DaubsNU1

Manufactures are pretty good at drumming up business...want to sell more rods...put longer rods in pro anglers hands...social media...etc. Uncle told me years ago -- the world is all about separating you from your hard earned $$. My boat's rod storage holds 7' max...and is much better with 6'-6" rods. And remember, most of my rods are 1990's era Cabela's branded (I think they were made with Loomis blanks).

Congrats @TnRiver46!!! Grew up in Omaha, been to many CWS's. I really like the new stadium downtown. You should make the trek next year when they make it back to defend their title. Hit me up...we can try and catch some fish while you are here!

Balance... I'm pretty good still at 56 years old. My Dad is 83, epilepsy since the early 1980's, CPAP machine for a long, long time. Meds impact his balance...in the past 5 years he has fallen 5 or 6 different times, most needing hospitalization. Year ago he walked up the 6 steps from living room to kitchen, lost his balance, then fell back down the stairs. He was ticked off. Gathered himself and the stuff he was carrying...walked to kitchen, got squared away, then up 13 more steps to bedroom...in to his sleepy britches...and in to bed. Few hours later he woke up to pee...and couldn't get out of bed...called me. Turns out he broke 5 ribs and his BACK on that fall...yet still climbed stairs and put himself to bed. Squad ride and 5 days in hospital. He's a tough son of a... Brother and I take him fishing as often as we can. Has a hard time climbing in the boat, always sits when he fishes. Fishing with Dad is a great reminder to stay active, work on my balance, and enjoy every minute on the water. I'm sitting more when fishing, mainly due to leg fatigue.

2021 Lund Adventure. Last year they upgraded / re-designed the Adventure. Brother got a Lund Alaskan in 2020...great boat. Really got me thinking about a new boat. Knew I wanted a multi-species boat with deep V with raised platform up front, and center rod locker. Looked at Alumacraft, but not many dealers around these parts. Found this boat used at dealership about 4 hours away. The travel cover from Lund is really neat, easy to install, no snaps.

Tried a new lake over in Iowa yesterday morning...lots of boats in deeper water...thought they were jigging for walleye. Turns out this lake had a really good population of crappie and bluegills. This guy's set up caught my eye...Ranger 522VX with two screens right in front. He was holding over brush-piles and dropping a small jig on a 9' rod. Nice fellow, gave me some good advice (this was my first trip to this lake). Later in the morning he picked up wife and grand-kid, put up his Bimini top, and was showing the little one where to jig. Pretty cool! But not the way I prefer to fish.

@Susky River Rat, wise words!

Something to consider... Does everything I need it to do. Fits in my garage. Fit my budget. Fits my style. If I had a bigger garage, and bigger budget....I would mirror @A-Jay for sure. That's one badass boat!

@LrgmouthShad I feel your pain... Old boat had a nice little anchor tied neatly to a 25 foot rope (that was not attached to the boat). I dropped anchor over the side (in 30 foot of water), and watched as the unattached rope followed the anchor to the lake bottom : \ HA!

MASH, Animal House, Kelly's Heroes...

One of my best friends in the world lives in a small town...and his Chevy dealer is a jerk. So he has gone back and forth between Ford and Dodge/Ram for 20+ years. Had the new 6.0 diesel in 2008...hated it...was in the shp 16 times inside of two years. Went Dodge / Cummins, and that was pretty good for him engine wise. Rest of the truck was a challenge. He went with a 6.4 Hemi in the 3/4 ton 4x4, but it ate gas more than my 8.1/496, and didn't seem to have as much power. So he finally moved to a 1500 Ram and likes that very much. He's not pulling a big 5th wheel any more, and sold his walleye boat...so it fits his needs. @MediumMouthBass Agree with you 100%, the Fords are wonky looking.

@MediumMouthBass, we are Chevy/GMC family as well. My Honda's have been great cars...love them. But when it comes time to pull things like this...It's GM all the way!

Brother has a 2023 with the fancy new electric shifter. I do not like it one bit...but it's been reliable for him to this point. Interesting with the GM HD pickups, they updated the interior...but kept the old-school column shifter.

