NYWayfarer

I swap reels and rods for just that reason.

That Bass is 14 pounds. If they took a picture of the other side you would see it had a 7 pound tumor growing there. ?

Lake Champlain

I took a hike with my wife today to check out my fishing spots. It was 54 degrees yesterday for a high. The river was mostly open water with clear thin ice stretching out about 12 feet from the bank. We have a bunch of days with the air temps above freezing at night coming up. Won’t be long now.

The big 4 for me are: Senko Whopper Plopper Rage Tail Baby Craw Z-Man finesse TRD

To each their own. I am not into BFS...yet. Never say never. I prefer light spinning gear for my trout and panfish sessions. As far as women’s sports I like watching women’s tennis ?

Most folks that look for jobs in private industry are there for merit based salaries and raises. If I can produce more widgets than my fellow co-workers I would like to be paid accordingly. The problem is most of these systems are broken and merit gets replaced by favoritism. In the example I gave above the manager at the bank I worked for got a percentage of money each year to divide amongst his team. After taking his slice of that pie, his favorites came next. The rest got the scraps. It’s not hard to see why he got let go. I got laid off from my job there. It was for the best. I love my current job. I don’t control the salaries of my team. Our Human Resources department handles salaries. I am aware of what my team makes and how the base salary and increases are determined. It’s very fair including our merit based bonus program.

I worked in a bank before my current job. My manager got laid off and the big boss asked me to clean out his office. I found a paper in his files that showed the salaries of everyone on the floor. You would not believe the discrepancy in salaries with people doing the same work. I am talking about thousands of dollars difference. I ran that paper by the Human Resources department and in less than 6 months they did “market adjustments” for individuals on the floor to make the salaries even out.

I would be careful in this situation. I would not believe someone in the same position as I am is making more money than me unless I see his or her paycheck. Guys like the one with the big mouth you heard this from are slick. They throw that BS around so they can get a feel for what other make. It could be a trap to find out what others make.

I have been an operations manager for 15 years. In that time I realized: 1) People don’t check their personalities at the door when they arrive at work. 2) The company wants steak (great candidates)on hamburger money (entry level low paying jobs) 3) Most people are good at something. Their resume can usually help you pinpoint that. I have gotten very good at interviews. I look for a smile, a “Thanks for giving me an opportunity to interview”, knowledge about the organization and the job they are applying for and questions for me other than how much does the job pay. The interview is their foot in the door. Then it’s their responsibility to come in and stay in. If I hire a lemon I can manage them out through progress reviews. Historically I wind up hiring over qualified individuals who don’t stay long but the work they give me while they are around is great. Many individuals have moved on to better positions in my company and I wear that as a badge of honor. All of this is to say I feel your pain. It will get better. And I would watch your maintenance chief. His judgment is questionable. With relationships for sure, but that can spill over to his work ethic.

My Dad got his second shot yesterday. He is feeling a bit under the weather since but he says he will be fine. He is skipping the green beer today.

That’s awesome. I am waiting though for Lew’s to release the knobs seen in this video. Those thinner Winn Grips on the Pro SP reel KVD is using are exactly what I want.

I fish Ploppers with straight braid. Usually when a fish hits a Plopper it’s already stuck. Braid let’s me pin the fish quickly. I would think braid to mono leaders on topwater would not be a good choice. The leader knot would collect topwater debris.

Ditto. I am not ashamed to admit I didn’t know such a thing existed.

Hard to beat lures for Smallmouth: Ned Rigged Z-Man Finesse TRD on a mushroom head jig 1/8 oz or smaller Nikko Hellgrammite on a ball head jig 1/8 oz or smaller Rage Tail baby craw Texas Rigged on a 1/0 worm hook and a 1/8 - 1/4 oz bullet weight preferably tungsten.

My favorite stretch of river has both Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass. I can catch Smallmouth all day there in the current, current breaks and in cover. The only Largemouth I catch from there are in cover. It’s rare to see a Largemouth cruising by. When they do they are not interested in anything I throw at them.

Late I know but better than never. For less than your price range at $59.99 the Lew’s Speed Spin has been my favorite spinning reel for awhile. The graphite frame is strong but light. It has a screw in handle instead of the knob tightening kind I have come to dislike. 10 bearing drive and a thick bail wire.

I agree. It’s similar to Z-Man products in durability. Very effective Smallmouth bait. I usually fish one on a small 1/8oz or lighter ball head jig.

Mono: clear, clear blue fluorescent or green Braid: moss green or stealth grey

Haven’t gone fishing yet in 2021 so yes I am still skunked.

I have a couple of options for travel rods that fit in my suitcase. Kastking Blackhawk II telescopic spinning rod Bass Pro Shops Aventur 1 telescopic spinning rod Favorite Army Geo 4 piece casting rod St Croix Triumph 4 piece spinning rod

If you didn’t get polio, measles or smallpox then your parents idea was a good one ? Same choices I made for my Son...

My Kastking gloves have survived three seasons and many many washings and are still going strong https://www.amazon.com/KastKing-Armis-Fingerless-Fishing-Gloves/dp/B07FYK146P

Baitcaster reels Berkley Big Game 10-12# Spinning reels either Vicious Fishing Ultimate clear blue mono in 4-8# or Sufix Siege 8#