huZZah

Burgers/hot dogs are easy and good. Jalapeño poppers if I felt like doing them ahead of time. Campfire grill I’m all about easy on, off, and clean. I love me some campfire chili and frito pies but it’s so hard to clean the pot after. Iron skillet cornbread is easy and good. I do a one skillet breakfast with bacon, sausage, potatoes, eggs, and whatever peppers such you want. Ezpz. Steaks are simple if you want it rare-md rare. Otherwise you get beef jerky. Now at home over firepit, I can do steaks and chicken over the fire and they’re amazing. But I don’t wanna take all that crap camping.

If you can throw to shade, like a bridge or something, top water is still good in shallows. Like jitterbugs, props, poppers. Not frogs. I like trig worms, and c-rigs/drop shot/shaky heads/jigs. When it’s stupid hot the fish are lethargic. You have to drop it right on them. If I get bored I use swimbaits trig so I can let them fall and hit bottom. Sometimes I do spinners slowly through grass. Or inlines still work if you can throw them under shade. A small split shot rigged jig with a live worm or plastic grub and just drag it on bottom. If all else fails, come back at night or morning ?‍♂️

There ya go. Like I said, I’ve done it with a camper. Windy tunnels/rain storms were tense. (Just didn’t feel as secure as I wanted to.) Huge uphill climbs take your time. But you’ll be in spec. A boat is double edged. A bass boat isn’t a sail like some others (or even a small camper), but it is light enough that it sways easy, which sways your back end as someone mentioned. That’s what I don’t like to feel. Just personal.

You’re fine to tow. Within specs. Perfectly safe. If you’re asking about the experience, towing at half the recommended weight will be pleasant. I have not done a boat but I’ve towed a camper at 3500 lbs behind an explorer with the 3.6 eco boost. It is fine. My only complaint towing with newer fords now is the aluminum bodies make your vehicle so light to get better mileage. It makes for stressful towing in wind/rain etc. I much prefer my heavy heavy truck. The engines are not my concern. In fact, that bigger eco boost is a freaking beast to tow with. But you’ll be fine if that was your concern. I will also point out it lacks upgraded tranny cooling so I wouldn’t get anywhere close to making it work hard.

Bank fishing you get what you get. Go early or late unless you can work a bridge or other big shade during mid day heat. If you can cast under the bridge they’re definitely there. Spinners, worms, cranks, the usual. I enjoy night fishing and it’s the best bite I’ll get June through September. I agree that it seems the temp means nothing. It’s the sun. Cause overcast it’s game on all day.

Well, as to how I approach pressured waters…I usually walk. A couple places I drive right up to the water, but that’s rare. Sometimes I climb the rocks, but that feels like walking. So yeah, I walk.

Also, as people mentioned, my gloves have the thicker “raw hide” type stuff in the palm and along fingers. Man, it REALLY saves you from hooking yourself or getting finned. But especially hooking. Like when your kid hangs up and yanks it and your hand is all you can get in front of your face. Saved me multiple ER visits. Cause after they fix my hand they’re gonna have to fix my boy when I’m done.

My gloves are similar and I wear a huge hat. I look like an old lady gardening and don’t care. Keeps me from needing gallons of sunscreen. I also usually have my pants tucked into muck boots to avoid snakes and broken glass. If you’re that worried about how you look, wear sunscreen. No one has ever told me I look feminine. And if they do…ok, whatever. You’re sister didn’t think so ?

Yes The cut hook snags the crap in the water pretty bad. I got doubles so they’d be more streamlined. I really like it. Rarely throw them with the trebles anymore. And again, it makes a huge difference with braid. Edit: it is, however, incredibly time consuming and somewhat irritating to swap both hooks every time I get new ones. The smaller trebles are a pain to get off without stabbing myself a few times. But man it’s worth it in the end.

On lipless cranks I like to replace both trebles with double hooks that face backwards. Makes it possible to fish them more like a spinnerbait through weeds and such. Also helps them not get hung up on rip rap. At first I did it out of frustration losing them on rocks but now I really like it. Also makes casting them with braid much easier without fouling. Hasn’t affected hookup at all. Not sure why they don’t just come this way now…other than people like me wouldn’t have to replace them nearly as often…

Nope. Cheap backing just saves your expensive line. I don’t use backing on my floro, but I’m bank only and that allow me to change it to another spool like braid and keep using it. Each to their own.

