DaubsNU1

Nice work! I went from bank fishing, to belly-boat...to a canoe. Each step opened up more fishing possibilities. It was GREAT! The downsides of a canoe (and Yak) were: - Lugging it on the vehicle...and off - Can't stand when fishing (some Yak's you can do that these days) - Boat positioning was a pain...paddle a little...put down paddle, pick up rod...cast/retrieve...repeat (could get trolling motor on a Yak) - Tough to tick when sitting down, or head to shore and do my business - Limit to tackle / rods I could bring along Twenty years ago I scored boat/motor/trailer for $600....added casting platform, seats, and trolling motor...and it again changed my possibilities. I have recently upgraded electronics, added decking / storage...it's light and small enough to get in to most lakes in my area. Fishes two very comfortably. Drafts about 3-4 inches deep...and I don't care if I bang in to trees, rocks, etc. Enjoy your kayak...and most of all, fish whenever you can!

Fished a local lake again Saturday...I would call this my "home lake" as it's just 10 minutes from my door. Relatively new lake, lots of flooded timber, holds largemouth, pike, crappie, bluegill. Water temps were right at 80 degrees. Rained cats-and-dogs the night before, and was raining when I got up around 5 AM...so I slept in and got on the water at 8 AM. - First fish was 16" | 2lb-4oz largemouth on a NED rig at 8:22 AM - Two 15" bass, one on NED, the other on whopper plopper - Four 13" on whopper and Senko - Seven 12" on a mix of whopper, Senko and NED - One crappie on the NED Remainder of bass were under 12" and didn't get "on the board" -- total of 30 fish caught. Caught fish near trees, off grass beds, and by the bridge. Stopped fishing at 1:30 PM. This lake is still strictly catch and release. Lots of small bass...I'm happy with the day.

I will be 54 here in September...never really fished cranks much. Many of the lakes in my area are clogged with grass/moss/etc...so it's mainly soft-plastics for me. I do, however, love me a Jitterbug!!!

Always interesting to see threads like this..."which rod..." I'm part tight-ass, part "lover-of-old-things-you-can't-get-anymore"... I'm still fishing my Cabela's branded rods purchased in the 1990's -- have five different bait-casters, and six different spinning rods. I see a thread like this and think, "Just fish what you got...no need for something new." But then again, I'm a complete hunting-clothing-*****! Always looking for another pair of hunting pants to suit a certain need...don't get me started on Gore-Tex...I got more than a normal person should ever think of owning : ) [when I die, my wife is going to have a heart-attack digging through all the bins in the basement...I can hear her now..."why did he need ELEVEN hunting coats???"] That said...research more, and enjoy your new Frog Rod!

All my bait-casters have had braid since the 1990's...and never a leader. Some even have the same old Fenwick Iron Thread from way back in the day...it's faded to somewhere between moss green and white...the fish don't seem to care. I have learned to adjust my hook-set when fishing straight braid. Just a quick snap of the wrist is about all it takes.

I never really fished for Smallies...Brother and I took our 80 year old Dad to Frances Case in South Dakota. We hammered them on NED rigs, Senkos, minnows on jigs. Had a blast.

I'd opt for the Ranger or Triton... You should check out the Lund 1875 Pro-V Bass. My brother just got an Alaskan 1800...darn good boat.

I agree with Bankc...it stays mixed. Weed eater, blower and my 40+ year old Lawn Boy are all two stroke. My little 2 gallon can will last all year. My 3 gallon fuel cell for the 1974 Mercury 20HP has sit with gas-oil mix for two years...engine fired right up...and ran that tank dry over the course of last year. No problems. One note: I always run ethanol free fuel in all my small engines!

My wife is a nurse practitioner in heart and lung transplant...she has lots of patients who have to quit smoking or get off drugs in order to qualify for the transplant lists. Cannot tell you how many times she has worked with drug addicts who say quitting smoking was WAY harder than drugs.

I am curious. I remember my parents smoking when I was a kid...Mom smoked a lot...Dad smoked mainly when he drank. Grandparents, aunts and uncles on my Mom's side smoked. Just one of my cousins on that side of the family smoke now. Dad's side not so much. I can't think of any cousins on that side of my family that smoke now. My older sister (57), younger brother (50) and me (53) never smoked. My Mom quit smoking in 1991, my Dad a few years before that. Years later Mom developed oral, and then lung cancer. She passed in 2013. Curious how many out there smoke...what got you started...ever think of stopping?

