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Aww man- I figured out it’s easier to skip from a bass boat and at the same time I found out it’s harder to explain to your wife you bought a bass boat...

There are so many factors that affect casting distance more than the choice between these reels. In fact for raw casting distance spinning tackle is the way to go. A more refined reel is more pleasurable to fish but I don't think casting distance is substantially different just because one is higher priced.

Organized my Rage baits this weekend by type (Menace/baby menace, craw/baby craw, bug/magnum bug) and color. I also created a chart with my current inventory so I can keep track throughout the year. 90 total packs of baits. Don't judge me.

Too windy for me today so I stayed in and did some maintenance on the ol girl.

I'm a good swimmer, but I can tell you that when I've gone for a surprise swim, it took a few seconds for me to process what happened and get my body doing what it needed to do, especially when I flipped my yak in sub 50 degree water.

Try swimming with your cloths on including shoes, you don't fall overboard in a swim suit. Tom

Winter be gone, so I may see this again.

So, can you? I've been thinking a lot about this topic lately as I've been venturing away from my shallow lakes into off shore bass fishing. I'm ashamed to admit that I'm not the greatest swimmer at all. I always wear my PFD with kill switch and am extra cautious on the water. Even considered taking some classes with my kids in the summer but am a bit embarrassed to do so. Your thoughts on the whole subject?

Pewter heads were ladle cast in Do-it's light wire football mold. Owner 5313 hooks used. Bear and bunny fur.

FYI ? 75% of boating fatalities occur after a fall overboard, capsize or swamping of a boat. When the man overboard is not wearing a lifejacket or PFD the ability to stay afloat & to hang on to the hull is greatly reduced.

This is Bailey. He was almost 15 when he reached that point of tipping the quality of life balance too far on the wrong side. He was a shelter rescue, a White German shepherd/golden retriever mix, and the sweetest disposition of any dog I ever lived with. He loved snow... could curl up in a snowbank just as happy as could be. Here I was taking a break from shoveling (2 feet on the ground and still snowing) for some playtime:

We finally got above freezing after two weeks of near and below zero. I'm off today so doing some driveway fishing. No hits yet but getting a few looks.

I was out on the lake yesterday (Saturday), windy and cold (by FL standards) with air temps 40s to 50s, water in the low 50s, and 15-20 mph winds from the north. Darn choppy too, especially dangerous if you're trying to go fast. My buddy and I kept our bass boat in moderately protected areas, which were still unpleasant. I can see how you can get tossed out of a little bass boat on a fast run through chop, become unconscious through impact or incapacitated by hypothermia and in either case not be able to swim back over to the boat. And everything that looks like land is a floating island or emergent tall grass. Even where there are trees, they are probably afloat on a thick mat. And if you do find a dry spot in a tree, your clothes are wet and wind chill is in the 30s. Awful to picture any plausible scenario. And, BTW, the fishing was horrid -- we had only 2 bass all day.

They're as good as a similarly equipped Revo, Lews, BPS or other variants from that factory.

I'm not really sure. I used to be able to swim. I haven't been in the water since I tore apart my shoulder. If I had to guess, I could probably stay afloat. No one is allowed in my boat that can't swim. Captains rules. @WRB brings up a good point about swimming with your clothes on. It's why I fish naked most of the time. Seriously though, I do worry sometimes when fishing in the single digits and teens. I wear boots and Carhart bibs. I don't envision me surviving falling out of the boat with all that added weight. Clam makes a floatation parka and bibs for ice fishing that runs about $600 for both pieces. I've thought about getting them, just never pulled the trigger.

It never hurts to learn to swim. I qualified class 1 and Q in the Marine Corps. That’s about 10 guys left in the pool out of a company of Marines. We were trained on various strokes for efficiency which definitely does not include freestyle or the butterfly swim. I would suggest you learn the same (breaststroke, sidestroke, backstroke, and how to tread water and float on your back.) you should hold each glide at the end of the stroke as long as possible. Learn the basics first then train on your own. The most important thing is wearing your pfd- the best swimmer cannnot swim while he is unconscious.

