MN Fisher

^ If you're targeting any Esox (pike, muskie, pickerel), then a wire leader is almost mandatory. I've had pike bite right through braid, hybrid, FC and mono with no effort...no 'regular' line is safe from their teeth.

Especially since the OP hasn't even signed on since 2010.

I only put 65-70 yds of mainline on all my rigs...should be enough.

Even an old computer and cheap camera can do alot - I put together this using vids/screenshots taken with that $50 camera, Top left made with almost 20 year old 'JASC Animation Shop 3', background image from Google Earth, music from BenSound and all processed on that 10 year old (6 year old processor) computer. Was going to be my channel intro, but decided against it. One nice thing about VideoPad - it can link directly to YouTube so you can upload from VP instead of saving to HD then having to upload later.

The computer I do my vid processing on is an old PowerSpec with a 6 year old I5 processor and 8gb of Ram running Windows 7-Pro. Program is VideoPad Video Editor Home Edition...currently on sale for $50. Once the individual files are merged and processed (1 file for every 18 minutes), I play it on VLC Media player and pull the screenshots from that. You don't need the latest and greatest if you're patient - processing 6 hours of video takes about 4 hours on the computer.

No need to go to that expense....all the shots below were take with a cheap $50 action camera This is the camera - I plug it into a USB port connected to my house battery, and put a 256gb card in it...it'll record an entire day of fishing, then I just take screenshots of the vid.

Depends on the pound test and the knot 15# and less braid, 12# and less FC, Alberto, Albright or FG knot and you should be fine.

What budget? What money?

A spooling station helps a lot - even the cheap ones are better than nothing. Or, if you're handy, you can put together one yourself - such as I did from some scrap aluminum plate and angle I had sitting around.

I'll second that - he's sent me a couple 'care packages' of line and lures over the past few years....just out of the blue and the goodness of his heart.

Only reason I got an Ecomap 93sv is its the GT-54 transducer model, on sale...and I got financing for 24 months at 8%...otherwise I would be stuck with only my Striker 7cv. Being stuck on SS benefits alone sucks.

Now if they'd just make them affordable for the average guy.

Don't feel bad, Andy...I've only got 16"

He's made a cult out of being grumpy and never pleased about anything...no matter which way it goes.

UL to me is light line, small reels...rod length is not a consideration My current UL rig for panfish is an Okuma Celilo 7'6" UL/F - 1/32oz-3/8oz with an Ultegra FC-1000 reel, line is 6# Sufix 832 with 4# Sufix Siege leader of 8'-10' length.

Google still does it for me - of course if I'm searching for a particular piece of information, I use the Advanced Search engine instead of the generic one. Google Advanced Search

Enjoy the oodles of more free time you'll have, Kent, and thank you for your service on the forum. Now it's time to relax

How'd you get a pic of me?

Considering that Litha is 'Mid-summer' and Yule is 'Mid-Winter' - the seasons on the witches calender run Spring (Planting/Birthing): Imbolc (Feb 2) to Beltaine (May 1) Summer(Growing): Beltaine (May 1) to Lammas (Aug 1) Fall (Harvest): Lammas (Aug 1) to Samhain (Oct 31) Winter (Fallow): Samhain (Oct 31) to Imbolc (Feb 1)

One of Sara's nicknames was 'Garbage Hound' for a reason.

Buying reels from Digitaka - the price on the screen is all you pay. No tax, no shipping ("Reels and Rods are free shipping to your country" - from their Q&A), no import fee.

Didn't know exactly where to put this - mods, feel free to move it. Since I've been shore fishing a lot this year, carrying my rods has been awkward...I'd just been grabbing the four in one hand, but the tips went everywhere. So instead of dishing out $70 or more for a rod carrier that had things I didn't need, I built my own. Using some scrap aluminum left over from the Bass Trek build, I built a basic frame, putting 1/16" plastic 'Polywall' into the box-frame of the rear. Now I can neatly carry 4 rods and the 'box' in the rear carries my net and fish-basket for the keeper crappie and 'gills. Carry handles are just some oak dowels with paracord going to the washers and sheet-metal screws in the frame. Entire unit pops into the back of the truck with a cargo bar keeping it from sliding forward and possibly damaging the tip-tops.

You're forgetting that 3/8oz is just for the head. Add in the hook, snap, blade and skirt and it's probably close to if not over that 1/2oz...add in that plastic and as 'BC' says, you're at 5/8oz or even more. 3/8oz chatters I toss on my Aird-X MH/F (1/4-1oz ).

I dunno about their 'Mint' rods, but I picked up a couple 'Excellent' Victorys that I couldn't find anything wrong with...no blemishes, straight-line guides, unstained-intact cork, etc. I have no problems getting used gear from ALF...I think they under-rate the condition sometimes.

Something better - mix some red loctite into pipe sealant...that sucker will need a hammer-driver to get it off. It's a mix we used for some of the plumbing on machines we built at a place I worked.