MN Fisher

@gimruis - I'm surprised there's been nothing on Tonka. With the warm weather and the rain the past couple days, there's still people fishing Black Lake...even tonight when I went past for a cig run.

I only visited the local Cabelas twice after it opened - last time was late summer of 2006.

Well - in a store I handled a Dobyns Colt and an Aird-X side-by-side and I preferred the Aird-X. The Aird-X really does perform well above it's price point.

Matt and Tim just put out their $100 combos vid...Matt recommends an Aird-X with a Revros LT. He even says that the rod he's showing has been 'in and out of my boat for 6 or 7 years.' For the budget angler, he loves the Aird-X.

My vict....er...recipient should have theirs USPS says: "Your item was delivered in or at the mailbox at 4:34 pm on December 15, 2023"

Forget the Laguna - go up to an Aird-X. I had a Laguna and it was 'dead'...got rid of it quickly - meanwhile, despite having Mojos and Victorys in my lineup, I still have a couple Aird-Xs that get used.

Need to find where the bass are hiding - both these caught on Ned.

Only if you don't take care of them....I've got one that's 40 years old, still with the original wood handle...little linseed oil every now and then takes care of the rotting issue.

I've got everything from a 4oz mini ball peen to a 5lb maul...what do I win? What's wrong with wood handles?

Latest lake status: Main bays of Minnetonka are still 90%+ ice free Small lakes (Black, Emerald, etc) are ice covered, but it's still looking pretty dark - I wouldn't consider it safe. Saying that - passing by Black Lake on my way home...east of the bridge, Spring Park Bay is almost ice free...you could even launch at the Mist Ramp as it's clear. BUT West of the bridge - there were about a dozen yaa-hoos out on the ice. I'm keeping an eye on the local news cause one of those wackos is sure to go through.

Now see here, bub...dis is against the rules. Now me - same as last year....get out more and go for a new PB. Simple.

Order placed - should be there within the week. Hope he can use what I sent.

Already? Sheesh...seems like the last one just got done...how time flies.

(stares at who was picked for him) Oh sure - <sarcasm> make it harder next time </sarcasm> - I'm gonna have to do a lot of digging for this unknown.

If you can't find a line recycler near you - Berkley still runs it's line recycling program for mono and FC. Pack it up and ship it to Berkley Recycling 1900 18th Street Spirit Lake, Iowa 51360 Braid...I dunno. I just wind it up and cut it twice so it's 3"-4" lengths, then into the trash.

Have to chalk it up to personal preference, Tom, as I love the Mojo version and @Boomstick said "The Victory 6'10" ML/XF is a pretty solid all-purpose finesse bass rod. If you can only have one, that's a perfect choice. "

^ I follow science - not rhetoric....so yes, I got vaccinated, I follow the guidelines, I get my boosters and while I did get it...it was a mild case that went away inside of a week.

I hit one of my goals - got out about twice as much this past year as I did in 2022. My new PB, however, evaded me.

I hear you, Phil. Grand-Uncle - John (JW) Ryssy - commander of a Coast Guard frigate doing escort duty across the Atlantic then later Pacific Grand-Aunt - Irja Hoffschire nee Ryssy (sister of previous) - Army Corps Nurse in Europe. Grand-Uncle - John Hoffschire - Sgt, 1st Army - injured at Ardennes - met the Grand-Aunt while being treated...they got married in '46 after both mustered out. None of them ever talked about their experiences - but Uncle JW was awarded the Legion of Merit.

Well that was a short winter...time to make Bass Trek water-ready again? 🙃

I'm with @Bankc - when I spent only $3k outfitting this from start to finish, spending 2/3 of that just for a piece of electronics is way out of my budget...no matter what kind of 'advantage' it'd give me.

Lets see - my top three catchers in order #1: Ned Rig - 1/16 or 1/8 oz Owner Blockhead with this little devil Mr. Twister Ned Ringer in Green Pumpkin #2: Wacky Rig with either Yama Senko or Yum Dinger in Green Pumpkin w/Black Flake #3: Siebert 3/8oz Swim Jig in Green Pumpkin Candy with a Rage Craw in Green Pumpkin as the trailer.

The way things are going, there might be some river smallies caught in January too.

Given the late start to ice-in here, and the warm weather predicted (50 tomorrow?), I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict March 20th for Minnetonka ice-out. That'd give me almost 2 months of panfishing before I can legally target bass again.