FryDog62

The pursuit of getting distance on higher profile lures like buzz baits, spinnerbaits, jerk baits, etc. led me to experiment with a number of reels. Daiwa Tatula SV TW Zillion SV Steez SV Tatula Elite Shimano Curado MGL Chronarch MGL Aldebaran Antares The winner for me is the Tatula Elite. I get 5-10% more distance over the Shimano MGL reels and way more than any SV spool from Daiwa. I have not found it any more temperamental than the other reels. If you dial it in right and have at least a semi-skilled thumb, it easily stands above the others for smooth, long distance casting IMHO.

This... The upper-end size ceiling for bass is lower, and you can only fish about 5 months of the year... that said, there's about a million (okay 10 thousand) options. Some counties alone have over 1,000 lakes!

Two can play at this game... https://suno.com/song/3f65247d-dccc-4017-aa73-eb113da55595?sh=c33OmOA26NKyKS82 FryDog don't bite, but the fish surely do...Listen and make your own on Suno.

Now that right there is at least Top 10 Country music material - got me to smile, laugh and a tear roll down my cheek ... All things that make a Country song #1 !!!

Then there's this...

I'm no expert, but be absolutely sure these vaccines are well tested and work as planned. Previously there was a Lyme vaccine available, but it not only did not work effectively, it actually triggered Lyme disease in some patients since it introduced the Lyme bacteria to the system to develop antibody resistance. Minnesota is the #2 state for Lyme and the Lyme doctors we ended up with said they have treated many people that took the previous vaccine and it back fired.

Good advice above ~ Untreated Lyme disease will absolutely wreck your life - sometimes permanently. The CDC testing for it is less than 50% effective, yet all doctors rely on it. If you test negative but still have symptoms, get tested again. Even then, good Lyme-aware doctors are prescribing short duration antibiotics (usually Doxycycline) to ensure treatment is quick and thorough. If you go more than a couple weeks undiagnosed/untreated, it will go systemic and may never go away. My wife was undiagnosed and it took her 4 years of about a dozen different treatments to recover after going systemic. In the process, Lyme attacks your weakest areas. Her weak area was her Thyroid which stopped functioning and she had it removed but turned into Graves Disease and Thyroid Eye Disease which she gets extremely expensive transfusions likely the rest of her life to stay in front of. My son, also had undiagnosed/untreated Lyme - for 7 years now and likely will never recover. He's basically handicapped and unable to work, or any quality of life. Ruined at age 23 and now turning 30 with little hope of a future. If you get symptoms, don't waste time. Get tested right away and hope for a positive result. Be sure you go to a Lyme-friendly doctor who won't mess around and will treat you without a positive test result. The docs you want to stay away from are the ones that say - "Hey the test is negative, maybe it's just in your head." "Have you always been a hypochondriac?" "Are you depressed?" Etc. Etc. Etc. Then you're screwed ~

When I lived in Minnesota - I could be at 30 different lakes in about 30 minutes... In South Carolina - there were about half a dozen lakes within 30 minutes, the better ones were 2-3 hours away. In Florida - we are way in the southern tip and it's 2-5 hours away for most quality lakes. But they have the biggest fish on average of the 3 states I've lived in recently. Life is a trade-off..

I like the P5's as well... but a Lifetime warranty at Loomis vs. 3 year at Megabass is why I have limited rods in the Destroyer line up. Rods of that caliber and price should be better. I'd pay more for a P5 to extend the warranty. Hard to argue against the MBR rod lineup for versatility. Would think there is one somewhere in there that'd be ideal for you with swim jigs. I kind of overlooked the 843 MBR because I thought it was a tad too light, but now that I've used it a few times, it actually works well 3/8-1/2 oz. Above that yep you need a second combo. Keep the Bait Monkey in business..

