Dwight Hottle

Best one today fishing Lake Walk in Water for the first time.

@A-Jay I remember that trip as it was our first trip to lake Baccarac. Fishing by myself with just the guide who taught me to fish really slow on all my retrieves. Using a spinner bait, a scrounger with a fluke bait & a jig I caught a 9-0 , 9-4, 9-8, 8+ & a 7+ for 43 lbs plus change all before lunch. I lost a biggie when she jumped. All fishing up hill from about 25’ deep dragging the bait uphill to the boat which was tied off to a small tree in 8-10 feet. That was a big fish spot that we fished all morning.

@T-Billy Outstanding year just don't set the bar too high because it makes it that much harder to improve from such a lofty position. 😀

I replaced my Costas with Smith Opitical and I'm happy with the change. The old Costa has been replaced by different ownership & policies.

Kelly is one of the names possibly going to OSU.

@Michigan First the cheating scandal & now the coaching scandal with is even worst. I wonder if any recruits are going to change their minds.

Welcome to BR Kenny. Lots of canoe & kayak fishers here.

@gim Take full advantage of every opportunity this spring & you will be rewarded. Prespawn is magic time.

My goal is spend a little more time traveling to chase smallies chasing a new PB.

This a feel good story for you. In 2015 I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. The tumor was right at the junction of the esophagus & stomach just above the sphincter value that is supposed to keep your stomach acid from entering your esophagus. The tumor was graded as stage 2-3 but not metastasized. After 6 weeks of chemo they did a stomach pullup which consisted of totally removing my esophagus at my throat to my stomach & replacing it with my stomach. They removed a small portion of my stomach adjacent to the esophagus then formed the stomach into a tube to replace the esophagus. I got 6 more weeks of chemo after healing to make sure there were no cancer cells floating around. I too was left with a very limited stomach sack. Your intestines take over the digestion process. Consequently when you eat your intake capacity is greatly reduced. You get full from much smaller portions than before. You will probably loose some weight permanently. The good thing is you can get your life back & function relatively normally. It sounds like your medical team has given you a good prognosis & advice. I wish you the best possible outcome going forward. Keep your positive outlook & believe in the outcome. I am cancer free 10 years later & enjoying my fishing as much as ever.

Like @Swamp Girl suggested leave the heavy action rod at home. The only time I use a MH rod for Great Lakes smallies is for heavier baits up to an ounce in weight. Mostly I use light, medium light or medium action rods. You can use 10lb braid with mono or fc leaders on spinning tackle. I would not use any line heavier than 15lb test.

@Nitro 882 Tires are designed to run at max pressure as stated on the sidewall. The outside air temps do not require you to adjust. Tires heat up with use so bleeding pressure out after running is the wrong thing to do. Only adjust tire pressure when the tire is cold or after sitting overnight. Tire pressure increases or decreases one pound PSI for every 10 degrees air temp change. So setting your air temp to max when its zero degrees outside will only increase 7 psi when the air temp reaches 70 degrees. Tire tolerances are engineered to accommodate that.

Looks like #1 & #2 are going to go at it for the Big 10 Championship. They may have to play each other again in the national championship. Great game in Michigan, finally.

At the age of 77 I have actually complicated it. And I have done it for both reasons as you have suggested I love tech & love the chase for the biggest bass. I know I only have so much time left to pursue my hobby so I choose to chase the trophy dream. Numbers are fun but not my thing anymore. I do understand the allure of simplicity and very occasionally limit myself to just one outfit & only a few baits.

Happy Thanksgiving to all you bass heads.

The fish don't care. Use what your comfortable with. The only major advantage to casting gear is for casting larger baits & fishing heavy cover. If your fishing time is limited & you are mostly a finesse fisherman fishing in mostly open water go with the spinning tackle. You can always reintroduce the casting gear when the occasion calls for it. And for most fishing scenarios spinning gear is more fun because it is usually lighter in weight & you can enjoy the fish fighting more.

Yes & they really extend your casting range.

@TxBassin I have your answer. Get the cranking rod of your choice for the small thru medium cranks. Then buy a 1-3 oz swim bait rod & use it for swim baits & full size cranks like 6 & 10 XD’s. Almost all swim bait rods are moderate action or moderate fast actions which relates well to using them for hard pulling deep diving cranks. Those two rods will cover you well.

@woolleyfooley yes I’m sure.

Lake B is a good alternative as it’s been on fire. I personally don’t buy the excuse they gave you. Something else is going on there.

Longer than normal. Instead of the usual three days it took 5 days.

I collected a few in my younger days from the In-Fisherman program.

Don’t be afraid to throw a popping frog. My buddy caught a DD on one & lost another one when she jumped. I had a 9.5 lber on a bone yellow magic popper that same week.

Cancer sucks. Hoping your wife's is extremely slow developing.

Your going to need some topwater baits too.