Ratherbfishing

Am not sure this qualifies as a "neighbor" but some tree removal service had parked their flat bed truck and, by the tracks, a skid steer (or something like it) on the gravel in front of my house. Being "neighborly", I didn't really care. UNTIL I came home one evening and the truck was gone BUT they had torn the living doodoo out of the gravel (leaving deep ruts and mounds of gravel and dirt) and left it for me to worry about. I stopped wanting to be "neighborly" about then. Wish I could remember the name of the business.

Sorry for the loss of your putty tat. : (

Tipping, to me, should be commensurate with what you receive as a client. If your guide spends more time fishing and drinking beer than putting YOU on fish, than I don't think a tip is merited at all. Would you really ever want to utilize their services again, anyway? On the other hand, if the boat is clean and serviceable AND they work very hard to find fish for you, than a decent tip is warranted. I've never partaken of the services of a guide BUT I imagine you can usually tell which ones are skillful and prepared and which ones probably need to go out of business.

It doesn't matter to me if Carp SHARE a body of water with other species of fish but to me there's something awry if Carp are the dominant species. But I'm not a fish biologist so what do I know?

Here is what worked for me (reasonably well): If you can manage, try to pull the old carpet in one piece (per area). That way, assuming it hasn't stretched a lot, you can use it as a template for cutting the new carpet to size.

"Why?" is simply a challenge to what you are telling them. They really don't want to know "why." HOW, when you are 7 or 8 going to know how to behave if you've never heard "no" or "stop that" when you were two or three? You don't have to beat them or someone to teach, reinforce or maintain discipline.

From all sides. It's why I don't.

I really wouldn't go any lower than 4 lbs. 2 lbs is too light for anything other than, maybe, crappie or bream. The smallest nick or crimp in 2 lb line renders it weaker still.

I've always had a thing for fat/squat little baits like this. Have you fished these? How is the action? I image the tail probably stunts the action a little.

I'd have to say "both". They are more rare but wouldn't attain their size without also being a little smarter than the average bass.

Before getting too carried away with a new hobby, I thought I might start by painting some battered and bruised crankbaits. Do any of ya'll recommend a good paint stripper and, afterwards, a good (preferably white) primer?

The hybrid ultra soft is very good for spinning applications and the straight hybrid can't be beat for baitcasters. I like them both. A lot.

I DO ice fish and I still found this hilarious

I've been thinking of ordering some plastic lure bodies online through LurePartsOnline http://www.lurepartsonline.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI39HQ-u333wIVDlYMCh3tXAJoEAAYASAAEgLi1PD_BwE&utm_campaign=lure-parts-online&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc however I don't want to do so if the respective bodies don't fish well. Therefore I have a couple of questions: Have you ordered plastic lure bodies from LurePartsOnline? If so, which ones fish well and which ones should I steer clear of?

Ouch!

Generate a report: "Cleanup on aisle 5!"

Especially in January.

My thoughts exactly. Even the local forum is pretty broad. Probably better to just look on the local forums, identify the persons who live close by, and then PM them.

WHERE in downstate Illinois do you live? It must (might) be because I work in a white collar field but almost none of the men I know have much interest in outdoor sports. I'm glad for you I've found the opposite to be true (Champaign/Urbana area).

I don't know a great deal about PTSD (sorry that you have experienced it) but aside from the cause, anxiety appears to be at the core of it (or at least a big part of it). Working on any project can either be enjoyable and therapeutic OR, if it becomes overwhelming, might open a whole can of worms. You'll have to decide what you can do and what is too much for you. (There is no dishonor in knowing your limits). For me, with my boat I was comfortable with replacing the carpet in it (and a few sections of plywood in the deck) BUT I knew that replacing the impeller (which was past due) was too much for me. I left that up to a professional. You might want to do likewise with your boat. And since your wife seems to have a good head on her shoulders, you might solicit her help in this. Oh, and good luck with this (and your PTSD)!

Lost interest after the first half of the first EPISODE

Compared to some true bait monkey addicts, my bait arsenal is pretty modest however there came a point when I realized that I'll have to live to be 583 before I could give all my lures a reasonable shake. So...I mostly stopped buying-unless I find a really good sale on something I really use a lot of-and THEN I'll break down. Most recently, I found Senko's about 50% off. And Keitech Swing Impact baits for a third off. It's difficult to resist them because I know I'll run out eventually.

Just don't try to start a fire by striking your phone against a teenager. I've tried it. It doesn't work.

Like with so many things, yes and/or no. In very clear water and/or for pressured fish, line color CAN make a difference-especially with slow moving baits. And sometimes the fish bite so "tentatively" that if you can't see the line move, you won't get a hook set before they spit it out. Does it ALWAYS matter (one way or the other)? No. Does it sometimes? Yes, I believe it does. But also like so many other things, a fisherman can overthink things to the point where they can become overwhelmed with decisions/choices. Go with what you are MOST comfortable with and then adapt as conditions and the fish suggest you should.

My artificial tree is so realistic, it loses its needles. Seriously. I have to vacuum after putting it up and after I put it away. And last week I had to use some wire cutters to snip off some of the branches that were getting bare. Me thinks it might be time for me to think about getting a new one. I read this after posting mine. Same thing.