Kev-mo

I let someone know Monday they were wrong for thinking the stop sign didn't apply to them...

I find this one intriguing...so every other fear is then learned, whether real or 'imaginary'.

I'd like to say line color or lack of matters but I wonder if it really does. I've caught wild trout using straight hi vis braid in ultra clear rivers, same with smallmouth. I think line diameter and type matter more.

Agree 150% with everything above ^^ except the swift water and large rapids. If there are rocks, depressions or any sort of cover or structure fish will be there. Especially rapids in lower warmer water. That fast water will be the coolest and most oxygenated.

Have you been keeping a food diary? I personally think 'diets' are not sustainable. While other factors play a part such as metabolism the simple math is any calories above what you need per day are potentially 'stored' as fat. Also as you know not all calories are equal. A quick search shows there are about the same amount of calories in two Oreos as there are in a chicken breast. My advice would be to keep a food diary. You'll probably see both patterns and where you can make changes. No matter what you need to figure out what works for you and make it your lifestyle. Full disclosure, I'm fortunate to have decent metabolism and eat pretty much whatever I want. However I don't eat as much as I used to when I was like 20. Nor do I drink like I did when I was 20 (both beer and soda). So my caloric intake overall is definitely down but so is my overall activity. Desk job versus a more active job etc.

Check out Tim Holschlag and the books he's written on stream and river fishing. You'll get a lifetime's worth of information. Also check out Jeff Little and stuff he's written or filmed. With that said smallies (in rivers/streams) like to be near current but not necessarily in it unless it's slow enough so that that they don't have to expend much energy to hold. Your typical river goes riffle, hole, run. These areas are easily identified on small streams. I like to look at the riffle, hole, run as a pool. Fish will use different areas of the pool based on current, cover etc. Throw a couple laydowns on an outside bend of a pool along with some boulders throughout the pool, shoreline areas for the fish to get out of the current during high water and you got yourself a nice little spot.

Just hit the state park or the public land near 55

Mostly microwave it. Leave the husk and cook about 2.5 min per ear. Give it a few minutes before peeling because it will be steaming and hot as.... bleep. Used to be butter salt and pepper. Now it's mayo and the above mentioned Everything but the Elote seasoning from Trader Joe's.

After going around the sun a few times I would say your apartment mate is pretty spot on regarding those habits. Our bodies were made to move, our minds definitely need some calming, reading can be for pleasure or knowledge (could also get either from other media these days) and writing could be taken as journaling and that's just good personal therapy on some level. I think you should give yourself a little break with that whole second paragraph. You should applaud yourself for choosing to take time to make a better version of yourself. Also intent plays into this. What are your intentions for self-improvement? Are you improving just so you can look down on people? Probably not... with that said I get it... I used to smoke cigarettes. Do I look at people who still smoke differently? Heck yeah! Not because I think I'm better than them but because I wasn't 'happy' being a smoker. I'm a better version of myself with/out tobacco. I want them to experience the same freedom that I have. The balance part comes into play when I stop and think that they are not there yet and maybe won't ever get there and that's okay. Or maybe they actually like smoking and that's okay too.

Depends on the ambient temp. Like others, if it's hot out, after exercise etc. I can do tepid to cool. Not straight up cold tho. Speaking of beer in a shower.. on visit to see family in Cape Cod years ago I experienced my first outdoor shower after an afternoon at the beach. Highly recommend!!!

My mom brought us kids to see the theatre version of Hair back in 79. Why... because my mom's pretty cool!! The classics as well as animated and semi current have been brought up and I've seen a lot of them so I guess I like musicals. No one's mentioned Glee yet...so I guess I will. Say what you will, six seasons is decent run. I also think they did a good really job with it. Plus Sue Sylvester's character was flipping hilarious!

Thanks for that link! Excellent name!!

