Master Bait'r

I love the panic level haha- It's cool though, you're among friends here, man... Deep breaths! You'll find them!

I have a Supreme XT spinning reel that I've had for 3 years and it's a great reel. Very smooth, quiet and strong. Can't say a single bad thing about it actually.

Sick ride! What color?

You can, but they work better full profile. Just get some #5 EWGs, t-rig them and work them around laydowns with some nice subtle, erratic jerkbait tugs. It's only a matter of time.

Pretty sure OP is a younger teenager so it's all relative. It's funny though, I'm only 32 and my gf has two kids- 8 & 10. I hadn't ever felt old until one day they asked me "Were you really born way back in the 1900s??" I thought about it for a second and had to answer yes. I had never felt so old in my life. I really was born 'way back when' in the 1900s- before the internet and mobile phones- which is the ultimate "old person" litmus test for young kids these days apparently. Tell them there was no such thing as a mobile phone or the internet when you were a kid and they act like you churned butter by whale oil lamplight to pass the time haha

He's not using it as the standard so to speak, just the measurement baseline for comparison in terms of diameter. 30# braid is approximately 8lb braid etc. Since rods are generally given line ratings in mono it makes perfect sense to me. Diameter matters in rate of sink and floatation too don't forget.

That's great! Which size? The tiny ones (3.5") are killer for drop shot or t-rig for river smallies/trout. The larger ones (4"iirc?) I strictly use for weightless t-rig and a soft jerking/fluttering dying baitfish imitation. They absolutely slay. I love Slug-gos. They have such a great erratic darting action, and nothing moves quite like them. They whip around in a very unique way when you work them. Nice and weedles too. So easy the kids even crush with them, and the plastic is nice and durable. Rainbow trout, baby bass, alewife, purple passion(?), methiolate... They have so many good colors to choose from. If you like the action of them though, I highly recommend picking up some Slug-go SS finesse worms too. They have the same front end as the smaller model and have a nice slim whip tail. The action hunts so hard and the tail whips so nice it stays in the strike zone forever and makes a huge commotion. I think the SSs are even better actually. Wicked good for unweighted T-rig and for shaky head, very durable and they give you a ton per bag. Two bass thumbs way up.

I have both the BB1 Pro & the Curado I. Both are awesome, well executed reels. You honestly can't go wrong with either, so hold them and see which palms better for you.

You should convert your trolling motor pedal...

Won't know until we have some liquid water again but I will share my results. I think they'll do awesome

Glass is best in terms of clarity and tolerances, but "plastic" is getting better and better and most would never notice- also plastic lenses are better for high impact concerns such as safety glasses. (Glass can shatter) For the money, I'm sticking with plastics. My eyes are terrible and just about anything is better than what I was born with lol

That's an eeler

I like 832 and SX1/FX2. 832 is smoother and quieter but SX1/FX2 is more durable IMO.

Why not both? Bettencourt makes a cool dying trout and bluegill that looks really cool. Check them out, they aren't even that expensive.

Well I've received many a well-intentioned sweater that was never worn.

My small (~1oz) swimbait/glide box is officially ready to go for spring. A little bit of everything. Some long and skinny, some short and fat, floaters and sinkers and some variety of good jerk/steady retrieve/glide looks. Day 2 of +50F temps too. The river by my house has already broken out. It's coming, gentlemen. It's coming.

How and where exactly does one send scales to be aged?? That is so cool!

I won't even post a valid entry in this thread for fear of jinxing myself. Hush little babies, daddy's not gonna lose you in a cold, dark lake to toothy critters and that's that.

Agreed. Either a gift card or a really specific, special higher end bait that you know he will use. Burning a gift card is so much fun though.

Honestly, thank you very much. That means a lot and it can definitely feel thankless at times. It isn't easy but we work really hard to give the kids the best in everything we can from schools to skiing. I feel it's very important to give them strong backgrounds in outdoor recreation- they need those physical & mental outlets as well as bonds that you can share as their love for it develops. Their dad is a good enough guy I guess but doesn't do much with them so I feel it is doubly my duty to get them out there and show him how to live right and love being outdoors. They appreciate the heck out of it too whether you're taking them on a bike ride, a fishing trip, going camping or just teaching them how to spool a spinning reel in the right direction. It's not always easy and we don't get any child support etc. but we always find a way. To me, those sorts of things are absolute necessities and you HAVE to keep kids engaged in positive and constructive ways. The only thing better than landing lunkers yourself is teaching a kid how and watching them do it.

Seriously considering bringing my ski poles so I can scootch the kayak across the ice with them until I get to open water haha Not really, but the minute I can launch the yak from shore I'll be out there!

I would die. Right there on the spot.

This will be the first full summer I will get to spend with my stepson. He will turn 9 this July and he LOVES fishing. I taught him a lot last year about how to rig and fish different ways and he has been right there with me all winter talking about fishing gear and getting stoked. He can't wait to go to the big lakes this year. I actually just picked him up another heavier spinning setup so he can throw small 1/4oz frogs and little swimbaits etc. to compliment his lighter spinning combo. Little dude is stoked and I'm stoked that he's stoked. I already told him he can bring a friend when we go on the big boat, and it's funny how fast he excluded like half of them because "They can't be quiet enough" lol... The kid gets it.

The field mouse is IMO the best cheaper hollow frog type bait. Their longer, more slender body and center tail give it a really nice whippy walk and the hookup ratio is fantastic. Their frogs are good, but those field mice are awesome. Brown and white seems to get bit the most for me. I throw frogs and things like that when I have pads to throw then at- I like to land it on pads if I can because it makes a pop noise instead of a big splash and it sounds more like bluegills feeding than anything else. It's like ringing the dinner bell. Before the pads break the surface, I'll usually throw a jitterbug/grand siglett surface bait and draw them up and out though.

I love the blurring like it's in the bait monkey witness protection program haha...