I don't know if you get to the NW Sport Show in Minneapolis (unfortunately it was last week). I would routinely get new stuff there from the various vendors for 20% off. On the last day when the vendors don't want to haul leftover stock back to their stores, you can pick things up for even less a lot of times. Dean Capra was the best to work with on Loomis products, but he sold his store... there are others I'm sure ~

I basically never buy anything used... whether it be vehicles, boats, rods, reels, etc. I like things that work, haven't been beaten up and are under warranty. However ~ I have bought 2 used, high-end Loomis rods now from ALF/The Rod Locker - as long as they are mint condition, with tags and full warranty. Only about $75-100 less in price, but no backorders to wait for, FedEx to your door in 2 days, and they look and work like new. The Conquest was one of those, but I don't think they have any others available right now. They work with a lot of the Loomis dealer network so they get trades, demos fairly often.

Wondering if its first-generation quality will be as good as Humminbird's 360 Imaging - Or, if like Humminbird and Lowerance trying to play catch-up on Livescope - will it take a few generations until as good? Anyone planning to purchase? https://www.garmin.com/en-US/newsroom/press-release/marine/garmin-unveils-360-degree-sonar-with-revolutionary-spy-pole/

1/2-5/8 oz jigs, Texas Rigs, 6 inch Senkos… Versatile rod, there could be other things, but have to experiment a bit. However, I may not get out for a while now - I think I have Kayak #1 sold, but don’t pick up Kayak #2 until late April. Stay tuned!

I'm going to use my existing NRX+ 843 MBR for 3/8-1/2 0z swim jigs... so far, so good. However, a new Conquest 844 MBR and a GLX 802c JWR for other things arrive later today according to FedEx tracking.

I believe that might have been me. Two years ago, I ordered a Rumble, Dobyns and St. Croix to compare against. All good composite rods, but the Alpha Angler Chatterbound was the clear winner. Lighter and a little more crisp. Caught my PB on that rod a year ago today 👍

I contemplated kayak vs. smaller boat many times. For me it came down to two primary things: 1) If you regularly fish large expanses of water where speed is a premium factor, and/or fish with another person regularly - then you need to get a small boat. 2) If you’re emphasis is creature comforts or you are limited on garage space/storage options, then I lean towards a nice motorized fishing kayak.

I’ve always found St. Croix rods to be durable overall. They tend to be thicker, tip-heavy in construction so I find them frustrating and fatiguing to fish. But the upside is that they tend to last and have a good warranty if they don’t.

I sustained a partial tear in the bicep tendon 9 months ago when my kayak transport wheels got stuck in mud. I heard it tear like peeling steak off of a T-bone. Never want to hear that again! But mine was not nearly as severe as yours. That said surgery will help it knit back together faster/better. Mine is still quite tender after 9 months. All I could do was rest, then PT. Frustrating... Good luck with the surgery - 6 months will seem long at first, then you'll get a second wind as you near your goal.

Snook can be a little elusive but usually not nearly as hard to land as Tarpon. I think the hook to landing ratio on a Tarpon is about 1 out of every 5. But they usually jump about 10 feet in the air before they dump your hook so sometimes that is worth the price of admission.

Snook in freshwater, of course a day before the season opens…

These are good down to about 40 degrees. You can do most any fishing activity in them besides tying a knot. I can cast, thumb the spool, reel, land fish, even type on my iPhone with them.

I think the key to that time of year is moving water, and there are some good river systems in GA to fish. I need to get there - I fish both north of there in SC and south in Florida… gotta stop somewhere in between one of these days. Maybe August is it!

I think that's useful info too - especially a few days after a rainfall to see what areas are clearing first. My only complaint with Deep Dive is I wish it showed depths too, but overall it's a useful tool.

Great to know, I may want to take you up on this. What are the better times of year to go? I also really enjoyed fishing lake Lanier - probably my favorite body of water between SC/GA.

I noted your interest in Shoal bass... I'm in Florida now but am a native of Minnesota where we catch a lot of smallmouth bass. I hear down south the Shoalies are on par with smallmouth in many respects. Is the Flint River the primary haven for them? I always thought when I lived in South Carolina, and now Florida - if there is a good place to trailer my motorized kayak, I'd like to try catching them.