Stratocat_Joe

I have one that came with a kayak I got a great deal on a few years ago. I've since sold the kayak for what I paid for it but put the Micro Anchor on my aluminum boat. It works great but I probably wouldn't have spent the money to buy one new. On my boat, it can really only be used in about 5 feet of water or less. Also, I bought the battery pack for it and that works great, too. I usually get out to fish every weekend but I only have to charge that battery a few times a year. Some will say it's an issue, but before I had the Micro Anchor, I just used a 6' dowel rod sharpened on one end with a bicycle handle grip on the other and put it through a scupper hole. It cost me about $15 to make and worked great. I still use it with my current kayak. But, if there are seams in your scupper holes, it's probably not an advisable method as it may cause the seam to crack.

The latest sale thread...it's caused a monkey bite or two.

I wear the Under Armour Kilchi's both in my kayak and in my boat. I never liked flip flops/sandals/crocs while kayaking because rocks always found a way into the shoe if I stopped to wade fish. So far, these have worked great everywhere except the beach. And, they worked fine at the beach...there was just a bunch of sand that got inside the shoe. https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/p/fishing/mens_ua_micro_g_kilchis_fishing_shoes/3023739.html

Yes, there is a variance...but I don't think it's very significant. I've heard of several top anglers who use the IPT of their reel when spooling line to make sure they get the amount of line they want on their reel. If IPT can be used to measure line as it's being spooled, it could be used to measure the line during a cast. No, it won't be exact but it won't be far off, either.

If you know the inches-per-turn (IPT) of the reel you're using, you can use that to measure casting distance.

The Pyramid BPS in Memphis is worth a visit. One of the things I've always enjoyed about BPS is the experience of walking through the stores and looking at all of the animal displays. I'm from the SW MO area originally, so I'm biased to the Springfield store as being the best in terms of the experience but the Pyramid BPS rivals it in many ways. I live in SW Georgia now and the Pyramid BPS is frequently one of our stops when we travel back home to SW MO. It's a great place to get the kids out and walk around a bit. On our last trip home, it was even my wife's suggestion to stop there! Here's an interesting article on how the Pyramid BPS came to be: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joesills/2020/08/26/the-unbelievable-true-story-of-how-the-memphis-pyramid-became-a-bass-pro-shops/?sh=5c82afb02ffc

I've been a sports addict all of my life. When my wife and I were first married it bothered her that a big part of my life revolved around two seasons: baseball and football. From April through February, most of everything I watched on TV was baseball/football related and I felt I had to pay for cable/satellite to support my addiction. I always enjoyed fishing but I rarely watched any of it on TV, usually just in the February to April lull between football/baseball seasons. Flash forward a few years and we decided to cut the cord and rely on streaming. Initially, we used a cable-like platform that included channels to watch baseball/football but we slowly changed the platforms we use to where we now only pay $7/month for two streaming platforms. One of these platforms I picked purely for it's access to the Outside, Sportsmen, and WFN channels for the various fishing shows. I also frequently watch fishing videos on YouTube and stream the free live tournament coverage. We no longer pay for access to the channels that show baseball/football. Now, instead of baseball/football constantly on the TV, it's usually fishing-related content. I recently visited my Mom's house for an extended visit. She still has satellite and I found myself gravitating back to watching baseball again. I found this curious and believe I'm honestly still a sports addict but the amount of free/low-cost fishing content is now feeding the addiction. Has anyone else noticed a similar result?

It's ironic to me that this post popped up on Memorial Day weekend. It was Memorial Day weekend in 2004 and I had just moved back home to SW Missouri from Ohio. There was a creek a few miles from my parent's house that, when I was younger, I would ride my bike down to and fish. Never once in the 100's of times I fished that creek growing up did I ever see a Game Warden. Well, flash forward a few years to 2004, and I decided I would run down to the creek for old-time's sake. My Dad had just picked up his new Harley and we crossed paths and he was showing me his bike. He asked where I was going and I told him that I was just going to fish the creek for old-time's sake. With a father's intuition, he asked "Do you have your fishing license, yet?" In a moment of immaturity, I said "No, we've been fishing this creek for years and I have never seen anyone here ask for a fishing license." Dad had a certain look on his face but just said "Okay, then.", and took off on his bike. I pulled up to the spot and started fishing. I had only made a couple of casts when I heard another vehicle stop and the door open and shut. I look up and there is a Game Warden walking towards me. I was afraid he was going to confiscate the fishing gear (which was my Dad's) but he was nice enough to just give me a $120 ticket! Lesson learned and I never fish without a license now! Also, I had to explain to Dad why I was home from my fishing trip so soon!

