Leaderboard

When I turned 50 I was offered 75% of my retirement and 1/2 of a years pay to take early retirement. I loved my job and had spent 10 years building it up but the people above me in the chain of command weren't my kind of folks so I jumped all over it and left. I sometimes miss the work that I did but not the people in the building. Since then I had a "dog and pony show" for a while teaching people how to relate to their kids. Then I worked as a sales manager for a boat dealership. Now I fish and supervise my farm.

That was caught in Sturgeon Bay 3 or 4 years ago. The abundance of gobies, aelwifes, and gizzard shad in Lake Michigan is the reason bass from that area look like a burrito grande'. They can just gorge on forage in the spring. I caught my PB smallmouth in Sturgeon Bay this spring. I estimate it at 6ish. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less. It was 23".But after reading the article, It might have been nine. ?

Ain’t winter yet bruh.

good news is Progressive gave me full cost of motor, plus $200 for taxes and install and waived my deductible. So I'm very very very lucky.

I am 55 years old. previously I had a long hour, high stress job. Finances made it possible to retire at 53 years old. I jumped at the oppurtunity I contracted part time with the company for a year. Training their new hires. then I was out. Don't regret it for a minute. I have fished more this last 2 years, than I have in the previous 20 years. Kansas city has plenty of things for the wife and I to do when I am not fishing. spent most of my life in a factory. Don't plan on ever going back.

Windy and cold seemed like the perfect time to go after a huge coal burner bass. the stack was smoking and anticipation was high. Making the last 5 miles seem like an eternity. say what you will about burning coal to produce electricity. to an eastern Kansas bass fisherman, this is a vision of beauty. Water was warmer than I expected. Still hovering around 59 degrees on the cold side of the lake. Morning started off decent with a light west wind. caught several smaller fish topped off with this 3 pounder on a swimbait. not the trophy I was after, but better than getting skunked. Late morning a strong cold wind started blowing from the north and I did not get another bite. although the big fish did not bite, it was a good morning of fishing. Maybe the trophy will come next time.

You may be rushing the winter season a bit. I’m sure your water temps didn’t drop too far yet. Keep fishing around weeds that are still green as long as they are around. The bass will probably not go very deep until the water gets much colder than it is right now.

I retired from a military career in 2007 at 47 years old. Seems young to some but there was quite a bit packed in to that time. I love reading the interesting and insightful perspective of both those about to and those who have "retired". As each person's situation surrounding this life event is different, mine was also somewhat complicated by my wife's health (she was medically separated from the service the same year as me at age 35 and can no longer work.) 11 years later, here's my perspective on the whole deal. First off, I hate the word / term "RETIREMENT" - I'm not retired from anything until I take my last breath. I still have a life to lead. My job, my career, although I poured my heart & soul into it and loved every minute of it (as so many do with whatever their occupation may be) It never was who I am - it's what I did. The Honor, Respect and Devotion to duty I lived in the US Coast Guard was with me when I enlisted in 1979, came with me when I separated in 28 years later and is still with me today. Always will be. It's served me well and I expect it will continue to do so. I always smile when folks who are currently employed by someone else, find out I can work but don't, and ask "what do you do all day ?" - My response reflects on the fact that for almost 30 years I served my Country and the communities (insert total strangers) I lived in well, while at the same time doing my very best to raise & take care of my family. Now - I have the distinct honor & pleasure of offering ALL my attention & Efforts to those who mean the most to me. When was that not enough ? Best part may be that my previous experience has left me with "a very particular set of skills. Skills that I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare" for the average day. I like that. That's my story and I'm stick'in to it. A-Jay

Ol' Buckethead ~ A-Jay

@Bluebasser86 and I hit the two Pleasanton lakes yesterday. The east lake was pretty good to us for numbers. We had at least 20 on a variety of baits including wobblers, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, rodents, a senko, and I think Clayton had one on a trap. No size, so we packed it up and went to the smaller west lake. The water was green and nasty looking but we gave it a go. Did a quick lap where I was skunked. Shocker...the global moderator was not skunked and stuck a nice one on a jig off a catfish feeder.

My PB smallie is definitely a state record. In fact she's 18 state records. Unfortunately just not in the state I caught her in . . . A-Jay

Couldn't pass up 25% off and no sales tax...

