Bird

I'm way too hard headed to give 100K for a bass boat, not happening. Covid made people go crazy and sent them into spending sprees, money they didn't have. Gonna be upside down for awhile. Paying cash does not make sense if the interest rate of the loan is considerably less than the percentage of invested return on the cash, how I've always done it. Ahhh @Way2slow beat me to it.

Wind is the biggest consideration by far. I'm a feeler and line watcher and lose my senses in high wind, plus the chance of deep hooking fish increases in wind. Doesn't matter quite as much in colder water temps when I'm throwing line stretching baits.....swim jigs and square bills etc. But But I don't like wind.

Transfer cargo weight forward, perhaps invest in lithium batteries. My boat does it as well but never to the point that the bilge pump picks it up.

I'm 62 and been fishing for a long time so I'm under intense pressure NOT to fish like a rookie. ? SO when I get skunked I like to think KVD would have also. Lol

I'm roughly 100 oz of water a day, year around.

Never heard them referred to as " dirt " daubers but I'm pretty sure it's the same thing as we call mud daubers. We have them everywhere around the house. What I've had block the propane orifices on RV's is a miniature version of a yellow jacket, don't know the scientific name but could be what's stopping up your outboards.

Yep, he'll hit a magnum fluke by September.

Zoom

Pan fish love purple so be careful on those hooksets ?

Wife and I leave in the morning to spend a week on a lake in WV, 90's all week. Fish early, swim in the afternoon and fish late..... there you have it. ?

@GetFishorDieTryin Agreed, Senko ain't what it was due to popularity. Still throw them but do much better with a finesse worm wacky rigged. It's an endless cycle trying to figure out what the fish ain't seeing ?

Probably 90% of my fish this year have come on a wacky rig Senko or flickShake....... but I much prefer a 1/16 head vs weightless.

I use #6 VMC crossover rings and never sling them off. Of course you'll need their pliers to install the rings.

Rising stained water is a scenario that I've never done well with. Very tight up against the bank is about my only success. Drastically lowering water for ramp maintenance is even worse..... what I've found. Maybe me and the bass just need stability.

Net most everything with trebles.....sometimes not.

Wow, they really got ya'. What kind of Ants ? I got bit or stung by both fire ants and bullet ants, both hurt.

I had a very good stone mason teach me the basics on our very first house. So on our 2nd home I did all the masonry myself. Wow was it time consuming and found out quickly that the mortar "S-type" had to be mixed consistently to get the stones to stick. It was rewarding once completed but I wouldn't want to do it for a living. Nice work.

@A-Jay No short cuts on those pull-ups, that was full extension ? Great looking workout.

I may very well not have a big fish mentality, don't specifically target big fish. But as mentioned in an early thread , volume of casts, always being on the water will greatly increase the odds of catching bigger fish. Since being retired for close to 4 years I've caught 1 citation Largemouth and many 5+ fish, more than the previous 50 years of fishing. Not because I'm that much of a better fisherman, I'm always casting at something. #2 EQUIPMENT: Gotta have the equipment.

The 85 Bears was perhaps the best single season team I've seen in history......the ririgerator Perry. Well, I go back to Larry Csonka and the undefeated Dolphins but that Bears team was more impressive. Imo Gotta go through KC until proven otherwise. Hopefully not another Tom Brady deal.

Catch most of my cats when the wife and are looking to fill the frying pan with bluegill. We're throwing nightcrawlers and always catch a few nice cats. Yes, they go into the frying pan as well and are a top 5 fish as dinner fare. Imo

This is an 17.5 ft Lowe Stinger bought new for almost half of what a glass boat would cost, no wood anywhere. Easily fits in the garage with a fold-away tounge. Good luck in your search.

@gimruis Definitely agree regarding the Jets. Rodgers is at the tail end of his career and actually had some horrific games late last season. I don't consider the Jets contenders because of the addition of Aaron Rodgers.

Bleach ! But never had a bass bleed on my shirt. When I do occasionally deep hook them " mainly wind " , they go to the frying pan.

Had to run out to the garage and look at mine, only blemishes is teeth marks. Have to admit, a crack in the paint shouldn't compromise the performance of these baits, it's really the sound. See what they say but keep fishing them.