Kev-mo

Discovered a French press like 15 or so years ago and never looked back. Probably about the same time I started drinking it black. Prefer a medium roast or light roast. Subjectively I think those have more nuanced notes. A light roast can be a bit acidy for me. I thought Starbucks best coffee was the Ethiopian. The Kenya was okay. There was one more at that time period that was discontinued that I liked. I think that was SB's heyday for coffee varieties. Altho some of their Reserve stuff is quite tasty, especially from their Clover Press. The fresher the roasted beans the better. Burr grinder is a must. A friend recently started roasting/selling coffee. I think he only has one or two roasts. It's good stuff!

Seems to me the rounded bill would tend to skitter/slide along whatever it hit v. the points/coffin sides bouncing off the same object.

Idk which it's it more of. The tackle aspect is both. I mean science drives the innovation in materials and manufacturing. However there's certainly an art aspect involved when you paint reels or rods etc. Some science involved in trying to apply what we think we know about fish behavior. Also as others have mentioned we certainly ascribe an artfulness to fly casting and other techniques. As to the original question...I think it's situational. Some will be more science forward and others more art forward.

I can't explain the physics of it but it it's because you have two weighted objects and your casting is causing them to tumble end over end as already mentioned. Maybe switch to a round weighted bobber and/or adjust where your split shot is and/or try different casting techniques. Could also be your rod action combined with your casting style. I've had this same thing happen fishing float and fly with a weighted round bobber. My only fix has been to adjust my casting. Haven't fished fnf in a couple years but believe a side arm lob cast helped.

I'm late to to the spinnerbait bite. Also really only fish moving water. and mostly smallies. I've used a zoom split tail and boot foot paddle tail(s) a handful of of times. I haven't noticed a difference.

Rivers are tougher in the cold. Not because the fish won't bite.... I've caught fish in mid 30 degree water. Once there's ice chunks in the water column and the air temps are below freezing it's exceptionally difficult to present something effectively let alone dealing with frozen line/guides/reel. So yeah maybe never too cold but definitely too much work.

I think it depends on what's associated with that east wind. Is it accompanied by a nasty storm or is it just a mild system/wind change. i don't do well with the first one. I've done well enough with the second one.

Try blanching stuff like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots etc. v. boiling or steaming. Personally think preserves more of the flavor and nutrients. Also there's nothing wrong with fat. We need fat. Just try to moderate your animal fats. Brussels cooked with a good olive oil... yum!!! Cheese sauce... blah. Real cheese in moderation👍 I think if you can eat mostly whole foods v. processed stuff/fast food you're doing good.

French pearl orange belly is something I like to start with. Also like bright colors like Rapala's hot head. It all depends on water clarity. Altho not a huge fan of MB 110's for the shallowish rocky rivers I fish because the lips/bills are too fragile. Or I'm too tough on them lol. They are great baits tho and for sure catch fish!!! How come you're not 5 by 5?

One glass for you and and one glass for cleaning the bearings, gears, etc.

So this is the is the second Infinity I've been behind that's been making a turn. I see the brakes on but no idea why they're slowing down. Finally I see the blinker, that tiny little light above the triangle. Seriously....why?!!!! Also why are there so many tie downs of various kinds on the road? I saw a gob (think nightcrawlers) of them a couple months ago.

Let the industry decide for you....meaning you guys look up 5 or so different rod companies and take and average of what they define as ultra light. Then everyone's rod needs to fall between those parameters. Same for the reel. Now you guys just need to decide on the companies and how many. More stuff to debate (argue about) hahaha

Check out Babbel (language for life). No personal experience but their commercials are stuck in my head...

Pretty allergic to dogs....which is sad for many reasons. And yeah this is just a sunrise ~

Log jams... I wouldn't say they need to be avoided. But for sure some extra caution should be used around them. Any large mass (bridge abutment, tree, boulder etc.) is going to affect current flow and therefore where silt etc. is deposited. You'll need to assess each one as you come to it. Also they can be good cover and structure for fish if they have some depth to them so definitely fish them. You may not want to read this next sentence for plausible deniability purposes but...... Idk what state you're fishing in but if by chance it's Illinois.... most rivers in this state are not public.