Being a month away from my 39th birthday, and self employed, I know I’m not retiring any time soon. But I will say, as the fourth generation in my family to work in this business ( stonemason), I do enjoy my work ( most days anyway). I’ve actually worked on some properties where my dad, grandfather, and great grandfather have all worked, something that not a lot of people can say. My dad ran his own business until he was 62, then retired after some back and heart issues. He’s been very active, healthy and happy ever since and no plans to slow down with his enjoyment of retiring. He didn’t have much in the way of retirement savings but he and my mom are doing well and happy as ever. I don't plan to work until I can’t physically do it any more, so I’ve been saving and investing some for a while now. My wife has a decent job with our school board and will have a pretty good pension at a fairly early age so I’d like to “shut er down” around the same time as her, so we can enjoy some good years as a healthy ( hopefully), couple. I’d say to anyone, no matter what your age is to start saving. It’s not too late to start saving. Every little bit helps, and it all adds up. If you’ve worked hard most of your adult life, you should deserve to enjoy some good years later without having to sacrifice how you live.

Pond fishing is going to be different from lake fishing which will be different from river fishing. Deep is a relative term. Find the forage. The fish will be near.

I retired from the Army last February. I guess I'm not actually retired because I have a new, full-time job, and I own a small business on the side. But I can tell you that after spending nearly my entire adult life traveling, training, and deploying, civilian life can seem pretty dull. Do I miss it? Not exactly. I do miss the soldiers, and I miss the adventure, but I absolutely do not miss certain aspects of Army life at all. My moment of clarity came when my son, who was 11 years old at the time, mentioned how I'm never home for his birthday. I thought long and hard about it, but I honestly couldn't remember any of his birthdays after he turned two. I had either been in the field or deployed for every single birthday since.

My situation is not much different than jbmaine. 2 years ago, when I was 61, I was on the first day of my vacation. I was unloading some fishing gear from my truck when I had a sharp pain go down my back into my leg. A few weeks later, I was in surgery for a ruptured disc in my back. I never went back to my job as a commercial food equipment service technician. I'm on social security disability now. I miss almost nothing about the job I did for 36 years. Beginning when I was about 12, I started earning my own money first as a paperboy, and a caddy, then at McDonald's, and retail stores before I got into becoming a service technician. For nearly 50 years, someone else controlled my life telling me where I had to be every day, following their rules. In the last several years, corporate demands were putting more and more pressure on me to do more and more was wearing me out. I have never been as happy in my life as I have been since I retired. Even though I have some physical limitations these days, I have enough money to get by just fine and I'm enjoying everyday. I wish I could have retired years ago.

I'll let you know after June. I have been with the same Federal Agency for 34 years, have been prudent about stocking the retirement accounts and have a few outside investments. I just had my Financial Planner (personal friend as well) fly in and stay with me for 3 days going over my retirement options with my wife and I. The outcome was surprising to say the least. I will make more in retirement than I did while working and that is a welcome relief. We set up a plan early on and I just continued with it throughout my career and not stressing over it. As far as missing my job......let's just say I won't. I chose a career that puts me in highly stressful and sometimes dangerous positions and has moved me around the country a few times. From Omaha, Nebraska, to Kansas City Missouri, to Boston, Massachusetts, then finally to Washing DC area. From DC, I also got sent back to KC for a year and to Florida for 2 years on temporary details all the while my wife and daughter stayed behind. I have accomplished everything I set out to do and the final personal plateau was to leave a legacy in my agency and I have done that. My name is enshrined on a plaque that recognizes only the highest level of achievement. To me that was more important than the pay. I'm very ready to move on to the next phase and will retire in late June or early July at the ripe old age of 62 and with the funds and health to enjoy many more years of fun travel and fishing adventures. I have been offered a position through the Department of the Treasury to do some world wide travel as a consultant but I have not made a decision on that as of yet. I plan on working for some of my sponsors in the fishing industry more since my schedule will be wide open. I am in a very happy place right now and I only expect it to get better.

The weather changed for the better and I didn't want to be stuck inside so I meandered over to the local trout stream. With all the rain we got there are so few calm pools to fish but I found 2 nice brookies to take the Thomas spinners.

Geez, didn't you guys mommas ever tell you if you can't say nothing nice, don't say nothing at all? Guy caught a nice fish he's excited about, not one he's submitting for a record of some sort. LOCKDOWN!!

There are no active Ohio anglers on here, so you're getting my report in this thread. Picked up a healthy 2.5 lb'er on a black/blue chatter bait yesterday. Caught a smaller one as well, probably only a pound or so. Water temps were 56. Here's a pic of the bigger bass. Also! I picked up some weird lowrance activity. Are those bait fish in the second pic? I tried fishing the area, but got no bites. Thoughts appreciated.

