Fir3hawk

Appreciate it but I’m just a regular old 36 year old that likes to fish when I can. I’d like to think others would do the same. Life’s pretty simple, what would you want your son to do if you were fighting that fight? I certainly could have handled it better but I tried to be there for him as much as I could. Definitely been a rollercoaster, but I can’t complain overall. That’s not to say I wouldn’t do anything to have my dad back, but there’s been plenty of good in the past 5 years. Wedding 2021, new job 2022, Honeymoon 2023, new dog 2023, new house 2023, first son 2024.

I was excited to see this when scrolling instagram this evening. They didn’t do it on Memorial Day and my patience paid off!

Been a rough few years to find time to fish for me. 2021 and 2022 spent a lot of time taking care of my dad due to health issues. Heart failure in 2021 then terminal cancer diagnosis in 2022. Was able to get him out on the water a few times but not enough. My first dog (well first dog I got living on my own) also got cancer in 2022 and I felt too guilty to leave her in the kennel when I knew our time was short and she was likely in pain. Then in 2023 spent a ton of time cleaning out my dads house and handling his estate. He was a hoarder so it was a 6+ month ordeal filling about 3-4 40 yard dumpsters. My wife and I welcomed our first child in May 2024, so I’ve been trying to embrace that new change. But also trying to work with my wife to make sure she has time for herself and trying to make time for me. Got out for the first time since he was born the other day, albeit short.

Silver Max rod/reel combo sold.

Abu Garcia Vendetta / Lews combo is sold.

Also have a Abu Garcia Silver Max combo (7’ MH 6.4:1 RH) and Abu Garcia Vendetta (6’9” MH) with a Lews Speed Spool “Jason Christie” believe its 6.8:1 RH. $40/ea for rod/reel combo

Abu Garcia Blackmax BMAX3-L 6.4:1 LH $15 Abu Garcia Blackmax BMAX3 6.4:1 RH $15 (not pictured) Abu Garcia Blackmax BMAX3 6.4:1 RH $15 (not pictured) Abu Garcia Promax PMAX3 7.1:1 RH *NIB* $30 Abu Garcia Promax PMAX3 7.1:1 RH *NIB* $30 Abu Garcia Promax PMAX3 7.1:1 LH $30 Lews American Hero AH1HG 6.4:1 RH $30 Lews American Hero AH1HG 6.4:1 RH $30 Picsifun Flame 3000 5.2:1 $20 Bass Pro Megacast MCT20 5.1:1 $15 Bass Pro Megacast MCT20 5.1:1 $15 Bass Pro Megacast MCT30 5.1:1 $15 Located in KC. Prices don’t include shipping. Will make deals if buying several. Feel free to make offers. None of these have really been used. A little dirty from sitting a couple years but I’ll clean them up before I ship out or meet up.

Just under $1000 for a lifetime hunt & fishing license in KS. Bought it a year or two ago. I just hate how they nickel and dime you, because I still have to buy a state and federal duck stamp, trout permit if I want to trout fish, boat registration, park vehicle passes to launch the boat in a state park, and and “private lake” fees if I want to fish a couple county owned lakes. When I did the math, a lifetime would pay itself off in about 18 years. But we also know permit prices will go up 5, 10, 15 years down the road. I should’ve done it sooner than ~32, but I always feared I’d buy one then move out of state or get too busy and not have time to fish or hunt, etc.

Basically just prioritize fishing more. - Fish more (prioritize the time) - Organize tackle and expand in a few areas where it might be lacking. - Fish a new body of water - Catch more fish than last year (shouldn’t be hard) - Take wife and friends out more. - Improve confidence in more techniques/lures/etc. We are going to Belize for our honeymoon (1.5 years late ?) and we booked a guided trip there so that’ll be fun. First time Salt Water fishing since I was like 10.

I have a couple Curado K's and love them. My favorite baitcasters. But I'm also only a weekend fisherman so have a hard time justifying spending over $200 on a reel, especially when pairing it with a $150 rod.

I already had the exact same setup but 7'1" MF. You'll love it.

Agree with this. Kind of depends on your plans for fishing too. Like if you really want to hit the water early and be off during the peak of the day in the middle of the summer, you may not want to wake up at 4:00am and drive 2 hours, etc. Or maybe you just really want to try a new lake. But I think Bluebasser covered it pretty well for most cases. I try to be around 1 hour for day trips, but would do upto 2.

Hit the Spring Classic this morning. St. Croix Mojo Bass 7'1" MHF casting rod Shimano Curado K 7.4:1 baitcaster Two 30 packs of Yum Dingers (black/blue, green pumpkin) Bass Pro AM24 Inflatable PFD (so I can keep on with kayak and another with boat) I'll probably go back and buy a few crankbaits and other lures, but thats enough damage for 1 day. ?

Obviously you buy 2 of these. One to fish with, another to keep looking nice in your tacklebox. If you lose it, buy another. ? Seriously though, I know my tacklebox has a few, "Oh my dad gave me that." or "I got that with my Bassmaster subscription" so I don't fish with them lol. Best thing to do when buying is up the quantity.

