MN Fisher

I'm in the same boat - it's the technique, not the rig or lure you're using. Conversely - a 1/2oz jig with trailer on a MH rod and 17# FC could be fished finessely. I think too much emphasis is placed on 'finesse means light lures, light line, light rods'...some lures/baits can't be finessed, but finesse fishing is a lot more to me than "M or lighter spinning rod with 8# or less line" I'd consider that finesse - depending on how you're fishing it.

St Croix Avid Pearl - it's pretty pink.

I'm not too worried about the aesthetics of a rod. Long as it doesn't look like some hack put it together in their basement, looks don't matter much. Now saying that - I'm not gonna get certain colors...just because. You'll never see me look at a pink rod twice...just no...

Maybe he thought he was part of NASA and needed to do a splash-down as the ending to the flight. Just a thought. I know...you can kick me later.

Wow - Minnesota's gas-tax is only .285 - add in the Feds and the total tax is .469 here. Of course this is the year I'm going from an electric powered canoe to a gas powered boat...just figures that prices would rise.

For senkos and shaky heads - my Fury 703SF is my 'go to' rod. For drop-shot and neds - it's my Fury 702SF - though you could probably use the 703SF for those as well.

(sighs) 9 weeks, 6 days here.

Has your wife been talking to mine? I get the exact same 'message'.

Man, that beard is almost longer than that bass.

It's in sad shape - I only wear it around the yard if it's snowing or raining anymore. Was a B-Day gift from the parents....in 1982. Ya, I still got it - but it's definitely seen better days.

Air Force days I grew a mustache...of course kept it within regs. About a year or two after I got out in '84, I started the beard. It varies between well groomed and a messy 'mop' depending on whether I take the time to trim it before a shower or not...sometimes go weeks without a trim.

IIRC - they ran that one during last year's Classic too.

I got LIVE up and running - just you man.

And we got 4" of snow dumped on us overnight.

On Tonka - there's a 'spur cove' off Emerald Lake...which itself is small and fairly shallow. Early spring the number of boats 'stacked up' in that backwater is staggering sometimes.

Minnesota law is pretty clear and simple. If a body of water is accessible from public land - the entire surface of the water is considered public and usable by anyone. That means that even the 'dug and built' marinas on public lakes contain public water and they cannot prohibit anyone from fishing within the confines of the marina so long as no private property is violated. This also includes the privately developed 'spur coves' of home associations that directly connect to the main public body of water.

Well - I got two guys fishing tomorrow - Seth and KJ never made it out of the backfield and John kinda fell down on the job. All is normal in Ken's world - my picks still don't get me out of the middle of the pack...

They shouldn't have a problem with an exchange. Ya - our state record here is 8-15 and I'm still looking for my first 5#+ myself. I know they exist in my lake - local tournaments have had 7#'ers...I just gotta find them.

I'm watching it online https://www.bassmaster.com/video/bassmaster-classic-weigh-2022

You're pretty close to the same latitude as I am...so the bass would probably be a similar size. A heavy should be more than sufficient for frogging - that's what I'm using up here in the north.

I don't think I've ever paid MSRP from Amazon...usually it's about 10%-20% off. That includes a Daiwa Fuego CT, a Pflueger Supreme-30 and a couple rods I've ordered from there.

Yesterday's results

It's great you had that learning experience. Myself - I'm pretty much self-taught. My uncle would occasionally take the group of us (me, his 3 sons) out ice-fishing for pickerel in MA growing up - but open water fishing I was completely on my own as Dad wasn't a fisherman. Oh he had a rod/reel and would take me to Wachusett Reservoir...but basically tossed his line out and let it sit forever while I tried different things. Other than magazines, my only learning experiences were 1: A weekend in the late 70s when we had the Lindner brothers, Babe Winkelman, and Duane Peterson give a seminar on Saturday with an informal tournament on Sunday. 2: My next door neighbor living in Bemidji was John Peterson - founder of Northland Tackle. I actually helped make lures in the mid-late 70s...so if you have any from that era, they might have been assembled by me. We'd chat while working about all sorts of techniques and how to find them. And we'd occasionally go out in his boat for more 'on the water' lessons. Good times.

There's a Cabelas in driving range of me - but the last time I was there I was unimpressed with the fishing section. Scheels and Fleet Farm are much closer to me, and their fishing sections are (IMO) better than the local Cabelas...lots more stock of non-private labeled things. Though the 'Scheel's Outfitters' label isn't bad - the rods and reels are Scheels designs, made by Daiwa.

They're located in Golden Valley, MN - suburb of Minneapolis.