Lures'n'Liberty

Seeing you're a Steeler fan, I'm thinking you might be from Pittsburgh. If you are, you're eventually going to want to have an assortment of pretty heavy rods with oversized dual drag baitfeeder reels. My "broom handle" for bass is an 8 foot King Kat/Salt Striker baitfeeder combo w/ 60# braid. I mostly use it at night on the 3 rivers flathead fishing, but as a not nearly enough weekend bass warrior that rolled pennies for gas this week, the budget's tight. You might make a better choice on the rod, but if you don't have 3 baitfeeders (PA allows use of no more than 3 lines in the water) and you're on a budget, swapping that oversized president for a baitfeeder will open a few more doors and give a bigger bang for your buck. The second drag doesn't bother me a bit when I'm flipping and pitching, and it's the bees knees for monster catfish and carp.

Jerky. If you're fishing for the day, you need to bring enough Jerky for everyone, preferably cured at home and from an animal that you killed yourself. This is a kind gesture that will start a conversation and a friendship, while stimulating the taste buds. It's 1000 times better when 2 people who meet for the first time start by exchanging pieces of jerky. Going back to the O.P., I believe the clear definition of a co angler giving an angler money at the end of the tournament that non boaters are eligible to compete in is called a tip. Calling it exactly what it is, a tip, should clarify a lot of thinking here. If tournament rules say co anglers kick an extra $50 for gas and the co angler doesn't pay, then there's a complaint. If the rules don't, then sorry, that's the rules of the tournament that the boater chose to fish in, perhaps they should choose to sit that one out next year. Now that we're on the subject of tips, let's talk common courtesy. C'mon, man, if you just kicked up $500 in tournament fees, you're carrying 5 top of the line (or even middle of the road) rod/reel combos at $750 a piece, your tackle bag looks like Bass Pro Shops should be buying gear from you to stock their shelves, and you can't kick in a few bucks for gas and an extra sandwich, you're probably best described by words that mods will yell at me for saying. If this sounds familiar, I hate to break it to you, but you're "that guy." Don't be "that guy" and you'll find that your life can be so much better when you're not finding subtle ways to push people's buttons. The same applies if you're the boater, your angler has a couple of hand-me-down rods, old lures, and he had to stash a little cash in his tool box for the last 15 paychecks just for the opportunity to get out and fish one tournament that year (even though he might be the one most likely to feed and tip you, and he's not likely to be anywhere with a $500 entry fee). You are, however, in a tournament. This tournament is a competition with rules, and like any other competition, competitors are free to utilize every advantage and disadvantage in the rule book. Don't like the rules? Don't fish the tournament, don't join the club, whatever it is that you're prepared to spend the next 3 months whining about, just don't. If there's no tournament and you're just out fishing, if you planned to fish the tournament together and there's no random drawing, if you're angler and co angler are in a team tournament, if the boat's a cabin cruiser and there aren't any fishing poles, or quite the number of similar situations, then we're on the subject of a conversation that should have been had before you were anywhere near the water.

Keep an eye out at thrift stores, yard sales, pawn shops, etc. Chances are very good that you'll find an ultralight rod for $5 or less to fit the bill one day if you get the extra cash, that will really help a lot. A lot of great tips above, and I know we all want to catch on lures. If you wind up totally unable to cast the light baits but still want to catch trout and crappie, you should have no trouble floating bait. All the equipment and lures in the world can't make up for the sheer number of kids who caught their first trout on a worm and a bobber with crappy 20# mono on an over-medium Zebco that's probably about as stiff as your Fenwick.

Is there by chance something in the shed with a hitch ball on it? You can probably see it pretty well on the quad or the tractor.

I've wondered a few times if I should throw a telescopic rod and a couple lures in my golf bag. If I could get a couple casts in every time I put a ball in the water I might catch a lot of fish.