What's a seed tick? And that place looks quite beautiful! I saw a post on a fishing forum some years back of some gnarly and I mean gnarly looking rocky bouldery river that was supposably in your state. Wondering if that's one of the places you're referencing? No need to call it out publicly or even privately. I'm just glad I saw pics of it!

1. How concerned would you be about hidden sinkholes or "quicksand" in muddy rivers? Are they common, or does it take specific conditions for them to form? Last thing I want to do is go under... This is just my experience... been wading rivers consistently for about 20 years. I have not personally encountered quicksand, I have however heard from a couple fisher friends about legit quicksand on an area of a river they wade. I do believe it's near a bridge. When I was first wading one of my Darwin choices was to walk through the inside bend on a river. The inside bend is where all the silt, sand leaves etc. pile up. I sunk about 18 inches in that mess, both feet. It took me probably a half hour extricate myself. Probably could've have gotten out earlier but the waterline was about an inch or two below the top of my waders. I was trying to stay dry, the water was nasty from everything decomposing. So stay away from inside bends! I legit have a little ptsd to muck and mire after this experience. Like i get a skosh anxious when i encounter some. Also smaller flows dig deeper so you'd be surprised at the depth of some holes in smaller streams. 2. Why does it seem like mud and silt seems to pile up around bridges? The other access points by bridges that I have been using have loose silt and mud but it's only for a short way, then it turns to rock and sand. I think mud, silt etc. builds up around bridges just simply due the bridge abutments and the effect they have on the current and suspended particles. If you had a big tree in the middle of the river the same thing would happen. Also as you mentioned above some of your access points are a bit muddy and then turn to rock/gravel. That's typical for most streams that I've waded in IL. I volunteer myself to be your river/bird dog as it were. I can deal with a little muck if the payoff is a big smallie....

I use something like this. I had some weird angles a couple times and found this type of cutter helped mitigate that.

Right hand dominant. Grew up casting baitcasters with my right hand and switching hands. Was a pretty natural movement. When the CU201E7's were being made I decided to try a left handed reel. Never looked back! To answer the OP's question.... since I made the switch I prefer working lures and setting the hook with my dominant hand/arm.

Dude... that is a bad morning. Thankfully your girlfriend was home and heard you! Hope you make a full recovery with little to no residual effects. You may want to get tested for allergies to bees/wasps. As you may know, some people become allergic later in life after being stung through out their life. Sounds like you got a couple lifetimes of stinging in a few minutes... Thought I was all that at 14 years old and messed with a nest of yellow jackets at my cousins. I lost lol. Had a nest of the same kind of yellow jackets in the ground at the house next to my parents several years later. I plugged up the emergency exit hole and dumped a whole can of raid in the main entrance. No more yellow jackets

Where is said 20% off mailing list discount located? I remember getting one at some point but nothing recently.

I'd be more concerned with residual deet melting some of your plastic products than repelling fish

I've seen some things get better and others get worse. But overall it makes me incredibly sad to see what we are doing to this planet and each other. As far as as the lack of amphibians goes... they've been on the decline worldwide for quite awhile. I'm like 97% sure they found a big cause was/is a virus or parasite or something from either N or S Korea. That coupled with declining habitat, water quality etc. again incredibly sad.

Burrow owls are the most interesting of creatures

What size garden are we talking about? My dad used to to just use the back and forth sprinkler for his and move it every so often. I guess that could take up time because you have to be there to move the sprinkler but he would be doing other things while the sprinkler did it's thing. He also did the drip thing for some of the flower beds but pretty sure he still hooked up the hose to that set up. You probably already know this but watering in the evening is better so it can soak in v. getting burnt off by heat of day. Not sure what you're growing but for next year could you group the plants by water consumption? Then when you do have to water maybe it's a smaller section?