My Dad and Brother standing in front of Dad's 1962 Chevy Impala, "Old Blue." It is his pride an joy! Factory ordered, he took delivery on his 21st birthday. It's a 327 with three-on-the tree, posi-trac rear differential. The car had no power steering, no power brakes / drum brakes all around. He ordered it that way to be faster. The car has 85k miles...engine was re-built around 70k...we didn't think anything of it at the time (1970's). As Dad has grown older, he tells more stories...and reveals more...and apparently Old Blue was quite the car back in the day...Dad would sneak on to the interstate (being built in the 60's) and drag race(!) They had 1/4 mile all marked out. I have driven this car exactly 8 times in my life. It's a family tradition to use Old Blue to drive newly weds from church to reception...I got to drive my brother and his wife 30 years ago...and two weeks ago got to drive nephew and his bride.

Good topic!! In order... 1971 Chevy C-20 3/4 ton, long box, 2 wheel drive, 6 cylinder, three-on-the-tree. Dad was smart to start me with this truck...it was SOOOOO slow 1982 Chevy K-10 1/2 ton, long box, 4x4 with 305 V8 and 4 speed manual. Former farm truck, we purchased knowing the engine, clutch, and front hubs were shot...but got a great deal. No AC, no power windows, just a plain jane regular cab...but it was 4 wheel drive!! 1985 Honda Accord 2 door hatch, 4 cylinder, 5 speed manual. Purchased from my sister. Knocked down 30 MPG. Great car. 1992 Honda Accord 4 door LX, 4 cylinder, 5 speed manual. Another great car! 1987 GMC K-20 4x4, HD 3/4 ton regular cab, long box. Had 350 fuel injected v8 with 4 speed manual transmission. My dad purchased this truck new, and sold to me in 1998. Should have kept it. 1999 Silverado 1500 Z-71. Extended cab, 5.3, great truck. Needed the room for our new daughter. Leased. 2001 Silverado 1500 Z-71. Traded in the lease for a new lease... 1972 Chevy K-20 4x4. Project truck, 350 V8, 4 speed manual transmission. It's in my shop now, awaiting restoration. 2004 Silverado 2500HD Crew Cab 4x4. 3/4 ton, 8.1/496 V8 and Allison transmission. Beast! Great truck that I drove and owned for 15+ years 2005 Honda Accord, 4 door, 4 cylinder, 5 speed manual. Drove for a few years, then gave to my oldest daughter. She hated the manual transmission at first, but then really loved it. 2005 Honda Accord, 4 door, 4 cylinder, 5 speed auto. This is my current daily driver. Great car, knocks down 30MPG all day long 2019 Silverado 2500HD Crew Cab 4x4. Duramax diesel...this is my current vehicle. Love it! (Hmmmm...I'm seeing a bit of a pattern here...GM trucks, Honda cars...)

Just fished Frances Case in South Dakota for four days, primarily targeting Smallies. We have thrown the kitchen sink at them, and the NED is the #1 producer on that lake. I did catch a few on a shakey head, and nephew caught a few on a ripple shad. But the NED was putting them in the boat. Dad catches them on jig+minnow...he has shoulder issues and cannot cast. I NED fish with a medium light 6'6" spinning rod, spooled with 10lb bright yellow braid with 8lb fluoro leader.

@Bluebasser86, I agree. No sunscreen for me...chemicals. I do wear Shelta wide brim hat, and long sleeve every time I'm on the water. Add a buff at times. Have a mix of Huk and inexpensive Amazon shirts...they all seem to work well for me. Like @gimruis I don't wear gloves. If it's really cold in the spring, I put on a pair of fishing gloves...but don't like it one bit. My fingers get really cold when in the duck blind or chasing deer. Must have gotten some frost-bite in my earlier days. I often throw some hand-warmers in with the gloves. When it comes time to shoot, the trigger glove comes off.

Learn something new every day...I did not know there was such a thing as an "overheat alarm." My old 1970 Mercury 2 stroke's overheat alarm was the day I noticed water not peeing from the engine. Better shut her down!

Outstanding! Likely more accurate than you think. Pretty amazing these trucks can knock down 20+ MPG, and still have enough to tow boats, campers, trailers. The random issues crop up...but as long as drive-train stays strong, it's hard to beat today's trucks.