So I know night fishing is usually a summertime thing but due to my schedule if I want to consistently get out fishing most of the time it is from 8pm-11pm. I am mostly from shore at these times and most of the places I fish the only access is a town beach with the rest of the 50-200 acre pond being wooded to the shoreline or residential houses. These are mostly kettle ponds with not much structure with water clarity being clear and the water temps are around 51F right now. I have waders and usually wade the shore a bit. Now I have had pretty much no luck doing this. I have only caught one fish since June and that was on a kayak. Other then that I have not even gotten a bite. Is this just the time that I am choosing to fish or is there something I should be throwing? I have thrown lipless cranks, various texas rigged baits, ned rig, jigs, whopper ploppers. I am just not sure what I am doing wrong(pretty sure it is me). I feel like I am focusing on the drop offs I know are there that I can get from shore. I think overall I am focusing deep a lot due to the first 10-20 feet of the shoreline being maybe a foot deep. Should I just walk the shore and pound the banks? I am at a loss but I would love to end this bad run. I should probably mention I am getting back into fishing after about 20 years. Thank you in advance.

Your access is along the south shore sandy areas and "look" OK from the limited contour map. Sand tells me there isn't a lot of rooted aquatic plant growth along the south shore. Is the inlet at the northwest end? 1. The rounded point to the bottom left yellow highlite indicates R for broken rock and between the north and south shore is a narrows dropping into deeper water that is closest to the souhth shore at the second highlite area. You haven't had any luck along this area? Can you get to where the rock and sand transition near the rounded point? 2. The small point across from rounded point on the north shore near the (outlet?) creek you apparently need your kayak to fish, this area looks like it may be OK. 3. Your lure choices are good and you can fish top, middle and bottom effectively. 4. Dusk to dark transition time period can be slow about 1 hour after it's dark, but the hour of sundown should be good. Your timing is OK. Are you sure this pond/small lake has a good bass population? 5. I like to fan cast making close to 180 degree pattern as possible when fishing from shore. No way to know what depth the bass are active in without trying shallow to deep and deep to shallow; i.e. fan cast. I also prefer using a Texas rigged "brass n glass" rig plastic worm a high percentage of the time. Berkley's Power Worm in 7 1/2" and 10" is very effective night worm for me, lots of choices. 6. Listen to Catt! Tom

You should place closer to attention. It's no secret that Lake Menderchuck spits out quality smallmouth year after year. If you google the name, google gives the exact coordinates as being located somewhere between here and there.

I've been doing this on and off for over 40yrs. I call it C-riggging a crank. It's a great way to present shallow diving cranks down deep which is something the fish rarely see. If I'm lucky enough to find open water in Jan. or Feb. I'll use a crappie sized crank or a #7 Rapala and just crawl it along with plenty of pauses.

It was sheer peer pressure I tell ya ~ The people want to know. A-Jay

I tried a jerkbait for the first time today didnt catch any bass with it but managed a couple recently stocked trout. Also got a perch with a 3" keitech paddle tail.

Amish Uber. Strongsville Ohio.

Yep. But Tom, Dr. Jones gave me his secret formula. As for what scents work best, here is the list from page 57 of his book: BASS RESPONSE TO COMMON FLAVORS Worm Extract 100% Sugar 3% Garlic 2% Anise 1% Salt 3% Prey Salt Mix 3% One of my past best bass friends, who passed away, had a secret mixture of anise and Canola oil that he soaked his plastics in the day before he went fishing. He swore by this formula and he was one heck of a fisherman and guide. Really miss him. Now, to Dr. Jones' publication. On pages 72 he publishes his study on the effects of adding scent to crankbaits and by far the cranks with scent had more strikes and they have a longer retention in the bass' mouths. Page 74 notes the scent effects on soft bait retention. Here is what he writes: "Bass are not always the aggressive feeders they are made out to be. Attacks on slow moving soft plastics often come in a series of short pecks with quick release times. As revealed in the probability distributions, less than 20 percent of the strikes on plain, unscented worms result in a bass holding the worm longer than eight seconds. Only 30 percent of the strikes lasted longer than four seconds and fully half ended in less than a second and a half. Adding an attractive scent to the soft plastic does not fully reverse this trend, as some bass continued to only peck at the worm regardless of the scent. However, scent does increase the probability that the bass will hang on longer. More than half the strikes on a scented worm, for instance, were held for close to six seconds. (From Berkley Fish Research data bank; printed with permission from Pure Fishing)" Interesting, to say the least. Looks like that on average when we get a bite on a scented worm we have a maximum of no more than six seconds to set the hook. This is why we watch the line and keep a finger on the line coming off the reel. Dr. Jones' book is out of print and copies are very expensive. So if you score a copy get one and sit back for a lot of fantastic information based on Dr. Jones and Pure Fishing's studies. And once again, it boils down to confidence. If you have confidence in a specific scent, go for it.

