Notaro - don't take this the wrong way but I think what people are saying is that you need to start paying your dues. It's OK to ask questions but you really need to do some of the leg work on your own, not off the boards. A lot of the people here have learned as a combination of reading, friends, shops, but #1 is time put in. You are asking an awfull lot of people to short circuit that learning curve for you. What you should be able to get from places like this is a chance to not repeat alot of the mistakes we've made along the way. Only you can truly teach yourself how to fish. We can help you along the way but you need to do the work and pay the dues too. Does that make a little more sense?
Paying your dues means reading the books, fishing a few spots and learning them and working them. "Spots" & "where can I find big fish" seem to be the most prevalent questions asked. Unfortunately spots can get burned pretty quickly and I also want you to tell me where the big fish are
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This is just one tool for you to use as an angler. The biggest tool is time spent on the water with the skinny end of the rod pointed away from you. The more you do that, the more often your line will be tight by a bass...