J Francho

Aside from gas and food, almost nothing. I'll need to restock some hooks this winter, but that's about it.

There are some baits that never wear out their welcome. They are tried and true, and mostly what I throw.

Don't bring 20 technique specific rods on the day of your tournament. Do ask what baits and techniques you will be focused on during the tournament, and pick 5 setups that will get the job done and what you'll be comfortable with. Don't whine if it isn't going the way you imagined. Do have fun.

"Fruit" and "vegetables" are technically two totally different classifications, and food doesn't belong in just one or the other, even though we've become so trained to say something is this or that.

Brussels were hard for me until I figured out to cut them in half and roast or grill some char into them. Now I love them.

I like almost any kind of bean.

Did you know the white part of the bacon is where all the vitamins are?

All recipes should start with onions, celery, and corn.

I also have a great recipe for watermelon. @TnRiver46 those are cherry tomatoes. I have grape tomatoes in my garden. They're more oblong, shaped like a grape. It's fairly self explanatory.

I have a great recipe for cauliflower steaks. Drizzle some EVOO and salt and pepper them. A little chipotle seasoning and throw them in a hot grill. Brown on both sides about 6 mins each. The bring them inside to rest under a foil tent for ten minutes while the broiler preheats. Sprinkle them generously with a mixture of Asiago, basil, oregano, then season with salt and pepper again. Put them on a sheet tray sprayed with Pam. Broil for about 90 seconds. Pull them out, take a good whiff, then dump them in the trash because no one wants that crap.

I'd have it between my knees or somewhere close. Maybe on a lanyard around my neck.

Are you sitting or standing when fishing?

My pancreas doesn't make insulin. Give me a Coke Zero! I kid. I do love a tiny can of it or my other treat: Barrits zero sugar ginger beer. It's Bahama's favorite!

If my blood glucose creeps up above 150, I get that logey feeling too. Whenever I eat, I get a spike, but it's up and then back down quickly. It's the drifting high that gets me. Remember, fat and protein slows the carb breakdown to simple sugar and can help you avoid those spikes. That's why things like avocado toast and yogurt are so popular with healthy eaters. They're slowing down the carbs so that exercise can take up that energy rather just storing it in fat tissue.

Congrats on your weight loss. It isn't easy, especially the last few pounds! Keep up the good work! Sugar is carbs. Cutting carbs is the easiest way to cut calories. Reducing calories and increasing exercise is the formula to weight loss. Cutting sugar is just one part of carbs. Don't get me wrong, sugar is the devil. And it's not a bad idea to reduce your intake, but it's only one component of a bigger picture. As a type 1 diabetic, I'm always limiting carb intake, since it costs me insulin. I don't care for stevia. If I want pound cake, I have a sensible portion and cover those carbs with insulin. I stick good old sugar. The stuff is like crack though.

My SIL worked for MJ, and can confirm: lens mirror has no impact and is purely cosmetic.

@LrgmouthShad not exactly a c-rig crankbait, but I have pegged a bullet weight to get a crank to go deeper than its normal running depth. Look up "jacking a crankbait" as it's pretty similar to what I was doing.

Honestly, and I"M A SPEED FREAK, I can't really see needing more than 150 hp for my purposes. My guess is that the loss of thrust using a jet drive and the need for immediate torque when running extreme shallows is where that comes from. If I didn't have to satisfy anyone else's needs, an 18' mod-v with a center console and a 75-90 hp would be perfect. This would work

Fast forward a couple years, and somehow ended up with a pontoon boat. It's a 40 year old Bass Buggy from Tracker, and hey - it's a center console. I actually like this thing for the family, but still looking for the retirement boat. This just gives me more time to look at more bass boats. It's interesting how my tastes changed. I still really like the previous gen Dauntless. I'm really digging the Sportsman Masters 267. In fact, I'm leaning toward a bigger boat than 25', but under 30'. Blue Wave looked pretty nice too, but it looks like they closed their doors. That's a deal breaker. Still want a little tin boat, so I look for craft that are interesting in that segment too. Rockfish R130 is a sweet little ride that looks like it can go anywhere. Larry Dahlberg just had one built for him. The truck is sold, so what ever I end up with will dictate tow vehicle. Likely a tradesman model HD pickup. I don't need anything fancy. Currently using the Suburban to tow, and while it's great to pack the fam and go, it's slow, heavy, and sucks gas. something a little less giant station wagon would suit me. Anyone else looking at boats?

I'm like a bull in a china shop in my kayaks, lol. Some of my best fish were sight fished from a kayak though. Might be there's a bigger margin of error there.

This is how I do it. ESPECIALLY FOR SPOTS THAT AREN'T ON MY MAP CARD!!!! I think I learned this notion from @Catt more than a decade and half ago. There's stuff you can only find being there, watching the graph and paying attention. It can also be a patch of weeds out in the desert of deep, featureless rocky bottom that is the Great Lakes. There's some reason weeds are growing in a spot - bottom composition, light penetration, nutrient make up - and while their growth can ebb and flow, they'll almost always be there, unlike other softer bottom areas in a more nutrient rich lake. They always hold bait, and always hold fish. I want to know all the boundaries of that patch, even if it's just a couple hundred square feet in the middle of nowhere. Same might go for some sunken wood, a boat or even better barge wreck.

I know of at least one former pro that was on here like that, from the horses mouth.

At least there's some transparency to the shenanigans. 👀

^^^^100%

I think the one I have is an old Berkley. Haven't used it in years though, since I don't use backer anymore.