FryDog62

I believe this mini finesse style umbrella rig came out maybe 7-10 years ago. NOTE that it has only ONE wire to accommodate a hook (it’s a Minnesota thing lol). The rig measures only 6 inches long, and came with 2 options - willow blades or dummy rigs. I thought it was a Yum product, but can’t find it. Maybe discontinued. Would be too bad - with a Scrounger head on the back it did serious damage back in the day.

Is the TW sale on reels this week - or has it already been?

The #1 key to catching big bass - is to fish where big bass are available. If you’re a great angler and your lakes top out at 5 pounds, no matter how good you are, you’re not going to catch an 8. Sounds common sense, but if you focus your efforts only on waterways with trophy fish available, your odds of catching one go up significantly.. The first key is if you have any of those within a reasonable distance, the second is developing the skills to catch them. Even I might have caught a handful of DD’s if El Salto were just down the street and I had the time to hone my craft

A guy I worked out with in Florida is 81 and he does 150 chin-ups (10 sets of 15) 3 times a week… yeah that’s like 450 more a week than I do. Funny thing his nickname is “Chin-up Chuck!”

The Minnesota guys might be familiar with the "Crystal Rig." It's a new, custom finesse umbrella rig for Medium spinning/baitcasting set ups... and is catching 6-7 smallmouth on Mille Lacs. All fluorocarbon instead of wire and the dummies on the perimeter spin like planets around the sun (center minnow). I plan to find out if it works in South Carolina this weekend.

I think the added fishing pressure since Covid has taken its toll in many places..

Glad all is in working order and you're safe. Wind sucks in any boat... especially kayaks. Be safe, hope you have better luck tomorrow!

Dobyns 685cb baitcaster for standard jerkbaits… Cashion Icon 7’ Light BFS baitcaster for junior size jerkbaits..

I agree on the Alpha Angler rods - I compared them against several other glass/composite rods (Dobyns, St. Croix, ALX) and they had the right action without being as thick and numb sensitivity.

True, some glass rods have come out with lighter models, but the blank is thicker and sensitivity is more “numb” to me any way…

So if you can find a graphite rod that has the desired action for crankbaits, Chatterbaits, etc… why do people buy glass/composite rods, when graphite is lighter and more sensitive? I’m a bit of a hypocrite because I have both - but all things being equal isn’t graphite superior? To wit, I have a composite Alpha Angler Chatterbound rod that I like for bladed jigs, but later bought a graphite Dobyns Champ 705cb for crankbaits. Could have bought the glass version of the Dobyns but given the choice, went with graphite.

Sounds fun and you’re well prepared. Traveling long distances to fish in a kayak is a huge undertaking and obviously the need to be prepared. I smiled when I saw “soldering” equipment - been there, and needed that! Huge that you can use a guide and learn the lake ahead of time. I moved near lake Hartwell this Fall and learning 50,000 acres in a 3.7 mph kayak takes a lot of time no matter how much you study maps, articles, etc. Good luck, let us know how you do!

Mrs. Chunkworth in the fog right after breakfast this morning… a hair under 6, good start to the day..

… and Al Lindner has said many times that if he were to ever retire South - it would be Eastern Tennessee..

True, but they usually go for 6-7 months to get out of paying state income taxes lol...

Sage advice, and exactly what we’ve been doing. You gotta wear the shoes awhile to know if they fit.

Extreme weather - either 6 months of extreme cold or humid/heat are not fun. That being said I spent over 50 years in Minnesota and never got used to the cold, gray, damp weather. There isn’t one thing I can do for over half the year without gritting my teeth. Despite the extreme heat for 6 months in Florida, I would choose that bag of hammers over the frozen tundra. At least in Florida, you can walk the dog in the morning, or go for a walk at dusk and it’s beautiful. During the day you can look outside and see sunlight, green grass, flowers, birds. In Minn, it doesn’t matter if you go out early, late or mid-day you can literally die on the way to the mailbox and back and it’s so gray and depressing. It’s good we all want something a little different or it would be really over-crowded in a limited number of areas in the US. I’m all for diverse opinions on best climates to live in, but mine has been a long time in formation - and I still haven’t settled in 100% yet!

Tom, you're right.. you live in a beautiful state with great fishing. But like my dad said when I was growing up - "Too bad 5 billion people figured that out before I did.." You're one of the lucky ones that probably grew up with the housing environment there and built the equity over time, but its pretty much impossible to move there from most other places now.. As a headhunter who moves people all over the country, I haven't been able to get anyone to move to California in over 15 years because of the housing costs... and these people make some pretty serious money. I just moved from there and could go back, liked it well enough. But a fair amount of people are either moving away, or more likely not going there when they relocate, because of the rising HOA/Insurance costs. Sink holes, condos collapsing, hurricane's, crazy uninsured motorists, etc.

Yes, best fishing time of year (however, most crowded on Hartwell/Murray, etc) is March/April. Jocassee is stunningly beautiful and worth a scenic trip (and fishing). If staying in Greenville, I recommend people stay at the Hampton Inn Riverplace downtown to get a full/great view and perspective of downtown from the roof top restaurant https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/gspdthx-hampton-suites-greenville-downtown-riverplace/ If you visit the Charleston area - maybe take a look at Cane Bay/Nexton. Outside of downtown but accessible. Very close to Santee. And they have their own 300 acre lake I hear is pretty good for bass... someone on here on the forums moved there but I can't remember who? Good luck!

