NYWayfarer

I lost a rod and reel over the side of my kayak last year. Luck was with me and I was able to retrieve it without getting into the water. A few things that worked in my favor: Water was crystal clear It was lost in less than 10' of water The reel was white and easy to spot on the bottom That last part made me think about the crazy neon rod colors of my Mach Crush and Mach II combos. Not only do they help boaters see me at a distance but if lost overboard in clear water they are easy to spot.

The 3 LFS for $150 seems like the best deal. Those reels are normally $99.99 each. I have enough lower end reels so I would probably go for a BB1 Pro as that would fill a missing piece in my arsenal.

Nature is all the music I need. I vividly remember my college psychology professor in the 80’s railing against the Walkman generation and how they “tune out” life by listening to music 24/7. He had a point that stuck with me. What happened to being alone with ones thoughts? I find fishing a great time to think about life and all my blessings. I love music, just not when I am fishing.

My Lew’s Mach 2 Speed Stick Ned Rig rod from SO came intact. It was shipped infinitely better than Dick’s

They taste terrible. Throw them back and catch some Crappie and Yellow Perch for eating.

I have pulled some heavy gnarly stuff (logs, tire rims, etc) out of the water bank fishing with 12# Berkley Big Game line. When truly stuck I have had to wrap the line around my pliers handle and pull straight back. Most of the time the hooks give before the line does.

It should. All but one of the merchandise I received was for Lew’s gear I bought on sale. I have a rebate Lew’s hoodie on the way from purchasing the Lew’s Mach 2 baitcaster combo for $100 The normal retail price was $179

Fresh line for me. Most of my baitcaster have Berkley Big Game mono on them. Good, cheap line so it doesn’t hurt so much to respool.

With a true GY Senko I get 2-3 fish per bait wacky rigged with 2 crossed O rings. The GY senko is so soft it often breaks at the spot where the O ring is. I get upwards of 10 fish on a Yum Dinger rigged the same way.

Something I learned this week creek and canal fishing. The more expensive the lure the better the chance you are going to lose it. I lost 6 of my Panther Martin Classic gold in-line spinners this week. Still have my $1 Walmart ready 2 fish one though ? Can’t lose it if I tried!

That’s sound advice I would give everyone. I interview candidates all the time for positions on my team. 99% ask about salary instead of benefits. My company offers a great insurance plan and generous PTO. You might make money somewhere else but factor in the benefits and you might actually be making less.

Bluegill and Perch patterns in these parts work best for me.

Isn’t it scary that Doctors call what they do a “practice”?

Superstition, good and bad karma, voodoo, etc. I have a relationship with them all. I fell while bank fishing twice last season while fishing with a certain rod and reel. Same rod and reel went flying from my hands on a cast and crashed onto some rocks. Never happened before, my hand just opened at the end of the cast. I lost the same combo over the side of my kayak. I was able to get it back but it was the first rod I lost overboard. Too much coincidence not to make me think it wasn’t cursed.

In my experience it has been the norm. I was lucky enough that by some miracle my rods arrived intact despite the flimsy packaging. I refuse to roll the dice anymore ordering rods from them. I won’t even do ship to store for the same reason. Tackle Warehouse has the best packaging when shipping rods. The tubes are heavy duty, they wrap the rods in bubble wrap and they have foam inserts in the end caps.

I learned during bluebird hot August days it’s best to go river and creek fishing. A spinning rod with an in-line spinner tied on can be a multi species fun fishing adventure.

The rods that see the most action in my rotations are: St Croix Lew’s Abu Garcia Kastking Fenwick

I have watched the White Bird in action on a few YouTubers videos (1rod1reel, Westin Smith) Looks like it is a decent rod at the $60 price range. If you order it online expect to add another $20 to the cost for shipping. That brings it to a price point where you can find a better rod at a brick and mortar. DSG sells Favorite rods but not this one. If they did I would pick one up to avoid shipping. My Favorite Balance impressed me enough to give this one a chance.

No leaders for me. Lately I fish monofilament line almost exclusively it seems.

Another option is to ditch the cheap in-line spinners. Get a Panther Martin Classic. Might be my imagination but I get a lot less line twist with that spinner than any other.

I am using Berkley half head jigs this year. They are cheaper in price than the Z-Man Shroomz, have a stouter hook and the TRD stays on the jighead better.

Same with my PopMax. Beautiful bait but Sunfish in my area loved the tail too much. My favorite Popper right now is the Yozuri 3DB prism popper. I throw it on a 7’ MH fast action baitcasting setup. The only popper I throw on spinning gear is a tiny Rebel Pop-R that came in a Rebel Critter kit I bought. It’s great for fishing the canal in my area. Sunfish and Pickerel magnet.

Why is there no W in one? There’s a W in two that we don’t even use.

My wife has only been fishing with me a handful of times. Mostly saltwater fishing. She is not an outdoors person. The sun gives her migraines. When she does go fishing, she doesn’t bait her own hook or take the fish off the hook. That’s what I am there for.

Whole lot of plastic in one fish. Good thing a fish doctor caught him. Your good deed for the day is done sir.