Russ E

I own 1 medium action mach II. while it is not a bad rod, there are better out there for the money.

I tie 10lb braid and 8lb flouro or hybrid on my shakyhead rod with an alberto knot. I don't recall ever breaking off at the knot. I have had trouble with other knots. While I am not dismissing what they found, I have not seen the same results. I am very careful not to burn the line, while cinching the knot.

Not much to add that has not already been said. I agree with those that have said, keep trying. I don't give up, I will either downsize and slow down or go to the other extreme and throw the faster baits., trying to trigger a reaction strike. I may not always catch big fish, but usually I can trigger a few bites when things are tough.

You are holding the freshwater version. Which is a common freshwater drum. Their teeth are in the back of the mouth. I have caught a ton of them and have never seen human teeth. The saltwater version does have human like teeth.

Welcome to the forum. There is a wealth of information here. Follow this thread. It gets updated frequently on lakes in eastern Kansas. It has been going for quite awhile. There are a few posts on Shawnee Lake.

all of the above. it is a versatile bait. here is a video from Ned Kehde, explaining the different retreives. The technique is named after him.

not sure how many are new, but I found 1/2 dozen I did not know existed with the side imaging this spring. there are quite a few brushpiles in that lake.

Good to here the willows are looking good. Last time I was there they were not very thick and only produced small fish. Hopefully with that and the limited bank access, the fish will get a chance to grow this year.

this is a brush hog. weird looking critter. but it catches fish. also fairly durable. .

you have to check the state laws. each state is different. Here in Kansas you have to register your boat, but the state does not title the boat or motor. Kansas also does not require a trailer to be registered, if the total weight is under 2000 lbs. If you have to register an untitled trailer, most states allow it to be registered under a homemade or custom trailer provision.

I must be slow today. I have fished Olathe a few times this year. I was sitting here trying to figure out where these dense stands of water willow are actually located.

hoping this weather gets the water willow bite going. So far this year it hasn't produced for me.

I seem to get hung up a lot less in wood with the KVD 1.5, compared to other squarebills. If you buy them at regular price they are expensive. Cabelas usually puts them on sale a couple times a year, for around $3.00.

It depends on where I am fishing. In the murkier reservoirs baitcasters dominate. if I am fishing the clearer small lakes Spinning and finesse dominates.

that is why I bought fiberglass. it is nearly always windy here in Kansas. my 2 previous boats were aluminum and I got tired of fighting the wind. I have a Ranger Z175. I compared it with the rt 188 and with the same options the cost was real close. The Rt 188 is a nice boat, but I wanted something that was a little less susceptible to wind. I think the durability argument is overrated. if you hit something while on plane with either, bad things will happen. I am constantly fishing in trees. I blew a hole in my first aluminum boat with a tree stump. I ran my fiberglass boat over a stump and did not even scratch it. if I fished around a lot of shallow rock, I probably would have stuck with aluminum.

Same around here. Crankbaits don't work on our weedy lakes.

First thing I do, in summer, is find the thremocline. then look for structure and baitfish at that depth. some lakes around here stratify at 10 to 15 feet, so often you don't have to fish very deep.

I had a similar problem with my bow mount helix 7. In water less than 5 ft. on a hard bottom, it would add about 10ft. to the depth. I found this same article and tried it. It does work.

I always rub the hook point across my fingernail, before using any hook. If it does not dig in I give it a touchup with this file. if a quick touchup does not sharpen it, I discard it.

I would prefer the spinning reels did not have the switch. Just like on my baitcasters, I rely on the drag.

It was on every local news channel yesterday. Sorry you lost a friend. It is sad that this type of thing goes nearly unnoticed on the national news. I think people often forget the sacrifices law enforcement officers make.

some drop shot sinkers don't go through weeds very well. When dropshotting around weeds I use these. they go through weeds fairly well

I agree that was the case, in the past. I own a Ranger. It was built after the Bass pro acquisition. I did not buy it for resale, but still curious how that affects resale in a few years.

Unfortunately that is the case with a lot of boats. It is not just trackers. Out of the last 3 I have owned, my current boat is the first to have true dry storage.

I agree. I am a concealed carry permit holder. I also had someone try to stab me in my younger years. For me to draw my gun, would take a life or death situation. I would always try to avoid the confrontation first. Talking about shooting someone on an open forum is a little scary . To say the least. While I do not in anyway defend this man, we do not know what happened before the incident.