1988 F-350, 460 cubic inches. Wanna keep your kid close to home? Make sure they have to stack a cord of wood before they can borrow the car. Oh, if the "car" gets 4 MPG, never has gas in it, and the kid works part time on a farm for less than minimum wage, this is an effective strategy. Bonus points if the gearshift sometimes breaks off and you have to limp it home by using pliers to put the nub in 3rd gear and going slow. Bass Turd that flag pole looks pretty perfect, if it's not rated for highway speeds i'd bet the ones for ATV's and dune buggies are. In Boston you should be able to get the neon reflective stakes that mark the edges of the driveway in a snowstorm for the plow's first run, too.

PVC has the advantage over threaded rod because it won't scratch your boat. Threaded rod has the advantage of being stronger and I'd imagine it to be easier to work with depending on the skill set and tools.

My buddy lived in Boston, you're absolutely right! Mass Holes can be a real concern. Do you have access to any fiberglass flat bar? https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?sku=46304&gclid=CjwKCAjwr-PYBRB8EiwALtjbz3u0iNAwQzJ0ujbigtyKxhlwWTHpvQyygm3RYYtgqzyCV_rRqawHdRoCGgwQAvD_BwE - google found me that. I'd bet that you could drill it out in such a way that it could share at least one bolt with a taillight and stick straight up. Reflective tape for bonus points. My old man had a firewood business when I was a kid and my first car was his dump truck, which often had a log splitter attached. For anyone who doesn't know, a log splitter is pretty much a 6 foot long I beam with wheels, definitely hard to see, impossible when the view out the back window is the front of the dump bed. He put a fiberglass whip antenna on the engine guard in such a way that you could just see the tip of it out of the drivers' mirror. Words alone cannot describe how much such a small reference point helped to back that thing up.

None of this would be an issue if you name your boat Jim.

Do you have a stern light for your 'yak? Do you have something lying around that might fit in the rod holders (broomstick, old fishing pole with a little flag on it, etc.)? Maybe you have an old magnetic CB antenna or two that you can pop on the fenders with a little flag on top (or can find one for $5 at the flea market)? Just a couple things that popped into my head while looking at junk lying around the shop, take it for what it's worth. There should be quite a few videos on YouTube that will show you how to make some pretty decent guides from PVC that don't cost much or really take a lot of effort to make. If you have a fishing kayak and you do go out and buy a 10' length of 2 inch PVC for this project, I also STRONGLY recommend finding some of the videos on kayak fishing crates before you head to Lowe's. Assuming you don't have one because you'd probably see it in the mirror. The 3 things that you will need for this project will be - the leftover PVC from your new guides, a milk crate (2 is better), and a pack of zip ties. This extremely simple & Pinterest worthy DIY crate is awesome.

I used to drink a lot, and so did most of my friends. We've spent many a night on the riverbank flathead fishing, and even if you never caught a fish, it was nothing to catch 12-15 beers while a mason jar of something got passed around. One summer, losing rods became such a common occurrence that several friends started carrying "after midnight" rods and reels like the $14.99 Shakespeare Tiger so they could switch out from their high end gear when they neared the point of being "too drunk to fish." Personally I've never lost one to a fish. I lost a Daiwa featherlight while bicycle fishing a river trail, it must have fallen from the holder that was behind me when i was looking forward. I've also had 2 fall victim to the dreaded tailgate slam that we all fear.

I'd drive all of you crazy. I'm in love with the ease of a spincast and I've got a $5 flea market Daiwa Goldcast with $3 worth of ebay bearings on a $300 custom rod and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

3 8' heavy spinning w/baitfeeders & 50 lb braid 1 4'6" ultralight spinning combo with a couple spools 1 6'6" MH spincast, 20# braid. Sorry, bass, you lose to the bottom feeders.

I'm not sure the exact payment or time frame. While I will admit that I exaggerated the term length a bit, my point was that it was really long. Calling him to ask after seeing this comment, it's actually $1200/mo for 8 years, as he was upside down in his last one before he bought this one. Do trucks even last 10 years anymore?

