Bird

Can that be beat ?

I'm always around the $100 mark for reels and $120 - $150 for rods.......$250 max.

It is without doubt the most slimy creature I've ever caught. Use to cat fish with a guy who was insanely terrified of snakes. I caught a rather large eel and brought him to the boat, the guy panics. That was probably 20+ years ago and he's yet to cat fish since.

I buy them in bulk, 4 pair at a time. Cheapo's from Amazon so no sniffles when a pair gets broken or lost. I will admit though, polarized sunglasses are a must.

This is a rough crowd. Lol

Guess I've been spending to much time on the water. Noticed a 2100 gal pond kit in the Amazon cart and asked the wife about it........it's going in our backyard.....well then. Very labor intensive, lots of digging, lots of rocks required. There's pumps, filters, fittings, skimmers and a waterfall. Yep, I'll be awhile.

I've not seen the distances mentioned but do fish mainly gin clear waters. Jerkbaits bring them up quite aways and seen long wakes created while in pursuit of top water baits but not consistent. Why I catch a fish on one side of a stump and not the other speaks volumes.

Such diversity in us fisherman. I use 100 % Power pro to Fluorocarbon leader......for years.

Yep, that's a good fish, congrats.

Many years ago when I fished for channel cats, we'd drop a weighted net bag of dry dog food with floating milk jug at a chosen location. We'd then float off and bass fish, come back at dusk with shrimp and chicken liver and have a blast. Always used Carolina rig.

Is this permitted? Both baits must be considered finesse to reverse anything. What size nail in the Neko ? See, it's not that simple.

I also think of smaller baits, lighter weight when the term finesse is used. Is a weightless Senko finesse ? Some of my Senko style baits have the fall rate of a bowling ball. Does that nullify it as finesse? Is a Ned on a 3/16 head finesse ? I really don't know.

Wish all bass were like that one. I did catch the same fish twice back in March, once on a Jerkbait and again on a spinnerbait.....different days. Most predatory fish are territorial and have a place they call home

The ones I throw on light tackle, top to bottom. Roboworm - Aaron's morning Dawn Roboworm - Aaron's magic Zoom finesse - lemon pumpkin Zoom shaky tail - watermelon red

I'm waiting for GPS casting or maybe blue tooth......yeah.

A resemblance of the way I do it.

Spinnerbaits are hard to screw up as long as they are balanced, fly straight. Nickel up front or double willow. An all-time favorite bait of mine for sure. Have various types......Titanium, KVD, Booyah, strike king and Zman and they all produce. Spinnerbaits belong in Cooperstown. Lol

I'm actually a minority, Only carry proven baits over a long span of fishing........if it doesn't produce, it's out. Thrown 6 baits from Jan 1st 2020. Lol They produce, they keep getting wet.

Welcome. Yes times have changed as you illustrated. Lol

The more common scenario is lure over a limb at the surface, caught some really big bass that way but not by design. But yes, had a shaky head hung in limbs just last week and while trying to free it.....THUMP.

Some of us don't target pike but they've targeted my wallet lately, beautiful fish though.

Great post. Even as an older fisherman I've gained alot of knowledge here. No intimidation but considerable respect.

When you get older you get exponentially wiser. Lol I won't even wash the car without safety glasses, mow, weed eating, cutting wood. Fishing is advantageous with polarized glasses......an absolute must.

Lol, figured the older folks would chime in. 59 here, wife is 54 and we are empty nesters and acting like kids again. Drinking plenty of wine and listening to loud music around the firepit nightly. We listen to everything from Marvin Gay, Elton John to 4 non blondes and Kenny Chesney. Lately she's really liking Sam Smith. You have a lot of good years ahead of you.....love a lot and live a lot.

Being able to comfortably stand and paddles well don't mix well. I've demoed quite a few and really liked the Nucanoe Frontier, over your budget some. At the present, own 2 Feelfree boats......Moken and Jonny bass 100. Both are built like tanks and paddle like tanks but the Bass 100 has the steerable motor pod, love it for fishing lakes. As far as going from a bass boat to a kayak......seamless transition. Good luck in your search.