J Francho

Congrats on the sale!

He's way older than me and I'm better looking.

Head over my way, it's 78 and sunny with a breeze.

I was on an 80' fishing boat once in some lumpy seas off the Maryland coast. It was the only time I got sea sick. I asked one of the mates how big the waves were, and he said they weren't too bad - maybe 15'. In a 20 footer? That's a NOPE.

There's a lot of things I love to do that I would not want to depend on for income.

What he caught it on isn't the interesting part to me. The fact that he was on big fish two days in a row does. Nice job grinding out a good spot.

Nope, just a 20 minute pop up cell. They happen all the time. That's why if you have a dock up here, you have to offer safe haven to tie up and ride out the storm. I could have been two bays away from my trailer, and getting back to it not possible. Luckily that wasn't the case. I'm seriously starting to take a look at a dual setup, though the expense is gigantic. I'm also interested in the joystick piloting you get with a dual rig, even though it's $11k system. Like you said, safety and reliability are a must. If I get some convenience in there, bonus.

Five minutes later, sun will be shining and fish biting. This was one of those pop up cells on Lake Ontario. We made it back about five minutes before the rain came. I ran through the outlet channel back in to the bay at around 70 mph, lol. Watched this thing, and dang you have skills on that hand throttle. I have always had a hot foot and blinker trim on my boats so I could keep both hands on the wheel. Something I'll have to get used to in my next boat is living without the hot foot and using the binnacle. Nice work there.

I am a long time snap user. Round, oval, egg shape - it doesn't matter. I cut them all off my molded baits with linesman pliers. I have no use for them, so I'm not fiddling with split ring pliers (see my thoughts on these, lol) and saving the rings. I then put snaps on the bait. More than 2/3 of my baits already have the snaps on them. This gets me out of the habit of not retying frequently. A note on snap-swivels: these were NEVER intended for attaching any terminal rig or bait to your line. They are for being able to change out weights on trolling rigs, but have been appropriated by anglers looking for a shortcut. Normally you'd slide the swivel to the main line, above a swivel and leader and attach a sinker to the snap. Changing depth was a simple matter of swapping out the sinker without having to retie. No application for bass fishing here. If you have a bait that naturally twists like an inline spinner or spoon, attach a swivel to the lure's split ring, and then tie on a snap or tie direct to the swivel. Like this:

PA14 all the way.

Looks like a nice day on the lake, just gotta trim it up a bit. Pretty typical scene in these parts.

Just like college isn't for everyone, neither are trades. I didn't go to college, but I work in an industry that mostly did. I think the key is to find something you are good at that you'll actually not hate day in and day out. It's cute when someone says "find your passion" but in reality, we still gotta pay bills. What ever you do, do it well and try to learn how to do it better.

the Lowe's by me is lesser of two evils. Home Depot is actually closer, but it's in that COVID hot bed. I'd rather go during off hours somewhere safer. home inspectors up here are out of a job. If you ask for an inspection as part of the sale, your offer is immediately rejected. You get a 30 minute in person viewing and then any other due diligence is online or asking neighbors.

Wooden Sammy

I've been getting all sorts tools from Wiha, Milescraft, Kreg, etc. without any issue from Amazon sellers. There's one on the other side of town. I'm sure they have a good one, but I don't need to go out and buy it. We're in a COVID-19 hot zone right now, so ordering is a better option.

A picture is worth 10,000 words. No idea what your describing, and it could a number of things.

Welp, no dice at Lowe's. Amazing. They had a small aluminum square for like $6. Looked like garbage. I'll try that one I found on Amazon.

I did look at that Irwin model as well. I guess it's really just down to the contrast and preference at a certain point. Thanks gents! I'm going to Lowe's today for closet stuff, so I might slip one in the cart, lol.

I have a couple speed squares but not a good framing square. I've wanted one and will probably need one for a few of the projects I have planned. Any recommendations? This one looked decent: POWERTEC 80008 Steel Framing Square with Rafter Tables | 16-Inch by 24-Inch L Shaped Tool - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N2P89D1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_RNPNYP3JWBJ8A8C0AASN

Just get a Popmax and be done.

It's a funny thing. I've only ever fished the Larry like three times. Every single time the Chaumont (SHAH-moh) bay calls, so we run there and I have the time of my life. It's a bay, not a river. The Niagara should get special mention. It's also a special place.

St. Larry

What should I use to bait a trap for cranks? ? Kidding! Congrats on the nice catches.

Unless you're in some emergency situation, get a marine battery for your boat. They're different in numerous ways, and last much longer than your car battery. In a pinch, I've borrowed the battery from the truck to get through a tournament when I had a bad cranking battery. I think I probably only started the boat three times that day.

I've had them swim right around me while wade fishing for brown trout in spring. Freaks me out.