I picked up some inexpensive long sleeve shirts from amazon...i think they were $19 for two. Pretty good quality, block the sun, comfy. Also found these at the Wal-Mart.

Have not watched one minute of the Olympics...and not much TV for that matter. Too many projects, side gigs, work stuff...oh, and fishing(!) : ) Network TV stinks. Too many commercials...too much politics. I would rather pull up a youtube video and learn something, or listen to a book on audible. Just got done with Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West. d**n good book!

Silver Water Wheel Lodge...owner Mike Willems...Great guy! I have been there three times in the past 20 years...some of my buddies went every year. Trophy walleye lake...excellent pike and small-mouth fishing as well. Man, do they feed you well!

Yea, wife's '17 Outback and my truck are paid for... I have a 2005 Accord 4cyl/auto as my daily driver...knocks down 30MPG all day...round trip to work and back is about 70 miles a day. We found it from an old guy...with 48k...it's got just over 86k now. Should run for a while longer : )

I've been having some success fishing this lake...finally! Didn't fish this spring, as my boat was getting torn down and re-built. I switched to 10lb braid to 10lb Fluro leader on my spinning rods...and started throwing NED and weightless Senkos...and have been having good success. T-rigged worms and jigs are difficult to fish in this lake, as there is lots of grass and moss, especially around the trees. Caught a few on chrome crank bait, mainly near the dam and rip-rap. Spinnerbaits have yielded a big fat zero so far. NED in green-pumpkin has been the go-to. Green pumpkin weightless Senko with 3/0 hook does well pitched close to trees, or even skipped under branches. Even caught a few Pike on this set up...and probably lost a few to the toothy predators. I'm positioning my boat in 9-10 feet of water, working the edges of weed beds, or edge of trees. I have moved down the creek channels (12-18ft deep) and pitched towards the trees (8-10ft deep), and had good success that way. Pretty new lake, so most bass are under 12". I have landed a few 2 and 3 lb bass. My brother boated a 9 lb Pike in June.

I'm normally a "buy-once-cry-once" kind of guy. I would rather spend the $$ and get the best I can afford, vs. a case of the regrets. I'm also the guy who doesn't like to mess with a good thing...so I'm still fishing my Cabela's branded rods purchased in the 1990's...when they were made on Lomis blanks, and branded with Cabela's label... They are good rods, and serve my needs well. Cost anywhere from $95 to $149 back then...which was not cheap. I have found when I spend the extra $$, and get the good stuff, I tend to take care of it better...and appreciate it more. Good luck!

I agree with @Bankc, get a second, and even third and fourth opinion. Good buddy is the service manager at dealership, and since I know him, I trust him. That said, the brother-in-law of another good friend of mine runs his own shop...mainly deals in Honda's. Both do great work. Ask around, talk to friends and family...see who has a good reference...start there...see what options are available to get it fixed. Vehicle prices are STUPID right now. I saved for 2+ years, sold old truck and car, and got 2019 Chevy 2500HD...it booked for $62k, I got them down to $52k out the door...and also negotiated about $2k worth of accessories (bed mat, tonneau cover, tint, etc.). I was happy with the deal, and I'm sure they made money. That truck tows this like a dream... And my boat... : ) Dealership called and wants to buy my truck, with 26k miles on it...offering me $58k(!) Hell no!

January of 2009, we made the 6 our drive to St. Louis to pick up our second Yellow Lab...Daughters named him Zeke. We have been through a lot together. He didn't hunt as much as his predecessor, as my daughters were just getting in to sports...and I divorced their Mom shortly after we got Zeke. The daughters and this little guy lived with me full time. Twelve and a half years later, we've expanded our family (the current Mrs. Daubs, and her two boys), added a canine brother in Spotz, moved houses, graduated three of the four from high school...one finishing college next year, another finishing graduate degree next year. Old Zeke (aka, Mr. Floppy Ears), has been a great companion and part of our family! We have spent the past few days eating all the things you shouldn't feed a dog (ice cream, cookies, chips) sleeping on the bed, and getting lots of love from everyone in the house. His last visit to the shop this morning... Zeke will be missed...