Here is one i took today after they came in from playing outside in the cold and snow...the rottie doesn't like the cold but the other guy, the 13+ year old, does and i have to get him to come inside even when he is shivering out there. What you can't see in the picture is that there is a gas fireplace going just outside of the picture lol

Today was my first full day back from vacation up north. Brrrrrr. Back in the balmy 24 degrees I got an 18" smallmouth on my second cast. Actually cast out and set the rod down to gnaw on a frozen cookie for a few minutes. Picked the rod back up and thought I missed a bite but figured I was crazy. Reeled tight and jigged and the fish hit again

I wouldn't get the glass rod. get the 7MHMF. the glass rod doesn't have enough backbone for a heavy chatterbait or spinnerbait hookset and would feel overpowered on the cast with a decent trailer on. Also, I love my Mojos but I use a 7'1M 13 *** black and 7'3MH *** black for spinners and chatterbaits. They aren't nearly as sensitive or light as my mojos, but they are total workhorse rods and are well built. They are the kind of rod I'll have for 5-6 years and never have to worry about.

I am (or was*) a very agile person and still managed to fall overboard while operating the trolling motor during the cold water periods. What I quickly learned is how difficult it is to swim with warm clothing and shoes on and a good swimmer. Shoes reduce your swimming ability greatly and should removed first. Clothing gets water logged making you very heavy and snag things trying to get back into your boat. Without a partner helping you it's very difficult even using the engine trim up buttom and cavitation plate, you need something to help pull yourself into the boat with. I keep a dock tie down rope attached to the back cleat and in reach of the splash well for this purpose. Everyone should practice getting into thier boats after falling overboard in warm water with a partner to help, it's a humbling and good learning experience. PFD can save your life. Tom * age, cold weather and spinal fusion tends to change your agility.

Still missing and a gofundme has been set up https://www.gofundme.com/nik-kayler

That exact lure has been in my box for two years now and I keep overlooking it . I'll have to tie it on next season .

How many people have bought something only to find out you got something defective? This was my experience after buying a Mustang inflatable life jacket for tourney fishing. I was to co angler and the boater ran into a barely submerged rock pile. We both got tossed at about 60 MPH. My boaters Mustang inflatable opened properly mine did not open at all. Luckily, I was able to make it to the boat before he was because he was dazed and panicked. He hit the steering wheel hard on ejection where I was just thrown out cleanly. Mustang issued a recall on the model I purchased. I now always wear a foam life vest when running(using the outboard)

Only thing to add now is searchers are now looking in grass mats because if he got tangled in it, the boaters and helicopters wouldn't see him unless specifically looking in it. Also Bill has an app that locates his car keys and his keys are sitting in the bottom of the lake. The app shows the exact location of where the accident happened so searchers now have a specific area to comb over.

My main deep diving rod is an inexpensive "Lady" Guide series with pink ascents , I found on clearance at Gander Mountain for twenty dollars . The bass make fun of it . Its 7'0" MH . Its paired with a Johnny Morris reel 5.2 to 1 .

One thing I try to remember about bass, especially largemouth, is that their over-sized mouth's are their best weapon, both offensively & defensively. Something swimming by & not sure if it is food? Put it in your mouth! Something crawling on the bottom that might kill your babies? Put it in your mouth! Need to move something from point A to point B? Put it in your mouth! For a bass, his big mouth is basically a Swiss army knife. His evolution was based on his ability to stuff just about anything in his mouth. Other fish have different "tools", be it catfish with their barbels, swordfish & sawfish with their nose weapons or angler fish with their built-in little lure. For bass, it is their mouths.

Swapped everything over to 832 last yr. Couldn't be happier. Quieter then PP, which I like when flipping/pitching cover.

Got a couple crappie today. Water was frozen in a few places. If you guys could keep the ice up north that'd be great......

I love air guns and Benjamins are the best. This is my first Benjamin. My grandfather bought it for my dad in 1945 who handed it down to me in the early 80s. It's has never been rebuilt (at least in my lifetime) and will still take out a chipmunk at 30 yards no problem.

^^ this

Fenwick introduced the "Methods Series" of spinning & casting travel rods a few years back. Product performs well above it's price point. Invaluable south of the border. With two of these there is quite a bit of versatility & effectiveness. A-Jay

Good reels that don’t receive proper respect.

Beary nicely done.

Why don't you just get an ugly stick for catfish? Maybe get a spinning reel cheap one? I personally wouldn't want to get cat fish bait on my curado or on the handle of any of my st croix's. You don't need an expensive reel or an expensive rod for catfish nor do you need a sensitive rod.