I purchased a Classic XL in July of 2020 and love it. I've had no issues with mine. I bought it from BPS in Springfield, MO and didn't have any issues. I'd recommend you join some of the Classic XL forums that exist on social media...there's even a Heritage/Tracker Classic XL forum on here to read through. Most of the cracked welds I've read about occured when people upgraded the trolling motor to a higher-powered TM (I think the 80 HP Ultrex is the most common culprit). Plus, denied warranty claims tend to come from individuals who have modified their boat in some manner. The Classic XL forums are full of people customizing their boats and it really shouldn't be a surprise that some modifications will possibly void the warranty. Also, be aware of the boat's limits. It doesn't handle rough water/wind well. And, although you can fish a tournament out of it, it's not really designed for it. I put a 7lb. bass in the live-well while I was getting ready to take pictures and it almost filled up the 9-gallon live-well. I couldn't imagine putting 2, much less 4, other fish in there, too. But, I don't fish tournaments...I just love being on the water and this boat affords me that opportunity! I also looked at the Crestliner Storm 1600, but it was a little more expensive (at the time) and is a slightly smaller boat as I recall, although it came with a larger live-well and locking rod storage. Although I readily admit that the Classic XL isn't the same bargain it was a couple of years ago (I bought mine at $11,795 w/50hp and I think it's now $15,995), I'd still recommend the boat as it's hard to find anything comparable at that price point.

As a first-time boat owner, I specifically wanted an aluminum boat because I knew I would make mistakes as I "learned the ropes" of driving a boat. And, believe me, I've added some scratches to the boat as I've learned! On one of my first trips to Lake Seminole, I was running in the boat lane and moved to the side to allow room for an oncoming boat. I ended up running right over a submerged tree top that was right at the waterline on the edge of the lane. I was going about 25-30 MPH and it kicked me up into the air but I was able to continue on my way without any damage (just a slight pucker issue for me). If I had been in a glass boat, I suspect it might have been different.

My wife and I have an arrangement for the weekends. Saturdays are our "family" days where we do what she wants to do. Sundays are our "individual" days where I usually go fishing while she does her own thing. Occasionally, I get lucky and she wants to go out on the boat for our "family" day, too! But, in those instances, I have to limit the number of rods I take...mainly so I limit the chances that I have to try out the braid hook-removal trick on our 2-year old son!

I'm originally from SW Missouri but I moved to SW Georgia a couple of years ago. It's certainly been an adjustment learning to fish around alligators! My first "close encounter" was on Lake Seminole. Back home in MO, I mainly fished from a kayak and, when switching between rods, I would frequently lay one down with the lure hanging out over the side. Well, this was my first time on Lake Seminole in my boat and I was fishing a pocket in about 10 ft. of water. I had a soft plastic toad on one rod that I laid down with the lure hanging over the side, as I usually did in MO. A few minutes later, I noticed movement in the water under the toad. Initially, I thought it was a fish swimming up...until I saw the teeth and snout! I let out some words that can't be repeated here due to forum rules which caused the gator to freeze right under the toad. It had come up vertically in the water, so I never saw the body. The water had 3-5 feet of visibility and all I could see was the snout down to the eyes. We were both frozen and staring at each other for several seconds until I decided to reach for my phone to get a picture. As soon as I moved, it quickly slid back down in the water, swam under the boat, and then I heard a bunch of commotion in the vegetation off to the side of me. I don't leave lures hanging over the side of the boat anymore. Since then, I've had other encounters and sightings, including one bellowing at me that sounded like something right out of Jurassic Park. With that being said, although I'm still cautious when I'm out, I'm actually more in awe as opposed to being afraid when I see them. Honestly, more people probably die from tick bites than alligator bites!

I live about 1 & 1/2 hours from both Lake Eufaula and Lake Seminole, so I make those drives regularly for day trips. The farthest I've gone for an overnight trip is six hours down to Headwaters. I actually stayed two nights there (slept in the back of my SUV) and hit Stick Marsh, too!

I was a Marshal at the BASS event on the St. John's River earlier this year. As a Marshal, my primary function was to enter the weight of each fish caught into the BASSTRAKK app. The Marshal instructions provided stated to enter the weight the angler provides. There is a $1,000 bonus given to the angler whose BASSTRAKK weight is closest to the official weight at weigh-in after the first two days. I happened to be with Austin Felix on day one and he would take the time to weigh each fish, then tell me the weight to put in. The other two anglers I was with during that tournament just estimated the weight of each fish and I would enter their estimation. Both times, the angler was about a pound light in their total estimation. As it turned out, Austin won the $1,000 bonus for St. John's.

Here's a couple of pics of the stub. It's pretty flimsy...I can bend it with my fingers...so I'm pretty sure it will not work as a line tie if I just bend it. The original design had this stub running through a single hole in a blade which allowed for the head to just roll during the retrieve. My thought is to try to drill a hole somewhere in the head but, as I'm not into tackle-making, I thought I'd see if this is a good idea, or if someone had a better idea. The head seems like a nice head, so I'd like to salvage it if possible.

