PourMyOwn

I fully plan on moving back to Appalachia from NH when I retire. I just have to find a spot where I can be left alone and close to the smallmouth. I do love New Hampshire, and the fishing is great, but the winter is longer than I'd like.

Protective clothing-those Columbia PFG shirts are way better than getting a sunburn or worse.

Just to add to the list of good lines that have been mentioned, 14 lb Silver Thread copoly is my all purpose line. I used a 3000 yd spool of it for probably 10 years, it served me very well.

For those of us using a baitcaster since the Reagan administration, it's almost always reel with your right hand. Back then you only had what seemed like 10% of reels that offered a left handed option.

Last spring I started using a flea market LL Bean backpack that I found for $3. High quality zippers and materials really make a difference over the cheaper packs. I carry my pliers, braid scissors, Leatherman, and two spools of line in the front pouch. Inside I have a small Plano box with hooks, jig heads, worm weights. I hot glued a magnet to each compartment so that my hooks don't rattle or fall out if the box is open. I have a larger Plano box for hard baits/frogs, and my worms/tubes/etc are all in ziplocs. There's no need to carry more than 10 or so at a time, so I stock up when I get home.

For ice out smallies I use 8lb Silver Thread and I have a second rod ready with 10 to float the bait a closer to the surface-all on spinning equipment.

I throw 1/2 oz+ football jigs in 25' of water for smallies in New England. (7' MH Veritas with a Daiwa Fuego CT)

I love my Fuego CTs, but I doubt you can go wrong here. I'm only 42, but all of these reels are so much better than they were 20 years ago. If you do get a Fuego, I really like the 8.1 ratio, great for buzzbaits.

I have 2 of those Fenwicks-excellent rod for the money. One of them is my Ned rod, and I really like it. As for how rugged they are, I don't really know. I take good care of my rods, haven't broken one since 1988 or so.

I've also been using them for 15 years, as well as Bass Assassins and the ones that I pour. They do get torn up eventually, but as others have said-it's the cost of doing business. I like a 5/0 wide gap hook, Owners are my favorite, but it's tough to buy bad hooks these days. I use at least 17 lb test mono, but braid is better when throwing them in pads. Back when I was a young guy I used to save the torn ones and fix the tears with a lighter and scrap worms. Now I just re-pour them.

Just saw the big and tall Columbia backcast pants on Amazon. They go up to 4x.

I probably eat one or two a year-always ones I've caught while ice fishing for perch. I only keep them if they're obviously not going to make it.

Silver Thread Copoly in 12 or 14 pound test. That being said, I haven't seen a bad suggestion yet, so it's really up to you.

Exactly-I'm 41 and have been using baitcasters since 1988. Back then the Bass Pro catalogue only had a few left handed reels. It's amazing how far equipment has come since I was a kid.

Those of you who like the reds should grab a bottle of Malbec or Tempranillo. There's lots of them in the under $15 range.

If only I knew where to get glasses that fit that criteria for only $7...I wonder if you can help me.

I throw a lot of jigs in the fall, especially as the vegetation starts to die off from the colder weather. I also like to burn spinnerbaits just under the surface if there's any chop to the water at all. This is also good in the dying pads as weather cools.

My brother in law and I went to a fairly remote-yet not unknown pond one morning. I caught my PB (at the time) largemouth on a jig I poured, and he caught several fish too. We got back to the ramp and a bank fisherman asked us how we did-I responded with my typical, "We caught a few." My brother in law said to the guy, "He caught an 8 pounder!" The man then asked me where I caught it. I quoted my father and said, "Right in the corner of the mouth." I feel like it's ok to ask someone how they did, but never where or with what bait they caught fish.

Business travel is a tax deduction. There's lots of folks who could use a 21K deduction.

Any water where you see lily pads is worth a cast for largemouth up here.

2 inch white Mister Twisters catch more perch for me than anything.

Great advice. I also write on the spool with a permanent marker "6F" or "8C", "10M" to tell me what the spool has. It helps that all of my spinning reels are the same model and brand.

It's true, Vermont, NH, and Maine are filled with Subarus. My girlfriend has a Forester because her main concern is driving in the snow. She hates it, nearly to the point where she should seek help. She feels safe in the Forester, which is the number one thing I look for in cars for the women in my life. Well, that and cupholders.

I think your budget is fine. I second the opinion that used Subarus are worth a look. In my neck of the woods, Subaru owners are religious about their maintanence, and they do it at the dealer. Rust kills them before they break down. Great in the snow, I used to drive a 96 with 278K in the snow and left my new truck in the driveway.

Big golden shiners-exactly. These things are like sausages with fins, easy to digest compared to the fins and bones of yellow perch. There certainly are 10+lb bass here in NH, I've seen at least 10 largemouth over 8lbs-there are surely some larger ones out there. My guess is the flooded swamp/bog ponds with dark water and tons of pads and hyacinths. These ponds are nearly impossible to fish thoroughly, and very few people have the equipment/desire to fish the heavy vegetation.