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When it's 14* outside with a wind chill of 0, got to make sure my co-angler stays warm.

Figured this thread needed more pics....

Funny story I used to hate BBQ but then I went through my chemo treatment and since then something in my DNA changed and now I can't get enough BBQ. My goal this year is to find a good grill the reasonably priced to grill some BBQ. Any advice is obviously welcomed!

Mustang Survival ELITE™ 28 INFLATABLE PFD Built on a revolutionary 3D chassis, the Elite™ Inflatable PFD stays put at high speeds, lets you move the way you want and NEED to and provides automatic inflation powered by Hydrostatic Inflator Technology. The 3D chassis reduces drag at speed, the wide shoulder system eliminates neck fatigue, a wicking mesh liner improves all-day comfort, dual-side adjusters ease fit and an exclusive sleek inflation handle prevents snags. The bright fluorescent yellow-green inflation cell provides 28 lb buoyancy when inflated and improves visibility in a rescue scenario. http://www.mustangsurvival.com/en_US/products/flotation/inflatable-pfds/elite-28-inflatable-pfd-MD5183.html A-Jay

Having been a guide, safety is always on my mind. Due to recent events, I don't think it's beyond reasonable consideration for those of us who fish rivers and larger bodies of water invest in an emergency beacon GPS alerting device of some kind. I go to Wisconsin on big water and the Fox Chain, I go to St Clair, I have been on Champlain and plan on going to Erie sometime this year, my home water is the Potomac. All of which can and have gotten nasty. I think it's time to step up the safety measures.

Just because the kids are little, doesn't mean the lures need to be. They all can toss "normal" size lures that will catch the same fish and numbers that the "mini" lures do. I've had a lot of kids on my boat guiding and they throw the same things the big boys are. Makes them proud as punch, especially if they hook into a goodun!! Now if you are going after panfish, that's another story. My setup for kids was a 3 inch Kalens Smoke Salt & Pepper grub on a 3/16ths jighead or a 4 inch Senko texas rigged with a 3.0 EWG Gamakatsu hook. Preference went to the Senko since I don't like getting hooked. And that happened a lot!! Oh, the other exception was Crappie fishing. Live minnows on snelled hooks. Plus they got to play with the minnow bucket waiting for bites.

And it's for this very reason I went back to a vest style PFD from an inflatable. Too many stories of them not inflating. If I am fishing rough water and want a PFD on when fishing, I will put on the inflatable. Another thing to remember is that if you only have inflatables in the boat, they must be worn to keep you from getting a ticket from Johnny Law on a safety stop. In Virginia you must either wear your inflatable or have another non-inflatable in the boat to be legal. That's for every person as well.

If you are going under 25 mph the Suspender type PFD line like BPS are adequate but at higher speeds you need a PFD that survives when you are hitting the water, staying on, plus inflates to save your life if unconscious. PFD's only work when you put them on, not stored. Tom

7' medium heavy extra fast ?

So I realized I am lacking in weedless swimbaits so I picked these two up.

I love good BBQ but I’m more of the “I pay someone who knows how to do it right” kind of guy.

Since you already own it and you're on a limited budget, your Lews is a good all around rod. I owned one fishing rod until I was in my 40s and the fish I caught never complained about the type of rod I caught them on. Go fishing and enjoy your rod. You've got plenty of time to save up and expand your arsenal.

In response to the Italian food thread, let's talk BBQ. Who's doing it and let's see some of it, also what are your favorites? Are you a charcoal, gas or and electric type of person? Ok guys lets hear it and best of all lets see it. Here are a couple pics of some food I did for a party last year, yum yum!!!!!

Guys I found the jackpot, a tackle store here in the Boise Idaho area had a clearance section, each bait no more then $2 each! A bunch of discontinued Xcalibur xs4/xj4 jerk baits and spooks, Gary Yamamoto jerkbaits/crankbaits/top water, Yo-Zuri Sashimi jerkbaits/lipless crank (look amazing), Bomber Model-B, Rat-L-Traps, Hair jigs! I cleared them out! What do you think?! Got a smallie on the Snake River with a black hair jig

I originally had mine on order in manteca. I put the order in around December 27-28. They sold their stock boat. I was there to buy one and they said it was sold. We and other looked over their first boat which was sold and being prepped for the buyer. On that morning, it was at least 7 people who ored the boat so I know manteca is that high. I ended up cancelling my order and moving it to a local reseller. I was quoted around the same time frame for delivery. Bass pro was nice and transferred all of my information. I hope they are still on track and I get the boat in a week or 3. The weather is so good now and my wife is looking forward to the boat. I will wait for the surprise call/email and go fishing today in my kayak. I like many check various forums daily to get updates on everyone's status. Any update is a good update.

As far as I know there isn't a spare tire. Looking at the lowrance hook2-4x for a $120 from cabela's. It's cheap enough so I don't care if it gets kicked but it has GPS so I can mark spots. Cabela's pro series 8amp. 2 banks for $120.

