BrianMDTX

Sounds like a plan. By that time we should be 100% moved in and everything done we want to do.

Not going to lie and say that thought has not crossed my mind lol!

It’s unfair for me to truly compare the bass fishing between the two on a personal level, as truth be told, I was not a bass angler back then. Yeah, I caught some bass, but I was not a bass angler. So it will be interesting to see what happens with what I’ve learned while in Texas. I know the LMB are definitely bigger here than in MD for sure lol. But it will add an element of intrigue to see if I can take what works here and apply it there. The huge difference will be the sheer amount of waters to fish. I have over 40 ponds to fish in The Woodlands, plus Lake Conroe, Lake Raven, and other reservoirs. I’m going to be more limited as my boat is not allowed on the three major reservoirs in the Baltimore area. But I should be able to fish some tidal rivers and there are two spots (a smaller reservoir and a decent-sized mill pond) within 60-90 minutes. But…I will be able to bowhunt again. I could never find a lease close to home here. The one tract I used to hunt is still available, and I may be able to hunt on my own property. So there’s that!

I will most certainly miss being able to fish 12 months a year! I have come to learn over the past seven years how much I do miss about “home”. But I will miss things from Texas as well. The Mexican/Tex-Mex cuisine for sure. Not having to shovel or plow snow. No road salt! But it’s not home. I’m looking forward to seeing family and friends vs Face Timing and certainly looking forward to the seafood. But I am looking forward to fishing some spots that I used to decades ago and seeing what I catch there now vs. then. Something to look forward to!

Went out this morning before possible thunderstorms this afternoon. I have not been fishing for weeks because we are in the process of moving back home to Maryland. I feel like everything I’ve done since I retired on May 15th has been related to selling our home, buying a new home, meeting with movers, packing things, etc. So it was nice to get out on the water. After today I’m going to have to start taking reels off and packing them and the rods for the move. So as this was my last trip as a Texan, I simply went to my favorite pond. Not great but not bad. Caught one on a Mann’s Jelly Worm TR, one on a A-Jay Special, and four on a Siebert Fogy bladed jig. The biggest was on the A-Jay Special. It got slammed as soon as it hit the water. I got it in the boat and saw a large pinkish-red curly tail worm in its mouth. It had been guthooked and either broke the line or the angler cut it loose. I got my hook and that hook out as well. So caught six, lost one on the Siebert Fogy and had something hit a spinnerbait. I’ll take it. It was bittersweet making my way to shore. This pond is what got me back into fishing after a long absence. I’m going to miss having a spot that’s 1/4 mile from home, but also looking forward to seeing what I can do fishing waters that I fished as a boy and a young man. Basically all with live bait back then. I’ve learned a lot from BR that turned into success here. I’m sure the same will be true back home.

The Seller has agreed to repair or replace the septic and the area percs well. It’s been an ordeal, but hopefully this gets resolution soon.

LMAO. The septic inspection on this house failed as well. Other than an apartment and a rowhome we leased for one year each, since we’ve been married, we’ve purchased and lived in four homes in Maryland, one in Delaware and the current one in Texas, and we’ve never had so many issues with failed inspections. Settlement here is Tuesday. We can lease back until 07/30, but it’s getting close to crunch time.

Yes. And no lol. First house failed home inspection miserably. Put a contract in on a second house. Septic inspection failed with a terminal drain field and likely unable to perc. Now on third house. Home and termite inspections ok. Well failed but only needs to be treated. Septic is tomorrow. If that passes we should be ok. But can’t settle until 07/17 and won’t be vacant until 07/24. Everything’s done except packing up all the fishing gear. I hope to get out at least twice before I run out of time. I’m very glad I saved all my reel boxes and all the rod shipping tubes.

Looks to be a done deal. Should be back around the 4th of July!

@Susky River Rat That sounds good to me. Hopefully the move goes easy and we get settled I quick.

Nice! I learned a lot about how to fish jigs from Tom.

You know, this may be an excuse to get a boat lol. Have to see what the finances look like.

@casts_by_fly I say no reservoirs, as I don’t think inflatables are permitted in Loch Raven, Liberty or Prettyboy. If they were, they’d be tops on my list. I have the most (not recent lol) experience at Loch Raven, but I love Prettyboy. I’ll check the regs again. Just did. No inflatables. And yaks have a 12’ minimum. As far as between the dam and the Flats, I thought about that. But wind is my enemy lol. Might be too big of water, but I’ll check it out. @Junger I also thought about those areas. I’d have to see if launch points are accessible.

I have an inflatable with a trolling motor. It’s not a yak, but fishes like one. We are moving back to Maryland (Jarrettsville in Harford County) after 7 years in Texas. I know the major reservoirs are out of the picture. I’m looking for suggestions for places that aren’t too far that might be good places to fish. I know I can go to Piney Run or Wye Mills, but would like closer options. If anyone yak fishes in Harford/Baltimore/Cecil Counties has any suggestions, I’m all ears. My boat. It’s a 3-chamber inflatable.

