Boomstick

^6

Oh that's pretty good! I always hear about the Lowrance HDS for image quality (and features), but at the same time I love the ease of use of the Garmins (the Helix would also fit in this category) and they're cheaper so I could get a larger model for less money as well, which honestly would probably be more important than the image quality itself on sunny days due to my inability to see anything in sun glare (or any kind of glare really). BPS had one hell of a spring sale this year, so if I see that next year I'm going to likely take advantge. I still have time to figure out what I want. If the Vermont campgrounds don't open up this year, I may use the reservation money and grab one earlier. This is why I love these forums, it opens me up to other options. I'll probably also grab a fish finder for the boys for next XMas too, so perhaps I'll get them something different and we can see what we like.

I've pretty much borrowed as much against savings right now as I'm going to allow myself to in case something goes bad and maybe a little more than I really feel comfortable with but I've saved for a while now to make this all happen. As far as fish finders, I have to get my hands on a Raymarine still but I really liked the Garmins. I know they don't have the best picture but they're fairly affordable and the reason I like them is they are super easy to use.

I will likely add stake out poles by the end of this year. I initially went with just the anchor and anchor trolley because that at least gives me a base to start with and I figure I can install anchor trolleys right after building my trailer and getting that out of the way.

So I have kayaks on the way for myself and the kids! I have just about everything I need except the Harbor Freight trailer I was going to use to transport them as they were sold out until Tuesday. My setup Limited Edition tiki color Bonafide SS127 (just missed the BK-25 from Delaware Paddlesports, but they offered me a deal and on the rudder install) Werner Camano Low Angle Paddle (I will probably get the equivalent high angle paddle at some point too so I can use it for smaller lakes) YakAttack Rudder for the Bonafide YakAttack Leverloc HD Anchor Trolley Anchor Wizard Low Profile 3 track mounted rod holders Blackpak A Yak Attack net My oldest son Kaku Kayak Voodoo (I wanted to get him the Crescent SUP+ but every place was sold out of it) Accept Ultimate Angler adjustable paddle -- designed for a high angle to accommodate the higher rowing positions) 30qt Engl ice chest / dry box with rod holders Additional milk crate with rod holders YakAttack Leverloc Anchor Trolley Anchor Wizard Low Profile 2 additional track mounted rod holders Track mount to mount the cooler or milk crate in the back (or both) with track mounted tie downs. My youngest son Old Town Topwater 12' Bending Branches Angler Ace Adjustable paddl YakAttack Leverloc HD Anchor Trolley Anchor Wizard Low Profile Blackpak A Yak Attack net I will add fish finders next year to offset the cost a little.

^7. I'm going with a different type of media here -- you'll have to be on your PC to play it. This is a MIDI file that I made some years ago (be sure to play it through, I added solos). Sorry about the repetitive drums, I did this all with a mouse an I'm not good at drum scoring so I pretty much made a beat and went with it. https://1drv.ms/u/s!AhZmMB-Fz0_2wwtVBnez2k3MVjaM?e=0oA7Kh

Well I went to Vermont because the rain was holding off a few more hours. I didn't get anything but some other guys who fished a spot that we decided to pass on got a 5.5 pounder on a chatterbait.

Roboworm Alive Shad in Baby Blue or the Roboworm Straight Tail in Aaron's Morning Dawn, Aaron's Pro Shad or one of the MM variants (I usually like the bright colors), but sometimes I'll stick to more traditional colors if those aren't working.

Well I have an all-shallow lake but it was the last to thaw surprisingly. The other lake that is half thawed usually thaws on the shallow side up to a month before the deeper side though, and has a darker muck bottom. Tomorrow will be the third day to hit at least 50 in a row before it starts getting colder again. Well I'm not really trying to skip the learning process, I'm just not sure where to start. This year is an oddity - it hardly ever thaws this early and also a large portion of the reason it thawed earlier than normal is simply that we didn't have much ice to begin with. I'm thinking I might head north to Vermont simply because there's less likely to have anybody there.

I like my St. Croix rods, and my kids. I also like my other kids Dobyns -- can't think of a much better 1-2 for casting rods than the 703C/704C really. And I like my Daiwa Tatulas a lot too. All good choices

That's a nice rod for sure, but I'm not sure it has more sensitivity than the Sierra 704C, maybe the Fury 704C. The sensitivity is different on both rods. The Mojo might be able to detect a slightly weaker hit which is great for fishing a T-Rig or a jig for finicky fish, but if you get a weak hit on something like a spinnerbait you can tell the difference between a weed and a fish on the Sierra pretty much instantly without having to set the hook, which is where it has an advantage. It's hard to describe, it's like comparing to speakers, one which can output lows at a lower frequency vs one that outputs more low end at an audible frequency but can't reproduce a low as low as the other speaker. In terms of action and power, both rods are nearly identical.