It’s funny your experience I have an avid x spinning rod and my dad fishes an avid x casting rod and boy can he ever bomb a lure with that combo! Medium heavy casting rod little tip heavy but light overall weight and plenty of power. If you don’t like the micro’s I’m going have to suggest the avid as well as it’s in the price range, same quality without micro guides and full grip. personally I’m a loomis guy so I’d look at the imx pro, love the way these things fish! Don’t even mind the 2 different e6x’s I’ve fished. Have 1 dobyns too, Sierra series but very impressed with it as well!

Jim, I plan to be carried out feet first. I love what I do, although it can be challenging and stressful at times. I had my right knee replaced and had to stay home for six weeks. Drove myself, and my wife, crazy. If I don't have a challenge I get depressed and moody. So I need to continue to work as an independent and impartial insurance consultant and continue to try to screw the insurance companies before they screw my clients. Like today. I found a possible answer to a serious problem one of my clients has regarding their December 1st group health renewal. Why the agent failed to obtain the same information and solution as I did is a mystery to me. But it looks like the company can continue offering group health benefits into 2019. It is things like this that make me feel that I am still making a positive difference for my clients. And I have the time to go fishing during the week, too.

I'm retired law enforcement. I don't miss it even a little bit. I miss my guys and gals, but I do not miss the work or the sacrifice. I'm down to one blood pressure pill and one stomach pill per day.

Thank you, I've thought about it. I left work rather suddenly and felt bad I left them in the lurch. Not to toot my own horn, but I was the " go to" guy on several jobs we did. I got a couple of phone calls from guys at work basically calling to say " I got assigned to do this job you always did, I've been playing around with it for a couple of days and I'm stumped. HOW THE HECK DID YOU DO THIS!". I spent several hours on the phone walking them thru it, but I offered to come in for a few hours to help them get going. However, as I was on disability, I was told my presence would be a liability for the company. I've sold some of my tools to a gentleman who runs a community hobby machine shop. He has asked me to come teach a couple of classes. Travel time is an issue for me but I'm thinking about it.

A-Jay, Thank you for your service. It's nice to see you putting your search and rescue experience to good use, searching for and rescuing all these giant bass you keep showing us.?

I'll chime in on this one since, as I mentioned before, I'm not actually 100% retired. I'm 44 years old, and I'm drawing a pension from the Army. I also receive VA Disability Compensation (90%). I'm currently working as a State employee. I most likely won't work long enough to receive full retirement benefits from the State, but I will receive a partial retirement. My wife, on the other hand, has been a State employee for many years, and she will receive full retirement. Also, between Tricare for Retirees, the VA Hospital, and the Indian Hospital nearby (I'm a tribal member of the Cherokee Nation), health insurance is not a major concern for me. Army Pension + VA Disability + Partial State Pension + Wife's Full State Pension = Easy retirement.

Like Scott F I also retired from working on commercial food service equipment and freezers and coolers. My retirement started at the beginning of 2015 and I was 63. My knees were so bad I couldn't keep doing this. I miss some of the people I worked with and I have been back to see them and gone to the thanksgiving and Christmas dinners they had. I don't miss the stupidity of management and some of the decisions they made. I try to go fishing once a week during warm weather periods but the weather has really killed that this year.

I'm gonna try to remember to reply to this thread in 1291 days.....make that 1292, I'm going fishing on my first day of retirement.

I am still a decade or less from retiring, but I can clearly see that I am in the same boat (pun intended) as Scott F. I own my own business and don't dislike what I do, but would prefer a much slower pace. I am handy as far as most projects around the house and don't mind doing them if I can take my time. Additionally, my oldest son just got married in August and will be having a child in May, so it is easy to see my future retirement time being divvied up between fishing, doing small projects and being a grandparent (in addition to the social interaction with friends & family).

