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I know those polar bear club people love doing that kind of stuff and find it exhilarating. And I've heard stories of people hitting cold water and just instantly shutting down. Like they're awake and conscious, but completely paralyzed. And then you've got the Tibetan monks who practice g Tummo and can survive long periods of time in below freezing temperatures without any clothes on. It could go so many different ways for you, that it's hard to know what'll happen until after it's already happened.

Most of my rods are 2-piece. They work just as well as my 1-piece rods. I used to drive a coupe, so 2-piece was my only option. Now that I can fit a 7' rod in my car without having to hang half of it out of the window, I've been slowly migrating in that direction. Mainly because most of the best rods are only available in 1-piece. The biggest problem with 2-piece rods is the lack of selection. A couple of things about 2-piece rods though. They work best in faster rod actions. So fast, extra-fast, and even down to moderate-fast, they tend to work pretty well. When you drop down to full moderate or slow, they don't do as well. So long as that bend is above the ferrule, there's really not much of a difference. And you might lose a hair of sensitivity in a 2-piece vs. a 1-piece, but you'd have to fish them back-to-back and pay close attention to really be able to tell.

Yeah. I mean, if you get away from bass fishing, there are some other advantages. I know I've been wanting to get myself one of those 12' crappie jigging rods.

I'd flip this question around and ask, what are the advantages of longer rods? Because in my opinion, the only real advantage to a longer rod is casting distance. I know some would say leverage, but I can easily put enough leverage on any rod to break it, so I don't feel as though that's a selling point to me. That being said, most of my rods, and all of the rods I've bought in the last 20 years, are 6'6" or longer, with most being around 7' (+ or - 2"). Casting distance is pretty important and most of the advantages of shorter rods can be minimized with a bit of skill.

I don't think it matters much. The difference in diameter isn't huge at that point. Dig in doesn't really become a problem once you move past 30#, maybe 40#. (unless you get snagged and lock the drag and try to break the line). 40# test line will break your rod before the line breaks fighting a fish out of slop. So you don't need to go any heavier. And 65# braid isn't so thick as to cause problems on casting or decrease your line capacity so much as to cause a problem. So you don't need to go any lower. Some people will develop a preference one way or another for various reasons. Maybe you'll develop a preference too. But you'll have to try some out to figure out if you prefer one over the others. I worry more about brand, color, and carrier numbers. It's only when I'm using thin braid on spinning gear that I pay much attention to test strength. I use 40 lbs. braid for my heavy rods. Why? Because that's what I had on hand when I first tried them, and it worked. So I never had a reason to try something else. But if 65# braid was on sale and cheaper than 40#, I'd make the swap without hesitation.

My brother-in-law is on the dive team. He risks his life diving in muddy lakes with no visibility feeling around for bodies. He doesn't like doing it either. It's not rewarding work. So then why do it? Why risk YOUR life to recover the body of someone else? Because the family wants it back. Because these are drinking water reservoirs and people will not drink the water if there's a dead body in it. And because no one wants to take their kids to a lake and have them scarred for life when a dead and bloated body washes up on to the bank. So it has to be done. My point being, not wearing a PFD puts more lives at risk than just your own. Need more convincing? https://vsp.vermont.gov/memorial/gaboury

I use garlic scented Bang. Does it work? All I can say is that it doesn't not unwork for not catching bass.

I'll pull them out on occasion when the fishing gets tough. Bass certainly will eat them. But it's more of a desperation move than go-to move for me.

First, if the birds are eating, then the bass usually are too. So if I see birds diving, I'll try to fish there. If I see birds just hanging out, then I typically leave them alone, unless I have another reason to fish there. Second, we don't really have many shell beds around here. But all of those nooks and crannies they create are probably good for bottom dwellers like crawfish and crustaceans, so I could see why bass would be in that area looking for food. Third, beavers, muskrats, nutria... I don't know. I know they're primarily herbivories, so I don't think bass would be too afraid of them. But they're big, so maybe they would be a bit weary of them in the area. Either way, I've caught fish when they're nearby before. So whatever impact they play, good or bad, doesn't seem to be much. Fourth, as for other fish, that can be a good sign. It at least means there is a reason for fish to be there, and there's usually more spots in a lake that you won't find any fish than there are spots you'll find fish. So it's a least a sign that it might be a good spot. But finding other species doesn't mean there will be bass there either, or that the bass are eating. I often catch other species of fish in the same area and at the same time as catching bass. But I don't go around hunting areas holding other fish looking for bass. Or, in other words, I don't go around looking for other species of fish (other than baitfish), but the presence of another species won't put me off that spot either.