I've ordered a bunch from Sierra through the years. Good stuff as always! Buddy of mine was a buyer for Cabela's back in the day...I asked him one time how companies can discount their goods at such a rate, and still make $$. His reply..."oh, no matter how discounted the product, the company is making a ****-ton of money...take advantage of any sale / discount / coupon that you can!" He said an item that retails for $30.00 usually costs them about $0.27 to manufacture and get delivered...now there are a bunch of costs after that...but you get the idea. Some items have a lower profit margin. He said the "Cabela's" branded clothing made the most profit! Cabela's actually created their own camo designs back in the day...because when they used RealTree or Advantage patterns, they had to pay those companies a share. Interesting conversations...

I had blood in stool a while back...have had four colonoscopies...now that I’m on the plus side of 50, it’s time for more. Back in the day had to drink stuff called “Go-Lightly.” It was horrible. Prep now a days is much better. Glad everything came out okay! : )

My Dad is retired carpenter...he started in the 1950’s when they built houses from the ground up. Taught me a ton about lots of stuff...even cars...I’ve pulled engines, replaced camshafts, clutches, brakes, bearings, electrical, radiators, etc. You could do that on older cars. Now with all the electronics, all I can still to the basics (oil change, guild changes, brakes, maintenance), but the big stuff gets taken to the dealership. Thankfully my good hunting buddy is the service manager. I feel a little better taking things to him. I do a lot around the house (plumbing, electrical, carpentry, etc.) but I refuse to get in the breaker box. Nope! @Way2slow, that looks painful. Glad you were wearing heavy gloves! Get well soon brother! I wear eye and ear protection no matter what I’m doing around the shop. Hearing your story, might be time for me to add the face shield as well...I would hate to see what that could have done to your head/face(!) Wife convinced me to ditch our 12 year old washer and dryer when we moved in to new house...guy at the Mart suggested we keep the existing...saying “they don’t make em like that any more...you will be lucky to get 7-8 years out of this new stuff...” She insisted on getting new : ) Hang in there men!

I was away from fishing from ~2005 through summer of 2020...when I joined BR. I too have learned a TON from this site and the great people here! One other game-changer I remembered...my college roommate in 1987 worked at Cabela's HQ in Sidney, NE. He worked the phones prior to coming to college...did not hunt or fish at all...I took him duck hunting for the first time. We have been life-long best buddies since then...in each other's weddings, traveled to see each other two and three times a year, even when I moved to Missouri. He went on to great things at Cabela's, working his way up the ladder, and also became quite an expert both hunting and fishing (man, that guy can put walleye in the boat!). He quickly went from student to teacher...and I learned so much from him through the years! His wife worked for Cabela's as well...rising to VP. Sadly, when BPS purchased Cabela's he knew days were numbered...He and wife are doing other things now. Life is good!

Caught the Musky bug living in NE Missouri...near Hazel Creek Lake. It is stocked with Musky. At first I could not care less about those big toothy predators...my buddy from Texas was infatuated with them...started buying all kinds of gear to "hunt Musky." About a year later I hooked one on a spinner bait while bass fishing with him. It. Was. AWESOME! A year later I hooked in to one while throwing a jig-n-craw in 20' deep timber...jig hit the bottom...started to move...I said "Hello Mr. Bass..." and set the hook. Swore I set in to a log...then it moved! What a fight. Did I mention I was fishing out of a belley-boat(!). He pulled me around for a while before I managed to kick to shore, pull the jig out, and release. Love me some Muskellunge!

Alberto knot...but watched the video on the GT knot, and how it's supposed to be the strongest...Might switch over.

I fished a little growing up in Nebraska -- trout pond at 2 Rivers, few trips to Valentine Refuge lakes, sandpit at family cabin. Mainly ultra-light tackle, Mepps, beetle-spins, cast-n-reel stuff. Got in to bass fishing while living in Missouri...co-worker and good friend was from Texas and LOVED to fish. Taught me a bunch. There have been a few "Game-Changers" for me through the years: Not fishing from the bank: Started with buddies canoe, and man did that change the game! So many different places we could hit. When that buddy and his canoe left town, I scored a belly-boat from the Cabela's Bargain Basement. Not great, but still on the water. Braid on my bait-casters: spooled up braid on my bait-casters in the 1990's. Sensitivity was amazing! Far fewer birds-nests...and much easier to resolve. Getting my own boat: Now I could fish when I wanted, where I wanted...with friends/family, or by myself. Not surprising how much I fish alone...as the day job involves supervising people in a customer service-type world. Give me some quiet time : ) Braid to leader on spinning gear: I resisted initially...how is that knot going to go through the guides...another knot means another failure point...boy, was I WRONG on this one...I'm just a few months in to this move...and it's changing the way I fish! What are your "Game-Changers"???