If we enjoyed what we did, I don't think any of us runs out the door screaming and hollering, give a salute, and never think about it again. We each have our reasons... For me I was at my 6yr old grandsons first little league game when my son lived in Texas. We live in Florida and when I found out when it was I told my wife we're gonna drive the 17hrs for his game. After the game was over, he came running over to me with a huge smile, his bat over his shoulders and said "Papa, you gonna be at my next game?" (which was the following weekend) I said..." No partner, Papa has to go back to work, but we'll practice everyday in your yard before we have to go" His expression completely change, he put his head down, didn't say a word, turned around and walked away. At that moment I had what they call a moment of clarity!...I knew it. I told Mrs Mike in the car, "That's it...I'm done" That was 4 years ago. Do I miss it? Sometimes, but I miss the people more than anything. When you find yourself at 5:00 in morning leaning against the kitchen sink with a cup of cold coffee in your hand saying to youself..."Ok, now what are you gonna do" it hits home a little.. And when the people I spoke to everyday for 33yrs, most of whom I hired and all of sudden don't call anymore because there is someone else taking my place..It kinda sets you back. Anyway, 6 months later we bought a motor home and been traveling and living full time in it ever since. And will continue to do so until the money runs out anyway!! So...Yes, I missed it, still do to some degree.. I was even lost for a while, but now I wish I would have done it 10 yrs ago. Mike

Boy, was this timely. I retired about sixteen months ago. I'll be 65 in December. I finished 25 years as a police officer/shift sergeant (my second career). I miss the people I worked along side with. I can relate, in that I have a quarter century of L/E experience and it now sits dormant. It seems like a waste. I had offers to become a trainer and an independent consultant but that required more travel than I was willing to endure. The most blaring aspect of retirement is the amount of time I have with my wife. She, nor I were used to being with each other that much. I don't miss the shift work and the shift system I worked was brutal. I don't miss the interactions with the negativeness of the people. I do miss those rare opportunities to impact a person and maybe save their lives or futures and bring some closure to problems. I think I planned well and finances are are not an issue. We live a simple life. Family is everything. I have discovered the simple pleasure of reading. I'm a huge history buff but never had the time to read. I've read 34 books in the last 12 months and love my reading time. Gym time is also a priority. I want to remain healthy and enjoy my retirement. It's taken me a year to figure things out, deal with the financial aspect of retirement and learn to relax. I was diagnosed with PTSD a few years ago, one of the reasons I did retire. It's real. Trust me, it's real. Fishing and interaction with others is therapeutic for me. Now if I can stop looking at every license plate tab to see if it's expired, the rest will be gravy. Doug

St Croix Avid. Same rod, full handle, normal size guides.

This is a method used by 13yr old boys using; a Victoria Secret catalog, old sock, and some hand lotion.

All too often I find myself walking back from the mailbox shaking my head and muttering, "What was i thinking?!?"

A-Jay

Hes 15 months now, I doubt I will be out this year, but hopefully will be ready for turkey hunting with my bow this spring. Heres the two bigger ones. 172 ish and 164ish if I remember correctly. Also I attatched a pic of my first turkey also taken with a bow at around 11 yards.

The last deer I harvested before my son was born and hunting was put on the back burner. I shot him at 45 yards in a clover patch, with my bow. He made a scrape at 15 yards and didnt turn broadside until 45 yards out. Perfect heart shot. Of course he ran straight down hill 60 yards. Tough drag back up the spoil bank. He scored 146 2/8 inches. The third biggest buck taken off my grandpas property so far. He is mounted above my tv, staring me in the face as I type this lol

Awesome technique and I never go out without a Yamamoto DShad rigged up. It can be fished in soooooo many different ways. I don't need to weight it since the DShad is more dense than most of the others. Just takes a little patience to let it get deep. I have dragged it on the bottom of Lake St Clair like a tube, twitched it on top of the weedbeds on the Potomac and worked it in all of the water column on lakes. Proven Producer. I rig the DShad weightless on a Gamakatsu 4.0 EWG hook.

One of just a few available for purchase so far, a Shine Glide 230. Next to it's beat up little brother.

Decided to try out the 6th Sense Super 6 box. I subscribed to the version where they claim they hand pick baits based on your fishing style and region according to a from you fill out. The first one came yesterday and I wasn’t disappointed. Crush 50x Squarebill Crush 100x Squarebill Curve 55 Swimbait heads Swimbaits Divine Hybrid jig Cloud 9 C20 Bobber stops Sticker Cool little bag 10% off discount code

Would you be willing to adopt a son? ?

4lb 7oz 9" Slammer 10-19-18