TOXIC

There has been many shifts in the fishing world since ICAST debuted in 1958. Like wise with the trade shows. There’s also regional events that offer bulk buying for small retailers who don’t have buyers that communicate directly with suppliers. The internet has put a huge hit on trade shows. I spent a lot of time traveling the US for a rep company showcasing multiple product lines. I did trade shows and the Grand Openings of all Bass Pro and Cabelas as well as trade shows and events at other retailers like Dick’s and small mom and pop tackle stores. The internet has replaced most of that. IMHO ICAST just showcases new products that you will see immediately knocked off by other “Industry” attendees.

My writing career started with Yamamoto over 25 years ago. I was lucky enough to have a Pro Staff handler who was a professional writer (she now has her own foodie blog and website in the northwest Portland area called Crunch Creative). She transitioned out of Yamamoto when the GSM buyout took place. I gave her full editorial authority over my articles and she would always make corrections, edits and suggestions on my submissions and tell me why. Whatever natural writing talent I had was greatly improved by her. As you implied, it’s not as easy as it sounds and if you cannot write effectively, it is painfully obvious. It’s kinda like when I first started guiding, my experienced established long time guide partner told me it isn’t important if you never put another fish in the boat as long as your clients have a good time whatever the trip outcome. It’s the same with writing, you need to make it enjoyable no matter the subject.

No personal experience, I have a pair of original power poles with stomp switches on my rig and they are still going strong. I did have to replace hoses due to age. Power Pole has kinda been the gold standard for shallow water anchors and I personally know of some early users of Raptors switching over to Power Pole. I would hope they have improved since then.

Glad you transitioned so well albeit due to an injury. It’s been 7 years for me and the transition has not been that easy. I’ve been working since I was 13 years old and I’m 69 now. Strong Work ethic was engrained into my consciousness at a very young age. Resetting my brain hasn’t been easy. I’m still getting there, my wife on the other hand just retired from an Executive Director job she truly loved and her transition has been very painful. Her entire personality has changed and her frustration level is maxed out. I keep telling her to get another job if she’s not ready. In the meantime I have to put up with pictures and furniture moving weekly and house projects back to back. Hopefully, she’ll get there but I’m not holding my breath. 😂

I feel your pain. I also strongly agree with the stain color😂 I just had a guy out to do my decks. Waaay too many for me to tackle. The guy I hired did a great job. The last guy didn’t even stain the boards facing away from the house. I had to have some boards replaced. I already replaced a big section of the rail on the lower deck that a branch took out. The new guy sealed the ends of all the boards and used a brush to get in between the boards before he rolled them. He also sanded and painted my foundation so he really earned his fee.

Is it because they are lead? I know the owner of the company and can get information if you need it.

I fish big water and was guiding for 15 years so my experience is all with 20-21ft models but I have ridden in a lot of smaller rigs. Current Ranger ownership conversations aside, older Rangers do hold up very well and are undisputed in fishability. I have a 2005 Z21 that has been great and I owned a 2000 NITRO 929 that was also a great rig. I would have zero hesitation buying an older Ranger as long as it passed normal inspection criteria. You may pay a little more for the Ranger nameplate but IMHO it’s worth it.

Keep in mind some boats age better than others. If you’ve owned 30 bass boats over the years, I would guess you have a pretty good idea of what you want, especially at the age and price point you are looking at. I will say from my experience, older Rangers seem to hold up really well and they are good platforms to fish from.

I always chuckle when I read these dropshot posts. I’ve been dropshotting for 40 years which doesn’t mean I’ve been doing it right but I can say I’ve fished it side by side with my “innovative” fishing friends who are always down to fish the latest and greatest rigging techniques. Recently I watched a tournament recap where they said the angler that won was throwing a dropshot in an unconventional rigging….and it was the way I’ve been rigging for ever. I’ve posted it here many times. Now as far as baits and hook size there are exceptions but as a rule for largemouth and smallmouth in the rivers and lakes I fish including the St Lawrence and St Clair for smallmouth and Okeechobee, Kissimmee, and Headwaters in Florida for largemouth I use the same exact rig. I may adjust the tag line for the style of dropshotting (dragging or casting) and bottom composition (rocky or soft) and grass height if present but the rig is same. Line: 8lb straight mono. Rod/Reel: 7ft Medium fast 2500 spinning reel. Hook: #1, not 1.0, Gamakatsu ewg. Weight: 1/4 oz QuickDrop harp. The only time I have ever upsized the weight was in the very deep and fast water of the St Lawrence. Rigging: I NEVER nose hook. I Texas rig every dropshot bait I use. I have found absolutely no advantage to nose hooking and my catch rate is the same or better than my friends who nose hook and I lose 1 bait to every 4 or 5 of nose hooked and I hang up much less in weeds or wood. I’m not trying to tell anyone how to fish but this is what has worked best for me. YMMV.