I use a 4/0 EWG for a regular T rig, 5/0 straight shank for flipping.

This summer was a big wake up call for me when launching my boat and the rope snapped. There went the boat. I was a great swimmer as a kid and hadn't swam since I was 20 or so. Fast forward almost 15 years and my 7 year old and I are the only one's on this secluded lake with no houses and I had no choice but to go after my boat. I stripped down to my underwear so clothes were no issue. But factor in added weight over the years, totally out of shape, like @slonezp a destroyed shoulder from hockey, and the fact I hadn't swam in almost 15 years I'll be the first to admit I wouldn't make it too long with clothes and no PFD. Quite honestly if it weren't for my ability to float on my back (which I wasn't sure I could still do) and rest I might not had made it to my boat and probably would've drowned right there in front of my son. My point is just because you could and did as a kid doesn't mean you still can. Like @A-Jay said try it out in a controlled environment with somebody else. Swimming isn't like riding a bike!

Going over the side is always a life threatening event; especially when the air & or water temps start to drop. During the warmer months, most of us sort of laugh when we or a someone else goes in, but in the cold, it's no joke. Having the ability to get back to your boat and then board it unassisted is crucial. If you strike an underwater object while on plane and your boat sudden slows or worse - stops, without any type of restraint, you are first going to strike whatever is in front of you (at the speed the boat was initially traveling) Then you may or may not go overboard. There's a decent chance you'll have some type of injury as a result of that impact either way. If you do go in, your life jacket may be the only thing keeping you from slipping below the surface - hopefully help can come to recover you. Your ability to 'swim' in these scenarios isn't as important as having that life jacket on. Going in the drink while fishing (not on plane) can be bad if you can't swim a lick; especially without a life jacket on. Having a boarding ladder (or knowing how to use your motor's trim) to get back on board is very beneficial too. If you've never tried to do any of this, though I hope you never really do for real) I'd encourage you to try it in a warm 'controlled' environment with at least one capable adult present. You may find that pulling your soaking wet full clothed body up out of the water and onto the deck of a bass boat is challenging; even when not hypothermic and or physically injured. Bottom line, IMO learning to swim is a solid plan, at least a little. Simulating the event and ensuring you're able to save yourself in the event the unthinkable happens, can't hurt either. Sometimes there's nothing we can to - Bad stuff happens to good people all the time. However, many a 'strong swimmer' has tragically met their demise by not being prepare otherwise for an accident. Stay Safe A-Jay

Take the classes. There's no shame in improving a very important skill that could be the difference between life and death one day.

I can swim excellent. Scuba diver and triathlete, but I don’t take chances and wear my Mustang 100% of the time. Oddly enough a guy I fish with can’t swim a lick and won’t ever wear a PFD. Can’t wrap my head around that one and I’ve tried convincing him but it seems he won’t listen, but I’ll keep pestering him, might save his life one day

Ever seen what happens if you don't get that CO2 cartridge all the way screwed on? They fly a long ways with a surprising velocity, and if your wife happens to see it, she'll laugh really hard at the dumb look on your dumb face, at least mine did.

This is Brie, like the cheese (she originated from a breeder in Wisconsin). She's an Old English Sheepdog. Grandma dresses her up for a picture every day we are on vacation, every time we leave. Here are a few of my favorite's.

Couple more Dreaming of Fancy Feast or lunch meat handouts

Sig.....

I guess my family has always liked fishing. I was doing research on my family history, and came across this picture. I have identified it as my great grand father Rosco. I know he was a carpenter by trade, so I can only guess that him posing with what looks like a pretty big shark, he must have somehow caught it. The picture was taken around 1900.

I bought the Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror lenses because we always have overcast days here in PA. I can wear these things clear until dark. I love them for low light conditions. They're a yellow based lens, with a silver mirror overtop of them. Even on overcast days with low light, I can still wear them. I prefer to wear sunglasses as much as possible because my eyes will water from taking a beating from the wind all day whenever I'm outdoors. These lenses allow me to wear glasses to break the wind from my eye's and still allow me to see. They look dark in these photo's because the mirror finish is reflecting the dark skies, but to look through them it's bright and clear.

Buddy caught me right outta the tent for a few casts before breakfast. Love camping at this spot on the Upper Potomac. And a runner up. Picture doesn’t do it justice.

I'll be happy if I can make it through the year without strangling a millennial or yaker.