DaubsNU1

I am very much a Dog person. When I hear of a Dog passing, I am immediately drawn to this image.... And it brings a tear to my eye. Because Dogs are special.

Hi @ol'crickety. I fished a canoe years ago, and you are a complete badass @ 68 years old! Little v-hull with electric motor would be a good option. If you have a tow vehicle, a little v-hull can be easy to launch and load out by yourself. I did just that for 20+ years. Surprisingly stable, and lots of room for gear. I was able to stand or sit, move around, and could get in to very shallow water. Not as stealth as your canoe, but pretty darn close. Mine was 14' and did have a 20hp on back, but the old 40lb trolling motor and one battery was more than enough to get me anywhere I wanted to go. It was nothing fancy, 1960 boat with bench seats. I put plywood in front section and installed a seat and the trolling motor. Later I added more decking and electronics. Now is probably a good time to be in the boat market, as some will want to unload rather than store for the winter. Good luck!

I have been running 20lb PowerPro on my old school Shimano Citca's and Curado's for many, many years. No issues what so ever.

Local lake here is known for big LMB's...and has a few large pad areas like that. I have never been able to land even one fish in or near the pads. All of the fish seem to be on rip-rap, or under docks. Good luck!

Most of the water I fish has visibility ranging from 1-3' at best. Sometimes worse. Been straight green braid on all my casting rods since the 1990's. Ran mono on my spinning rods until 2020 when discovering this web site. Now all my spinning rods are spooled with bright yellow 10lb braid, and mated to 6, 8, or 10lb FC leader. Been a great set up for me! Do fish see the line? Likely. Do they care? I dunno. I am still catching fish : )

@gimruis completely agree! Last year I was mowing maybe once a month...grass was all brown and crunchy.... This year I'm mowing every ~5 days, in AUGUST! Amazing what Mother Nature can provide.

OUTSTANDING @Koz!!!

@gimruis, yep! I try to keep duplicates of lures...that way if I'm catching fish, I can offer up the same lure to my fishing partner. It is usually my Brother and/or Dad. Drop shot...L O L ! I've caught some hawgs on a drop shot. Pitched a DS - wacky green pumpkin Senko next to a dock in 4' of water...very nice 4lb LMB hammered it. Home lake is relatively new, opening in 2017. NE-G&P left all the timber standing. I like to DS near the trees. Good fun, but I do get hung a lot, and lose to snags here and there.

Yep, Brother and I took my Uncle to chase SMB's in SD. We were catching them on NED rigs...Uncle was throwing his entire tackle box at them with no luck. We kept offering him up NED's, but nope, wanted to do it his way. He finally gave in and started catching fish.

When taking Dad to South Dakota to chase SMB's, it's the NED, and mainly the NED. Pumpkin green is our go-do. Have been known to hit hot craw and new money as well. But mainly green pumpkin.

@A-Jay...Italian sausage! 👍👍

College buddy and life-long friend was a product specialist for Cabela's in the 1990's and 2000's. That man could put fish in the boat! Two good stories: #1: Fishing a stocked trout pond (NE Game and Parks). Dad, brother and I had fished this pond many, many times...this was my buddy's first trip...and he slayed them...catching his 4 fish in about 35 minutes while we struggled. When he was finished, he gave me his rod...I couldn't catch one...and wise-cracked that he was probably cheating. He giggled and said "You are doing it wrong...cast it out there...let it sink...and about now the fish should..." And WHAM! a strike! #2: Few years later we were fishing in Missouri for bass. Noting was working, not even texas rigged soft plastics that would normally land a bass or two. Buddy broke out the jointed floating Rapala. Spinning rod, light line...cast it out...two turns of the handle on a slow retrieve...then pause. And we started catching fish(!)

