TOXIC

I found that if you use a chain hotel you get a better consistency of accommodation which makes it better because it feels like you have been there before. For us, the multiple Hampton Hotels are a good balance of cost and quality. There are always exceptions but I have found that I get the same quality at most every one. We went on an overnight with some relatives who normally travel with their dog so they made reservations at a pet friendly chain. The smell of the disinfectant they used to clean the rooms was so strong, I couldn’t sleep. Lesson learned. I can’t sleep anymore without earplugs. Even at home. Especially on the road.

It will be interesting to hear your results.

There’s a lot of different techniques and retrieves to a jerkbait. How I fish it depends on a LOT of factors. What’s the water temp? What line do I have it on? What species am I fishing for? What are the characteristics of the jerkbait….floating, fast sink, slow sink, deep diving? Water clarity? So, without knowing a lot more about your particulars, there no right answer. I use everything from the traditional jerk, jerk, pause….to a steady retrieve, to a reel down and let float up, to short pauses to long pauses, to deadsticking and a few more that I’m probably forgetting. If your technique is working on your water for you then keep it up.?

I made the mistake one year in Wisconsin of putting E85 in my old boat that had a 225 efi on it. That motor took more abuse than any out there, I ran it summer and winter, and I don’t even want to guess how many hours were on it when I sold the boat but it ran on the corn fuel….not good…..but it ran. It took me a long time to figure out what was wrong. Once I topped off the tank with E10 she was back to her old 70mph self. I never ran pure gas through it the 12 years I owned it. It’s too hard to find here. That motor was a freak of nature, every time I took it into my mechanic for a tune up he always said it’s the stoutest motor he’s ever seen. Water pump, lower unit oil change and that’s it. It had the original spark plugs in it when I sold it.

At first, it was only “flex fuel” designated vehicles that could run E85. Then when the political climate changed the official word changed to any vehicle 2001 and newer could safely run it. Spending a lot of my career in the agriculture belt, there’s a ton of politics, subsidies, factory farms and other factors that contribute to the narrative. I’m not buying any of it. My 2016 truck with a 5.3 v8 will never have a tank of E85 run through it. From the car and driver article: According to Cars.com, flex-fuel vehicles are capable of running on flex fuel thanks to specially adapted components and revised engine software. They can run on anything from 100-percent gasoline to blends containing 85 percent ethanol. All 2001-model standard vehicles and newer can run on E15 but can't handle the corrosiveness of higher ethanol percentages.

I used them for a while but I felt (no scientific proof) that the gamakatsu red ewg hooks, were weaker and rusted quicker. They also made them in green.

So sorry, I lost a very close friend to suicide and it’s incredible the amount of pain left to those of us who knew them.

I’m good with smaller diy projects but leave the skilled stuff to skilled contractors. YouTube has helped with a lot of the things I don’t know that much about like garage door opener repair, replacing and repairing my refrigerator ice makers and door handles, but plumbing, electrical, hvac, etc. other than routine maintenance and small repairs, I leave to the professionals. Did have a subcontractor when we had our kitchen remodeled use a pinch valve on a refrigerator water line relocation and it failed flooding my lower level (where we rarely go) and that was a $7,000 insurance claim.

I have a buddy up in far northern Michigan right now and he said the weather has been crazy.

You would think that’s a given right? They have never offered them in those colors. I use a lot of 956 and 957. Seem to work well as a Shad imitator usually one will work better than the other. I will bring it up to them.

It’s a problem you’ll find with a lot of the Yamamoto line. Other than Senkos and a few other baits, most retailers don’t carry the majority of of the product offerings. I don’t know why. It could be demand or possibly profit margin but I know the big retailers like bass Pro and Cabela’s have limited choice. The DShad is the only fluke style bait I ever found that I could drag like a tube on Lake St Clair drift fishing in 8-10 ft of water. I used to take scissors and separate the tail to make it more forked but eventually found it makes no difference.

I am a DShad exclusive user. Beyond the fact it’s made with the same plastic as a Senko, it balances weight with size to allow me to fish it weightless in a number of different techniques. For its size it is heavier than other fluke style baits.

Great that you offer that. When I was pro staff for Bass Pro Shops, we did an event for disabled kids where a week before the event, a company would come in and drop like 5,000 lbs of catfish in an office park retention pond. We provided all the rods and reels and bait needed and members of the National Wild Turkey Federation brought in a trailer and actually would filet any of the fish that the kids wanted to take home. The office lot worked great because there was a lot of parking and wide open for wheelchairs. We baited and removed fish all day. It was exhausting but one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. It went on for 2 weekend days for 2 weeks.