Well, assuming a battery charger is a perfect device and transmits every ounce of power to the battery with nothing wasted, a 10 amp, 12 volt lithium battery charger would burn about 146 watts (assuming a 14.6v charge voltage, which is on the high side). Of course, it's nowhere near an ideal device, so there would be losses due to heat, converting AC to DC, and any additional circuitry. Even so, if we said it ran at 50% efficiency, which I would assume we could safely assume (famous last words), a 400 watt inverter should be able to handle that with room to spare.

I have a pair of inverters for my car. There's a couple of things I've noticed about them. First is, the car needs to be running while you're using them. They'll technically work without the car running, but often times they won't provide the stated power. And they're not all that efficient, because you're converting DC from your car to AC and then back to DC again. But they're convenient, as you can use them for lots of things other than just battery charging. Another option along the same lines is to charge your battery straight off your car's alternator. Though, you might need something as an in between to keep the battery from overloading and to ensure the proper voltage. It kind of depends on the car and the battery in question. With some alternators, I know you can charge a 12V LiFePo4 battery straight off it. With others, you might not get a high enough voltage to charge the battery. It might take a bit of research to figure out if this is a viable option for you. And they make special devices (a BIM) for charging multiple lithium batteries off an alternator. Or if you're using a regular lead acid battery, that shouldn't matter, since that's what the alternators were designed for.

Creative ways to charge a boat battery without shore power... let's see... I guess, when you need to use your trolling motor, just lift your regular boat motor out, remove the prop, drop the motor back down into the water (so it doesn't overheat) and the hook up the starter battery wires to your trolling motor battery. Then run your regular boat motor at top speed to get the alternator to recharge your trolling motor battery while you use it. You might want to bring some ear plugs for that. Or maybe install a stationary bike to your deck and hook it up so it turns a belt that directly turns your trolling motor prop, forgoing the motor part. You know, like a pedal kayak, only larger. Or, if you have a plutonium hookup, you could install an SMR (Small Modular Reactor) to your boat. But I'd have a professional do the install for you, because you don't want to be that guy who ruins the whole lake or city for the next 100,000 years because you decided to cheap out and do a DIY job. Nobody likes that guy.

Not necessarily 8.x:1, but the only time I feel like I need a fast reel is when throwing buzz baits often. They'll wear me out quicker on a slow reel. In my opinion, reel ratios aren't important. I can reel a slow reel fast or a fast reel slow. And since I'm always varying my retrieve speed one way or another, I don't have a standard speed, so I don't rely on the reel to dictate my speed. The caveat is, I'm a former musician, so holding a steady tempo at virtually any speed is something I have a ton of experience with. So I understand that other people may not find it as easy to vary their speed themselves, and need to rely more on the reel.

Straight fluoro is best, as often jig bites can be very subtle and happen on the fall. So the slack line sensitivity of fluoro presents a significant advantage. That being said, I use straight braid. The waters I fish are really dirty, so visibility isn't an issue. And if you're good about keeping your line semi-tight (well not tight, but not so loose that you can't detect a bite) and watching your line, then it works well enough for me. Mainly I use braid because I use braid for everything, and my "jig rods" are used for a lot more than just jigs. And, if I'm being honest, braid lasts forever and I'm cheap.

I have a few tiny cranks. I use them for crappie and trout, but mostly catch gizzard shad with them. I throw them on my ML spinning gear with 15# braid, and while they don't throw far, typically I don't need them to.

90% of the time, I'm using 2D chirp sonar and maps. So if money is a priority, I'd do some research to figure out which fish finders come with the best maps of the lakes you typically fish. Down imaging and side scan are nice to have. But the longer I own them, the less I actually use them.

With a 4" jointed swimbait, my preference is to use my crankbait rod and reel them in fast! Not pauses or twitches. Just straight up fast reeling. I had fished smaller jointed swimbaits for a while without much success, but then read an article somewhere where the person was saying the key to these small, jointed swimbaits was to fish them fast. So I tried that and it worked! And I've been doing it ever since. I use braid with no leader, but I use braid with no leader for most things. I think you could get away with using whatever line you like with a small swimbait, unless you had a specific reason to choose one over the other, like if you were losing fish and needed the stretch of mono to keep them pinned or were fishing clear waters and needed the transparency of fluoro.

