J Francho

I can get my boat to chine walk, with or without passengers - I'm 1-1/4" above the pad, lol. But yes, if you have an adjustable jackplate, raising the motor can help solve many handling issues.

I block up the trailer, and leave the tires on.

Pro cleaning, driveshaft bearing, Carbontex drag.

VA law dictates that all tournament winnings be paid in Canadian Loonies. I'm not sure the exchange rate, but it isn't good. lol....kidding.

I was shaking 10x as much when I caught the winning fish for the North Country Roundup a few years ago. It was just a 4 lber, but I had talked smack about winning for six months. I knew I had it in the bag with that fish. Big largemouth are very rare on Saranac. My PB in NY is a 7-2, it felt like reeling in an old boot. I was more shocked after getting it on the scale than anything.

I guess it depends on the boat, and normal conditions you fish in. For $60, if it isn't what you need, you can probably make a few bucks on it, reselling.

Nope, just a fan. I like a win like anyone else. Bottom line, Ain'ts didn't play well enough to win, Dallas did - that doesn't always happen. The fake punt was a LOL moment.

Tungsten is all they sell here, everything else is illegal in NY, LOL.

Creeks are dry, and water is back down a foot or more from it's high point in spring. Poop-tons of fish in 10-30 FOW, jumping all over the place. Had one strike in the 90 minutes I was out there - very unusual, but it's still pretty warm - no fish, but did get a nice pic of the sunset.

With a buddy, I don't have to respond when I'm talking to myself.

I'm even more lo-fi, I use half my paddle, lol.

Huh?

Here's our new trophy case to hold all the awards for the past 17 years.

I try to avoid confidence in particular baits. I'd rather have confidence in my location, my tackle, and preparation. If it doesn't provide success, I keep moving forward - new spots, different presentation style, etc. Until I catch three or four fish, I really have no preconceived idea of what's up that day. Don't get me wrong, experience gives me a starting point, but after that - no fish, keep moving forward. This doesn't always work - some days are a grind, and that guy that only knows to soak a senko kicks your butt. Such is fishing....

I have bridesmaid syndrome, lol. It feels good to win one once in a while. Had a slow, but quality day at the dump Saturday. Caught in many different cover, conditions, and locations. Frogs, spinnerbait, jig, swimbait...all provided. Best fish was a hair over 4. Sunday was a relaxing kayak trip up the creek with the gf. Caught a couple northerns to break up the paddle. Last night went out a quick trout trip in the kayak. Fish jumping all over the place, but one bite, no hookups. Did catch a great photo of the sunset, though.

"if it weren't for all the darn customers, we could get some work done around here!" Something I used to say to my employees when I ran a retail store, lol. Sarcasm as motivation...

Keep casting as hard as you can guys! I got a new lure picker to get your baits out of the trees and keep for myself, lol.

How do you find new "proven" baits, if you use the same ones? How is it a "confidence bait," if it isn't working that day? These aren't directed at any one person, just rhetorical questions to think about before automatically picking up your favorite bait.

There's no point to it. It actually interferes with there natural breathing process. Just hold them upright, under the belly, when they're ready, they'll swim off.

Up here, it's really easy to go from one type of cover and structure to another, even just a a few dozen yards away. Having stuff ready for what you might confront is handy. My usual on deck arsenal is a 6-8' crank, a 20' crank, spinnerbait/buzzbait/spook, light jika rig, wacky senko or fluke, and a jig. Sometimes, there's even a drop shot rod out there.

Sold my Prowler Big Game to clayton. Still have my Bullet and Xpress boaits. Been playing around in this, a Jackson Cuda. It's not my favorite boat, and has some issues with it's design, but as a simplified craft for small water, especially with current, it works.

Twist is just something you get with spinning reels...Those "wind knots" and loops around the top guides with braid? That's twist, it's just a different set of problems with braid, and takes longer to manifest.

That's flippin' brilliant. Jeez.

That's a dink, probably around 7 or 8 lbs. Here's a stud northern, lol:

Relax Felix, or I'll find some Eli memes....lol.