using the boiling water trick doesn't fix a lot of them. So I got some SK caffeine shads since they're packaged a lot better. The action isn't even close to that of a fluke. Do I fish these differently?

ML+/MF-F It won't be labeled like this. You know it when you have it.

It's no different than anyone else who destroys the environment around them. Littering is terrible every time. Littering on top of stinking everyone else out is rude. Littering playgrounds and having kids pick up your trash and put it in their mouth is shameful. If you're going to smoke, step away from others and do like @MN Fisher and be mindful of your butts.

I'm glad you're in good health and thank you for being mindful of your butts.

Smoking really is abominable. Other than the obvious horrible effects on health, it really does smell THAT bad even from a large distance. The smokers are immune to the smell but everyone else around is disgusted. It's horrible. And I've never known a single smoker who doesn't just toss their butts wherever when they're outside. I'm not saying our BR smokers are the same, but I've never known one. It's disgusting hitting the water and seeing butts all over the ground and in the water just floating and waiting for a fish to inhale it. Then of course there's everywhere else too. Most annoying of all and what makes someone a truly awful person is littering playgrounds with them. All of my kids when they were little have picked them up. That's disgusting.

I just don't fish spinnerbaits anymore if that's what you're asking.

I have a couple more to add that have seemingly been a constant nuisance since my first post in this thread. When random people come over and stand right next to me to have an unsolicited conversation. They're ruining my ability to cast. When I'm fishing down a bank and people set up 15-30 yards from me, which happens to be exactly where I'm casting to and running my bait. They must think they're doing right and giving me space. They must also think everyone is casting straight out in front of them and letting a bobber sit for 15 minutes at a time. I feel like I would be smart enough to realize someone was running the bank and give adequate space.

Good for destroyed baits to keep using to save a penny. But nothing beats elaztech.

I was fishing a 1/4oz lipless crankbait. When bringing it back to the bank off one cast I was coming close to some slop a few feet from me and slowly reeled around it. A bass came out of nowhere and edged up to it and took it softly. So I just started jigging it a foot or two from the bank and one after another, the bass slowly came up, examined it, and then took it. Was like catching fish in a barrel.

This is way too vague. Freshwater or saltwater? This scenario would almost certainly be salt water, and since I've lived around the great lakes all my life, I wouldn't have a clue what saltwater lure I'd want. I'm just going to pretend we're talking about freshwater. Now the question becomes, one lure period, or one type of lure that I somehow have an endless supply of? One lure period: It would need to be something that lasts a long time and that I'd be least likely to lose. That means some kind of hard topwater. Probably a Whopper Plopper. One type of lure with an endless supply: Easily the Ned Rig. I would rarely if ever get skunked and therefore always eat, and it catches many different species.

The only reason I like a leader with braid is because it's easier to break off a snag.

I guess I'm not seeing the logic of complaining about an excellent multipurpose tool and wanting to get rid of something that does a little of everything.

We hear it all the time in sports: the things we can't teach that separates one athlete from another; when, all things being physically equal, something makes one person better than the other. The intangibles. The unreachable things. Is it this way in fishing? I think probably most of us a really good anglers. Few of us are professionals, and certainly not me, but I'd say most of us have something most other fishermen don't have. I've spent a few years reading and getting to vaguely know many of you, and we're a pretty experienced bunch. We're all here for a reason, and we quarrel over this and that because we care, while the average person doesn't really care about this or that. There are intangibles and unteachables that separates the addicted from the weekend warriors. We all have "something" that can't be taught, hence why we "got good", persevere, suffer through the hard times and terrible weather, and are never willing to give up. What do you think you have that makes you a good angler? For me it's scanning a body of water and knowing where to find fish. And then it's the things we can't see but an enthusiast can envision it. I become one with the water. All my senses are in tune. Every bump, every nick of something, anytime something is brushed, it paints a picture of the underwater world in my head. I can vividly imagine what I'm fishing and how a fish would relate to it. It's something unteachable. This is sort of a late night spiritual thread with perhaps a splash of ego boost, but I'm serious. We all have something that makes us different than the rest, even if we aren't quite gods (pros).

10lb line is perfectly castable on a BC and definitely strong enough for bass fishing in open water, but I'd be worried about breaking it off on a hookset with a MH rod unless it's a crankbait rod.

Indeed. Climate change and pollution is very real.

No, sir. I was speaking about in the immediate; rod vs reel. I've learned that I'll take an expensive rod and an inexpensive reel over an inexpensive rod and an expensive reel for any given fishing trip any given time.

I'm not speaking about longevity or later value though.

Some of you know that my wife left me and destroyed the family after some medical hardships last year. I was probably more guilty than I have the ability to comprehend, but that's not the point of this post. I had to sell my fishing gear to gather the funds to start a new life after such devastation, and to get back into it, and with a new outlook on life, I opted for budget options. This post isn't a justification to make one feel better about cheaper gear, either, but I've learned something. What I've learned is that the reel is A LOT less important than the rod. I have a highly educated thumb and a good casting technique. I can pick up a $50 reel or a $200+ reel and it's all the same to me as far as distance and accuracy. The difference is the feel in quality, that's it. Before I'd have spent more on the reel than the rod thinking that the reel, being the mechanical component, was more important and would result in better casts. That's just not true. An experienced angler should spend more on the rod because nothing that you can control will result in better feel and sensitivity. A lesser rod is a much bigger handicap than a lesser reel.

This. Never miss a fish.

This is starting to feel a lot like when Jim Irsay was going nuts over getting Trent Richardson and it ended up being terrible

I was lucky enough to be at Walmart yesterday when they were stocking a fresh, massive shipment of fishing supplies for the first time all summer. I picked up A LOT of stuff. One of the things I noticed was this new packaging as well.

Dobyns Sierra 682C?

Moving slower than the government