What lures are you all looking at picking up? Not too crazy about any of the deals this year but I might go up and do a rod trade-in and pick up a few lures. Or any other "must haves?"

Typically the opposite side of the side you like to land fish on. If you install tracks on both sides and use some kind of track mount you can easily move it from side-to-side if needed. I have a Vibe SeaGhost 110 now which has a center console. I keep the battery in the console and fishfinder mounted on a ram mount to the console lid. Works great. Way less issue than having it mounted on the side on my previous Ascend FS10. That being said, with a center console you lose your ability to stand. If I want to stand, I'll take the boat.

I still consider myself somewhat of a novice. First and most important is enjoying myself on the water. I try not to judge a trip as successful based on how many (or how big) fish I catch. Beyond that, it’s about targeting a fish and catching it. Finding a pattern, catching a fee. Sometimes success is catching a fish via a new technique. First fish on a chatterbait, etc. Sometimes I consider myself unsuccessful for not finding the time to go. I try to make sure to take a few days off work each year to go. Those prime fishing periods fly by and next thing you know the lakes are frozen and you reflect back wishing you’d found more time. One of my goals this year is to try to get my wife out more. She goes some, but I want to take advantage of this season because I imagine in a couple years we’ll have kids and it’ll be harder for her to come. And harder for me to get away.

If you could only have 5 rods for bass fishing, what would they be? I’m going thru and inventorying, trying to decide which rods will be kept in garage as loaners or if I should sell any. Curious what other members go-to is compared to what I usually toss in the boat. I don’t really care the brand, curious more about the length, power, action, and how you fish them. 7’ MF Baitcaster 7’ MHF Baitcaster 7’ MLF Spinning Rod 7’ MF Spinning Rod 7’ MF Baitcaster Baits vary throughout the year. Sometimes my spinning gear might be rigged up with a crappie jig or a spoon. Baitcaster could be a swimbait, crankbait, frog, etc. Trying to decide if I want to venture into a longer (7’3, 7’6 MHF) or heavier (7’4 HF), etc. setup as well?

I know this question opens up Pandora’s box. I do take the “less is more approach” when kayak fishing and sometimes I’ll only take 2-3 3600 boxes, and a couple bags of plastics. My goal is to minimize the amount of prep between trips. IE:) I want my crankbaits and frogs today, etc. Maybe I need to consider duplicate boxes and for kayak & bank fishing maybe my box has a couple cranks or only certain hooks, to give me more variety of lures in same # of boxes.

I fish from shore, boat and kayak. Majority of the time its from my boat (17.5’ deep V, not a ton of storage in the front deck) Looking for ideas for tackle storage that is extremely versatile. Should I have dedicated tackle for each storage solution? Right now I use 3600’s and I keep the majority of them in a milk crate that I can strap on my kayak, toss in my boat or the bed of my truck. I also have a backpack that I can slide 2 3600’s in that is great for shore fishing. 2 3600s will also fit in compartments by the seat on my Vibe Sea Ghost kayak. Then I have a small tackle bag stuffed with soft plastics. Often times I have to empty it out to find a certain color or style. Should I go up to 3700’s? I’d kind of like to get a big bag but dont want it to be too heavy for shore fishing or to have to raid it and make a smaller setup for my kayak, etc. Curious to hear what others who fish similar to me do.

Man I need new friends. “Coolest” gift we got was a Margaritaville Margarita machine.

I fought with myself about putting my echomap 73sv on my kayak instead of selling it when I upgraded my boat to a echomap 93 uhd last year. If I tourney fished I would have done it, but I prefer the “less is more” when I kayak fish.

Ironically I went out to Gardner tonight. And I've heard Frog is productive there but never caught one on a Frog. Threw a black frog with a prop (might be a Booyah Toadrunner?) a few times but nothing hit it. I even saw a couple times where a bass hit the topwater in about 8' of water and tossed it over them and reeled it by a couple times. Tried a slow reel, steady reel, fast reel. A couple occasional pauses, etc. They seemed to love the crankbait I was throwing though. Caught a couple dink 12-14" LMB and lost another at the kayak. Still a fun evening. On the 6th Sense Venga, I haven't done it but I've heard people say they need to bend the hooks out on a frog or cut the skirt. Might be something worth trying? You likely already know that.

I store it out by Hillsdale. Didnt stay out very long because I knew if I stayed out I wouldn't work on rigging up the Livescope. Typically target crappie or white bass out there. I was marking crappie but didnt reel any in before I called it quits. I’m already over this humidity. Between the rain, work and personal I feel like Spring flew by. Gonna have to start doing early mornings or evenings from here until August. Hopefully we get a couple cool days scattered throughout. Side note: Any tips on frogging? I took the kayak out to Lenexa on Thursday but couldn’t get a bite. Haven't ever caught a bass on a Frog but I understand its a pretty productive bait throughout the Spring, Summer, Fall. I assume its best early morning. Target lilly pads and vegetation shallow / close to shore?

Quick little rip at the lake this morning then towed the boat home for some new goodies.