Was there a need for her to park there? Was your lot full? Nonetheless, it was posted and she ignored it. Coming back to Virginia from Wisconsin one year and my wife made a reservation at a Hampton. It was one we hadn’t stayed at before so I had her ask if they could accommodate my truck and 21ft boat. They said yes, no problem. We got there and there was a single row of parking all the way around the property and every space was taken. I asked at the front desk what they meant when they said I could fit my truck and boat and they told me they just had trucks with trailers park across the street in a shopping center. She assured me it wouldn’t get towed. I had her put it in writing and I had her put us in a room facing the shopping center parking lot (also had a busy bar/club). I have a lok-r-bar with an alarmed padlock but I still didn’t get much sleep that night.

Had a friend who was a professional walleye fisherman and he fished cranks a lot. When he found one he liked, he bought them by the dozen. Yes, by the dozen. I usually have 3 or 4 of my favorite cranks and hardbaits but the 1 exception is the SPRO Little John, original diver, computer chip bill, in the Cell Mate color. I have a few more of those. ?

Since I only fish Yamamoto plastics I am waiting to try their new Ned Senko. As for rigging, there’s literally hundreds of ways to rig plastics and it can, IMHO, become confusing to the point of crippling bait selection. I try to keep it simple and to what I know works.

Actually trolling it only happens on Lake St Clair. You can be anywhere and fishermen trolling with planer boards or straight back will actually do circles around you. They are trolling for walleye and/or Muskie. Happens so often we don’t give it a second thought.

I have lost one. Fishing the Fox River and Lake Winaconnie with some friends (3 boats), we stopped for lunch at a restaurant on the river. Let a friend tie off my boat and we went in to eat. Current was a little strong. While eating a group came in and asked who had the gold bassboat (we were in walleye country) and I said I did. Well, he said it’s floating downriver. ??. One of my buddies took me to it but we had to endure the snickers for the rest of lunch.?

I used to fish a tournament trail where at blast-off in the morning, the first guy in line would launch and tie off his boat. Second guy in line would just back in with some speed and no rope and launch his boat into the cove. He would then get in the first guys boat and be taken out to his boat. Meanwhile the third guy in line would launch the same way as the second and the second guy, now in his boat, he would motor back and pick up the third guy. The process would repeat until everyone was launched. It was the fastest way I’ve ever seen to launch a tournament.

While not in a tournament situation, I fish a lot out of the back. My buddy could care less how much gear I bring but I limit it to a Plano soft sided bag that holds 5 or 6, 3700 size boxes and I can lay an extra on top before snapping the top flap shut. The bag fits in the compartment behind the drivers seat. Those boxes are added depending on where and what We’ll be fishing/time of year/water conditions. Since we take trips to Michigan and Florida, he puts 2 additional rubber bungee strap style rod holders on the passenger side. One towards the rear of the deck and one right behind the seat. This allows me to lay my rods facing forward with the reels laying flat close to the back. He has a 20 foot Ranger dual console and my rod tips go between the passenger console and gunnel. I have put 12 rods in this setup and they rarely tangle. Normally my limit is 6. It’s much better than the stock setup with the butts under the console and the tips sticking straight up in the air. I’m no little guy and lost seat space sucked as well as getting lures stuck in my pants. The pic I added shows my rods on deck. They hold solid in rough water as well.

Back when fishing was good on the Wisconsin chain of lakes I go to there was a certain lake that produced exceptionally well. There was always a defined weed line that started about 10 feet out from the shore. Fish were either on the frontside or backside of the weedline. It was a rainy day as I worked my way down the bank and I was catching them good on weightless Senkos. I came up to a cottage with a bass boat tied up and 4 guys sitting around a fire pit. 2 of them walked out on the dock and commented they had been there a week and caught 10 bass (they were obviously mainly walleye guys). I told them that I had caught that many in the last 200 yards of bank. They looked at me like I had 3 heads. I told them as a matter of fact I was going to catch another one on the weedline in front of their dock. They called my bluff and I proceeded to catch 3 bass back to back. I then used my trolling motor to go over to the dock and grabbed a bag of Senkos and put in 3 or 4 ewg hooks and then showed them how to rig a weightless Texas rig. I also showed them how to fish it. Was I a jerk? They sure didn’t think so. ? I saw them later in the week and they ran me down on the lake just to thank me. They were having a blast. Moral of the story, take them in the spirit they were given.

I wore multiple pairs of crocs and still have some but for the boat I switched to shimano evair. They have a supporting insert and are waterproof. Getting the proper size is a bit tricky for me since I have a high instep. Too big and my foot slides around in them if they get wet and too small they crunch my toes. I’m on my 3rd pair I like them so well.

Exactly. They have a mouthful of razor sharp teeth and also have teeth back by their gills so grabbing them is very risky due to the slime. Boca Grips are the best way but they are like catfish and won’t open their mouths. Once you do lock on to a jaw with the Boca’s they go ape chit. The big ones have broken nets and smashed rods.

From Monday all on 10lb mono no leader. These were all open water fish, no pads, short grass. Caught on chatterbait and crankbait.

They do fight exceptionally hard but the drawback is that once you net them and get them in the boat to get your bait back, they actually produce slime and a lot of it. More than any catfish or carp I have ever seen. Not long after boating the slime will be running off them in waves. ?