T-Billy

If you're gonna fish standing up. Do it close to shore.

Light is right when it comes to worms IMO. I fish 1/8 a lot, and rarely go over 3/16.

The larger size micros like the Fuji K's are my favorite, for the reasons Glenn stated, plus they're more durable than the tiny ones. That is unless it's cold enough to ice them. Then I'll fish my rods with larger guides.

Outstanding value at full price. No brainer with the BOGO sale.

Don't sweat it, just keep grinding. It's the big fish time of year. The colder it gets the bigger my average size is, but numbers are often down. Not always though. A couple warm, calm, sunny days can load the shallow laydowns with fish.

Ark rods have been on sale for 26% off at one of my favorite online retailers for awhile. A 7'4" Mag Heavy F Invoker showed up on my porch today. Can't wait to take it for a spin next week. Tons of power, but it's got some tip to it. Should do a great job of driving flippin hooks home. Will make an awesome frog rod as well.

The supply chain BS isn't helping them out any either. My local shop owner still struggles to get stuff. I bought the last of his keitech fats last week.

Don't I know it. She's over there in her recliner eyeing me up right now!!! ?

LOL. Thanks. The hat gets lots of compliments, and that sucker is WARM. I think the fish bite my bait just so they can come in the boat and get a better look at it.

Happy Thanksgiving. Hope y'all have a blessed day.

Four generations at my house this afternoon. The Lord has blessed me FAR beyond anything I deserve. Happy Thanksgiving to Y'all.

Just to prove all you naysayers who thought me catching a snail on an A-Rig was a fluke wrong, I went out and did it again today!!! And notice, they're both hooked in the mouth. TEEE.....BILLY!!! Women love me. Snails fear me. ?

LOL. Thank you Katie. I hopefully have a few weeks left. We'll see, it's getting to be that time of year when I never know which trip will be my last. My #2 lake has a ramp that will be usable as that lake's only being dropped 5' this year, but it's in the shallow upper end and it ices in early. The ice will determine when I'm done. I don't sweat the couple months of down time. I'll get some projects done around the house that I've been putting off, service my reels, and make a pile of baits. Plus the time off will have me chomping at the bit to get back on the water come March. To everything there is a season. Edit to add: @ol'crickety the musky wasn't big. 32" ish. Sorry, I missed the PS earlier. Yeah, for sure. I don't get a five every year, and only have three six pounders with a 6-4 being my PB SM and a 6-10 my PB LM. It's been a special year for sure. I'm not quite done yet, there's still hope for a new PB this year. Edit to add: I looked around a little bit for growth rates for northern LM. Looks like a 5 pounder around here is likely an 8-9 year old fish, making a 6 or more 10+. Given the pressure our little lakes get, it's no wonder they're not exactly common.

Yeah, she has some old scars all over her and is missing the top of her tail fin. Muskie had ahold of her at some point.

Ended up catching 9LM today, and had a small musky shake off while I was fumbling with the net. Water's down eight degrees over the last six days. Surface temp was 42 this morning and lake #1 is down about four feet. The ramp will be unusable in a week or two. Time is running out on the 22 season. First bite today was five pounder #4 for the year, officially making this my best year for big LM. Come to think of it, it's been a great year for big fish in general, with a PB saugeye, and a muskie just an inch short of my PB. Todays ol battle scarred big girl came in at 5.11. The mighty Sweet Craw strikes again. Caught one LM on the A Rig, the rest came on the Sweet Craw pitched to shallow sun baked laydowns.

No experience with windtamer but I'm a fan of Fins infinity. It's 8 strand, smooth, colorfast black, super quiet through the guides. As far as tip wraps go, it's just part of the deal with braid. You'll get less the more you use it, but it's gonna happen occasionally. That said, I get less with 832 than with other whispier braids. 832 is more abrasion resistant too. That Gore fiber lives up to the hype IMO.

You know, there are a ton of rods on sale right now too. Wouldn't you enjoy fishing your new Tatula reel on a new Tatula rod? Sure you would. Go ahead, buy one. You know you want to. After all... They're on sale!!! Think of the money you'll be saving by buying now!!!

Careful what you wish for. That canoe will never stay upright. I set the hook like a 200# Spider Monkey pumped full of red bull.

I think it's a situational thing Katie. When it's slick calm fish are easily spooked and long casts can definitely be beneficial. I'll let a popper sit until the rings disappear before the first pop when it's slick calm. Add a little wind, and the fish are less spooky and more casts and a faster cadence might be more productive. The plopper has been most productive for me after the spawn and before the weedbeds top out. A 110 in loon over submerged grass can be awesome, especially at night.

Thank you my friend. Right back atcha. You for sure know how to catch 'em yourself. It doesn't get much more simple than the way I go about it. Big rod+braid+straight shank+the gnarliest cover I can find to pitch into. The main alternative to that is a chatterbait at night. I fish it over submerged weeds, along hard weedlines, and crawl it over rock structure. My recently acquired A rig addiction is paying off in musky lately, but I'm sure it's gonna produce some big bass for me at some point. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to that rig, but I'm making progress.

Says the young and not yet senile man. Lol. That actually seems like a great app Aaron. I've reached a point where numbers don't mean much to me. It's all about biggins anymore, and for some reason I don't seem to have a problem keeping track of those.

I would forget to use the counter at least half the time. Maybe I should get one and just multiply the final count by two? ? I MIGHT be able to put up some @ol'crickety numbers once in a while that way. Or not. ?

Id wager, it won't be your last one. Edit to add: DANG IT!!! Went to S/O after reading this thread and found the Invokers still on sale. 7'4" Mag Heavy on the way. Too many is never enough. Lol.

I pretty much agree with this. I'm going to spend some time throwing 4.3's and 4.8's in cold water though. Those bigger keitechs wag at a REALLY slow speed.

Nope. Don't see the need. All my casting reels except for BFS have braid on them. I'm not unspooling then respooling all of those.