Junk Fisherman

That's great! I'm jealous. I've got 8.5 more years till I retire and then I'm planning on taking an annual February trip to Florida. I do research every once in a while. Rodman Reservoir, the St John, and the surrounding lakes keep drawing my attention.

Upper 30s and 40s (I don't boat fish lower than upper 30s) my baselayers are two thin, wicking thermals. Like others have said, I don't think there is a magical brand you need. I have a pair of heavyweight Cabela's tights and then wear a looser, thinner pair of Marmot thermal underwear over the tights. Those layers are thin and warm giving me full flexibility. Cargo pants/jeans over those and then Guidewear uninsulated bibs. I've never been cold fishing in my boat wearing those on the bottom.

I still use a couple Daiwa TDX reels and a couple green Curados that are 25ish years old. They're been surpassed by my Zillions, Tatula SV TW, a Curado 70 MGL in my arsenal but those old reels are perfect for throwing heavy spinnerbaits, C-Rigs, and big jigs. I'll add some pics later on.

I just went through this and I went with a Zillion after conducting all my research. But to be 100% honest, you won't go wrong with any of them!

I agree. I will touch up a big single hook with a file. If anything is rusty, it gets replaced. I opt for premium hooks to start with, primarily Trokar and Owner, and that helps a lot.

I'm in the process of deciding between 3 12V or 1 36 V and I'm most likely going with 1 36V LiTime even though it would require a different charger. And through my research, 50 AH should definitely be sufficient.

That’s not really me. I don’t worry about getting it slimed, first fish, or any of that stuff. I’ll bring bananas in the boat, fill the livewells right away, whatever. I don’t give much thought to luck or superstition. What I do pay attention to are the things that actually matter—scent on the lure, noise in the boat, line size, color, ect. If a setup isn’t producing, I’m not going to force it just so it can catch the “first fish.” I just try to fish the conditions and adjust as I go. Probably not as fun of a story, but it works for me.

I lock my spare with a cable and lock. I've never really thought about my trailer tires.

If I enjoyed my time and thought he was a good dude, I'd say yes. It doesn't cost you anything and if it helps him out then you're doing a nice thing. I think too often we are thinking "how does this benefit me?" when we could focus instead on how it benefits others. Not trying to be judgmental or preachy since I too would initially wonder how I'd benefit if I were in your position. But after thinking about it, I know I would tell him to use it (assuming he was a nice fella). Just my 2 cents.

That's great because the Steez rods were off my radar after the price increase.

Makes me wonder if I should order 1 more Tatula and that Zillion I was eying right now. Yeah..... this thread just cost me $540.

I don't think you're slow at all for launching it solo. Your procedure is just like mine.

Plus, it's nice to have shiny toys. I've learned to get the higher priced rod/reel because I'll soon thereafter forget about the price but I'll own the rod/reel. With that said, I have my limits but I'll get the Zillion over a Tatula, that I know will do the job, because I like nice, fancy things! I've never regretted buying a high end rod/reel but I have become unsatisfied with entry level tackle that I then upgraded.

This happened in the spring at a tournament weekend. On Saturday evening we got a ton of rain and my cover was off so I took out the plug. As my partner was backing me down Sunday morning, I wondered- "I did put in the plug-right? Well, I'll know in about 30 seconds when the auto-bilge will kick on if I didn't." It never kicked on so I figured all was good. We got to our first spot and I caught a keeper within about 15 minutes. As I'm weighing my fish I see water coming up from the back deck into the floor of helm. I immediately knew the plug wasn't in and the autobilge was not working. And the manual bilge would only run for a few seconds before shutting off. I immediately started the big motor to get back to the launch. I couldn't get on plane since so much water was in the boat so it took about 20 minutes to get to the launch. I was quite nervous and continually turned the manual bilge on for it to run a few seconds before shutting off. I did make it to the launch and got it on the trailer and it took a long time to drain all the water out. Needless to say, I took my boat in when I got back and got all my pumps replaced.

I buy only Daiwa and Shimano because I trust the quality and performance of the brands over years of use. I have no doubt that other brands make fine reels but I just stick to what I know. Plus, I try to keep my arsenal limited to a few brands. Daiwa and Shimano reels. Primarily Daiwa and Loomis rods but I do have some Dobyns, Croix, and a couple odd balls mixed in.

Here are some of my experiences when I used to night fish. 1) Don't cast a big Jitterbug and hit a pontoon boat. It will make A LOT of noise. 2) Don't jump out of the boat if you get close to shore and you spook an egret. 3) If bats are buzzing around your rod tip, just ignore them. They won't bother you. 4) If you cast and you don't hear a splash, you're most likely in a tree. 5) I used to night fish when I stayed at a cottage on the water. I'd come in from fishing the evening bite, sit around having a beer while it got good and dark, and then went back out. If I didn't catch anything in an hour or so, I came back in. 6) I always used black tandem colorado spinnerbaits or a topwater such a Jitterbug. I was just looking for active fish. It was fun when they were hitting but I wouldn't last long if the fish were not active. Overall, I didn't really like night fishing. Now getting out on Lake Michigan a half hour or so before the sun comes out is amazing. Good luck.

I just ordered a couple of these for soft plastics. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0060JNORG?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1 TW has them for $20 (?) while they are $13 on Amazon. I looked at the fancy LIV see-through, soft bags but for more than the double the price of the Flambeau, I didn't think it was worth it. I plan to have one box for drop shot baits and other finesse presentation and the other box will be for pitching baits. I'm hoping I can lay them flat in a compartment and lay 3700s on the top. I don't like placing all of my boxes on their sides in slots.