I primarily fish from my kayak, but I'm a lot better fishing from the bank. I just read the water better from the bank. Plus, I tend to keep focused on the good spots, instead of searching for that next spot. By limiting my options, I tend to make better decisions.

Actually, no, it's not. Between 300-1,700 people die of heat related causes in the U.S. each year. It varies wildly from year to year due to heat waves not being a consistent thing. And around 3,500-4,000 people drown every year. And keep in mind, there are a WHOLE LOT more people being exposed to high heat in this country every year than there are people being exposed to recreational water activities. Most of those heat related deaths are going to come from elderly people in very poor health to begin with. Now I'm not saying you should ignore the possibility of heat stroke. It's a real thing and something you should definitely try to avoid. But removing your PFD isn't a smart option.

Mayflies are different, because they're all over the lakes when they hit. They're larvae live in water and the adults lay eggs in water. Cicadas, it might depend on the lake, or more specifically, what's around the lake. Their larvae are grubs that live underground and feed on roots and the adults eat tree sap. So if the lake is surrounded by the right kind of trees (generally deciduous hardwoods), they might venture onto the water by mistake from time to time. But they're not hatching from the water and then laying eggs back into the water like Mayflies do.

Yeah, I've found the external wires look more like a hazard than they really are. So long as the area around my feet and legs is free, the rest doesn't seem to matter. That's why I run the power cable that connects the main battery to the trolling motor's speed controller that sits beside me below deck, because otherwise it would cross that area by my feet. My philosophy for the kayak has been to test things out and come up with solutions as I encounter problems. I've tried to avoid anticipating problems. And that's why I have a few wires running topside. It was the easiest solution in the beginning, and after some experimentation, didn't need further refinement. So it stuck. Leave well enough alone, as they say.

I employ the K.I.S.S. method and do my own wiring. I just buy bulk wire online and hook it all up as needed and solder inline fuses to everything. It's all straight wire from battery to device. No switches, junction boxes or anything to complicate the system. My lights are even wired with alligator clips, so to turn them off or on, I just clip or unclip them from the battery. The only connectors, besides the connectors that hook to the battery posts, are a pair of Anderson Power Pole connectors to connect my speed controller to my trolling motor and battery. I had used some standard SAE connectors, but found out they're not really rated for the amperage my battery was pulling, because they got way too hot on long runs. And all my wires run topside, except for the trolling motor power wires. That makes troubleshooting easier and the way I've got them set up, they're out of my way. I don't even mess with battery boxes. You really don't need them for protection. These batteries can get wet (not submerged, but splashes are fine) and I don't need USB ports. My phone is always charged, and I'll keep it charged in my car while driving to the lake. And it's not like I have my phone out while fishing. Kayaking, especially on a crowded lake, is too dangerous to bury your head into your phone. So I only pull out my phone to take a photo of a fish or text my wife... that's if I have service at the lake, which a few do not. I highly doubt you'll actually need both a 100Ah battery AND a 50Ah battery. Especially for tournament fishing where you'll want to spend more time fishing than moving around. But if you like the peace of mind, that's cool. I've never ran my 50Ah battery dead, and never even monitor it for charge either. Just keep a paddle with you. And some extra fuses. While I've never had a battery die, I have had my motor seized with fishing line or weeds many times before, and I needed a paddle to get to the bank to get out to clear it. And that can also blow a fuse. In my experience, that's the real threat.

I was living in Maryland for that one that happened around 1990ish... I think. It was pretty crazy! I've also witnessed a near biblical like plague of crickets once. That was something you can't forget either. But I don't think they impact fishing too much. Cicadas (and crickets) aren't really water bugs.

Back when I had a boat, I used the same company as my auto insurance, USAA. But I didn't insure my tackle or anything. Now I just have a kayak and let my homeowner's and auto insurance cover it as part of their general policy. Insurance varies greatly from state to state. So I'd just shop around and see what options you have. What works for one person may not even be available in your area. Plus, most of the time you'll get discounts for using the same company to insure multiple things. So I'd start by asking your current insurance company, or companies, what they have to offer.

Ken Climo. He's the greatest disc golfer of all time. Winner of 221 Open Division Tournaments, 12 World PDGA Championships and 5 USDGA Championships. Cool stuff, right? But here's why he's my personal hero. Total winnings from his career spanning from 1988 to 2017: $398,732. That means he averaged an income of $13,750 a year, before taxes, for 29 years, being the greatest the world has ever seen at something! He followed his heart, and there is no purer way to live.