J Francho

Keep our eyes peeled to the Flea Market. Jerkbait lots come up for sale regularly. I've picked up some nice baits in mixed lots that I might not otherwise be tempted to buy retail.

Unless it's really cold, there's year round fishing for trout in all the Great Lakes tribs.

We don't kiss and tell, or discuss this stuff on the boards.

Putting a fish on a bump board is rougher on a fish than weighing. Neither is too time consuming, and not usually fatal. I only put fish on a bump board if it's required in an online tournament.

Unless you drop them or weigh them without using a grip, you aren't going to hurt a bass hanging it vertically. Bigger Esox spp., yes, you can kill them doing so.

I'm using a SC LTBC70MF for stuff not quite 3/4. The SCIV might be a bit more powerful than my Avids (SCIII). I didn't want to get into brands, but since we're already speaking SC, it makes sense to.

Why are spinning reels part of the discussion, and why is everyone waving their junk around? This is the question.

I don't want to get political here, and being part of one of the immune system compromised groups, I totally get the precautions. I think the "due to restrictions" line is being used as a cop out to avoid difficult situations, when human decency should prevail. I'm not talking about haircuts or getting to the gym. Your story is heartbreaking, and only becomes more so as more details come out. I think you did a good thing pushing at the DoH for answers. Your stepmother probably knows that some lawyers are often bottom feeders, and muddy the water when they get riled up, and I get her reluctance. I hope you get some accountability or at least a reasonable explanation, down the road. I'm very sorry for what you're going through.

That’s cool, and nice work!

I’ve done well on Ochos. They work. There’s a shimmer to them on the fall that is unique if you use a color with some reflective flake.

Using a photo to measure a fish is like using a typewriter to take a picture. Weigh your fish with a scale. Tell your story with words. Share that memory in a picture.

I combine traps and square bills on the same rod. Look for a mod fast or fast, but in a true medium power. Just fast enough to react to weed tops and wood, but still have some flex for good bouncing and deflection.

Thankfully, there’s many more friendly members than the few deleted spam posts.

I see the pinnacle logo. I thought it was this:

That is a Daiwa Fuego. Platform is close to the vaunted TD-Z. It has a magnesium frame. I prefer the Alphas platform myself, but the Fuego is a good reel.

It's a never ending battle that gets worse as the weather gets colder, for some reason.

Every year or three, someone runs into these piers, in 2008 with deadly results. They are a half mile long, and really well lit at night. I can see it from almost ten miles away, on shore. You think those drivers would notice your slick LED lights on your plastic boat? https://www.mpnnow.com/x518450586/Driver-charged-with-boating-under-the-influence-in-fatal-Summerville-crash The driver got 12 years in prison, but three are dead forever. People have hit the pier three times since, in my recollection.

These are mechanically propelled, and the rules for lights are linked above. Personal opinion warning: I've been out at night, in a kayak, on a lake where motorboats can operate. My advice here? Don't. Just don't. If you think that any boater operating a vessel at night has the slightest clue, let alone any vestige of sobriety or ability, then you are most likely delusional. Seriously. Find a pond, or some other limited/restricted HP lake to fish at night, or get a boat.

If a vessel isn't using some sort of mechanical propulsion, it should not have nav lights. A single anchor light is sufficient.

Here's what the USCG says about vanity lighting: https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO Documents/5p/CG-5PC/INV/Alerts/1015.pdf This guide can not only tell you relative size, but also what that vessel might be doing, based on the lighting scheme: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/navrules/cg_nrhb_20151231.pdf Maybe I'm being too sensitive about this, but where I boat at night, I could encounter a 24' cruiser, a boat anchored with divers in the water, a 30' sailboat, a tanker longer than a football field, or a large barge being pushed by a tug. All of them have different lights. Obviously, fishing some small lake or pond might be completely different. The easiest would be self contained battery powered nav lights. They aren't too expensive, and most boating places like West Marine have them. Is that a turtle on the bow of your boat?

I use a deployment arm on my Hobie for SI:

I wish all the misguided folks adding nav lights to their unpowered kayaks would at least read the regs. I'm in a boat, and I only see nav lights, I'm might assume you are a much larger vessel. I think repurposing the rub rail for navigation markers is about neato as lighting up the road underneath you car - looks nice in pictures. Also, show me red when you're coming at me at night so I know you see me.

Nice work!

Just seeing this. Glad you are all safe.

I've totally simplified the process by leaving the baits in the box, and fishing something else. The serious answer, yes I think it's way overblown for an idea to reuse broken senkos. Bottom line, many have put together a plan that works for them, and this is made from time fishing the bait. What you come up with probably has more to do with where, when, and how you fish. It's a really easy finesse method to get into, and for that I think it's cool. It's way less complicated than other popular methods, like drop shot. The baits are fairly economical, too.