I live 2 hours from nearest one. Went to Dallas for a weekend with wife. 2 minutes in BPS and we left cause the girl simply would not leave us alone. I avoid malls for the same reason. I don’t care to be chased around a store. It’s like having my extended auto warranty phone call in-person. No desire to go in another one. And I get much better prices at wal mart and online. I’ve just learned to be patient.

It happens. The majority of my state spends every year in “moderate to severe” drought stages. In my area, we’ve gotten a ridiculous amount of rain over the last month and we’re still listed as moderate drought. I’ve never seen lakes so full. (I have walked across 2 of the three local lakes twice in my life cause they were bone dry.) But at the same time, 80 miles southwest is still severe drought and the major lake is only 27% full. ?‍♂️ Hang in there.

My issue is backlash in the beginning/middle of the cast rather than the end. Usually means you’re trying to hard to cast “far.” It happens to me, and I reflect on it while I untangle my bird nest. Whipping the rod at the end of cast. I have it set so the lure falls slowly and the spool doesn't overrun when it hits the ground. Depending on lure weight and wind, I often have to tighten the spool to where I have to give it a shake before it will even slowly fall. Not unusual. I have 3 kastking bcs that were $50, $60, and $70. The $60 one “jaws” or whatever is by far the best of the three. But the $70 is my least fav. Feels cheaper than the others. I also have a shimano slx I got clearance at acedemy for $80. Love it. But it still requires proper adjustment and my thumb. And I wouldn’t say it’s beyond superior to my kastking jaws. Just different. Although I’ll admit I enjoy using it more. But there are also days I take all spinning cause I just don’t want the headache.

I have since put hi vis yellow braid to leader on my shaky head and Ned setups. Makes such a huge difference when watching the line. Although I noticed I can still feel it just before the line twitch.

All relative. I hate cold weather. Give me 100s for months straight any day. (Which happens a lot.) I can’t stand being cold.

I don’t like my line to flex with top water because every top water fish I’ve ever caught explodes on it and drags it down into the crap I’m pulling the lure over. If I can’t get them out quickly I typically can’t get them out. But look, I’ve tried plenty of things other people recommend and they flat didn’t work for me. If you’re unsure, just do some cheap 12lb mono until you figure out what you like. (I like Berkeley big game. Strong stuff.)

I apply slight pressure with my thumb when reeling in slack. I birdnest, pull it out, pull the line until loops are out, then I put my thumb on the spool while feeling in all the slack line so it goes on “tight.”

Hey bubble gum zoom trick worms are my best shaky head producers.

I have 12lb floro on a 7’ M spinning rig. Use it for weightless T rig and the like. It’s fine. Great even. Tried all 8lb floro on my 6’ ml panfish rod and hated it. It just didn’t do right. It’s straight 6lb mono now. Toyed with idea of 10lb straight braid. Or hi vis to leader.

Depends on brand. Most say in the description, but if not I read the reviews. Some are definitely more stretchy than others. This is me. But my thing with trebles (and buzz/spinnerbaits so I use a leader usually) is more that braid fouls so easily. It’s annoying to fix every other cast. I recently went straight 20lb braid on wacky and I LOVE it. Drop shot and Carolina are leader. Trig is 12lb floro cause Roland Martin said to ?. I’m considering going braid to leader to experiment. Edit: to answer the topic question: I want stretch when I don’t want the fish to be able to pull loose (moving baits mostly, more open water). I don’t want stretch when I want to be able to pull the fish loose of cover (plastics, top water, not open water).

Best part of the whole story ? Glad you’re ok. That’s amazing with the two fish lol.

This. So my panfish rig has 6lb mono. If I get a 6lb fish I do my best with drag and work to keep it, but it’s not what I was hoping for. And landing it is somewhat of a miracle on the bank. And I’m not shocked when I lose it. When I’m using my T rig casting rig, I have 12lb floro because I’m trying to get a 6lb fish, and I’m prepared to land it. Better yet, my shaky head rig is 20lb braid cause I’m looking for a 10lb fish. My frog rig is 65lb braid on a heavy rig cause I expect a fight in veggies and I want a 20lb fish ?.

Out of necessity I only carry 2 rods most of the time. Setups vary but it really helps you focus on fishing. Usually take 1 casting and 1 spinning.

That time was yesterday...in the south everything’s a coke.