Choporoz

I hesitate to ask, because I don't want to derail the OP, but anyone replying who already has long-term-care insurance, I'm curious as to what age you started buying? Web info/calculators are all over the map.

Thanks, Ed. I was having a similar conversation with myself the last few days. I don't have the 'parent risk factors', but I do have a sense that I'm on track for some sort of early reduction in mental capacity. I'm only a couple years younger than you, but the plan was always to work until 63. Lately, I'm not so confident that's the right plan....lots of self-evaluation over here, also.

If you decide that the 'not being away from home' part is negotiable, I'd suggest that you aren't too old for military (or Coast Guard) service. Not everyone finds it totally rewarding, but I think that most do. And I've never met anyone over 25 who joined and didn't find it a good fit. Pay is decent, job security is very high, benefits are as good as any, and prospect of a pension after 20 years is tough to find any where else. Your degree may even allow you a commission.

I don't know the history all too well, but if you're interested, you will also need to look at Hendryx, Shakespeare and Pflueger....if I'm not mistaken, all four companies were already producing baitcasting reels a centrury ago

The '90's decade is pretty much a blur...I lost a dozen years of my life to PC FPS's....Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake, Thief, Duke Nukem, Descent, Half-Life, Counterstrike....and countless hours to Ghost Recon

Why does it seem that way? I've never heard a Shimano owner say that.

LOL...yeah, I think it's two each at .5 oz....a two and a half ounce lipless would be for ...IDK...but, something other than black bass

Agree with @Turkey sandwich. You should be able to get your own estimate and then reconcile the two with the insurance company. It won't be easy....or pretty, but they will negotiate with you (or your shop.) Also, give them a call - they may just be withholding the depreciated value until you get the work done....and then pay it to you directly - later. Not always the case, but sometimes is. I'm guessing they don't want to give you the full value (including depreciation) in case you choose to take their check and not get the work done.

Just a few phone ap games any more...but was a time.... This is what started my steep descent....lol

Don't sleep on this one. I must admit that a great deal of the line that I've 'lost' or cut from a spool is line that got kinked, knotted, or otherwise rendered useless....almost always caused by twist

@Mr. Aquarium, what did you learn about fishing muddy water? Any reason to think those ideas won't help you in stained water?

How do I count/measure undetected strikes? Sorry...just the smartazz in me.... My eye openings were Big Mouth Forever (spittin cranks) and at the other end of the spectrum, watching Bobby U fishing a demo tank and pulling bass 10 yards or more....with Megasticken plastics, but no hooks....the spectrum is wide. I will admit that I've caught plenty of bass that I never felt -- if the line hadn't been moving sideways, I'd have never known there was an actual fish involved with those casts. That doesn't mean that they spit it fast, but they certainly can spit fast enough if they're subtle about the whole thing.

Quite a few back in the days before I owned a scale.

https://taxfoundation.org/publications/state-local-tax-burden-rankings/ Cool map about a quarter of the way down the page. I have not yet done ANY research into accuracy of anything on that page....but did find it interesting for the time being. TN isn't just great for climate and fishing.

Unsure whether you've fished from a kayak before....but if not, consider that many on here, including me, prefer shorter handles when yak fishing. That may not be a 'quality' that was on your list of considerations before.

I was much better off when I stopped trying to go by names....or types. Fact is, that you can vary: hook size and thickness, head shape, line tie location and orientation, weed guard, weight, skirt. You start playing with the variables and you get different 'actions': how it comes through cover; or through grass or rocks; whether it stands well or swims well or both...etc. For me, I just had to experiment and find what works best for my style of fishing - what I can work through cover best, set the hook best, etc. What one company calls a casting jig might have little resemblance to what someone else does. Ignore the names, try a few different styles and find what works for you. Don't tell anyone but I've swum football jigs before....and even flipped a swim jig into cover once.

Another dangerous site...thanks a lot But, I gotta say, I think I need one of these...for something....: https://www.ichibantackle.com/products/3860-IMAKATSU-WING-DRAGON-12-oz/ A chatterbait with curb feelers!

I haven't owned one, but I have looked at the two-piece molded kayaks at Dicks in the past. Crazy thin. Go check one out in person, if you have Dicks close by. Probably very light, but I'd be concerned about the seems, as well as rocks and ramps. Not speaking from experience, however; so maybe they hold up real well.

I think hooking gill plate is pretty universally accepted to be ok. I like Fish Grips, myself. BTW, don't be shocked if the number of 4 pound bass you catch goes down. It is a direct result of carrying a scale in the boat. Toss the scale and do arm stretching exercises.

There's a dangerous place on ebay...ilovehardbaits Tread carefully...don't say I didn't warn you

Nothing new, really. But I successfully dedicated time, effort and experience to a couple old 'techniques': -Getting the kayak into very shallow flats and thick lily pad fields where boats couldn't go. I had great success on a number of outings in places that I would not have spent as much time or effort in past years, getting to and working. Sometimes, it's almost more like hunting....working the yak in...being still...watching pads for even the slightest movement, dropping a lure in, and slamming the hook home on a fish that I didn't see, but knew exactly where she was. -Worked thick wood with much more thorough attention to detail and meticulousness than I'd ever done in the past. I think that spending more time fishing from a kayak than a boat was partly the cause. Unlike fishing from a boat, I don't/can't fish while moving up and down the shoreline, except as the current and wind allow. So, I find myself spending more time dissecting a spot than I generally do from a boat. By taking my time to really pick apart laydowns and brush piles, I caught fish that I'd have missed in previous years. Pulling four and five good bass off a single laydown is particularly rewarding.

I hadn't thought about it before, but I wouldn't be surprised if (like smallmouth) the fighting spirit of river 'eyes is different than in lakes. I do all my walleye fishing in cold lakes in northern Ontario (and years ago in northern WI/UP.) I'd bet warmer climate, moving water walleyes are much, much stronger.

Now...there was a day last year on a lake that I was fishing...there were a couple boats of guys fishing for LMB on fly rods...I will admit that they were having fun with the fight...might be something I'd like to try down the road

Snakehead Rock bass Bluegill Crappie Pike Pickerel Catfish - fought a flathead for over 20 min on bass gear once American and Hickory Shad Chinook Brown Trout Musky Striper SMB Carp that's off the top of my head in freshwater that I fish....above those, you can list nearly any saltwater fish IMO, LMB are, perhaps, the second 'worst' fighting fish that I target. I love to fish for walleyes, but you don't fish for those for the fight, either...unless your idea of a good fight is hauling in a bag of wet socks

I like to get my fish in the boat. If I was purely in this for the fight, I'd be targeting something other than LMB.