DaubsNU1

@gimruis....Yes. I. Did! I've had to swim once : ) And I do use a rope...unless there are other boats at the ramp...who might be able to assist if things go south. Otherwise, yes, I use a rope.

Nice catch!! Last November, decided to fish just one more time...air temps in the 40's, light wind. I jumped off boat on to the dock...and used the Ulterra remote to spot-lock the boat about 10 yards off the dock. Walked up to the truck...hopped in and drove around towards the ramp...and noticed my boat driving away from me across the lake(!) I drove down the ramp, got her in park, set the parking brake...and scrambled down the dock, remote in hand, hoping and praying I was still in range.... Thankfully I was able to gain control and turn the boat back towards the dock. WHEW!

Much respect to @FishTank and the Hoosiers. They completely thrashed my alma mater. I am not looking forward to facing Ohio State this week...especially after they lost to Oregon two weeks ago...and had a bye week to prepare (and get more ticked off). Ugh.

Yea @Drew03cmc, fishing open water confounds me! I have caught a few fish working off-shore brush-piles this summer...but in general, I'm in the same boat as you. I am going to spend some time researching and thinking about fishing open water. Another plan for this winter is to really dig in to this project....It's a 1972 K-20 I picked up almost 20 years ago.

One of my favorite spinning rods was once a 7' medium light...now it's a 6'8" medium : ) Yea, I kept the rod...might throw a new tip on and see what it does...

I fish a few lakes with private docks. Always try to be respectful and give them room. Heck, I can fish hundreds of acres of lake...they are concentrated on a few feet. It's a no-brainer in my book. Few weeks back I was working the bank on a public lake...didn't notice a guy bank fishing with his line out. When I did see him, immediately reeled in, set TM back and away from him, and apologized. He thanked me.

I am a big fan of my old Cabela's branded rods, owning four casting rods and six spinning rods all purchased in the 1990's. I have long resisted purchasing new rods, knowing full well that once I start down that path...well...it ain't going to end well with my bank account. I don't even pick up Loomis rods when I'm at BP, Cabela's, or Scheels...I know what will happen : ) Whelp, my old Cabela's Classic IM6 two piece spinning rod (that I keep in the trunk of my car), finally met it's match. Boooooooo!! I have picked up a few Scheels and Fenwick rods locally in the past year, inexpensive rods in the $55-79 price range. I have been impressed by all, and they are serving me well. But could not find a two piece spinning rod to replace the one broken above. So my first rod purchase from Tacklewarehouse was a Fenwick Eagle XFS-2 medium action | extra-fast | 6-12lb | 1/8-3/8 spinning rod. And I kind of like it(!) And now, the bait-monkey (er, Rod-monkey), is knocking on my door(!)

Yep, @gimruis, this lake is just 225 acres...and last Saturday, 45 minutes before sunup, there were five boats in front of me at the ramp.... It's good to be sneaky....

I have found a good area on my home lake that has produced some really good bass over the past month. Four over 4 lbs, one over 5 lbs. Water is 3-4' deep with lay-downs and trees, adjacent to a creek channel that is 12-16' deep. I've had good luck by first tossing a spinnerbait or square-bill. If that doesn't yield any bites, I move to t-rigged plastics or a Senko. I generally make one slow pass of this area, spot-locking a few times to make just a few extra casts. And then I move on to other parts of the lake. I do not want to over-fish the area, run bass off, or educate fish. And I don't fish this area when others are around, or within eye-shot (made that mistake on another area of this lake earlier this summer....I see boats fishing that spot hard....and I have not landed a fish on that spot since). When you find a good spot, do you pick it apart? Or get in and get out, saving it for another day?

Sadness. I loved my true cable steer, old-school Minn Kota All Terrain 40lb trolling motor.

I am told Honda ATV's/UTV's are super reliable and darn near bullet proof. Sad that your engine is shot. If it were me, I would take it to your local Honda dealer and get pricing for an engine re-build. Then shop around on FB marketplace or Craigslist...might be able to find a used engine that you could swap in for less $$. First step is getting it checked out by Honda dealer. Wife's ex-hubby had Yamaha ATV's...that he loaned to us to take their boys to Colorado years back. They ran great and served him well for years. We decided to get ATV's shortly thereafter...looked at Honda, Yamaha, Polaris and Can Am. Went with used Polaris 550 ATV's...found some good deals used. Polaris are pretty popular with Ranchers / Famers in Nebraska...lots of dealers around. Buddy of mine had a John Deere Gator UTV for many years...he really loved it. So much that he dropped $35k on a new XUV Premium Cab with heat and AC. I'm told it is pretty sweet ride. Good luck!

Got to the lake and they were already five boats at the boat ramp.. this was 40 minutes before sunrise. Managed 14 bass, this was the largest at 20 in long. 4 lb 11 oz. Water temps between 63 and 65. Light North Wind at 8 Miles an hour. It was a good day.

