NYWayfarer

I would love to catch one. They fight like demons!

Just wanted to update everyone. My wife took a temporary job at a local hospital processing payroll a couple of months ago. They liked her work ethic so much they offered her a permanent position. She has been very happy working there and comes home migraine free unlike the days she worked at her former job. As I predicted the salary is lower than her former job however it's not as bad as I was imagining. We joke that the difference in salary is the cost for her migraine "treatment."

My Bank fishing trips are usually 2-4 hours. A typical fishing day will have me up at 5am for coffee and a light breakfast. A short 10 minute drive to get on the banks at 7am. Hike and fish then on my way home at 11am. I freshen up when I get home and have lunch at 12am

The only label fishing equipment needs is, "May cause old men to fish like they are kids."

Wet leaves are slippery! Be careful out there bank fishing guys. I slipped on some wet leaves this weekend. Went down to one knee and put out my hands to break my fall... Trouble is I had a rod and reel combo in each hand. They took the brunt on my fall and the most damage. Road rash on one of the reels and scuffed up the paint job on my rods. Only damage I took was a jammed pinkie finger. In my crazy head I would have rather scuffed my hands then my combos because my hands will heal.

I carry baits to cover the water column. Top water, plopper and popper. Middle, crankbaits and squarebills. Bottom, jigs and ned. Weightless Senko is so effective because it covers all the columns. Throw it in and let it sink slowly it falls right to the spot the fish are. Sometimes they strike just as it hits the water.

I like them because they work. Sometimes, like today when nothing else will. Started out out the day with topwater, switched to a swimbait, switched to a crankbait, nothing. Tied on a wacky rig BPS Stick O and Bam! 2 and a half pound Smallmouth killed it.

Thin bail wire vs thick bail wire. The difference between the reel that doesn’t have the issue and the ones that do in your pictures is the size of the bail wire. I am no scientist but the thin bail wire seems to be much more forgiving when using lighter lures and line tension on the retrieve, thus less of the corn cob effect. My Lew’s Mach 2 and Crush spinning reels do not have the issue when casting lighter lures. They both have a thin bail wire. My more expensive Lew’s Custom Pro does have that issue when casting lures 1/8 oz or lower and it has the thick bail wire. Coincidence?

“The behavioral assays also indicated that blueis indistinguishable from black.” That’s pretty much what the In-Fisherman article said. Now that I went back and read it again they were writing about the article @Dirtyeggroll referenced.

That must be the problem. I don’t have that option in that box. All it says in that box is insert other media.

Charter member of the tech idiot club here as well. What is this "upload" you guys are talking about? Where are you uploading pics to be able to post them here? When I am posting here I have no way of adding a photo except "Insert exsisting attachment" You can only have so many photos in your albums here. It's been frustrating and to say the least to figure out how to post photos again. I would love a sticky thread on here with a walkthrough on how to post a picture.

An article in the latest In-Fisherman was about Bass vision studies. They concluded that Bass see blue similar to black... Don't kill the messenger.

Dicks Sporting Goods has a flash sale today on certain Live Target baits. Buy 1, get 2 free today only.

Don't forget to pre-chill the cooler the night before using it. I generally throw some loose ice in overnight to get the inside nice and cold. I dump that ice out in the morning, and add blocks of ice for my trip.

Another vote for the Powell. I have a Powell Max and I love it. Have used and abused it for 2 years and it is still going strong.

Same thing happened on my Tournament MB. I lost the logo and I am OCD when it comes to my reels appearance so I called Lew's customer service. The sent me one in the mail and I super glued it on. I put a drop of superglue on the logo of all my Lew's baitcasters now and none of them have popped off since.

Lew's and Carhartt, pretty much what I carry and wear every fishing trip!

Favorite rods are eye catching for sure, The quality is not there however. The screw down part of the reel seat of my Balance rod came apart. The cork and EVA foam on that part of the reel is just a covering. It's actually glued on to a plastic base. I glued it back with some Loctite but seeing how flimsy it is left a bad taste in my mouth. As far as the Megajaws goes, it's got a lot of nice features for the price point (Clickable tension knob, lube port, etc) It goes on sale from time to time for under $50 and that's the ideal price point to compete with the Black Max type reels.

Lake Fork Guy, Justin Rackley sniffs his fish before release. i for one am not a fan of the smell. Hate how it smells on my hands and reel and rod handles. I clean them with Dawn after every trip. Catfish, Fallfish and Carp are even worse. I always carry anti-bacterial hand wipes to clean up before my ride home.

Walmart brand Ozark Trail soft side coolers work real well and are economical. The larger sizes run $30-40 and hold ice for 2 days if not constantly opening.

I have a Buck multi-tool (pliers, scissors, screwdrivers and full sized knife) I use from time to time. Everything about it is quality except the pliers. They are not strong enough IMO. Most outings all I need are pliers with built in line cutters.

A reel in that price range can last quite a while if properly handled and maintained. Handling is important as some people are rough on their reels. I take care to place my rod and reel down carefully if at all possible when I am unhooking a fish, changing a lure, etc. If you throw your rod down on the ground, rocks, gravel, etc. you can expect the reel isn't going to last as long. Maintain your reels by cleaning, oiling and greasing them. Replace worn out parts if those parts are available. We live in a disposable society. I have seen a friend throw out a reel because the thumb bar cracked. Didn't even think of replacing it. The reel was damaged not broken beyond repair.

Berkley half head jigs are hard to beat. They are reasonably priced and the quality is great.

I used the Cajun red years ago. The new Smooth Cast and Anti-abrasion lines seem to be new. My wife grabbed a couple of spools of 6# Gator green and 4# Clear blue bayou at Ollie's for me at $3 a spool. I liked them so much I went back and bought a few more spools for my creek and Trout fishing.