Russ E

It all depends o what is comfortable for you. I am a lefty. I use right handed baitcasting and spinning reels. when I started fishing there were very few left handed reels , so I did not have a choice. After 40 years of fishing, I can not use a left hand reel. It feels backwards to me.

I started using the suffix advance mono this summer. it is now on my jerkbait rods, crankbit rods, and a couple spinning outfits. It has good abrasion resistance and relatively low stretch. it also has low memory, so it works well on spinning outfits.

I am not trying to start an argument, but the benefits of ethanol are not all they appear. I grew up in eastern Iowa, Corn and alcohol production dominates the area I lived in. The Iowa river was 4 miles from my house. It is one of the most polluted rivers in the state from farm runoff. It is still debatable whether the the amount of fossil fuel it takes to produce the corn and alcohol is less than what the alcohol can produce. I hope we can find a viable alternate fuel. Personally I don't think we are there yet. here is one study from Cornell on the subject. According to Cornell University professor of agriculture David Pimentel, producing ethanol actually creates a net energy loss. According to his calculations, producing corn and processing it into 1 gallon (3.7 liters) of ethanol requires 131,000 BTUs of energy; but 1 gallon of ethanol contains only 77,000 BTUs [source: Health and Energy]. And since farmers are using fossil-fuel-powered equipment to plant, maintain and harvest the corn and are using fossil-fuel-powered machinery to process that corn into ethanol and then, in almost all cases, to ship the product to collection points via fuel-powered transport, the ethanol industry is actually burning large amounts of gasoline to produce this alternative fuel. That ethanol could end up containing less energy than the gasoline consumed to produce it.

you are correct. after looking at a couple I have on hand. they are #2.

I am not a fan of small hooks on most baits. A ned rig is the one exception. if I am using a ned rig it is on light finesse equipment. I use the standard z-man shroomz head. I beleive it has a #4 hook. it may seem too small, but a larger hook affects the action of the bait. the key to using the small hooks is taking your time fighting the fish. If you try to horse a fish, it will often pull free. I was wrong the shroomz has a #2 hook

I don't try to compare myself to others for casting accuracy. I personally try to stay as accurate as possible. I practice constantly year round. backhand, underhand, overhand, pitching, skipping, sidearm. and every other possible variation. I often think my neighbors feel I am a little off, as I am standing on my driveway in subfreezing weather, skipping and pitching a jig across the cement.

spent 4 hours at La Cygne today. There were ten trailers in the parking lot when I got there. Fished warm water for around 4 hours. Tried several different baits, but the jerkbait reigned supreme. caught 11 bass total. these were the largest three.

I agree. All those hours with nothing would be tough. Just out of pure luck you should have caught something. If anything was biting, at least one should have hooked itself. I would be looking for a fishing partner and new water.

My last boat had a 50hp 2 stoke mercury that sat with ethanol blend in the carbs for a year, before I bought it. When we tried to start the motor, gas ran out the exhaust. The carbs had to be rebuilt before the motor would run. I have never used ethanol blend gas in my current outboard, since it was new 3 years ago. My outboard has never sat over a month without running. I add stabil in the winter, because a tank lasts longer than the rest of the year. Fortunately most casey's stores,around here, have a non-ethanol pump. It does cost quite a bit more, but the peace of mind is worth it. A tank does not last long in my truck, so it usually gets ethanol blend. the few times I ran pure gas in m truck it got better gas mileage and had noticeably more power when towing the boat.

I can only comment on the fury series. C has a faster action. CB is has a much slower action, generally designed for crankbaits. In comparison I own a Fury 735C and a Fury 735CB. They are both 5 power rods, the 735C is stiffer and faster than the 75CB. THe 735C is my Pitching and Flipping rod . The 735CB is my squarebill and ratl-trap rod.

in cold water I often downsize. For a ned rig the finesse shadz works really well. The skinny tail has a subtle action that seems to get more bites for me, in cold water, than a standard trd. Skayhead I usually use a roboworm or zoom finesse worm.