This is kind of funny cause one of the local radio stations up here has a bit called 'am i the jerk'. In your case.... Idk, you mentioned being polite so you have that going for you. Unless you got any shady vibes the guy was probably just trying to help you catch fish. I'm thinking about encounters I've had with people when out fishing or just in general and I know I've been short at times, maybe bordering on jerky, slightly rude. Been trying to change that up and be more social/engaging unless I get some bad vibes. Met a cool ass old river rat this winter. Really glad I took the time to talk to him and now we're fishing friends. To answer you question, maybe a skosh...

I get it. I tried going back to mono several years ago after fishing braid exclusively for years. I could not catch a fish to save my life... went quickly back to braid and all was right in the world again lol. Since then I've tried Sunline Defier Armilo (the red one) and I seem to be able to catch fish with that line. Altho it is supposed to be less stretchy so....

Figure out what your actually allergic to or rather what time(s) of the year you're most allergic. For me it's a two week period when the cottonwood starts flying. Not sure it's actually the cottonwood tho.... maybe? I'm for sure allergic to that tall grass that lines the riverbank whose pollen is orange or yellow. Ragweed and mold can also be troublesome late summer early fall. Through trial and error I've found that Allegra works the best for me. If I'm smart about it I start taking Allegra when I see that first piece of cotton in the sky. If I'm not smart I wait until I get an 'attack' and suffer for a day or two until the meds build up. This year I wasn't smart... allergies kicked in hard Memorial Day weekend. I didn't take a pill until Monday around noon and spent the rest of the day in bed. Stopped taking pills on June 10 and I'm good for the rest of the summer. We'll see what September early October bring....

I tried searching past topics a bit but probably didn't have the right key words. Anyway, need to rethink current kayak storage and the best option is hanging from the rafters. Did a little bebopping on the web and it looks like I have a lot of options. Figured I'd ask you all before making any moves. I'm okay with DIY but don't have things like extra straps or lumber laying around so I'd need to buy everything. Not sure if that makes sense versus a prepackaged kit. Altho I have noticed some of the prepackaged kits come with plastic pulleys and/or rope that is weak or prone to failure based on reviews. Imagine this A is the rafters. My kayak would hang/be the the line in between the sides of the A. Not as steep of a pitch tho. Kayak is 12 feet, 50 pounds. Seems it's best to hang with straps around whole kayak and upside down. So..... looking for either prepackaged kits that have worked with minimal aftermarket mods or DIY ideas. Thanks!

This is the second time I've read/heard about easing up on the fish during a fight. Have to try to remember that next time I'm battling. Mixed feelings on the jumpers. Lost a giant smallie a couple/few summers ago. Lame hookset so really just hanging on for that ride. She shot downstream and I knew she was coming up and I knew she would shake my lure when she did. But... I got to see her! She came straight out of the water and did a couple head shakes in mid air. Lure went one way she went another. You don't get to see them when they go to the bottom to try to wedge your crank in between some rocks to dislodge it.

Thought this was going to reference the similarly titled album when I saw the post lol

Illinois started an inland stream immediate release season of smallie 4/1 -6/15 some years ago. I was out yesterday and had a few half hearted topwater hits and when I walked up to spot there were beds and guarding fish. With that said it's mostly done. You're probably mostly done too

This ^^ Take a look the Other Game Fish forum at some trout threads. You'll get some ideas. No reason some of those baits can't do double duty (bass and trout)

Only ever used zoom products. Really I think the biggest difference in brands is density of product affecting fall rate etc.

I honestly haven't found any difference. I mostly fish rivers so that might factor in... however I've caught fish in ultra clear water on rattlers and in chocolate bank full water on silent ones. By caught fish I mean multiple fish through out the day in different locations.

How did Zocor ruin your legs?!

It's a really good way to gain confidence in both the lure and your angling abilities. You really have to be confident the fish are there and they will bite tho. I've done this a couple times and not been disappointed along with learning a few things.

Probably this ^^ Is your debit card channeled through paypal or did you just straight use your debit card? I know you're not liable for credit card charges you didn't make but I thought you're kinda SOL if your debit card gets compromised..