Fishes in trees

Back in the day, when I was co-angling on the BFL, I had 2 tournaments spoiled because of a " thrifty" boater, who didn't maintain his trolling motor like he should, and the trolling motor broke on tournament day. Both of those motors were Motor Guides and were " cheaper" than the comparable Minn Kota. A year or two later, I was in the process of buying my current boat and ran into the regional Minn Kota rep - I'd met him once or twice through the BFL circuit, but didn't really know him or anything like that. I went practice fishing with him once or twice. Anyway, he told me that if I ever tore up a Minn Kota Maxxum, through more or less normal use, he'd buy me a new one. 18 years later, still haven't had to call him up about that. I've worn one out, not the same, in my mind, as tearing one up. I thought 15 years was pretty good for a trolling motor. Anyway, back to the original post, I wouldn't have a Motor Guide trolling motor - bad memories of them costing me a tournament day still run deep.

Orschlens carries a small selection of the navy blue Dickies coveralls, but they are quite a bit heavier cloth than the ones I wore in the 70's, and they don't fit the same. I remember some of my fishing buddies, even back then, making fun of the jump suits.

Back in the day when I was a bank bound meat fishing bush hippie, I thought jump suits were outstanding fishing attire, fir the following reasons: A - they were more or less "tick proof", run a piece of duct tape around the ankles, douse yourself with anti-bug juice, ticks & chiggers didn't bother you as bad. - They were fairly cheap, so you could get them dirty and not really care. Jump suits I always washed at the laundromat instead of my house. C - At the end of they day, when I got back to the car, stored my fish in the cooler for the ride home, they were easy to get out of. Riding back home in dirty clothes really bugged me then (it still does, to this day I always carry a change or two of clothes in the fishing truck, to change into when I'm done fishing for the day) Jump suits are hard to find these days, If I could find a decent source, I'd probably start wearing them again. For me, jump suits were mostly a late spring/summer thing. I liked the really light/ tight weave poplin ones. I had 7 or 8 of them, different colors. Never did put a patch on any of them, but then, I'm not a patch wearing guy

$30 + for the empty one - YOW - I can see buying that box if I kinda wanted it - and I had the disposable income - and I was drunk. I like how heavy duty it is but darn - $30+ - probably going to have to pass - kinda like I've passed so far on the Bass Mafia boxes.

I've got several 1000 size Shimano reels that I used as well as a few 2000 size. Given a choice I use the 1000 size because they are a little lighter. I use either light braid or Fireline or nanoFil and either size holds enough line for me. I don't worry about the drags either, I set them pretty strong and lean on them when I need to. I've broken off NanoFil a couple of times, but in those particular situations I feel the strongest line on the planet probably would have broke. (Fish took a very quick down & around a thick, sharp stump and I was 40 or 50 feet away when it happened) If I got to have distance, for something like throwing cranks on spinning gear, I do go with a larger reel. I have an old Diawa 2600 filled with 14 lb Fireline on a Medium Action/Fast Tip 7' spinning rod. I can make a Wiggle Wart go a long ways without a whole lot of effort.

I don't think so - the old Lews were made by Ryobi, I think and I don't think Ryobi exists anymore, at least in the US domestic market. I've got one old Less reel. It is an ok reel but it doesn't compare to current reel technology - even current cheap reel technology. For me, the old Lews reel is something to play with on my desk.

I haven't contributed to this thread for a while - but really haven't had much to contribute. However - you posted something to the effect of "who needs a workshop & a boat when they are anticipating working 100 hrs more of less per week." The short answer is - YOU DO. If you're working 100 hours a week - someplace to chill by yourself seems to me to b e mandatory. Nothing in my jog is life or death, but I often have times when I need to go sit and/or fool around with tools in my garage or my fishing shed - just to deal with mental health issues. Hope you get it worked out. Maybe trade your boat - get a slightly smaller boat. Maybe keep the boat with a tarp on it through the summer and find a place to store it through the winter. As I recall, you're in the medical biz, right - ? - Maybe one of the doctors you work with has some spare storage you can borrow for a while. I can understand your dilemma. A 24 year old Ranger in decent shape is hard to find and not something I'd get rid of lightly. Wish that I had room in my fishing shed - you could store it at my house - but I don't.