I agree. I have seen a lot of fishermen launch their boat with high hopes. Then a couple hours later leave depressed. It took me 3 years of fishing it hard to eliminate most of the skunks there. I have learned that you have to get creative and think outside the box, to be successful at La Cygne. Last year it skunked me three times. This year it only skunked me once. I have never caught huge numbers of bass there. The reason I make the trip there is the chance for a trophy.

there was frost on my windows, when I hooked up the boat. it was supposed to be above 60 by this afternoon. I only had a couple hours to fish, so i missed out on the warmer weather. still had a decent morning. caught a few small bass and one 4.1 pounder on a jerkbait.

You remove the side plate opposite the handle. There are usually 4 to 6 pins. Snap them toward the center they are off. snap them to the outside they are on. this is a common centrifugal brake reel. the yellow pins are the centrifugal brakes. to start off I would turn on every other one. Try it out and adjust until you get the best distance without backlashing. I usually have 3 brakes on with a 6 pin revo. There are also several videos on youtube that explain this.

Never intentionally fish for drum, but a jumbo can be a good fight.

I deploy and rearm the life jacket every 2 years. most companies suggest every 3 years. I deploy mine to make sure it still works and has not rotted. A word of advice. if you deploy the a/m 33 while wearing it, it will look something like this. well not quite that bad?

I have both. the a/m 24 is lighter and more comfortable, I wear it in summer when I am fishing. I use the a/m 33 whenever I am running the big motor and when I am fishing in cooler weather. the a/m33 is a type II life vest, if you are running a motor boat this is the life vest you want. It has more floatation and has a better chance of turning you face up if you hit the water unconscious.. the a/m 24 is a type III life vest. it is not made for cruising with a motor. it will probably not turn the wearer face up if he enters the water unconscious.

I had an old mod v bass boat and kayak when I retired. I was able to trade the mod v for a small fiberglass bass boat. It will more than likely be the last boat I ever own.

I am in the same boat. I retired to take care of my disabled wife. I have a Caregiver come in 3 times a week, so I can run errands, go to appointments and fish. She also likes the time away from me, occasionally. She is good friends with our caregiver. I have learned to fish in nearly any weather except lightning storms.

Fishing any larger body of water, I would not even consider a 20 horse on that boat. first time you try to get on plane, you will regret it. if bad weather rolls in while you are a couple miles from shore, it could be disastrous. it is not enough motor to get you out of trouble. If you were fishing small no wake lakes it would be fine. Here in eastern Kansas and western missouri the wind can whip up pretty quickly. this summer I watched 2 guys in a tracker 175 with a 25 horse try to navigate 3 to 4 foot white caps on one of our local reservoirs. It looked like they were going to capsize a couple times. There was not a whole lot I could do to help, without capsizing both of our boats. I passed them and watched from the marina. Wondering if I was going to be involved in a rescue attempt. They were both white as a ghost when they reached the Marina cove. I talked to them while they were loading the boat. Both of them said the water was calm when we launched. the boat owner told me he was in the market for a larger motor and possibly a bigger boat.

It is 31 degrees in Knasas City and snowing. predicting up to 1.5 inches. not terrible, but way too early.

To each their own. Nobody is telling you not to carry reloads. I was merely making a suggestion. My comment had nothing to do with the internet. Law enforcement friends advised me against carrying handloads,years ago. The main reason I don't carry handloads is reliability. As @slonezp mentioned when I have had a misfeed, it was usually with reloaded ammo. either my own or purchased reloads. here is an article about the possibility of legal ramifications from handloads. Make your own decision. https://gundigest.com/handguns/concealed-carry/handloads-not-a-good-idea-for-concealed-carry If I wanted to argue the use of reloads, I would do it on a shooting forum.

Of the few lakes around here that charge a fee or require an annual permit to launch, some of the money goes to stocking catfish and trout. I beleive the rest is used to upkeep the lakes. I am not sure if this is statewide or nationwide, but the army corps of engineers no longer charges a lauch fee on the one major reservoir I frequent occasionally.

Sometimes you just have to sit back and wonder what people were thinking. @A-Jay I can only imagine the bad decisions you have seen on the water.

Or if you really want to get attention, Hang an Alabama rig from your ear.