Reading the past few, you're right. I digress, though. 2018 Ford F-250 Platinum - MSRP starts at $62,600 2017 Nitro Z21 Z-PRO - MSRP $52,495. That's $115,095 before tax. $115,095 plus tax can buy a lot of quality items. Should an individual choose to spend, say, $25,000 on a quality used truck and $15,000 on a quality used boat, there's $62,095 left over to spend on bait, tackle, rods, reels, guides, gasoline, hotel rooms, outfitters, guns, quads, motorcycles, snowmobiles, a building to put them all in, tools, beer, and if you plan wisely, you might even find a semester or two of college tuition for the kids or a gift for your wife! OK, so maybe you can't buy all of that stuff top of the line at that price, but you can certainly pick and choose some quality goods and services with that kind of budget.

That's not entirely true, you can tow a Wrangler in reverse on the front axle with the T case in Neutral, but you have to lock the steering in place by running the seat belt through the steering wheel, however they don't show you that in the owners' manual. It also takes about 5 minutes to drop the driveshaft, allowing you unlimited tow mileage on the rear axle. You can also sling tow them from the front with a wrecker without damaging the driveline, although you may damage a factory bumper if you're not careful (I've spent a large portion of my working life as a tow operator and auto mechanic. You might be surprised at how many vehicles can be towed on one axle safely, for certain distances, and why). A trailer, however, is still the best option. I'm sure you are aware of the pros and cons of towing your trail rig, along with why I brought it up. Food for thought - universal color truck like White, Silver, or Black will look good towing whatever color YJ or TJ you may build.

This is very true. I think my end on it is where do you draw the line between quality and luxury? Wants and needs? Perhaps you'll never forget the bitterness of poor quality, however I do believe that some of the high prices here also come with a reminder every month.

Work hard, plan, and make it happen sounds all well and good, but seriously, that's a hell of a lot of planning and hard work to make some of these monthly payments. I guess a $40k vehicle has become the norm, plus i totally get that the hobby fund can really go a long way if well managed. What I have to question, though, I guess is for those who have the really extravagant combos. My friend, who does really well for himself, just bought his third F-350 Crew Cab Diesel in the Platinum trim, and his payments are over 1000 a month for the next 37 years. Ford finally one upped the Platinum with a Limited, and those trucks, with tax and title, along with many other high end SUV's now break six figures rolling out the door. There are now boats in the same price point as well. Hard work and planning is one thing, but I don't think I could ever justify spending that kind of money on a pickup truck, let alone a boat that I can only use 8 months out of the year (or less, considering that one would be scared to death taking it on the river when the water is a little high). You could buy a lake for what some of these rigs cost! As for the wraps, yes, some of them really stand out and draw attention, but you don't have to get a crazy fancy wrap. One solid color on half of the boat could make all the difference in the world depending on your paint scheme.

Do you also tow the Wrangler? Will your four wheeling hobby take you to the point where you will be towing the Wrangler?

Wow, those are some sweet rides. I might be out of my element here. Looking through the pics it's looking like there's a few bucks tied up in some of your rigs. I must beg the question, what do you do for a living that you can afford to own a well equipped pickup truck today, and pray tell where did you sell a kidney to pay for the high end boat behind it? I mentioned a few comments up that wrapping the boat might be an idea to match the truck, though, and seeing that nearly every one of the rigs pictured above is worth more than my house (no joke, and I live in a great neighborhood!), I'm beginning to wonder why they're not as popular in the discussion. I'm sure there's a lot of us out there that can't afford to buy a new truck and a matching boat at the same time. For those people, a wrap might really be the way to go, and there might even be a better deal on an ugly boat. You could go higher or lower as with anything, but figure $1000 to wrap the boat and protect the original finish, then figure again if you're only planning to keep the truck for 5 years or less as seems to be the trend, your wrap with 5 years of use and abuse could be changed out to match the truck again. As far as the truck color goes, I have a Summit White Toyota. It's easy to keep clean, the drive through car wash gets it cleaner than the 2 hours I used to have to spend polishing the black Sierra I had before. While I don't own a boat, I do have a friend with a boat. Both trucks match friends boats relatively universally. Oddly enough, friend with boat's truck is in my driveway with 2 rusty doors waiting for replacement, along with a whole new paint job, and will likely wrap both the truck and the boat.

