BuzzHudson19c

I'm not as picky with rods as I am with reels. As long as they do what I want them to I don't really care what name is on it. That being said, if I buy a rod and it doesn't hold up, I stay away from that brand in the future.

It really depends what you want to do in the "fishing industry." There's the obvious civil servant route of working for the government. Game warden park ranger type of stuff. Criminal Justice or Environmental Science degrees are usually necessary. The less obvious route can be anything from engineering to business. It really depends on what you are passionate about and what aspect of fishing you want to be involved it. Hope that helps some. It's just tough to say because there are so many parts of the industry.

Injuries (aside from trauma) occur from either lack of mobility or weakness. This goes for NFl players as well as grandma. Prevention means we stretch and smash muscles to get more mobile and do some form of strength training whether it be powerlifting, oly lifting, sled pulling, even body weight stuff is great. Three people I would recommend checking out Kelley Starrett, Mark Bell, Chris Duffin. These guys have tons of free information out there.

I fish with guys who have better gear and guys who have cheaper gear. I always ask how they enjoy what they use and intently listen to them talk about what they like or dislike about their reel/rod/lures. Some of the best tips come from the people who run budget gear. The same can be said in a lot of other sports and activities.

Well I didn't make it out on Thanksgiving day. River was just too fast to manage safely on a kayak. They have been keeping the dam open and it's dicey. I did however do some light tackle jigging in the entrance point of a few locks and squeaked out a couple medium smallies and a bunch of perch. Thanks for all the advice guys.

For me it's over right now. There comes a time every late fall where it just happens. Not because of the conditions exclusively but when the bite gets tough I start chasing waterfowl and whitetail. Couple that with work and a baby and fishing is done until spring. (I hate ice fishing)

Yeah, I've considered Encon possibly having a problem with it. Water swatting a duck with a .556 would be pretty easy to spot. I just don't like being around possibly rabid coyotes with only #2 shot at my disposal. It's more of a preparedness thing really.

Vacationed in Eastern Tennessee last year and it is awesome. Definitely gets my vote. Not to mention Tennessee is a state full of freedom loving Americans, unlike the People's Republic of New York where I currently reside.

I do on occasion. Sometimes I will carry the AR with me when I go to a particular swamp. Coyotes galore.

Throw on some small jigs and catch the crappie. Boom, a bad day bass fishing just turned into a good day for a fish fry.

How do you guys usually approach fishing for river smallies in the winter? The season is pretty much over for me but I decided I will go out on the kayak thanksgiving morning and give it a whirl. Any tips besides the "slow it down?" Kind of looking for ideas on finding fish more than anything. Just head for big deep pools? I was thinking work the channel drop offs with a jerkbait or jig.

As a general rule I stop throwing top water for largemouth before smallies. When the water gets into the mid 50's it's usually done for largemouth and below 50 it's done for smallies. This is very vague though and it's very weather dependent. Just start slowing down as the water gets cooler. Buzzbaits get replaced by floating jerkbaits when the water is in the low 50's for me. Once it gets colder than that, top waters get tucked away until spring.

Depending on the size of the jig and assuming the fish had a good hook set in the lip it can get it loose. The weight of the jig gives it some leverage to shake free. That being said, if you use snaps don't cheap out. Buy ones with heavy enough wire to handle the fish you may catch. Those cheap gold ones are a joke.

Absolutely. It's likely they came up and hit the bait as it passed, but my point was bass have a tendency of surprising you how they manage to get hooked or get unhooked.

Eh, they could even be chasing, hit it from the back, get the whole bait and end up with the front hook in the bottom lip. It's not really an issue, that's why we use trebles as they increase the odds of hooking a fish.

I keep maybe 2 bass per season. Usually ones that get gut hooked bad and wont make it. Some of the lakes I fish are packed with 1-2lb bass. Those spots could use to be thinned out to let the others get bigger.

It pays to do this. Sometimes you have to force yourself out of the comfort zone and it pays big dividends down the road. It's another tactic in your knowledge arsenal to draw on.

I second what WRB said. Keep changing it up until you find what works. A spook for instance, as a general rule if I'm on smallmouth water I use a steady walk unless it's not working. Largemouth I pause the bait more.

Yup. Not sure if it's just coincidence, but I catch more on the Booyah.

"Dude, it's like 30 degrees in the morning!" That's the excuse I keep getting from my buddies as to why they won't go fishing.

True. I have friends in the 30-40 yr old range that this is true for as well. In a way I'm like "great more room on the lake for me." Same goes for hunting. Not as many new comers to the sport.

This year a standout for me was the Rapala scatter rap crankbait. I got one as a gift and performed so well I went out and got a few more colors.

I can agree to an extent. Some stuff is over priced. A great example is plastics. As a rule of thumb I buy the cheapest plastic that works. I could buy Senkos, but I buy Dingers. Zoom makes awesome plastics for half the price of some competitors. Frogs. I have a spro poppin frog that has caught 50+ fish. So sure it was $12, but it holds up so well it was worth the money. Now hardbaits can be a crap shoot. There is some really good middle tier stuff that flat out works great. Strike King makes a lot of great stuff at reasonable prices. Same goes for Booyah. I don't spend more than $10 on a crank or jerkbait. Now all this being said, whether a lure company prices itself out of the market is entirely up to them. This is capitalism and something is only worth what people are willing to pay for it. If their sales drop, they need to come up with a new business model or they will die and another company will take their market share. As far as the youngsters it can be a good thing. I remember when I was probably 10 years old wanting to buy a bass colored jointed shad rap. I just wanted that lure so bad. I would work mowing grass, cleaning my uncles auto shop or whatever I could to by tackle. It helps kids learn the value of money and work.

Check your state DEC or DNR (or whatever they call it) website. NY has a complete rundown of recommendations for lakes and rivers. For the most part they are exactly that, recommendations. There are only a few where it is catch and release by law. As long as it's not explicitly forbidden, eat a few.

Beef Jerky.