MN Fisher

Simple Green for most of it - mineral spirits for the stubborn grease - alcohol for a final 'rinse'.

Mine came in the mail as well **snore** very little I'm interested in, and those things I would want are out of the budget this year. I have one credit card and it's paid off every month...don't want any more. Most of my purchases are on a debit card...if I don't have the money for it now, it has to wait.

Youch - our predicted 1-3" turned into nothing more than a dusting.

Yep - one trip last year I wasn't going to use the livewell, so didn't think of it. Put the boat in the water, parked the truck and when I got back to the boat the auto-bilge was spewing water. Put the plug in, waited till the level was low enough then took off. Proved the auto-bilge worked as advertised anyway. ?

It's not the brightness, it's the burning of the eyes!

Yep - I'm back in that area for two reasons before launch/after landing Before: Insert drain plug, close livewell drain valve. After: Remove drain plug, open livewell drain valve.

Ya, Chris has turned into a snowbird - the traitor.

I didn't see one - that's why I started this one. (Gvt types, always trying to hide public info)

I gave up on the boat-buckle style. I just use ratcheting cargo straps.

I keep a bit in the truck....just in case Pflueger President XT on a 6'6" Aird-X M/F - 10# Big Game Pflueger Trion-30 on a 6'6" Aird-X M/F - 8# YZH Plano 3600 Weekender with a selection of bass & crappie lures and a small selection of plastics.

You mean no water needing to be added? Gels and AGMs have that.

Personally - any Smallmouth would get me dancing...haven't had any luck catching those. A 5# largemouth? New PB for me and another reason to dance.

Red-eyes are closely related to Shoal bass - they're no Rocky's

This one - same company - has the groove for hooks. https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Machine-Technology-DMT-DMTFF70F-BRK/dp/B000PVZE8M/ref=sr_1_21?keywords=fishing%2Bhook%2Bsharpener&qid=1677677342&sprefix=hook%2Bsharpe%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-21&th=1 The one I use has three grooves to accommodate various hook sizes. https://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Diamond-Fish-Hook-Sharpener/dp/B001KN3OXG/ref=sr_1_57?keywords=fishing+hook+sharpener&qid=1677677342&sprefix=hook+sharpe%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-57

How about we have our own little topic here. Successes, failures, what worked, where we're catching them, etc. Just to kick things off - MN-DNR has released the PDFs of the Fishing and Boating regs for this year and 2023 licenses are now in effect...the 2022 licenses are no longer valid. https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/regulations/fishing/fishing_regs_2023.pdf?v=2023.02.21-19.56.37 https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/regulations/boatwater/boatingguide.pdf

Meanwhile - we're bopping between 30s for highs and teens-20s for lows...keeping the ice going on the lakes. We're also just a five inches shy of getting into the top ten snowiest winters on record...with 1"-3" predicted tonight. We do need the moisture though - most of the Metro is still in a Stage-2 drought though my particular area has upgraded to a Stage-1 from the last snowfall we got.

I'm getting jealous here, Brian - 6-8 weeks before the ice is gone and I can go hunt those crappie again.

Nope - that's a Horned Grebe - different species altogether.

It's a Coot - kill it....bloody things are nuisances.

You got a storm cellar or at least a root cellar at your place? Time to hunker down, Kent...don't get blown away.

Does it have this in it? Oh - right - you guys consider snow to be the start of armageddon, not a 'monster storm.

Same here - and since laydowns on most of our lakes are removed quickly, I rarely have a leader tied on for pitching.

You mean he hasn't turned it into a snowfort yet? He's slacking, man.

@NorthernBasser - I'm sure you can spare a bit of that...being a 'neighbor' it wouldn't take much to bring it over the border.

Those launches that have a DNR presence - they actually will come over and make sure your plug is out, your livewell drained, and any vegetation removed from props, hull and trailer.