wrap the boat.

www.screwylewylures.com - These guys make some great stuff. 3.60 ea, however the box deals and 4 piece sets will put 'em under the budget. The Screwy Lewy Swim Jig is one of the finest I've seen or fished, and the Magic Craw color is awesome. He sponsors a good friend and after stealing a few of his, I now have a box full.

a white solo cup, tape, and a flashlight also make a good nav light, in a pinch. I do still prefer the Gatorade bottle, though, no need to stop and dump it midstream.

One more must have that I forgot - a garbage bag. Always leave it cleaner than you found it, and make sure you can tie your trash into the boat. Bring a couple extras in case someone else needs one.

OK, going through here I found a few key comments and suggestions. Early on there was mention of a crate, that crate contained 3 water bottles, 2 full, one empty and used as a urinal. Some folks forget the convenience of keeping a pee jug in the boat. My personal recommendation is a 32 oz Gatorade bottle. The large opening and higher capacity makes things just a wee bit easier. Continuing on to the crate, there are hundreds of kayak crate building videos on YouTube, watch some for ideas. This is one stupid easy project that you'll use forever. Think when you build it, though. I put 4 rodholders on mine, made from 1 1/2" PVC. I built it at work and brought a rod to test it out. The first trip out, I realized that my favorite short handled casting rod, equipped with a pistol grip, doesn't fit in a 1 1/2" pipe, and I had to leave it in the truck and stick to the spinning gear. Don't do that. As for the PFD's, find one that's comfortable. If you're looking at a chain, get a kayak down similar to yours, grab a rod, grab a paddle, and try the life jacket on in the store, sitting in the boat, paddling and casting. Also, don't be scared to pick up a type IV PFD as well. This may not be legal as your only PFD in your state, nor is it really a good idea to have as your only PFD, but they do make a good seat cushion that can also be used to save a life. You can find them as cheap as $10. Anchor trolleys can be made out of paracord, a key ring, and a couple of U bolts or plastic eyes. If you plan to anchor the 'yak and fish from it, this is a great way to spend $5, and it works with a stake out pole as well. Waterproof cell phone - I have been an avid user of milspec phones since the days of NEXTEL. Kyocera makes some very nice units. I've had several TORQUE models and currently have a Dura Force XT. Totally worth a look if you're upgrading and do anything that might break a phone. Something that has been missed, however, is that waterproof phones do not float, and neither do Lifeproof cases or any Otter Box. Your phone will float just in a baggie, and your day on the pond will be much better if you leave the phone in the truck. Continuing with the waterproof phone, if you're looking for electronics, there are a lot of lower cost options out there that work with your phone. There's iBobber, Deeper, and a half a dozen other ones. Worth a look. Most will work with your old phone so you re less likely to cry when you dump it. I use my Deeper with an old Kyocera Torque. The old phone also has about 30 Grateful Dead shows recorded on the SD card and works great with a waterproof bluetooth speaker. Do you smoke? Find a waterproof cigarette case. they'll hold a pack of smokes, a lighter, ID, credit card, and some cash, and they float. Seeing as marijuana is legal in some states now, I'll add that a wooden dugout and one hitter will also float, however I'll point out that boating under the influence is illegal and ill advised. As for the other things that you might need, check your local laws before you go out. You may want a battery operated stern light and an extra rod holder on your crate to put it in (or a go pro on a stick). Your state may also require a bow light. A whistle or an air horn is a good idea and a legal requirement in some states (often it must be audible for 1/2 mile). Launch permits also vary from state to state. What are you driving? Trailer, roof rack, back of the truck? A proper rack can protect your yak and your car. Pool noodles can also be the answer.