schplurg

I don't see anyone rating any of the songs. I would but I have no desire to listen to anything I've seen yet.

Don't let a little rain stop ya! I went to Almaden Res a few days ago. Just checking it out. Very low water but tasty looking. It "rained" for a few - a hard sprinkle maybe. I was gonna go the next day but it rained for reals so I didn't go. (I said don't let a "little rain"stop ya ).

Seems really expensive compared to their other chatterbaits, like 3x more. Is it because of the fancy paint? Is the hook better? I mean that's a big price difference. Having better "thumping" is the only thing that sounds interesting to me.

Seems like the foam bullet weight slots are a waste of space too. Could hold a lot more without them. They aren't as likely to fall out as just throwing em in the box but it isn't really a concern of mine anyways. That edge box looks like the dividers are really thick. I use cheap Planos of different types and sizes, right now I use a small double-sided one. I mainly bank fish so I try and take only what I need.

Ah yes good point, I do try to get that sunscreen off my hands and it's a bear. Maybe use the gloves to put on the sunscreen instead? I'm pretty sure someone brought up the question of whether or not a bait is truly artificial if it's smeared with a scent derived from animals. I have no opinion on it right now but I'm looking it up because I'm bored. What if I made my own scent using a bunch of dead minnows whirled up in a blender? Or rubbed a dead bluegill all over my Super Fluke right before I cast it? Seems like at that point I'm using live or dead bait. Maybe I'll try that in front of a ranger one day just to mess with his head.

As much food as I can stuff in the backpack, if bank fishing. I don't always bring that much but I have no problem bringing food. Water in a reusable bottle. Buying bottled water is a waste in many ways, including your money. You spend more for water than on gasoline. I see 7-11 sells "Smart Water" - I beg to differ! Buy a filter and BE smart! CamelBack system soon. Part of a burrito, peanut butter sammich, whatever food I may have laying around. Clif bars. I don't want thirst or hunger to be a reason for me to leave early, and it has been many times. And when I'm not catching, heck ya I eat more. If I'm catching then I forget to eat. Love having food to munch!

If LiveScope didn't make catching fish easier nobody would use it and pros would be tossing 'em in the water and going back to their paper scroll charts. Of course it makes it easier. A 12 year old who uses a smart phone could figure out how to use a LiveScope, it just takes time - like learning how to fish does. Sure everyone draws their own lines on what is "too much". I fish for fun and I can't see this adding to my enjoyment. Some computer programmer is telling you where the fish are. Ridiculous. If I was a commercial fisherman or in big money tournaments then maybe I would use it. I'd like to see tournaments ban this type of stuff.

Another option. Homemade with scrap aluminum. Add a length of paracord and the transducer can be raised and lowered no problem. Then again, if the yak clears the obstruction so will the 'ducer. Can be raised or lowered too if I drill a few more holes. Mounted to existing rudder mount holes. I think I lowered it some since this photo.

In addition, some shores just aren't good candidates for parallel casting. One lake near me is all rock and it's great for bouncing a square bill around next to shore. The creek though is prone to snagging so I only cast close to shore where it's safer to do so..

Message was for anyone who reads it.

One of Greg Blanchards newest videos was made at Contr Loma. Check that out maybe.

One tip: Paint it a bright color! I've never had to pay for a rod holder because I find the ones people leave behind, which I have also done myself. [Edited to remove double post.]

If you want to get fancy and flare the end out, heat it over a stove burner then push it down over a wine bottle. That's how I did mine for my kayak. I used a router for the slot.

Where does the heat go without the wet clothing? Clothes may protect you from wind even when wet. I'm not sure what the right move is here for sure, but that reasoning doesn't seem sound.

It's real. I just watched part of a video of some guys making one just for a laugh. Left all the windows in. I'm gonna go with choice #3..."stupid". Not stupid enough for a Darwin award (if he died), in my opinion. I've seen stupider. In fact I'm seeing it on the news right now

Maybe sell it and get something much cheaper as a backup?

I guess it depends on what you mean by American Made (I chose this light at random, don't know if it's good). (Link Removed by schplurg) Made in the U.S.A. (complies with the "Buy American Act", may contain imported components). Ya, "components" like the bulb, body, batteries and lens probably. Good luck! ETA: $518 for that? Sorry should have used a different example!!! Link removed.

Bluegill are similar to bass, right? I once caught 8 bluegill that were on beds just a few feet off shore. Just males establishing them, no females were there. Every fish I caught went right back to the bed I'd pulled it from. One I even caught twice. Felt bad after a bit and left them alone, but it was very interesting.

Speaking of whistling, and since the topic is marked "solved", anyone else notice the line on their rods making strange sounds when the wind hits them? Took me half a day on the water before I realized what it was. Kinda cool. Or annoying actually. Maybe I can tighten them and tune them to each other like a guitar.

A Big Rig, if you mean the Jackson, is about 3.5 x more than the OP wants to spend. And it's a lot wider than a ride, well 4 - 6 inches I think. My Ride was $700 used here in Cali, with the ProMax seat or whatever it is. I wanted a yak I could stand in when I bought it, but the Ride isn't stable enough for me. Or I'm not stable enough for it

Get both, like Greg Blanchard on Youtube. If I was going to upgrade my yak with one or the other I'd choose pedals. Try fiddling with a trolling motor while a fish is drawing you closer to shore. It's easy just to back pedal for a second, hands free. You could maybe set up a motor foot controlled though. You'd need to register a yak with a trolling motor, at least in Cali. May as well get a small boat at that point.

I don't like standing in my Ride 115, but I also have nothing else to compare it to. I'm 5'11", 185, and 53 so not as stable as I used to be. I'm constantly "wiggling" back and forth, you can see the small waves/ripples as the yak pivots constantly left to right. Maybe that's normal? I see Greg Blanchard and his boat is like a tank. Very tall seat, and he stands in that thing like it's nothing.

YUM Dinger. Green pumpin and white I think. That two-toned worm. Whatever, they bit multiple colors that day. I fished 'dingers all season. 4.25 pounds. 3rd biggest LMB for me so far. From my Dad's dock.

Maybe fish like the smell of people? I have no doubt a bass would eat me if it were big enough. Not meant toward your friend (I'm sure a guide knows better, and is in a boat), but I hate seeing gloves littering the banks where I fish. Why can't people just use one old glove over and over instead of half a box of those thin latex ones? I don't think my smell can overpower that of an anchovy, but on that I admit I may be wrong. I never use gloves and I've caught plenty on live or frozen bait. Off topic - I remember snorkeling in Hawaii and being amazed that most of the fish ignored my presence. One day I will go to my local creek and pull some baits around visible bass, both with and without scent. See if I can see a difference in their reactions. Would be fun to try.

Last season I fished crank baits like a mad man. When Covid hit I bought a box full of them, multiple copies of each color. This season I used a crank bait once haha. Figures right? But hey, if things get worse I got a stock of Ozark Trail cranks I'll let go for a special price of $39.95 each!!! Yesss!!!! I also bought an Ugly Stik Elite light. The guides were a little out of alignment, and I wanted to exchange it, but at that time I could find ZERO in stock anywhere. The biggest guide wasn't aligned and I could not budge it. A few days later I was able to tweak the smaller guides though, and only a few needed it, and now it's perfect. Two piece rod so it worked out.