Fiberglass rods are heavy - even though they might be lighter than they used to be, they are heavy. If you're throwing chatterbaits most of the day with a fiberglass rod, your wrists are going to be sore at the end of the day. I'd look for a long time for a graphite rod with comparable action before I'd throw a fiberglass rod. I often change my mind on what is a good chatterbait rod. These days, I'm using a couple of options. Option A - last fall at a pawn shop I got an old Diawa L & T worming/jiggin rod. It has way too much tip for me to use it for throwing jigs or worms, but I really like it for throwing chatterbaits in the half ounce range. Option B - Academy Sports occasionally has All Star rod on sale and I got an All Star spinner bait rod (the purple one) for around $50 and I like it for throwing spinnerbaits and chatterbaits in the half ounce range. I seldom throw chatterbaits any lighter than that. No clue how much these rods weigh, but they are lighter than any fiberglass rod that I've looked at recently in different tackle shops.

Who's on the hook for the "little" tune up? That would make a big difference to me. You got a 17 year old boat with basic electronics and a questionable motor. What are you going to do with this boat? Fish it " as is" or "clean up & update?" What kind of shape is the trailer in? How long has this boat set - unused & unfished? What up? Family member can't just give you the boat - it is 17 year old boat after all. What kind of guy is this family member, that he would let his boat get in this kind of shape? Health issues or just unmotivated? I you get this boat you're going to want a new trolling motor & set of batteries, just to start. Electronics - your call - I get by with kinda basic electronics, but I'd upgrade if my wallet allowed. This has all the stench of a money pit getting ready to open up. Me - I'd offer $1200 on the basis of splitting the cost of the motor tune up. If family member didn't want to do that - $800 to $900 is all I'd go. I personally don't have any family members that I'd ever buy anything from - however this admittedly cynical advice is coming from hearing many stories about guys buying from buddies and/or family members.

I like my home made rigs compared to the V Tokyo rig, mostly because I get to choose what hook I want and I believe that Gamakatsu hooks are better than VM hooks. 5 years ago, when I was in the first stages of making this bait, I started with wire droppers, like the Tokyo Rig. I must have been using thinner wire, because I found that after 2 or 3 fish the wire kinked and often tangled with my line on the cast. For weights, I use back to back worm weights with a glass bead between them for a little bit of noise maker action. I've found it best for total weight to be between half an ounce and three quarters of an ounce. My dripper weight length is probably around 3 inches total and I string the weights on 80 lb fluorocarbon leader and use jewelers crips to keep the whole rig together. (A couple on each end work best.). I tried using metal sleeves, like you would use if you were making your own wire leaders, but those proved hard to come by in the KC metro area, and jewelers crimps were easy to come by. I generally use a round split ring connected to an oval split ring, the weight dropper line connects to the oval split ring, hook goes on the round. split ring - you tie to the round split ring. ( I haven't found any need for swivels ). I use the round/oval split rings as an easy way to remind myself which one to tie to. Wish I knew how to post pictures, I think the ones that I've made and fish with are pretty cool and they work good. Fishing the whole rig is most like fishing a drop shot that always keeps the bait 2 inches or so off the bottom.

I got a Bow Step this spring. I looked at several different brands, went with the Bow Step because (a) it was marketed through Bass Pro and I had a gift certificate and (b) they offered free shipping. It is easy to install and the fold up and out of the way feature is nice. The ladder does have a modest amount of flex in it, believe me the first time you use it combined with the additional flex of being in the water on your trailer, it is going to feel a little weird. However - the ladder is rated to 350 pounds and as you learn to trust it, it gets easier every time you get on or off. I don't know why boat manufacturers don't make some kind of product like this standard on every boat & trailer package sold. It is that handy.