If it is a 2015 it has 3 year old technology. Plus it is a floor model. chances are there is no warranty. I would offer them $499.00. if they don't accept it, pay the extra $100.00 for a new one. Hummingbird has made quite a few improvements the last couple years. I had a 2015 helix 7 on my old boat. it was not bad. The Helix 7 SI/GPS/G2 on my new boat, has the g2 technology which gives you chirp sonar and auto chart live. auto chart lets you map the bottom contour on lakes that navionics or lakemaster does not support.

This is my update from my Tracker Rep at BPS … Due to an OVER WELMING sales response to our Heritage, the factory is now working 3 shifts, 24-7. If you read the advertisement you will see LIMITED EDITION Heritage. The company planned to make 600 boats. We sold more than that the first day they were for sale. We have now, thousands of orders for the Heritage. Your order was submitted in early January. Your boat is being built. As soon as I hear that it is “Load Ready” I will contact you. You will get your boat.

I bought some dirty jigs pitching jigs and added a blade to it. I have about roughly 7.00 in the jig. It has a quality hook, skirt and good blade on it.

Some fish are impacted more greatly than others when displaced. It's a complex world down there, and bass are remarkably adaptable. But they are more so as a population than as individuals. Given a diverse lake, a given year class gets divvied up across the lake, with different groups of bass figuring out different ways to make a living. Some areas/food sources are better than others. Many (the tournament winners ) end up at those peak sources. Others... find other ways to make a living that... get those fish by; What's known as "false peaks". Many studies have found some behavioral "clustering" (statistically speaking) around home range size, suggesting that some fish are home-bodies and others are wanderers. Not always, but wandering is often more costly and an indication that the fish are not getting the best deal. One thing that's been found is that T-released fish have a higher likelihood of becoming wanderers. In a really productive lake, there might just be room and board for displaced fish. In others, maybe not. I would suspect that N fish are more apt to fall into the latter category. A-yup. Although in SM (and apparently, FL LM), females can take a more aggressive role around the bed, at least as long as they are there. That's as I understand it and, so far, have seen. I think this is bc they tend to move to spawn under promotive conditions, and can get the job done pretty quickly. There is evidence that bass may pair -or at least closely associate with their spawning partner- way early, during winter even. But the movement to actually spawn tends to follow specific conditions. At least this is what I see in my northern small ponds. I've seen females hanging around longer, but this has been when all the males are already occupied with eggs, or in ponds with few eligible males. One year, in a very small 3acre pond, I saw only 3 males attempt to make beds. At one point, the largest male, with apparently the most attractive site, had a line up of females, including the 3 largest in the pond, lined up outside his bed. The females actually began to fight with each other for access. The largest female took the spot, and the others just had to hang back and... be ornery.

Rat-L-Traps & pre-spawn go together ? I'll usually start throwing traps about the second week of February or next week! Main lake grass flats: I drift the flats with the wind, which well be blowing this time of year. Lot of folks fish the outside grassline. I like 8-10' of water with grass at any depth under the surface. Here's a little secret; keep your rod tip right at surface & even under the surface. Yeah that's right kneel-n-reel ? Next area is creek channel coves: start at the mouth at what ever depth the puts me about a long cast from the bank. Y'all be surprised how shallow they be in mid February! When I get towards the back I'll move out to the creek channel & throw the trap straight down the middle. Oops almost forgot, in creeks I target wood; stumps, laydowns, brush. Ricochet that puppy off stumps!

I use a cabelas auto-inflate. It went off once when my boat was in for service and it was in a compartment that got flooded. Has never gone off since, even though I've taken some splash and rain. My son insists I wear it because he doesn't want to waste any fishing time looking for the body. :-)

I use a Weber for quick stuff and use a chimney as I can't stand the taste of the lighter fluid or easy light charcoal. Then I add a couple chunks of hickory for a little flavor. I have a Traeger for the low and slow stuff like butts.... Daughter had gotten us a container you could put the juices in and the fat goes to the top and you just pull the lever and just put the juices back in the meat...it's awesome. I do put the butt in a pan for the last three or four hours to catch juice. Also add a little apple juice to pan with some more seasoning on butt and cover lightly. Amazing!!

It's going to vary bait by bait, even baits that are "the same" are going to be different. Get some suspend dots and/or strips, some different size hooks and split rings, maybe some thin wire for wrapping around hook shanks if you want to go old school, and you can make adjustments on the water. IMO, a perfectly suspending bait is really only important in really cold water, and I actually prefer a bait that sinks very slowly in really cold water so when a fish pulls up behind it and stares at it, suddenly it's on their nose and they react. A bait that sits perfectly still allows them to analyze it too much for me.

I could eat BBQ every meal for the rest of my life and not get sick of it. I smoke, ribs, brisket, pork shoulders, chicken, tri tip, whatever will fit in my smoker. There's just nothing better. Great thread to start on here!

