Bankc

One of the secrets to a good marriage is communication. And it's not just what we communicate, but how. A good analogy like that can show respect for her attention span while engaging her in the conversation with something she is familiar with and can contribute to. Just imagine if the opposite conversation had occurred, and your wife wanted to talk to you about makeup. How long could you last before zoning out? Now she's using a fishing rod analogy. Are you back in? Exactly. A conversation in which both parties contribute equally is almost always more effective at persuasion than a lecture, no matter how well the evidence is presented.

Depending on the forces applied, well nuts may or may not last. I've had them pull out on my kayak's rudder mount. Not from normal use, but from being bumped around during transport. My solution was to install a stainless steel bracket inside the hull, and use stainless bolts to attach it to. Installing the bracket was a huge pain. But here's how I did it. First, take some zinc coated bolts and cut off the heads. Make sure they're magnetic. Wrap some braided line around them and tie it off. The grooves of the bolt will keep the line from slipping off. Feed the bolts through the holes and use a powerful magnet and gravity to pull the line through the kayak to the front, where the well storage hole is. Then, once you get the line through, cut it off and wrap and tie it around a stainless bolts that's already placed through the backing bracket. Repeat for each hole and bolt. Then pull the lines back out and the stainless bolts will align themselves through the holes and pull the bracket into place. Carefully install the nuts and washers, one at a time, making sure that the bolts don't fall back through. It helps to have a small jeweler's screwdriver to align the bolts through the holes. Or use those metal wire bolt feeders that align through the center of the bolt's diameter.

I fish more from the bank than a boat, but I definitely do better from the boat. The reason is access. However, I don't think I've ever been on a lake with more people fishing from a boat than from the bank, so I'd assume most fish are caught from the bank, in total. But I find the biggest fish in areas that can't be accessed from the bank. I think the reason is fishing pressure.

We call them mud puppies. There are several different species that have different ranges, but they're all threatened, so they're becoming more and more rare. Probably means the water is very clean, as they don't tolerate pollutants well. So it's probably an indication of a healthy ecosystem. They'll eat the same things bass will, eggs, fry, bugs, whatever meat they can fit in their mouths, but they're not as prolific as bass, so no need to worry about them. Just enjoy them and leave them be. I've heard of people fishing with them, and they claim they're the best live bait you can use. But I don't know if they're still legal. Even if they are, I wouldn't due to their increasing scarcity.

Usually just white bass, especially if I'm fishing in more than 8 feet of water. I probably catch 1 white bass for every 7 black bass. However, there's one lake that I often catch decent sized channel cats when targeting bass. I've caught them on everything, including top waters and most recently, a rather large glide bait. All of the lakes I fish have channel cats, but this is the only one I catch them on, and I catch one about every other trip.

I'll usually throw smaller trailers if I'm targeting smaller bass, or the bite is tough. As for which trailer size, it all depends. I've used 3" grubs and 6" lizards, both with good success. I'd go bigger or smaller, but those are about the top and bottom of the range of plastics I normally buy.

It's all personal preference with jerkbaits. An extra-fast rod will allow you to snap the rod quicker for better action. A moderate rod will allow you to land more fish as you'll be able to keep the fish pinned on those treble hooks easier. Something in the middle will be a compromise between the two philosophies. I'd go medium or medium heavy, depending on the weight of the lure and the rod itself. ML would be a bit too light, in my opinion. But maybe you'd like it. As for rod length, some prefer a shorter rod, as it makes jerking the rod with the tip pointed down easier. Some prefer a longer rod, as you can cast further with it. A lot will depend on your height and how high up your boat sits out of the water. Jerkbaits will involve a lot of compromises. The perfect rod will have to be one thing on the cast, another thing on the retrieve, and a third thing after you've hooked the fish. And everyone prioritizes things differently, so what works well for one person, may not work so well for another. So your best bet is to just try some jerkbaits with what you have, figure out what you like and don't like, and then buy a rod that has the specs you're looking for, once you figure out what you fish best with.