My oldest son has a pair of Dobyns Sierras, 704C and 703C and my youngest has three Mojo Bass, the 7'1" MH/F Jig & Bait rod, 7' MH/MF spinnerbait rod and the 7'2" M/M Mojo Glass. I also have the Mojo Bass 6'8" M/XF topwater rod and a 6'9" ML/XF Avid X spinning rod for finesse fishing. The St. Croix rods are amazingly light which I believe gives them the illusion of being tip heavy, although I don't personally have an issue with that. I will say the action on the Dobyns 703C makes it a more versatile rod than any of the St. Croix rods, as the tip is a little more towards moderate fast so it's great for treble hooked baits and weightless soft plastics and still has enough tip for things like topwaters and it also makes a great pairing with the 704C if you are looking for two casting rods to do just about everything besides the heavy stuff. At the same time I don't think Dobyns makes a rod with a extra fast tip and solid bend throughout like the topwater rod that I have which has is great for imparting action on poppers and jerkbaits, but won't manage a larger single hook as it doesn't have as much backbone. Unlike the 703C however, the Sierra 704C is a solidly fast tip. I would give it the nod over the St. Croix Mojo Bass Jig & Bait rod, but it's also a little more expensive. The action is about perfect for 3/8oz jigs and T-Rigs and has a solid enough tip to manage 1/2oz jigs if the cover isn't too thick (the St. Croix might get the nod here for 1/2oz jigs however).

Hello and welcome, but we don't accept no Walleye posers here on these forums! Just kidding, walleye are good too Enjoy some blue crab for me! I went to Baltimore in 2006 and have always wanted to go back just for some blue crab if nothing else.

Hello and welcome

Hello fellow New Englander and welcome.

Hello and welcome neighbor

Hello and welcome. Bass are my favorite species to fish for, you'll see why soon enough

Hello and welcome

Hello and welcome

That really narrows it down... so I'm going to guess it's probably around 6 and the million is just for bragging rights So last year I started counting early when I had a competition with my youngest son, but stopped counting fairly early. I would say I got something like 50, it was a difficult year for both quality or quantity. The year before my time on the water was limited due to going through chemo, but I definitely caught significantly more. The best I managed to land was a five pounder, but I caught several 3s and lost the bass of my life! I nearly landed two on the same crankbait (one popped off getting it onto the boat!). I don't know my numbers that year or my total numbers, but I have only been seriously fishing for a few years now so it's probably around 300.

So you're basically saying he's a politician other than leaving out that he only sucks the blood of small children?

Hey guys, Most of our lakes thawed out a couple weeks ago (I'm fairly sure they are all thawed out now). But due to cold weekends or busy weekends trying to find toilet paper I haven't made it out yet. I should be able to make it out on Saturday for a few hours. The water is obviously still very cold, so I'm trying to figure out where to go to have the best chance to catch them. My options are limited to areas that fit the following: a) Shallow water. One area is on the shallow half of the lake, and the other is in a generally shallow lake. Another is a little closer to the deeper side of the lake, but is a better spot in the hotter summer and a quick move to another spot on the shallow end of the lake with tons of room. b) Deeper water, by a culvert. I have a couple areas where a culvert splits the end of the lake in deeper water I could try. c) A pier over deeper water with a very deep drop off. I never really get bass at this spot, but I don't fish it all that often either and never tried it early in the season. It's on the deeper half of the lake, closer to where the fish are moving out from. There is a nearby point which I would expect fish to be holed up along as well but not a lot of casting room over there. d) A dam which I can sit on. There are some pockets along the dam where my kid and myself caught a pretty decent smallie. There is also a culvert under railroad tracks near the dam, but there's a lot of dead but intact weeds over there so I would have to switch to a spinnerbait at least. Later in the year, there were too many weeds for a spinnerbait so I was using primarily buzzbaits to stay above the weeds, jigs, t-rigs and frogs. I generally know their migration patterns and if I had a boat, I know where I would start but I'm not good at catching them from shore spots I generally have access to early in the season, partially due to limited access so I'm wondering where you guys would try.

Yeah, my mom falls into that boat although I'm pretty sure she thinks the Coronavirus is fake.

This was hilarious. Just thought I'd share in some dark times...

^7. On the same theme