Is dementia a,possibility? I’ve read where some people get aggressive. Does he have any family you can contact to see if there may be a reason? Good luck because good fishing friends are hard to find.

You gotta glue in your own eyes? 😂

So the trim switch/relay works as normal? Just the ticking inside? If it were a trim switch, you would get no, or limited, response from the switch. If it’s just the constant ticking once you power up then that has nothing to do with the trim if it is working normally. When my trim relay switch went out it would click and not raise the motor. If I pushed it multiple times it would catch and lift the motor. It would lower the motor no problem but I would have the same issue the next time I tried to raise it. To be clear, mine was the relay on the motor and not one of the 3 tilt/trim switches my boat has.

It’s too busy. It’s too hot. It’s too dangerous. And finally, I’m too lazy. I’m sitting this holiday out as usual.😉😂

@Reel thanks for the tip. Problem is that the reeds are waaay too shallow to get close or I’m casting to the back of the weed patch. These reeds also have segments like bamboo that would also stop the hook from going up and out. Thankfully we don’t like to bed fish all that much.

@gim will be heading up the end of this month. Time to restock and spend some time in Central Waters and Hinders brewery’s.

I went through a coffee “phase” and we had a fancy Italian unit that would make espresso, foam milk, etc. In my research, the biggest factor was the water temp used to steep followed by bean quality and grind size. I found myself drinking waaaaay too many expressos so we scaled back to a quality drip maker and Tim Hortons grind. I’m pretty happy with the results. So much so, I’ve been known to take my coffee setup with me on trips. 😂

You said you wanted something newer. What are you considering? Brand new? New used? Tin or glass? Bottom line with those considerations, if it’s not functionality, it’s just a matter of what you want to spend. I have a buddy who cannot go more than 2 years without getting a brand new boat/truck. He is retiring this year and claims his current combo is his last…..I’m doubtful.

@scaleface cats are always in the mix. 😂

@scaleface you reminded me of a pattern I used to fish when guiding clients in the summer. If the recreational traffic wasn’t “too” bad, I would set up on main lake banks and have them throw crankbaits along the mud line created by the boat wakes breaking on the shore. It normally produced well.

You might want to look at Burke Lake as well, it was the VDGIF lake used for breeding musky for their stocking program. .

Woo Daves, Bassmaster classic winner often fishes docks with a push button reels. I know that for a fact because I used to guide his sponsors in a tournament he put on on the James River and he gave one of them to the wife of the owner of Georgia Boot because she didn’t know how to fish. I guided her to a second place in that tournament. 😂

I was pro staff for KeelShield for 15 years. I installed hundreds of them. Very good product with a lifetime warranty. At least it was before they sold the company to TH Marine and canned all the prostaff and management. It’s a different market now in the keel protection industry. Megaware Keelguard bought Hambys and there’s some newer players in the market. If KeelShield is still the quality it once was, it would be my choice.

Nowhere as freaked out as I was when they were using an air wrench to put lag screws into my upper jaw bone/skull. 😂

Well, I could write a book on implants. After an annual trip to my regular dentist, I woke up one morning and one of my front teeth had turned sideways in my mouth. My dentist sent me to an oral surgeon who discovered I had a hidden gum disease. He was afraid we were going to have to operate and rebuild my sinus cavities. Luckily they caught it in time but as a result, I had to have all of my upper teeth removed and replaced with implants. While I am totally happy with the outcome, the procedure was long and difficult. My oral surgeon was awesome but as you stated, the process was almost midieval.

I use heavier spinning outfits for a couple of presentations. Line is straight 35lb braid. First, I use it dragging baits on St Clair. Usually a football head and Senko. Second is pitching in Florida around the grass and reeds and on St Clair for beds deep in the reeds. I feel like I can get a little better accuracy with spinning and I want the bait to fall on a slack line.