desmobob

Thanks. You're only about one step behind me... ? I'm glad there are folks around here who actually know how to work these things, like Tennessee Boy. I am NOT a "computer person"!

Thanks very much, TB. It's a legitimate update. Phew! You saved me some worry! I appreciate it.

While trying to work out a dispute on Aliexpress (I know... I asked for it!), I had to enable downloads from Aliexpress to copy some tracking information to submit as evidence. As I was working on the dispute, I noticed a little download progress meter under my "Launchpad" icon appear on the dock at the bottom of the page. After a bit of searching, I found that the "Movie" application was where the 2.35GB download was happening. I don't know if it's an Apple update or something fishy going on. I checked the "Software Update" section of my system preferences and it says I'm up to date. It doesn't show anything in progress (but I don't know if it would if a legit update was happening). I disabled the automatic update option for now, and paused the download by clicking on the "Movie" icon on Launchpad. (I think it's called "Movie"... the icon has a large star with a video camera symbol inside). I can't figure out how to cancel that paused download. I'd like to, it in case it's something bad. Any ideas?

I put the TRD on a 1/16oz. Owner Finesse ballhead for tossing into the grass, but I'm going to be trying the tiny child rig very soon.

I think most of us have been, at one time or another... ?

You have my sympathy. Losing a pet, especially the most loyal type in the world, is extremely painful. My all-time best buddy had a similar color scheme as your pal Teddy... Here he was as an old dog... ...and him and I together as young pups...

I used to fish wacky rigs a lot and had a lot of action with them. BUT, I also had too many heart-breaking incidences of having really nice fish come unhooked during the fight. Those images in my mind of losing big fish keep me from throwing wacky-rigged Senkos much these days. I use a L or ML spinning rod, 8lb. copolymer line, and have tried a few brands of wacky-specific hooks. I use an O-ring on the Senko. I settled on the not-really-all-that-weedless Owner or Decoy weedless wacky hooks. I tried a few brands of weedless models with the wire weed guard and had very poor hooking success. Reading this thread had me considering trying the circle hooks and I was surprised by your response...

Wow... what a review. Fascinating! And it was cool to see the Cardinal in that article. Mr. Hawk does a wonderful job. Thanks for sharing!

I've had great luck with them. Tonight I unwrapped a couple of tiny 1/16 and 1/8 oz. Z-Man Chatterbaits from my Bait Finesse Empire order that arrived today and put them in my BFS tackle bag.

I have learned to tie the FG knot easily on the water with some tension from the rod that's stood up/wedged somewhere in the boat and the end of the braid wrapped around the pinkie of my left hand. The wraps come out nice and even. I also learned that about sixteen total wraps is enough; more than that and it's hard to tighten the knot properly, which is important for success. I started with using a Uni-to-Uni, then an Albright and Alberto. I will stay with the FG. FG knot with "pinkie" method

I consider Yeti overrated, at least in terms of value for price, but... I have several Yeti products, all received as gifts, from the 10oz. tumbler to the Backflip 24 backpack cooler. They are all very high quality and very functional (although cheaper products frequently beat them in comparison testing). I don't think they are necessarily worth the asking price, but I sure am happy with the Yeti products I have! Over- or underrated: The FG knot...

I bought a pair of Veritas 2.0 7' M/F at more than 50% off retail several years ago... I couldn't resist the price. They're still hanging in the rafters in the basement and this thread got me to rig one up and cast it in the back yard. Seems like a nice handling rod. I'll throw one or both of them in the boat with my Kistler KLXs and fish them soon. They seem like a very good value (if they hold up). I've never used Abu's customer service, but they seem to have a good reputation. I hope they take care of you.

Wake-surfing with a canoe is a riot! I never knew it could be done until I was paddling my skinny little Bell Magic on the Champlain Barge Canal with a buddy who was in his racing canoe. A big cabin cruiser came up behind us and I started getting nervous about what was going to happen to us as it passed us in the narrow canal. Then I saw a big smile on my buddy's face and he started paddling like crazy. He got up on the big boat's wake and surfed it for quite a long ways. His lesson turned a nervous situation into a fun one for me in the future.