Straight braid on all my casting rods. Landed 5lb LMB last week on straight 20lb braid with a Terminator spinnerbait. Fish hammered the SB, good hookset...easy peasy.

Not really one word, or one piece of advice...but one person. Growing up in Nebraska, our family shared a "cabin" on the Platte River with Grandparents, Aunt and Uncle and their family. I spent many days fishing for crappie and bluegill from shore. I moved to Missouri after finishing college and met a co-worker that would become a great friend. He was originally from Alabama, and grew up in Texas, and loved to fish for Bass. We spent many days fishing from his canoe, talking about life, work, and most of all bass-fishing. The lake we fished the most was stocked with Musky, and had a good population of LMB's. I learned so much from my friend...lessons that still impact my fishing to this day!

Wow, runs and drives. Whew. If it were me, I would trade that truck in as soon as possible. Wish I would have traded/sold my Daughter's Kia while it was burning oil. It's a long, long story, but in the end, the engine failed, and cost $$$ to just get it running again. Only to have it stolen a few months later. Thankfully had full coverage, and insurance paid her well. Could have saved thousands if we had just followed our gut instincts and gotten rid that Kia when it was still running. Note: I am not talking about selling a known defective vehicle via FB marketplace, craigslist, etc. I'm talking about selling to dealership, with full disclosure. Get out while the getting is good. And get yourself in something else.

I have replaced a few guides and tips on my old 1990's vintage Cabela's branded fishing rods. Used Mud Hole * as a reference and supplier for parts and such. Pretty easy process. Didn't look pretty, but I'm more about substance over style. Broke ends of a few spinning rods...so now they are shorter and have a new tip. One of my favorite spinning rods was a 7' medium light...now a 6'9", and about perfect for drop shot and light jigs. I dread the day when my favorite 6' casting rod is no longer usable, or breaks. It's been my favorite rod for 30+ years. I treat it well and haven't had to replace tip or guides as of yet. ** crossing fingers **

Oh my, that is NOT GOOD! Stay safe my Florida bass fishing brethren!! Question for you on insurance, and the aftermath of hurricanes (please help a Midwestern boy understand). My niece is still fighting with her insurance company related to a Nebraska tornado in April of 2024. Her house had roof and siding damage, but she dodged a bullet...houses less than a block away were leveled...all that remains is a foundation. How does all this work with insurance in hurricane world? I see all the devastation on TV and wonder how the heck anyone recovers or builds-back from that?

If that were my truck, I would personally have a conversation with the service department manger. Questions: Why was this test performed? Required? Optional? Should I have been informed? Can you show me documentation from Ford that requires this test? If it was not required, why was the test performed? What are we going to do to resolve this issue? As @TnRiver46 said, you came in with working truck, and now it's needing a new engine. Not cool I believe the dealership needs to resolve this issue. If the service manager is no help, then speak with the General Manager. And you may need to connect with Ford district manager. This stinks for sure. UGH!!

Outstanding work @Swamp Girl!!

Medium power spinning rod, spooled with 10lb. yellow braid, with 10lb. fluoro leader. Let her rip, right in to the wind! Jerk-jerk-jerk-BAM!

Yesterday was hot, 90° weather, Southwest winds were blowing hard. This morning it was 53° with a northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. I was working a bluegill colored spinnerbait in 2 to 4 ft of water near stumps and lay downs. Caught a 4 lb bass, and then this 5 lb 3 oz Largemouth bass. This is the largest bass I've ever caught in Nebraska. Put 14 bass in the boat in a little over 3 hours. Darn good day!

I love fishing shallow lay downs, trees, pitching soft plastics and jigs. Buzz-baits are a blast, and I could throw a spinner-bait all day long. I have never been very good finding, identifying, visualizing, and fishing off shore structure. Upgrading to new boat and electronics last year really helped me find those brush-piles, and spot lock has been a game changer. But I had never really put it all together until the last two weeks. Drop shot and vertical jigging produced some fish, but also a lot of hang-ups and lost lures. Last week I broke out the shad rap and concentrated on feeling the bait, and trying to bump the brush piles. And that produced some good fish! Picked up some DT6, DT8, and DT10's this week, along with a few balsa elite Shad RAp 75's. Hit my waypoints, spot locked, and started catching fish again today. And caught my first fish ever on a swim-jig (okay, that was in the shallow timber...not a brush-pile...but I will take it!). Nice to put new tools in my tool box(!) Another positive....I have never seen anyone working the off shore brush-piles on this lake. It's like I have the fish all to myself : ) I salute you, my fishing-buddies of Bass Resource! I continue to learn from this community!

I hear you @BigmouthForever23....I also caught my first bass on a "swim-jig" today!

Outstanding @gimruis!!! Strong work!!!