One thing I've learned in this life, is that money isn't fair. I have a friend who's loaded and has never had a job in his life. I have a friend who's a hard-working and very personable genius (like literally a genius) and can barely make ends meet. I have a cousin who has landed himself several six figure jobs in life because he's an alcoholic who loves to get into bar fights. He'll pick fights that don't have anything to do with him, and a few times they have accidentally been for the benefit of rich people he doesn't know, who rewarded him with a good job at their company. Ever heard of Drew Weissman or Katalin Karikó? They saved at least a hundred million lives and the world's economy. If anyone deserves to be rich and famous, it's these two. Ever heard of Kendall Jenner? She's a billionaire who's famous for posting selfies. Money isn't fair. Who cares? Happiness is free. You just have to DIY it. So, don't worry about what other people have. Just figure out ways to enjoy your life with what you have.

Go with your gut. The good thing about "found money" is even if you hate it, you're not out anything. Worst case scenario, you're back where you started. So no pressure to make the "best decision" or avoid a bad one.

Not usually. But this year I did become infatuated with my XPS Glide bait. I had never fished a glide bait before, and it's so much more fun than I thought it would be. Sometimes, I throw it even when I know it won't work because it's so much fun to watch. But normally, no. I typically have old favorites that I stick to. I always approach new baits with a lot of skepticism. Give me tried and true any day over new and shiny.

Contact Motorguide to be sure. But generally, if you're just wanting to use it as a 12v motor, then you'll probably be better off if you sell it, and buy a 12v trolling motor. It'll probably run better, eat less power, and might even put some money in your pocket.

A rod is balanced when it feels right in your hands. It will fish with less effort and more control. What makes a rod balanced depends on the rod, reel, line, lure, and person using it. So it's completely subjective. You'll know it when you feel it, but don't expect anyone else to agree with you.

The better you get at something, the more you realize you don't know about it. There's always room for improvement. It's the Dunning-Kruger effect. You have to be pretty good to realize just how bad you are at something. And the better you get, the better you can see how much further you have left to go. Every day, every bait, every body of water, and every fish is unique. Until you've lived every day, fished every bait on every body of water and caught every fish, you'll have stuff you can learn. Until then, you're just trying to find patterns in the noise. And sometimes you learn new patterns or recognize old ones. But there are a nearly infinite amount of patterns that you miss, and nearly an infinite amount of ones that no one has even seen yet.

Fast. I like to keep moving. I'll slow it down from time to time, but I prefer to cover as much water as possible. I haven't ever had much luck picking apart a single location.

6 rods. When I built my trolling motor mount, which I use even when I'm not using my trolling motor, I was able to install 6 rod holders onto it. So I always take 6 rods. I usually use 1-4 rods, but the amount of space and hassle is the same with 1 or 6, so I go with 6, just in case. I have one tackle bag with 7 3600 trays. Every bait I own is in those 7 trays. That's my rule. If I don't have room for something new, I don't buy something new. If I feel like I need something new, and don't have room for it, I get rid of something. It keeps the bait monkey at bay and makes load-in/loud-out easier. Everything I need is in one spot and easy (enough) to reach. This somewhat limited approach helps to keep me from concentrating on bait too much, and focusing more on location. Only my favorite and most used baits, do I own in multiple colors.

I prefer the Fish N Fool for braid. It's much more reliable than the Palomar, and not too hard to tie. At one time, the Palomar was my go-to for everything. These days, I rarely use it outside of a drop shot. My at-home experiments with various knots have turned me against using it. I use 30# braid for most stuff. 30# is all I need (though do have one rod with 40#). At 30#'s, you can't hardly break-off, even when you need to. I have a steel rod I use to break off with. The rod won't support anywhere near that much force, so you max out on leverage pretty quick. And no reel I own has anywhere near that much drag, so it's not like I'll be able to reel anything in at that force anyway.

