Miabucman

I have a couple of friends that are "guides" on saltwater and it seems to be a pain. There are a lot of requirements (insurance, certifications, maintenance, etc) that make it really rough. They really enjoy being on the water and deal with the pains. I do know that they are not getting rich. I can say it was pretty sweet when my bud would call late at night and say "Hoss, my charter canceled for tomorrow. Are you in?". Cannot beat being the only guy in the boat with a professional putting you on fish!

Soon cannot get here soon enough! We are under a blizzard warning for tonight through tomorrow. 5-7" of the white stuff. I was just chatting at work about how spring cannot get here soon enough! I have our boat stored out at our lake place and I think she is getting lonely!

Either a "Here we go", "Fish on", or "Booyah" depending on how long between bites or type of hit.

You are absolutely correct. They are actually the state bird. Bug juice was a must have on our fishing trips! #1 Learn a new lake #2 Upgrade a rod or two this year #3 Take my son fishing more!

Awesome. Now I have to check my "New" tote of lures to make sure that I took everything out of the boxes.

I would agree with the others and try a few new spots! I have been in your shoes before and would always go to the same lake/pond or two. Once I decided to try out a few spots, it was enjoyable to try a new spot or two and actually try and break down the lake. Should I head over the rip-rap, or try the docks, or skirt the heavily weeded area to fish where there is no sign of life? Just think of it as an adventure and always know that you can hit your favorites when you definitely want to have tight lines.

Congrats! Always nice to have something to weigh-in, especially when you limit out.

Come to think of it, I have been to the local BPS three times lately and have not purchased anything. It seems that the customer service has gotten worse and the shelves are full of their own products. I used to come out of the store with a couple of bags worth of items. I have been buying more tubes, jigs and hooks from a couple of local guys, sometimes to just shoot the bull with them.

@garroyo130 Thanks for the chart! I like the copper and silver gray, depending on light levels.

I am in the same boat. I am over in the middle of the state and I am looking at trying to make some tackle to use when the ice breaks. Not sure if I will get around to it but I am in the researching phase right now. When I was stationed in Alaska, I tied my own flies and hunted a lot. When I lived in Oklahoma and Florida, it was mostly fishing!

Awesome. Brings back memories from my college days. When offshore was too rough, my bud and I would hit the Glades with his jon boat and the fishing was always epic! We had a special place that we called "Spider Alley" due to the need to knock down a multitude of webs as we worked out way back to our fishing spots. I always enjoyed the scenery and other wildlife while I got to chill with my bud. I am a little jealous but awesome job!

My PB was caught in April while stationed in OK. Most of my biggest fish were caught in the March-May timeframe with exception of the oddball one in September.

I am not really a fan of fishing s-l-o-w even though I know it can catch fish at times. I find that I have to make a concerted effort to make myself fish slow when the opportunity presents itself. I think that we get comfortable with a certain style (colors, presentation, lure types, speed) and have to force ourselves to be uncomfortable. It certainly helps when you catch fish while fishing a different style.

Congrats! My chances have drastically lowered after moving to the North. This will make for an awesome replica.

x3 Lol. But I can honestly say that I have been in the same position before and a simple Honey-do list item took it all out of me. Hopefully the earned Brownie Points make it easier to go in the future.

In my younger days, I would fish the Everglades a lot from shore and boat. The number of alligators is astounding. If done correctly, I think that assisting the population through hunting is ok. Overpopulation can bring issues with other species populations. I actually caught a smaller one on a topwater lure and had to exit the area quickly once momma came through the cattails at me.

Sounds good. I forgot about hogfish. Good times when trying to spearfish them.

I am not a big fan of eating LMB. I will keep crappie a few times a year when fishing with my son to have a nice meal. The best freshwater fish (in my opinion) is sockeye salmon. When I lived in Alaska, I would stock up the freezer, have the smoker going all summer, and canned all types of salmon. As for saltwater, cannot beat mangrove snapper, mahi mahi, or blackfin tuna that is freshly caught. Great, now I am hungry!

@TnRiver46 You are probably right. At least it will give me time to get my son out for a little trout/panfish.

Sweet. Just had the boat winterized and then we get a week of 70 degree weather. The first snow put me into winter mode.

Wow, I thought I was looking at a lobster! Better days to come.

Hooked a cormarant when trolling offshore in the Keys. Release was hectic but worked. Huge bullfrog on a topwater frog in Oklahoma. Baby alligator in the Everglades. Another hectic release, especially with momma making a lot of noise in the cattails. Some type of women's clothing in Bulgaria. Another release. lol

I agree with @txchaser. I watch the videos when I can but I have an hour commute every morning and afternoon that I listen to podcasts. Not sure how tough it would be to start up but I would definitely check it out. Hoss

Hope everything works out. I went through Andrew back in the day and it was not fun!