I don't think that there is a significant difference between having your hook parallel to the bait or perpendicular to it. For years, I didn't think about it at all, always had the hook parallel to the bait, and I feel like I caught my share of fish and had a pretty good strike to land ratio. Then someone told me about making an X with 2 o-rings, hooking through the X, so as to have your hook perpendicular to the bait. So I did that, for a couple of years. Got to say that I didn't notice a significant advantage either way. When I choose to skip the bait underneath branches, or something like that, I feel the hook parallel to the bait skips better.

I've bought several H2O rods and All Star rods (allegedly an exclusive Academy brand) on close out and I haven't gotten a bad one yet. They work good, they stand up to normal wear & tear and they were all under $50. Back when I was working and drove past an Academy 4 times per week, at least every other week I'd stop by and see what was on close out. Good store. Very occasionally they have great fishing clothes deals.

My thought is that for the senkos, a 3/8 i.d. would be a little loose. The only baits that I wacky rig are senkos and for me the 3/8 o.d. - 1/4 i.d. work best and don't slip.

I've got a couple of the Curado 150 DC reels and I think that they are great reaction bait reels. I can cast somewhat further than I can with my Curado E's with the same amount of effort and once you get them adjusted they don't backlash very often

I'll use 14 to 20 lb mono, whatever brand is on sale during the winter close out sales at Walmart. (Within reason - no Big Game or stuff in that range, past few years I've been using Suffix 17 or 20). I'm generally throwing a top water walker ( I prefer a Sammy) on a shorter, medium action rod, shorter because I don't want to be smacking the tip of the rod on the edge of the boat all the time. Medium action because I'm going to want to throw that bait pretty far some times. I like some kind of a loop knot just to give the bait the most possible action. I prefer the King Sling - it is a challenge for me to tie, and I don't tie it all that often so it might take me a try or two to get it perfect. I think that it is a loop knot that gets you the most line strength. If I'm of the opinion that I'm going to be throwing the Sammy off and on all day, I will double up the line and tie a King Sling with a doubled up line. When I do this, I'm 100% certain that if the line breaks, it won't be at the knot.

Going after wasps with a Bug-A-Salt gun is going in underpowered. I'd rather use a fly swatter. Me - I don't mind wasps so much as they seem pretty chill most of the time, if you don't go out of your way to provoke them. Hornets though, don't ever let hornets get established in your fishing shed. Major pain in the butt. I get that 25' foam spray, hit the nest - run away, come back in half an hour, search for more nest & repeat. I've never had them come back the same year after I've driven them out, but you have to search slowly & carefully, there are lots of crevices where they can build a pretty big nest pretty quick.

First choice might be a thumping spinnerbait/chatterbait - black & blue, maybe a chartreuse/clown/ something like that. I wouldn't discount a big square bill - white/ shad colored/ maybe fire tiger. I remember a tournament on Truman Lake in the 90's, might have been a BFL, not sure, where the lake was real high, but the corps hadn't closed the ramps yet and the Marinas were still open and the top 6 or 7 spots were taken by guys fishing the flooded state parks. Picnic Tables that had collected a bunch of brush as the water rose accounted for those stringers. Spinner baits & square bills accounted for most of the fish but the big fish came on a black & blue jig, flipped to the top of a picnic table, then dropped 4 feet. As I recall the tournament was out of Bucksaw and one big stringer came out of the state park near Bucksaw and several big stringers came from the state park close to Long Branch. I wouldn't be afraid to throw a lipless crank either. Any way you figure, it will be a tough tournament, but that's where I'd try to start. Have good maps. You're from Springfield, so I presume you're talking about Table Rock. Do you think that the fish have spawned yet. In my neighborhood, I haven't seen consistent water temps over 60 degrees necessary for spawning yet. Another thing to consider. The flooded Truman tournament I referred to happened in mid-June.

