> …a few rumors going around and have been brought to my attention. Whether they are true or not, I’m not sure. But let me make a few things clear on Conroe (or any tournament that I hold). It is NOT OK to get out of your boat to locate fish. It is NOT OK to have someone else on the bank locating fish for you, telling you where to flip or when to jerk. It’s just NOT cool, it’s just NOT right. You will be disqualified.

> They’re addressing it head on — no fear of putting it out there.

> Consequences are clear.

> The astonishing tensile strength and tenacious resilience of the kabt’s metal microfiber material is woven into a layered multi-axis arrangement that reinforces the butt section of each blank, replacing the 1st generation [Orochi rods] old carbon wrap to deliver a superior power-to-weight ratio and more decisive lifting power and control.

> …the newly designed Orochi XX demonstrates greater lifting power, torque, lightness and crispness.

> “Aesthetically, there are many general similarities, but subtle details from the end cap to custom-dyed thread wraps have been redesigned for the US. That being said, comparing these rods to the Japanese XXXs is nearly impossible, as ‘better’ is rooted in the specific needs of distinct markets.

> An American angler who fishes an XX will likely conclude that it’s better than its Japanese counterpart, due to the fact that the XX more perfectly addresses their needs. However, that does not in fact mean that one is qualitatively better than the other — just that one is better suited.

> …the second-generation Orochi XX [first came out in 2013] leverages the full-potential of the design, material and technological advances of its JDM counterpart to craft rods that are purpose-built for North American anglers. Our anglers will never get a watered-down JDM version from us.

> “All morning I didn’t have a fish and was getting upset, so at lunchtime I kicked back and ate my beef jerky, drank my Gatorade and opened a bag of Cheetos. I told a friend, joking, that rubbing some Cheeto dust on my lure was going to get the fish biting. I ended up catching my limit and qualifying so now I always take Cheetos along.”

> …after much success and Cheetos on day 1, he had no back up Cheetos for day 2, although not for lack of searching.

> “I had the poor lady at a Dollar General going into the storeroom looking for Cheetos that night. None to be found. Next day, just as we were set to launch, one buddy asked if I had my Cheetos and when I said no, he said, ‘Wait a minute! Don’t take off yet!’ He ran to his truck and came back and gave me a half-eaten bag.”

> When…announced Taff the winner, the mass of other anglers and spectators cheered as his three buddies rushed to Taff and showered him, NFL Gatorade style, with a bag of crunchy, orange Cheetos.