Temps were hot; fishing was not. I worked up a lather before I got in the water. Only caught three. One early on top with a Zara Spook, one one a Bitsy jig with an Easy Shiner trailer, and one on a Siebert Fogy bladed jig with a Rage Menace trailer. That one hit the bait about 1.5’ from the boat. Only two pics as I left my net on the bed of the truck and while I had the bass in the boat, I dropped it over the side getting the hook out. Had fun, and cleaned up a lot of junk line left in the water and bushes, along with other litter.

I remember when Internet forums became a “thing”. And I was a member of many. Mostly for hunting, archery and the NFL. Some stayed small; some grew quite large. Two things doomed most of them. The pursuit of pure profit at the expense of content; and a lack of good moderators to oversee and eliminate posters whose only objective was to troll and attempted to dominate the site. I didn’t join BR until after I got back into fishing, which was after the downfall and demise of most forums I participated in. I wasn’t expecting anything different, but I was shocked. BR reminds me of the heyday of Internet forums. Great content, members who share knowledge and stories, and mods who enforce the rules and maintain decorum. Many younger members who grew up with Facebook, Tik Tok and Twitter may have no idea that this is what the internet used to be. Those of us old enough to recall it cherish what we have here. Glenn, you’ve stayed clear to your vision. You can hang your fishing cap on that!

My go-to is a Siebert Fogy.

If you keep posting, one day you’re going to be surrounded by a horde of out-of-staters looking for your canoe lol. I really like Strike King Rage Craws, but yeah, a bag of baits is easier and takes up less space than the clamshell packaging.

I have a MF baitcasting rod (Daiwa Aird-X) and a MF spinning rod (Fenwick HMX). Both are rated MF, but they are not the same. The Daiwa has noticeably less power than the Fenwick. The action is similar. If I’m fishing a weightless Senko TR with a 3/0 EWG, I will consistently get great hooksets with the Fenwick. After losing bass on the Aird-X, I upgraded to MHF baitcasting rods. But even those are not totally the same. Power and action ratings are not “equal” amongst rod makers. I have three MHF baitcasting rods. A Daiwa Aird-X, a Falcon Lowrider All-‘Round Fast and a Kistler Helium TCJ. Once again, the actions are pretty similar, but as far as power, I’d rate the Daiwa on the low end, the Kistler in the middle but close to the Falcon at the top. I’ll fish Texas rigs with the Daiwa, but I leave jigs to the other two rods.

I’ve never rigged a Ragebug that way. I’m going to try that.

Years ago, I had a conversation with my wife. I told her I joined the United States Army Reserve in 1978 and was honorably discharged in 1980 as an E-5, but felt like I had never done anything of worth. Even though it was during a heightened period of the Cold War, it was likely the most peaceful period the US has seen in the 20th and 21st centuries. She said she was proud of my service, but I was still bothered by what I would say was guilt. Not long afterward, I met a group of younger vets who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan. I told them the exact same thing I told my wife. These guys faced combat. I did not. And every one of them told me the same thing. They said “When you took the oath, you signed a blank check with Uncle Sam that could have been cashed at any time. Just because it wasn’t, doesn’t make your service any less than ours”. They have no idea how much that meant to me , especially after what they had witnessed. But years later, after truly thinking deeply about it, I began to understand exactly what they meant. You join the military and when they say stay, you stay, and when they say go, you go. But either way, you’ve made the decision that if it’s go, you’ll go without hesitation. And some that go never return. There is no greater sacrifice and they have my undying gratitude.

It goes without saying that I’d never leave my wife, and wouldn’t want to abandon my kids (even though they’re adults). But for the sake of argument, let’s say somehow I’m single and my kids leave overseas. Does that sound appealing? I have always gravitated to the idea of living alone in the wilderness. In a log cabin built by myself. Subsisting on fish and game caught and killed by myself. Growing vegetables and fruits or foraging for nuts, berries and other edible plants. Although I am a sociable person, I find comfort and peace in solitude. And while that can be found in a McMansion as well as Manhattan, there is no solitude such as can be found in nature. I still vividly recall an episode of either Wild World of Sports or American Sportsman in the 70s, of two college-age guys who canoed around the Great Slave Lake and lived off the fish they caught. To me, that seemed like like paradise.

If it’s like my Revros, that’s a no. All Daiwa sells is the entire handle.

344? Well, compared to me, that’s 344, divided by, umm, carry the one, multiply by, umm…it’s a LOT more!

@herder Thanks. It’s something we’ve been discussing since last August on and off. My wife was being very persistent lol, but I wasn’t quite sold on retirement. Then after returning to work in January after the holidays, I learned that three men in PHX (part of the region I was in) passed away in December. Someone made a comment about one of them turning 65 in April and would never enjoy one day of retirement. That made my mind up for me. And as summer is the busiest season for airlines, I decided to retire in April. But I stayed a few weeks longer to help my replacement get up-to-speed. This week just feels like vacation. Next week probably will, too. It’s definitely wild to contemplate that there is no more “gotta get up and go to work anymore”. Although the best part will be spending more time with my wife, the next best thing is never having a weekend rained out. When every day is Saturday or Sunday, just go fishing “tomorrow” lol!