When I was a kid I remember seeing ads in Field & Stream about the "Batwing" sonic lure. I didn't subscribe to the magazine, but I read it when I went to the county library, which was generally on a weekly basis. Never got it together to actually buy the lure, don't know why. I remember that in the advertising copy there were statements that the lure was soon to be " banned in several states!!!" Years later, after I was out of college and I'd had a couple of advertising copy writing classes, I realized that none of the states where that lure was going to be banned were geographical in nature. Cool lure though - wish I had one - I'd throw it - looks like it would kinda waddle across the surface, like a crazy crawler, as long as you kept it moving.

I like the original packaging stored in like groups in speed bags. Should anyone be interested in a thrifty option to the KVD speed bags, Harbor Freight carries 12" and 15" canvas tool bags. Frequently they have a coupon so that the bags come out to a little less than $5 each. Just as well made as the KVD speed bags with the heavy duty zipper, the 15" bags have an additional pouch on the outside of the bag. Say you ride like A-Jay and have 10 bags, that's slightly less than $50 for quite a bit of storage. Only down side is that the canvas bags weigh slightly more than whatever fabric the KVD bags are made of.

Should you throw jigs into cover, you're going to get stuck from time to time. Trying to get cute and throwing the jigs slightly off the cover and hoping the fish are aggressive enough to come out of the cover to hit your bait is being very optimistic. You'll lose fewer jigs AND you'll catch fewer fish. I think the phrase that applies here is "pay to play". You lost a tx rigged worm also - that is also going to happen from time to time - kinda less often than losing jigs, but still it is going to happen. Any given day of fishing, once you lose your first bait and then keep throwing into the same general space, you're likely to lose more. I'm not sure that I would have done anything different. Me - I'm much more likely to throw a variety of tx rigged soft plastics into a laydown before I consider throwing a jig into it. You were fishing from the bank. The angles are different, laydowns are generally easier to approach from a boat than from the bank. I don't think you did anything wrong. You just lost some terminal tackle - that's going to happen.

Berkley Pulse worms - Timber Tiger crank baits (I'm down to my last 8 or 10) - Uncle Josh pork baits, specifically #11 frogs, split tail eels & twin tails - wider retail availability of all the catalog of Chompers baits - I'm sure there is more, but I forget right now

Check out a Hummingbird Fishing Buddy portable depth finder. Several different price levels, depending on what you want. I have an old one that I keep specifically for those times when I've got to fish out of some rental Jon boat or some one else's Jon boat and they don't have a depth finder.

What model Curado? Not to be a downer, stick in the mud BUT - if it was a person who really needed the money and really didn't know what they had - you took advantage of them - karma, karma, karma. I truly understand that a deal is a deal - BUT - an unfair deal is just wrong - on several different levels. If it was a person who really needed the money and kinda did know what they had - smacks of "grey market" to me. Either way, I probably wouldn't have played. In the past, I've had fishing tackle stolen and probably re-sold on the "grey market" , i.e. Craig's list, flea markets, yard sales and the like. From time to time I remember losing that stuff, and what I did to earn that money and despite the fact that all that gear has been replaced/upgraded several times since then, I find myself wishing bad stuff happens to whoever got my rods & reels second hand, third hand, however many interactions of hands you can figure. At the end of the day you got a reel for $50. I sincerely hope karma doesn't bite you in the butt on this one.

This spring I got a Bowstep boat ladder (page 471 BPS 2020 Master Catalog). I like it alot. I've been wanting something like it for a long time, but messing up my knee last year put me seriously in the market. I got the 4 step starboard mount. It was a little cheaper than the trick step and I bought it during a period when BPS was offering free shipping. That saved $40 or $50 bucks, maybe, I don't know, once they said free shipping I didn't ask how much I saved.