Bird

Been deer hunting for well over 40 yrs and nothing bothered me more than crippling one. Glad to hear you and your friend recovered such a majestic animal.

Then there are those that are addicted to electronics spending a portion of the day simply playing. Lol I run into a guy often on my local lake always zoned in on his MANY mounted electronics and seldom see him fishing.....really nice guy though. I released my PB as he approached to chit chat and he spent hours scanning for it. I kept telling him " he ain't gonna bite again ".

Wow ! Would not have guessed this much service on board here......much respect.

Great fish.....next year will bring better luck and more Bass like that one.

I'd start a child in the river with an inline spinner and tiny torpedoe. Or wait for perch beds and use worms and bobbers. If they don't get action they're gonna want the Xbox. Lol

Spent all day fishing today as this will be it til spring......had an absolute blast ,it was 70's here today. I was very surprised to see no production today from Spinnerbaits or jigs. Caught almost everything on Ned and 1 on a RUNCL jerk bait.......biggest today, 3lb LM. I'll either be in a treestand or cutting wood for the next couple of months. Be safe on the waters.

That's crazy. Lol Opens the door for this.......I over casted a private dock and caught a dog, seriously. Snagged the top of dock with a Rapala jerk bait and dog came running and grabbed it , hooking it's mouth. My friend was laughing so hard as I said, GET ME OVER THERE ! Drag screaming. I hugged the dog and was able to free the bait without injury.

A discharged battery freezes quickly below 32*. A fully charged deep cycle battery will be fine outside as it discharges slowly.

Camera's are fun and let you know what's in the area but other than that they serve no purpose for the trophy hunter. All the really big bucks on my property simply don't move during the day after August and that's with 0 hunting pressure. The only time they screw up is during the rut chasing tail. If your just after deer in general than simply hunt around acorns.

A fully charged battery won't freeze unless you live in Antarctica so no need to remove them with your regimen. I've yet to pull a battery from my boat or RV in many years.

Sometimes these Bass simply leave us perplexed. I keep throwing what's been time proving......sometimes it's just wasted time. Lol When I can't figure out what they want I always end up finesse fishing " usually works "but prefer a more aggressive approach.

From early spring to late fall I throw more flukes and Assassins than any other bait. They skip so well to places I can't get other baits. I find nose hooked better for hook-up rate. Around here, smallmouth prefer pearl......largemouth , watermelon seed for clear water.

Oh you never used chain link before??? Not the greatest for top water.

It's one bait Bass never get tired of.

Keep enjoying that friendship with Ben and keep showing off some fish for him.

Ok maybe this may come across as offensive but leads to this question. How hard is it really to learn how to fish.? These predatory fish are smacking buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. Lol River smallies will hit bare hooks if you jig em'. I fish because I immensely enjoy it but don't see the science. Locate fish and most anyone can catch them. Kids all over YouTube slaying citation after citation. Lol It's easy recreation.

The great reviews on Amazon has got me squirming for yet another unnecessary rod and reel.

And a weed guard like a leaf spring but certainly brings back memories of yesteryear......and the pork trailer.

Then you have this ^ . Lol

I catch more quality fish in April, May and October every year.....around here. That said, my biggest LM by a long shot came in the middle of the day in hot August on a 4" culprit worm , 10.4

It appears due to vast varying opinions that no clear cut answer exists. I throw mostly braid in 15# unless my bait is gonna sit for observation, then a 8# leader of Sunline FC goes on......like a Ned or drop shot and such. Braid can misbehave in the wind and can form a love relationship with a front treble. But it's sensitivity and cast keeps me from straying. FC unlike braid sinks which works well for those who finesse fish, think 1/16 ounce applications. Just when you start to fall in love with that reel " spinning " full of fluorocarbon you find yourself sporting a pair of 3.0 reading glasses spinning in circles on the lake in a battle. That's my short story.

Makes sense. Just last evening I went to my favorite online tackle supplier and punched up " swim jigheads " and WOW.

Yeah, I'd lean towards the Fluke or Assassin myself, very versatile. Nose hooked on a little wide gap or with a big 5.0 Run them high or low with a nail, fast or slow,endless.

I keep 6-8 baits tied on all day.

Not sure if I'm on topic or " knot " but another benefit to a FC leader is when you experience a snag......the leader will always break so your not pulling your boat under the surface trying to snap braid or cutting unnecessary lengths.