NYWayfarer

Walmart still has the Abu Black Max. They also have an exclusive Abu baitcaster, the Max Z Both of these are decent reels for the coin.

I fish the same stretch of river in my area most of the time.

I fish alone. I like to be up and out the door fishing at a certain time. When I am done I am done. A fishing session for me usually starts at sunrise and could last 3 or more hours. I don’t want to subject anyone else to my schedule.

I have the med light spinning and medium casting versions. I also have the older model medium casting rod as well.They are all great rods. I do like the looks of the older version better. The newer rods have different guides on the same rod, takes some getting used to from a visual standpoint. The top guide looks like it is missing an insert. Freaked me out when I got it shipped from Tackle warehoue.

What lure are you using and what is the weight? Some tips without knowing what you are using: Shimano says to adjust the cast control knob until you feel little to no side to side motion when moving the spool with your fingers. You can and should adjust the cast control knob like you would any baitcaster the first time out. Adjust tension until your bait falls slowly. Then put the side adjustment to 4. At this point you can cast without backlash but won’t get much distance. When you are comfortable then you can go down to 3, 2 and eventually 1.

Chain Pickerel, not the Brook Trout I was after but a good fight.

Yes. I have been for awhile. Dates, times, fish caught and baits used. I like to see what worked at any given time over the years.

I have the Bass Pro Aventur1 Spinning rod. It’s decent for the price. The free floating guides take some getting used to. I am constantly checking them to see if they shift while casting. I was thinking of getting the casting version. I will probably spend $20 more than the cost of the Aventur1 and get a 4 piece Shimano Convergence D travel rod instead.

Caught my third Bass of the year while jigging a spoon for Trout. The Bass bite has never been this good for me in April. Oh and I did catch my intended species.

This morning was true Northeast Spring Trout fishing weather. 30 degrees at sunrise and light winds. First day I was able to catch a limit of Trout. 4 on live butterworms and 1 on artificial.

I bought some 10# to try out. It’s strong and doesn’t have to much memory. I liked it enough to buy another spool. I had 2 backlashes this year bad enough to have to cut the line out. Both my fault, catching crap on the backswing. Of course it would be the 2 reels with the Basix on them… After that it was back to Berkley Big Game for me. Of course not a backlash since.

My number one priority while out in nature is to come home to my wife and kid. I have to remind myself of how I will not be able to do that if a confrontation over fishing etiquette goes south…

The two best pieces of advice I got about kayaks from these forums are: 1) Easy gets used, hard does not. 2) Get the kayak with the most comfortable seat you can in your budget. Number 1 for me meant light. I car top my kayak since I don’t have a truck or trailer. Number 2 was important when I upgraded from my budget kayak with a molded plastic seat. My new one has a lawn chair type seat with great back support.

I was finally able to get out and catch some Trout. Only a week since the season opener… Almost a limit. The last one got off before I could land it.

Cue the Empire Strikes Back music. I have crossed over to the dark side. The majority of my Baitcasters are Lew’s, Abu Garcia, Kastking and a Daiwa. They are the brands I bought when I started to really get into baitcasters. Before that I used spinning reels mostly Shimano, Abu Garcia and Mitchell. I watch a lot of YouTube videos and I can tell you I wanted a DC reel just for the sound. I also needed a fast reel to replace the Kastking Speed Demon in my arsenal. I figured the Shimano SLX DC 150XG fits both of those categories. Mother Nature played a cruel joke making it rain for 2 straight days after I got this. I was able to go out last night and jig a spoon for some Brook Trout. This reel really is on another level. The DC aspect alone made for effortless casting. I had one over run when the Sun blinded me and I didn’t see when my lure hit the water. Nothing major I got it out. I started on setting 4 but quickly went down to 2 which is the setting for mono that I was using. It casts as far as my farthest casting reels from Lew’s and Abu. I am really going to put this reel to good use this season.

I can’t tell you how many pocket fisherman I have gotten as gifts over the years. It seems like it’s a no-brainer right? He loves fishing, the pocket fisherman is the perfect gift for him.

I had that rotisserie oven and a Juiceman juicer all because of those informercials. Both were useful. Out of the two I used the Juiceman way more. I loved the commercials with Jay the Juiceman, he looked like a mad scientist.

It was in the high thirties when I went fishing at 8am today. Sprayed my boots, pants and hat just to be safe.

I call it the “reverse weedless Ned Rig” it sounds way better than tiny child rig…

We have been married for 20 years. I love fishing and my wife knows it. She won’t bait her own hook or handle the fish. Those are my jobs. There were years when my son was born until he was old enough to hold a fishing rod where I didn’t fish much. I wanted to be involved in his everyday care. Changing diapers, night time feedings, etc. As he got older and I was able to take him fishing the trips got more frequent. Now that he is a teenager and got a whiff of the “fumes” (perfume and car fumes) it’s back to solo fishing. Good thing about the North Country and not liking ice fishing is that my wife has a good 3 to 4 months to get sick of me before spring fishing starts. She practically pushes me out the door. By October she is missing me again.

I wear long pants fishing even in 90 degree+ heat. I spray the hell outta them with bug spray, same with boots, socks, shirt, hat. Luckily I have been tick free.

This rig is magic! Broke my PB Largemouth and Channel Cat with it.

Make your own sales. DSG is running a x2 points (x3 for gold card members *raises hand*) on any purchases this weekend. I bit the bullet and ordered a Shimano SLX DC XG with double the points I will be getting a few $10 gift cards. Makes paying full price sting less.

Nice one today on a Kastmaster spoon

I was fishing a live bait rig for some Spring Perch. With my polarized glasses I saw this guy swim slowly up from the depths and engulf my bait.