What percentage of your fishing day is spent with tried and true locations / lures / colors vs. trying something new? And why? Tried and true = 70% Something new = 30% Why: I like consistency, patterns, traditions, being systematic. And I think that limits me as an outdoors-man. Catch a nice bass off that point, with a green pumpkin drop shot, in 7 feet of water...and I'm back on that same point the next time out. Decoy a nice group of green-heads and I am mentally mapping every minute detail. Tag out on a nice buck and I'm hitting that same spot next year. What's your percentage, and why...

Cormorants can wipe out a fish population quick.

Excellent point @gimruis!

Seven inch t-rigged power worm....blue fleck, and green pumpkin.

I'd say order them all...get them in your hands...select the rod you like the best...and return the rest.

Great reminder @ol'crickety!! I absolutely love fishing shallow...it is my #1 favorite way to catch fish.

I had one of these for 20+ years. Finally broke the tip. Went with Frabill this time around. Works well...already paid for it self in saved lures. I am rarely ever fishing deeper than 12-14'

I'm actually looking to add two medium casting rods to my arsenal. My boat will hold 7' rods, but I'm fond of 6'6" versions. Landed a 40" | 13lb pike on my medium weight 7' casting rod last month in Canada. Line weight, 10-17 | 1/4-3/4 oz. | weight = 4.6 oz. Lighter weight, more flext to cast lighter texas rigs, smaller cranks and spinner baits. I really, really like medium power spinning rods for the way I fish.

@Randy Price smart move! Land values are always going up.

I am left handed for pretty much everything. But when it comes to fishing...I am a bit odd. When I started fishing it was in the 1970s with a Zebco 33 (right hand retrieve). Later I got a fancy new "spinning rod-n-reel," a Mitchell that was a left-hand retrieve. So I learned. To this day, all my casting rods are right hand retrieve (left hand cast). All my spinning rods are left hand retrieve (right hand cast). Kind of nice in this way -- if I get tired of casting with one hand...simply switch. Note: I have tried casting rods with left hand retrieve, and spinning rods with right hand retrieve...CANNOT DO IT!

You are a brave man @Randy Price! Now you have two homes. I would call it a "cabin." Never heard someone in Nebraska use the word "cottage." Growing up my family shared a "cabin" with grandparents, aunt/uncle and their two kids. We called it a cabin...it was right on the Platte River. Grandpa, Dad and Uncle built it (Dad was a carpenter). Community bedroom in the back with four double beds and a sofa sleeper. The main room was kitchen and a very small family room with a sofa sleeper. Built in the 1960's, did not have windows...instead had shutters and was totally screened in. There was electricity, but no running water or in-door plumbing at first. In the 1970's they got running water and a toilet and shower. Land was leased from farmer...were probably 40-50 other cabins and trailers in this "park." Rules prohibited year round living...so we shut her down every fall (and chased ducks on the river), then opened up in Spring, and planted a garden. It was a big deal when we got a telephone in the Cabin...my Grandpa worked for Ma Bell...and made that happen. My parents sold their share when me, sister and brother got in to college. My Dad was tired of making the 40 minute trip to the Cabin...said there was always something breaking down, or grass to mow, or garden to tend. Too much of a hassle. My sister LOVED the Cabin, playing with cousins, getting away from the city, hanging with family. Loved it so much the she talked her husband in to getting some land on a sandpit west of Omaha...and they built their own "cabin." Frankly it's newer and nicer than my house(!) : ) Good luck with your cabin / cottage! Enjoy!!!

Gonna get a lot of opinions here, pros and cons, etc. My $0.02.... Find a boat you like (layout, length, storage, hull, color, etc.) Find a good dealer relatively close Get the biggest motor you can afford Get the best electronics you can afford Do it all up right, the first time ("buy once, cry once...") Put the dang thing in the water and fish...no regrets! Good luck with your search!

My Brother is a pyro-junkie...he's always got a fire going in fireplace, or the fire-pit out back of his house. He loves it. I'm kind of indifferent when it comes to fires and fire-pits. They are work (finding, cutting, hauling wood), and I'm always concerned about fire getting out of hand.