I have a Shimano B-100mag from the early nineties that I still fish with. It has a graphite frame and single pinion support. I've never noticed any frame flex or had any issues with it beyond normal wear and tear stuff. So I'd say if it's an otherwise well built reel that's properly maintained, getting 30+ years out of it isn't unheard of. If you need more longevity than that, then you'll want to upgrade.

I like a MH for anything down to 1/4 oz. I like the extra hook setting power for those bigger hooks. Though, once you get into really light t-rigs and weightless presentations, casting becomes more difficult, so I'll drop down to a medium. I'll also upsize to a Heavy pretty quickly for the same reasons. I like to use the stoutest rod I can cast with. I also like braid, sometimes with a leader, to help with setting those hooks.

You don't. Don't go 60mph on any part of the water that's shallow enough to have something sticking up to reach your boat or any area with debris. The only times I've ever gone anywhere near that speed are on big, open bodies of water in 70+ feet of depth and no other boaters around. And even then, only in waters that I know. If it feels unsafe or dangerous, it is. Even 25mph is dangerously fast in a boat. You've got no seatbelts, airbags, crumple zones, poor visibility, and water all around you. Plus, you can't stop or turn like you can in a car. And always hook up the kill-switch. If you don't have one, get on installed. I was talking to a lake patrol officer this summer who told me a story of a call he got a week prior. Three boaters were driving too fast and took a hard turn for some reason. They were flung out of their boat. They had their PFD's on, but it didn't matter, because they didn't hook up the kill-switch, so the boat circled back around and hit them, again and again. Two died. Here's the story: https://www.kxii.com/2021/07/11/two-killed-one-injured-lake-texoma-boat-accident/ He told me they were wearing life jackets, but in the article, it infers that they were not.

Go shallow and get loud. And stay close to cover. Also, slow it down and try lots of repeat casts to good cover. Now, it being winter and muddy probably means you won't have much success. The bass will likely be more willing to wait this weather out before picking up feeding again. With slow metabolisms, it might make more sense to conserve the energy right now. But if there's one thing that I've learned about bass fishing, it's that whatever I think I know is often wrong. So it's probably worth a try anyway.

I've heard that. But I don't own any similar spinning rods and casting rods to compare. Though I can definitely say that the ML Veritas PLX spinning rod is stiffer than any of my other ML spinning rods. And I can say that it's not quite as stiff as any of my medium powered casting rods.

I only have one cranking rod, a M/MF, and I throw crankbaits more than anything else. Though I do use my spinnerbait rod for deep diving cranks and my Wacky Rig rod for small balsa cranks. On a kayak, most of your rods pull multiple duties.

Braid, arbor knot, no backing (unless I'm reversing the braid and need more line on the spool). Just spool it on really tightly to begin with, and it'll be fine. That's what I've done since braid first came out, and I've never had issues with line slipping.

I can't even stand to use right-handed spinning reels. I always have to spin with my right hand and hold the rod in my left. Nothing else feels right. I'd rather (and often do) cast left-handed if switching hands is a problem. Though I can say with confidence, that you can easily learn to do it either way if you're willing to put in the time. Fishing isn't a supremely coordinated activity like writing or playing a musical instrument. I would guess that after 20-40 hours, you'd adapt quite well. I just didn't care enough to put in that effort when what I had been doing had never let me down before. If it's ain't broke...

I have the new 6-10 Veritas PLX ML/F in a spinning setup. I agree that they fish heavier than their listing. Though I wouldn't say it's quite all the way up to medium. My M/F rods are definitely stiffer. To me, the ML Veritas PLX is almost an in-between power. And Extra Medium Light. But it's got a soft tip, so it still casts light lures well. Personally, while I like the rod, I find it a bit underpowered for poppers and jerkbaits. However, you might feel differently. It tends to absorb too much on aggressive snaps, in my opinion. But you might like something a bit softer than I do, and it's certainly close enough that I could see it working for some people. I like it best for wacky rigs and stuff like that.