MN Fisher

Rogue wave, trip over one of your rods on the deck, so many ways of getting tossed overboard... again, if I'm in a boat, I'm wearing my PFD. Only exceptions I've done in the 50+ years I've been boating is when I was on one of those 50' party cruisers on Minnetonka...or the 40k-Ton cruise ship my wife and I spent our honeymoon on.

It's the same here, but I have to ask...if you hit your head during your 'exit' from the boat and are knocked out - what then? Sorry - no matter what the reasoning...not worn = not effective.

Kayak, canoe or boat - if you're not wearing your PFD it's value is ZERO no matter how much you spent on it. And sorry @Bluebasser86 - I don't consider 'within reach' to be valid. Accidents happen and how are you going to grab it in a panic if something untoward happens?

It depends on a variety of factors. Food, location, predation. Plentiful forage will allow the fingerlings to grow at their maximum potential. Southern bass grow faster than northern bass...growth slows appreciably in colder water. If they're constantly having to 'run for their lives' from larger fish - even bass...yes, cannibalism exists in the fish world - they'll have less time to eat, slowing growth.

I've got 20#PP on my President, made sure it was snug when spooling it up, and don't have the dig-in issue with it. Make sure the line is snug when spooling it up, re-tension it every so often to make sure it's snug on the reel. Also make sure to fix even the most minor of backlashes.

Well, FishUSA doesn't have the Ned Bug listed yet...but the rest of the Rage line are at 5.49/pack.

I didn't hear about this, but my response to those 'eedjits' who blamed the smallies is...

Walleye are 'king' in Minnesota. in 2017, millions a year are stocked in any lake that could support them while less than 100 bass are stocked each year. Interesting info in a report I saw...only 270 of the 2000+ lakes in MN that are considered 'walleye lakes' have a 'sustainable' walleye population - meaning that the natural breeding in the lake is higher than the catch rate. So to keep the state fish available for the 'locals' and visitors, the walleye stocking program is immense. "What's the point? The DNR often stocks lakes to repair ecosystems after winter kill or over fishing, but Vanderbosch said the bulk of his job involves creating walleye fisheries where they don't naturally exist. Thanks to stocking, most Minnesotans live less than half an hour from a good walleye lake. In all, there are 1,400 walleye-rich lakes in the state, only 270 of which are naturally self-sustaining. The DNR stocks the rest so people can enjoy hauling walleye into their boats." https://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/05/22/what-is-fish-stocking

It's all about getting the tension and brakes set properly. I use my Fuego-Aird-X H/F spooled with 50# briad to toss hollow frogs all the time.

For a little more than what a Sienna costs - I'd go with a Mitchell Avocet RZT. I have the RZ and it's a good reel for ML type rigs...Drop-shot, Ned, Weightless Wacky, etc. The RZT improves on the RZ by doubling the number of bearings. Another possible...and another one I have...is a Pflueger Trion. For those type of applications, don't need more than a 2000 size...30 for the Pflueger. I'm actually considering upgrading my RZ to a RZT this coming winter.

If it's only a few feet onto a carpeted deck, it might be a little stunned but that's all. Dropping it 5'+ onto a rail or gunnel might cause more damage. "Let's be careful out there."

First major question. What's your budget?

Four versions - the two you've described, then two more that have a little stretch for 'shock absorption' with some lures/techniques.

^ X2

I'd use an enamel paint - Testors or Model Master from the local hobby shop.

Some lady decided to take her 'kid' to the store.

Ya, that was one of my issues yesterday on Phelps. The visibility wasn't down to zero, but I was picking algae off my lures and/or knots 4 casts out of 5.

And the lure is totally wrong for the 'Mike Long Method' as well.

I haven't had any issues with my DT-4s or DT-6s and I bounce them off things and run them through weeds.

Don't be too surprised if they're not 'current'. I have the latest update to G-Earth Pro, and the pic of my house is still back from May 2018.

Le-sigh - I was hoping for 3620s and 3650s...guess I'll have to keep doing what I've been doing - tossing desiccant packs in my boxes.

A little research - measuring myself. At 6'1", my forearm is 11" long so call his 10.5". Given that he's holding his arm at an angle, I'll say 8"-8.5" in 'perspective. A little work in my picture editor and the fish is just under 3 forearm lengths. So I'd say 23"-24" in length which translates to (for a healthy fish...which this one looks very healthy) around 7#-8# Of course I could be wildly off base with that...but that just my 'guesstimate'.

One thing that would help - how tall is he? If he's 5'4" it's not as big as it seems, if he's 6'4" it's bigger than it seems.

Well, I can now say I've caught a 'weighable' bass. Out this morning on Phelps Bay from around 8:30 to 11. First fish was a 1.5# Northern on a white spinnerbait (Willow/Colorado blades). No more bites after that so changed to a Chartreuse spinner and got this 'little one' - 1.25# After that it died again and tried everything else I could think of - T-Rig, Swim jig with trailer, DT-4 (finder was showing them at 3'-5' deep), Shallow Shad rap and spent the last half-hour trying to entice them with a Powerbait on a drop-shot. Very slow day on Phelps.

As @Bluebasser86said - two different species. The Sunfish 'Family' is actually fairly wide as Bass are included, but of a different Genera than Sunnies. Same with Crappies...same family, different genera. <- Aquatic Biology major in College.