I only consider Daiwa or Shimano. I go to Tackle Tour and read their reviews. I also visit their forum and read user reviews or possibly ask a question. They have a lot of users with high-end knowledge so they are great for detailed info. I'll do Google searches between the reels I am considering and usually somewhere someone has posted the exact question I have (often times from this site). Recently, I was researching a new baitcaster and this was the process I went through. I first looked in the $200-$300 range at Tatulas and Curados. Then, I bumped up my budget to the Zillion/Bantam range and decided on a Zillion that I'll probably get through Bass Pro's trade in a reel promo in March. At the fishing shows in January I'll see these reels in person which will help me finalize my decision.

I’ve had a kayak for about ten years and used it probably 25 times. I definitely understand the allure of kayak fishing. It’s a much more intimate experience—you’re closer to the water, you work a spot more thoroughly, and fighting a fish feels like a true one-on-one battle, especially when it’s a big one. Paddling feels authentic, and when I catch a good fish from the kayak, I always feel an extra sense of accomplishment. I enjoy it in a completely different way than fishing from a boat. But with that said… I will always choose to fish from my boat over my kayak. There is nothing better than standing on my deck with a half-dozen rods ready to go, using Livescope to see what’s ahead, and letting my trolling motor quietly move me or hold me in place with spot-lock. It’s efficient, it’s comfortable, and it lets me fish exactly how I want. The only times I take the kayak out are when my boat is down or when I’m heading out with a buddy and the situation calls for it. My personal fishing hierarchy: Boat fishing > Kayak fishing > Wading > Shore fishing

LOL- I'm in the process of selling a left handed reel since I've used it so infrequently over the last 3 years.

Ordered the Tatula Elite AGS Hair Jig Rod for $220 from the Tackle Trap. It was labeled a store demo but it is wrapped and does not look like it's ever been used. I've only caught a few bass on hair jigs so I wasn't going to get a Steez or NRX. This rod was $100 off with great reviews so I decided to give it a shot.

I'm 51 and while I'm in very good shape for my age, I definitely cannot do what I used to. I used to fish a full day from daylight, come home and have a nice dinner, have a few drinks, and hang out with my wife when the kids went to sleep but not anymore. Nowadays, I factor in taking a nap after fishing all day or else I'm falling asleep before 9 PM. And when I take multi-day fishing trips, especially tournaments, I make sure to get plenty of sleep and to not burn myself out early in a trip. A couple years ago, I went to a club tournament 4 days early and completely burned myself out mentally and physically by fishing 10 hour days on the first couple days of the trip. I was exhausted by Sunday and definitely didn't have my A game. A major reason I work out and stay lean is to enjoy fishing and my other outdoor activities during my retirement. I'm retiring in 9 years and I want to have a stellar life in my 60s and 70s. I was jealous when my dad retired and spent his 60s fishing and hunting BUT when he got to his 70s, COPD, a terrible diet, being overweight, and working in construction took a huge toll. He couldn't really fish the last 5 years of his life besides sitting in the back of my boat. He couldn't hike in the woods and had to have younger guys take care of his last few deer. That is exactly what I don't want to happen to me. I don't smoke, my diet is acceptable, my body fat and VO2 max are excellent, and my body is in good physical shape so I'm hoping I can do everything I want, within reason, well into my 80s.

Go more often. Last year I was dealing with some issues that made spending hours in my truck and boat alone with my thoughts quite difficult. Hopefully, all of that will be behind me next year. Continue to study and improve. We have access to so much information. I want to be more of a student of bass fishing. Bass University is great as are so many videos on Youtube. I want to absorb and apply all the lessons I learn from the pros. Experiment with new baits. This was something I got away from last year. A free rig, finesse underspins, poop baits, dice baits, and hair jigs were all baits I wanted to focus on last year but only had limited success with. I will change that this year. Take the Neko rig and spybaits to the next level. I had good success with those last year and they are quickly becoming confidence baits for me. Organization- Since I am getting a new boat, I’m going to gut all my trays and spend time analyzing what I actually use and what I should not carry. I’m going to replace my oldest trays with new, fancy premium trays and have my confidence presentations in prominent places in my boat. I have trays of crankbaits, jerkbaits, topwater, jigs, and plastics that I don’t use nearly as much as I used to. My Nekos, Neds, Dropshot, CCCChatterbaittttss, swimbaits, and Sleeper boxes need to be better organized so I am not searching for baits when I want to make changes. Force myself to immerse myself in my FFS. I’ll be upgrading to a LVS34 so there is no excuse. The videos and resources are out there. I need to devote myself to becoming much more proficient with my Livescope. I have gotten better but I want to make it a strength. Take my 11 year-old more often. He says he wants to go but he's just saying what I want to hear. Maybe get a guide while on vacation so that we’re guaranteed a lot of fish. I need him to catch some easy smallies; like 2-3 lbers on a swimbait to get him hooked.

I'd fish it! I was just looking at prices of baitcasters thinking I might pick up a new #1 baitcaster for next season and OMG- I didn't realize how much they jumped up in price. I'll be still using my old Daiwa TDXs and original green Curados this season (I do have newer reels as well) but you get idea. Good luck.

Last spring, I bought a Weize dual purpose 105 AH 12V battery for my cranking battery and to run my electronics at the helm. It was fantastic. I monitored its volts and it rarely fluctuated keeping steady at around 13.45 V. I stopped putting a charger on it after a day of fishing, unlike my old AGM, and rarely thought about it for the last couple months of the season because it was flawless. I've been shopping for 36V lithiums for the boat I am getting in the spring. There is no question I am going with either Weize or Li Time. I think the bass- endorsed lithiums are way overpriced. I'd get a 36V Li Time right now for under $700 but I want to wait till the spring to purchase. Read the reviews from people if you are on the fence about getting a lithium from Amazon.