I've been a Chevy/GMC guy for all my life. Buddy loves Dodge/Ram, another buddy likes Ford. They are all good trucks and all have pros and cons. Like @A-Jay I leased a 1999, and then a 2001 Silverado 1500 extended cab 4x4. Both were great trucks. Then I went the opposite direction for my next truck...wanted something with more capability, so in 2004 I ordered up a 2500HD crew cab 4x4 with the 8.1/496 V8 backed by the Allison transmission. Heck of a truck! Yea, I was only getting 10 MPG city, and 12.5 highway...but man, the power! It was my daily driver until 2010...did have rust problems...wheel wells and rocker's...I got that cut out and new metal welded in. Again, great truck with no no drivetrain issues in close to 150k miles. Had to replace the 6 disk CD radio three times under warranty, some minor nit-nat things...and the rust. In 2019 I was looking for a new truck. Drove several Silverado 1500's. Briefly considered the baby-Duramax, but it was pretty new and unproven. My brother had been leasing Silverado 1500 crew cab's with the 5.3...excellent motor, wonderful truck. I wanted something with more capability, knowing it would not be my daily driver and would be mine for the next 14-16 years. So went with one of the last 2019's with Duramax and the old school 6 speed Allison transmission (in 2020 GM went to a 10 speed Allison). About a year after getting this truck, wife thought it would be a good idea to get a camper...and last August I upgraded to the Lund. Cool thing is this truck can double-pull both the 5th wheel and my Lund...(picture pulling my brother's Lund last summer). Do some research and looking around. If you are looking for something long term, I would avoid these... Dodge / Ram 1500 diesel...neighbor had one...engine grenaded around 30k miles. Not good. Ford V6 twin turbo Chevy 6.2 gas has had some issues Nissan Cummins diesel If you are going to lease and trade out every 3-4 years, then find one you like, and enjoy the warranty. Good luck with your search. Post pictures!

If you are looking for something on the inexpensive side -- Brother and I are headed to Canada this summer to chase big Pike in the Churchill River system north of Winnipeg. I picked up two BPS/Cabela's casting rods. One is heavy, rated 1/2 oz to 2 oz. The other is extra-heavy, rated 4-10 oz. They were $49 each, and I mated them to old school Shimano Curado and Citca picked up via eBay.

For me, the answer would be no. State record LMB in Nebraska is 10lb - 11 oz, caught in a sandpit in 1965. The likelihood of me catching a double-digit bass in Nebraska is slim and none.

I'll use the Google Keep list while I'm fishing to remind myself of things to add to the boat. Like @gimruis & @Bird, my boat is ready to roll, minus snacks and drinks. Process as follows: Back truck out of garage...install hitch ball Unplug boat charger, remove wheel chocks Hook up trailer dolly and start the perilous move, trying not to scrub the garage doors. Straighten out Mercury, install transom saver Back truck and hook to boat, plug in trailer lights...confirm all lights are working Double check safety chains, hitch, rear straps Double check I have all the snacks and drinks, Gore-tex, hat and buff. Depart! Launching boat is another checklist -- transom saver removed, boat unstrapped, plug in boat, TM plugged in, Helix's powered up...then back down ramp, close to water...unplug lights, boat cushons installed, attach rope to boat and dock, unhook boat from winch...check plug again...LAUNCH!

@gimruis & @fishballer06, Brother and I have been taking my Dad to Lake Frances Case in South Dakota for a few years now. There is a local bait / tackle / eatery / fuel station right near the dam. They were "self-service" minnows for many years...UNTIL last year. Owner felt some people were throwing in an extra scoop of minnows here and there...so he changed policy...no more self-service. Employee must scoop your minnows. Owner was amazed how much more $$ earned after that change(!)

@TnRiver46, a friend of a friend is a die-hard walleye fisherman, and deer hunter. He purchased a fishing lodge in Canada back in the late 1990's. I have fished there three times. That guy works HARD! Is on the water every day of the open fishing season. Runs a great fish camp, they put huge walleye in the boat day in and day out. In the off-season he guides deer hunting trips in the States, and then hits all the outdoor shows through the winter. He really HUSTLES all year long to make ends meet. Does what he loves, but I don't think he's making a ton of money. @fishballer06, It's got to be tough as a professional angler these days. I think first and foremost, you need to be a good businessman. Brother and I were working a local fishing swap meet here in Nebraska back in February. A local walleye pro had a table, was selling lures, and promoting his guide service. He was super outgoing, very friendly, and talking with everyone. This guy had won some world walleye tournament the year before.