Darren.

No tears from me. 20 years of torture under Tom Brady gonna take infinity to heal or to feel any sort of anything for that team. Go Bills! I would like the anger emoji as an option for anything related to the chiefs. High ankle sprain? Yeah right.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard, Mike! 👋Merry Christmas!

Can't offer a recommendation as I've never looked for a setup like that. But I can comment on cutting the shaft. It really isn't a huge deal, just need to be careful. There are YouTube channels that discuss, one is from Aksmaniyak. He does a *lot* of modding. I believe I used a piece of metal that I used to protect the wires, just moved it around the inside as I cut. Some I've seen use a smaller diameter tube (copper or metal) that they use to *shield the wires. Edit: *they slide the tube inside the shaft

Fished out of an old aluminum Grumman in the 90s and early 2ks. Put lobster pot boueys on it for a more stable experience. Sold it and changed to a hybrid kayak/canoe now, the Native Ultimate 12, rigged with for controlled steering for a 30lb thrust Minn Kota, and is more stable than the canoe, not to mention lighter. Best of both worlds, IMO.

Excessive is in the eye of the beholder. For me, two power poles on a yak is excessive. That said, give me a motor on a yak every day of the week! 😁 Absolutely love my motorized yak setup.

Beside my Dad's brand new ultralight I lost over the side, I've lost a net. And while technically not over the side, I did lose my 8' Anchor Pin while driving home from a trip. Was on rte 58 between Emporia and Norfolk. That one still hurts. No idea where, we never heard it "fall". I miss it every time I am out fishing and need to shallow-anchor. EDIT: And one of my son's sunglasses that I had borrowed.

I just have to say that this is an amazing forum. Best resource for bass fishing on the internet. Period. Mic drop.

Dude. That just sucks big time. But way to capitalize on the slogan, LOL!! Question I have is did you get the stinger out?

LET'S GO BUFFALO!!!!

I haven't been in a Cabelas for years, last one was in AZ on a trip for a family wedding. Was a great trip and a sweet Cabelas. That said, I always saw them as a northern states shop. I just never got much into them, but when BPS bought them I was rather sad. IMHO, BPS has gone steadily downhill over the past 10 years. The Spring Classic deals early on were fantastic, no longer. Employees (at least at the Hampton, VA) BPS were knowledgeable, and fishermen on their own right. Not that they aren't now, but times have changed. BPS is another Brick and Mortar retailer. As others have mentioned, the rise of online retailers has greatly changed the playing field. The local BPS/Cabelas just doesn't carry enough stuff, so online I go! We do shop local for things, too, we like to keep locals in business, as well.

Welcome aboard! Good suggestions above for replacements. I'm a huge fan of the CI4+, mine is a 1000 size and is my fav reel at the moment. Vanford is the replacement, as mentioned. I'd stick with Shimano, probably a Vanford, or as @WRB suggested, the Twin Power. Have a look at some of the Japanese sites for some JDM reels. They're not commonly sold here in the states.

Issues I have encountered - on one of my Stradic FI 1000s is some grinding in the mechanism. I did a thorough clean and it still "stuck" when flipping the bail back. I compared it to another 1000 FI and saw the bail was out of shape. So I squeezed it here and there and it is much better. But I do like Daiwa's air bail system. Clean, solid click when opening, etc. Sadly, my only Daiwa is down for the count as I cannot find any replacement parts for it. I don't have any other issues with the rest of my Stradics and Spirex reels.

Fantastic outing. Well done! Here's to more of the same....

Well that game sucked. McDermott and the Zone D when the Bills should have been playing man. But with injuries and trying to cover the great Nacua and Cupp, ugh. Refs sure missed a huge call at the end that would have forced a 4th down (false start miss that was so obvious Stevie Wonder would have seen it). Next week red hot Detroit and the worst turf in the NFL. Stand by, I'm hearing the Refs have already made sure Patrick gets a W tonight. I mean look, he's got Apple Intelligence and the refs in his pocket. I'll see myself out. Vent over.

Looks sweet!!

Unforgotten. Forever.

Mmmm. Coffee. Black. Like @Glenn's pic, not see-thru. Black. Don't shoot me now, but I actually got into Folgers Classic Roast about 10 years ago when on vacation. My sister brought some and I was shocked at how good it was. Of course, the way I like to brew it gives my wife a stomach ache, so she avoids it. If I make a 12 cup pot, It is usually 8-10 somewhat heaping scoops of my Ninja scooper (one level scoop = 2 cups). But I love me a good triple espresso from a coffee shop.

Agree on at least the wind. As I said in response to @Team9nine, I can't wait to try these in calm parts of the James River. Will have to look at your suggestions.

I've been throwing on ML spinning gear, 10# braid and 6# leader. Can't wait to try them in the James River for smallies when we next visit Lynchburg, VA. Should be nice in the calmer pools with little to no current.

Bought a few of these about a month ago (or so) and tossed 'em in fresh water. Really nice results - bass, crappie, etc. Love these little guys. I put a Ned craw on them and pure awesome. Anyone else try these? Ordered a bunch more on Black Friday....

Dang. My first back throw-out was simply opening the van door, reaching in to start it. Bang. Electric shock and I was on my back for a few days with some Flexeril. Unreal how much it ruins a good day. Splitting wood is for my sons to do.

As a super stickler for wearing a life vest when kayaking... i.e., 100% of the time, I once forgot it after unloading the yak and gear at the dock. This is where the wife comes in. She drove all the way (~6 miles, so not bad) to meet me as I waited. Love her bunches. She didn't have to do that on her day off. Hasn't held it against me for payback, either! In the spirit of the OP, I have been researching more use of pulley systems with my kayak. Always looking for better ways to do things.

Agreed, though before CMC went down they were doing decent at the run game. Ok, first series was good, went down from there. Sad about CMC. Hope he recovers quickly... But GO BILLS!!

Nothing quite like it. Been to at least one snow game back in the early 90s. Nothing like freezing one's tuchus off at Rich Stadium in the nosebleeds where the wind is ripping over the stadium walls.