Well add me to the list. Just ordered my Heritage. Coming out of a 1236 jon boat and was going to upgrade to a 1448 Grizzly but ended up seeing the Heritage and couldn't turn it down. Unbelievable deal when you add in cover and gift card. The engine alone is worth 5-6K!! Plan on adding power pole micro, on board battery charger, and an additional fishfinder for the bow. Will also likely install my Lowrance Hook 4 from the jon boat and put the hook 3 on that before I sell it. Also an FYI. Basspro is doing free installation Feb 16th- April 1st on all accessories (except Humminbird I believe). Hoping my gift card comes in during that timeframe! COME ON SPRING!!!!

That does it...I'm firing photobucket. Been with those butt holes since 2001...before it was free. Now it's a pop-up fiasco that yields more frustrations than photos. I'm out...

https://www.traegergrills.com

I buy my batteries at Walmart where it doesn’t get any cheaper. The last one I replaced was purchased in June of 09. If your batteries are not lasting very long, you may look at your charger or how you take of them.

Ghost minnow (it's even a decent bluegill color), yellow perch, silver flash, and gold flash. Dynamic Lures is right in my town of Grand Junction, I know the founder. The HD is fantastic for all species of trout, as is the J spec. The J spec is the best smaller profiled suspending jerkbait out there. All species of bass love it, as do walleye, crappie, pike, and trout.

I agree with the others, go with a good quality inflatable. And kudos to the Mrs.

Don't worry about what you have heard. How does that rod work for you? Different people will have different opinions of what is best of all around use. Use it for various applications and see how it does. Then you will know if you need more or less power and what type of action.

The glides we painted turned out pretty good really happy now that the epoxy is cured, it really shows off the colour better.

Ok...going to try and post pic's another way...son said it's better.....will see. Here's a couple pictures from yesterday. Was a beautiful day....started in the high 30's and got into the mid 40's. Still wearing the gloves...and loving them. I'm showing a picture of a beautiful boat ramp (almost like my private lake in winter but not) The rain we had the other day has them chasing the jerk a LOT better....Tight Lines

All the fish I get are unfortunately lactose intolerant. But they do seem to enjoy being soaked in Hot Fat. A-Jay

Our Smallmouth don't know that.

I agree whole heatedly with this sentiment Mike. A-Jay

Actually you're lucky you don't live here. Our state wildlife management agency is engaged in active killing of bass, pike, and walleye because they are introduced sport fish and they wrongly accuse them of causing native suckers, chubs and squawfish to become endangered. We have the WORST wildlife management in the country.

I voted for M/M for open and MH/M for weeds, but you'll be fine with either. If you aren't worried about depth, you can use some heavy mono and then go with MH.

it's not as small as some of the baits mentioned here, but the LC flash pointer 100 is a very subtle bait. Gentle rattles, 3/8 oz and a very crisp action. Look for it on the e bay.

if I am in the boat alone, I always wear an inflatable. I have a Cabelas brand and a BPS brand inflatable. the BPS is a lot lighter and less noticeable while fishing. this is the one I use the most. It cost $80.00.

Honestly my family believes my pulled pork blows Missions away, but their brisket and jalapeno and cheese sausage are the bomb. Try taking their KC classic BBQ sauce and mix it with the Smokey Mountain BBQ sauce next time, it's amazing.

The microcritters have been next to useless for me and are so light they will not be much fun for anyone to throw. Every lure in the classic pack can and will catch small bass, except the tiny Pop-R might be a little less versatile. I'm sure many anglers on this board will recommend different starting lures for 5-year old, but I've been through this recently and if I had to pick one, I'd take a small white curl-tail grub on a light jighead to be my most effective for kids. Cast, let sink (or not) and wind. I like the 3-inch Yum grubs for less than $2 a pack at WM. Agree that 6 lb test on spinning is a good choice.

There is only one, its on southern end of Woolridge Road bridge. Its opposite end of Lake as Brandermill. Electric only, no dock just little dirt parking lot dirt launch area.

If anyone wants to read up on the Lawrance 3X look here: Hook 3x Operation Manual (en-us) Not a large manual, it should be simple to operate.

I think Bruce was talking about the area around MM41. You can put in at MM41 or on the west side of the big rest stop at MM35. Historically (I haven't fished there recently), the Miami canal north of 595 is good for numbers of small bass but relatively few big ones. I like to bring tourists there since its usually fast action. There are breaks in the canal giving fish access to some flats. Further west is were most tournament anglers focus. You have some deeper canals, sometimes some current and lots of lilly pads.

TV: Paladin, Lone Ranger Movies: True Grit original " Backwards.....I always go backwards when I'm backin' up " Outlaw Jose Wales " All I have is this piece of rock candy but it's not for eatin'.....just for lookin' through." The Shootist " Fetch me my spectacles Gilly boy." Big Jake " Dog. " Tombstone " Why Johnny Tyler you mad cap.....where you goin' with that shotgun?" Unforgiven " Why would I kill you kid? Your the only friend I got."

Ochos are one the few "substitutes" that I really like. They are bit of a change up to the senko.

I really like the Ocho's. They have a wider, more aggressive wobble on the fall than a senko. The flat sides make rigging a little cleaner. Durability is a wash. The Ocho is a little bit cheaper (.61 a piece to .74 each for a 5" Senko).