Interesting... I always thought folks used mono filler to save money; I wouldn't have guessed it is lighter/less dense than heavy pound-test braid. That's a pretty cool line calculator link. Thanks for sharing that one.

No guts, no glory! In pike-rich waters, it's a little like playing Russian Roulette with your wallet. ? I think the hooks are fine. The OneTen is intended to be fished on light tackle and the fine wire hooks work well, but I sure wouldn't winch fish in on braid and a locked-down drag with them. Megabass guy Randy Blauket suggests fishing them on spinning gear with 6lb - 8lb. line. You probably won't be breaking or bending out hooks doing that... I usually fish them on a M/XF rod and 8lb. line. No issues so far. I have yet to break a bill on any of the Vision OneTens, +1s, or Jr. +1s I have. I'm not going to mention not losing any to pike thus far because I don't want to jinx myself. ?

Same here... one of, if not my first, hard baits was a small Mirro-Lure jointed minnow (white with a red head). I still have my Thin-Fin. Our little summer store at the lake sold Heddon lures and I eventually bought the River Runt, Sonic, Tiny Torpedo, Sonar, Crazy Crawler and Tadpolly. Rapala minnows were the priciest. I had a couple of floaters, jointed floaters and count-downs. I think I washed my dad's car twice a week to get money for the Arbogast Hula Popper, Jitterbug and Mudbug, too. I'm still a sucker for plugs....

My friends' parents had woodchucks all around the house. They were digging in some bad spots, like right along side a porch foundation post and under the garden shed. I tried to trap them with a big conibear but had no luck. I have no trapping experience. I ended up using a CZ452 full stock .22 rifle and some CCI CB Longs. The CB Longs require a close range head shot to be effective on something the size of a woodchuck, so it took some time to get the opportunities I needed. I would have preferred full-power ammo but the neighbors probably would have freaked out. The CB Longs are very quiet; just a loud snap. Over the course of the summer, I got one big adult and two younger ones about 2/3 grown. None sighted on the property since then... What did you bait the woodchucks with?

Cool collection! Welcome aboard. I bet others besides me would enjoy seeing photos of the Zebcos...

Megabass hard baits in general with their incredible paint jobs but, more specifically, the X-Pod with its adjustable lip. ? I bought a couple of X-Pods and X-Pod Jrs. I think I fished one of the big ones for an hour or so one day and I don't know if I ever fished any of them again. (And no, I didn't catch anything.) I still enjoy foundling/ogling them... I guess I better get them on the water and try to catch something with them!

Ketchup is my #2 choice if I'm out of Frank's. ?

I'm thinking of getting a cover for my cover... ? My boat sits in my yard with the cover on it. In the winter, I build an A-frame over it and cover the boat and cover with a double layer of heavy silver tarp. Though I treated it with 303 every year, my first cover lasted about five years. I guess the sun wrecked it and it ripped like paper after that. If the cover lasts five years, that's about a c-note per year for a cover. Is there a way to get more life out of them?

I've always figured that line diameter has way more influence on crankbait diving depth than the mono vs. fluoro thing. If you want max depth from your crankbaits using monofilament, spool up with 8lb. or 10lb. rather than 12lb. and/or look for the brand or type of mono that has the smallest diameter for the pound test you want. Bass don't seem to be line-shy. Line visibility is probably the last thing on my list of concerns when choosing line. (Except maybe when fishing for smallmouths in a crystal clear lake.)

It looks sweet. Nice work!

I usually eat my eggs over easy, but scrambled is great for using up leftovers. I've put everything from chili to pasta in scrambled eggs in the morning... all good!

This is one of those situations where I'd shell out the dough for factory/OEM parts. I suffered for a long time with leaks and hassles with an aftermarket brand fuel line set for a small outboard I had. I finally replaced it with a Mercury set and it was a whole new ballgame.