Casts_by_fly, I smiled when I read your post… my wife and I have been on the same journey, but started 3 years ago. I’m not ready to retire but can work remote and so we started our search of several SE locations. Your wife sounds similar to mine, likes the beautiful outdoors but needs to be by a decent size enough metro area. We spent 3 years, many visits, and more money than I care to think about - lots of research, fly-ins, hotels, VRBO’s, due diligence trips, etc. Some places we went back to 4-5 times. The final verdict is no place is perfect and they all have their pluses and warts. We spent a lot of time in: Naples, St. Augustine, Nashville, Charleston, Nexton, Hilton Head, Knoxville, Greenville, Clemson, Charlotte. Plus a few other places ~ Some of our findings: •Charleston/Santee was our first destination and one we looked forward to the most. Regrettably, it ended up last on our list at the end of 3 years of research. Santee is a well known lake with big fish but few and far between as it gets hammered by constant tournaments. Charleston is cool “to visit” but we decided we wouldn’t want to live there. Great history, landmarks, restaurants, etc. But by the second/third time we visited, realized it was a land-locked industrial port city at its core. It is at/below sea level and floods every year… stinky, musty, and a bit liberal for our liking. A hurricane would be devastating there. •Hilton Head/Bluffton, etc. Really little to no bass fishing, would have to switch to Redfish. They are great, but I’d have to get a saltwater boat and at the end of the day would miss the green fish. •Nashville, fun town, growing pains, seemed a bit far from really good fishing in the eastern part of the state. •Charlotte, we both liked it but it is getting big and bad traffic. We heard repeatedly that it’s the next Atlanta which is enough to say no. Norman/Wylie are ok lakes but more crowded, pressured than I’d care for. •St. Augustine older/smaller than we liked… but the combination of nearby bass lakes, and great saltwater fishing - might be the best spot we visited in terms of pure fishing opportunities. •Greenville, SC is where we ended up, but we’re renting so who knows. Our daughter moved here to be near her new man so that was the final decision maker for us. Best urban downtown in America we’ve ever seen. All walks of life, different ages, races, etc. river walk, restaurants, low crime, awesome fun town. The way it should be. Smaller and more quaint than Minneapolis (of course, even before it became an undesirable metro area and semi-war zone). The suburbs in Greenville are hit/miss though, they haven’t figured out how to develop this high growth town - there are new suburbs, but they're right next to old industrial areas, trailer parks, bad roads, etc. There's good proximity to many lakes - Hartwell, Jocassee, Murray. Jury is still out on the quality of fishing here. So far it seems “average to slightly below average” compared to north Florida, Minnesota, East Tennessee, etc. But the area has an incredible year round 3 season climate (no real winter) and it “blows us away” every day how little to no wind there is here. I used to have a Pro-V Bass… you wouldn’t need something that substantial here honestly.. but it would be a great boat on the few days it gets a little windy. •Knoxville… we wrote it off initially because it’s a college town. But each time we were there it really impressed us. I think I’d like the fishing in East Tennessee even better than upstate South Carolina. But in the end, my wife liked the size/city of Greenville better… and our daughter is here 👍 Good luck with your decision. Life is too short to freeze your arse off up North for half the year!

The 4 inch works well on a Hover Rig when strolling in deeper water too… the salt content keeps it down, and the air in the tail keeps it horizontal and tracking..

LOL great topic - the Caffeine Shad has been my #1 lure for the past decade. By a ton..! Smallmouth, Largemouth, Spots, etc… Biggest differentiating reason over other flukes is the AIR BUBBLE in the tail. You have to rig it on the right hook - but if done correctly, the hook/bubble combination makes it swim horizontal, shimmies, changes direction, spiral dying action. Twitch it a couple times, rinse and repeat. Again, on the right hook, it’s a killer dock skipping presentation. Other flukes are nose weighted and just fall head first to the bottom. You have to almost over-work them too often IMO to get results. The 5 inch Caffeine Shad should be fished on an 4/0 Owner Twistlock LIGHT hook - either weightless or 3/32 oz. The right hook makes all the difference.

My kayak electronics (Livescope/360 Imaging) is probably thought of excessive by many… and yet, I have no desire for Power Poles…

Knowledge wise - reading maps, data, electronics, lure presentations I've feel like I'm at or close to my peak... much better than the Type-A, ADHD bank-beating fisherman I was in my 20's-40's. I had 5-6 hand/wrist surgeries 8-10 years ago that slowed me down awhile, but am now probably 90+% healed. I exercise an hour daily and feel great physically, but side effects from statin cholesterol medicine have left me with permanent aching legs. I have to sit 50-75% of the time now whether it be in a boat or kayak. The aching can scale the 10 hour days on the water back to 6-7 hours. Between that and an unpredictable consulting business, I had planned to enter some Bassmaster Kayak events next year, but now not sure. You'd like to think you're more efficient and get better results in less time now. That may not be the case many days, others maybe yes. But I ain't gonna quit and pick up golf or something stupid like that instead

Have you thought about GLX/NRX 844 MBR?