I purchased a H2O Express bladed jig from Academy that never ran right in the water. The blade design allowed for the head to just spin during the retrieve. I've cut the blade off and was hoping I can salvage the head as a swim jig head. But I need a way to create a line tie. Any ideas?

Growing up, I always fished with spinning gear and, being right-handed, I preferred to cast with that hand and reel with my left. My Dad bought me my first baitcaster, which was RH, and I slowly learned how to use it but it never felt natural casting with my RH, then switching hands to reel it in. Every baitcaster I have bought personally is LH as they fit my preference. However, I do have some RH reels that were passed down to me after my Dad passed away and I still have the RH reel he bought for me. I use them mainly for moving baits that don't require a lot of rod action (crankbaits, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits etc.). The only issue I have is the storage rack I have in my garage and the rod holders on my boat. The opposing handles interfere with storage frequently. When I have them on the deck, I usually keep RH on one side and LH on the other so they don't get tangled up. The reels I got from Dad are fairly expensive but mean more to me sentimentally and I have had the occasion where I pick up one rod that is tangled with another and almost toss it over the side of the boat.

I put a bimini top on my Classic XL. It's more for my wife and 18-month old son for when they go out on the boat with me...I don't ever put it up when I'm out by myself. It can be a "pain-in-the- cast", especially in a smaller boat. But I like being able to take my family with me and giving them some relief from the sun, so I've learned to adjust my casting angles when the top is up. I've ran around the lake with it up and it doesn't seem to bother performance, too much...granted, my wife doesn't like to go much above 25 MPH.

I posed a similar question on here earlier this year for a guided trip. The overwhelming consensus was at least a 20% tip is customary. That being said, my guided trip was not a great experience. The guide was almost an hour late, he failed to provide what he advertised (tackle, drinks, etc.), and spent most of the day just driving from spot to spot, then playing on his phone while telling me where to cast. At the end of the day, I still tipped the guide (only because I felt obligated to) but not nearly as well as I had come prepared to do. I would suggest that you evaluate the service after you've received it and, if you enjoyed the experience, perhaps a tip is in order. My biggest complaint about tipping is that it's become expected as part of payment for a service provided, regardless of the quality of the service, instead of something extra for a service that was well-provided.

I lost my Dad in 2017 to Glioblastoma Multiform (GBM) which is the same aggressive form of brain cancer Aaron has. I know the pain his family is going through. Unlike other forms of cancer, GBM causes the loss of brain tissue which has a detrimental effect on the patient. As the disease runs it's course, the patient goes through a series of mood, personality, and memory changes as the cancer eats away at the brain tissue. The patient literally will become a shell of their former self. The only way to slow down the disease is through brain surgery to cut out the tumor (which also removes the brain tissue of the affected area, causing irreversible damage) and then oral chemotherapy. Temodar is the most common form of chemo because it is the most affordable...at $12,000/month. Another oral chemo treatment (Avastin) is available but it was $27,000/month when my Dad was battling it. Because of the elevated cost, most insurance companies will only cover Temodar...but my Mom still had to cover a $2,500 deductible payment. I say all of this to show that this particular battle is tougher than most realize...and any form of help should be appreciated. I've been following Aaron's story since I first heard of his diagnosis in May of 2020. There have been numerous opportunities through his sponsors to help his family out and I was happy to participate in several of those opportunities. The fact that he has fought this battle for almost 18 months speaks wonders (my Dad only lasted 9 months after diagnosis). But I feel for his family, especially his children who have to watch the changes that take place in their father as he battles. I know the impact it had on me, and I was in my mid-30's as my Dad fought his battle...I couldn't imagine being a teenager going through a similar situation.

Yeah...that's why I use the "burner" email instead of my everyday email. I usually don't mind when they just want an email address but I'm quick to pause if they want my phone number. That's when I really ask myself if the giveaway is worth it. But then a new Toyota Tundra would be nice! ? Awesome! ?

Does anyone enter the various giveaways that pop up on various sites (i.e. ***, Bassmaster, Omnia, Black Rifle Coffee, etc.)? Has anyone won anything in these type of giveaways? I use a "burner" email address for these giveaways...one that I only use for things like giveaways and marketing promotions so I don't clog up my everyday email. If I've entered something of interest, I check it every so often just to keep up. But I'm starting to wonder if people actually win any of the prizes offered? Kind of like Publisher's Clearinghouse...I've never met anyone who won, or knew someone that won, the $5,000 a week for the rest of their life. Has anyone here won one of the big giveaways?

This might be the option I go with! Thanks!

I'm planning on taking my boat for a road/fishing trip to Florida over Thanksgiving weekend. I'm going to camp while down there but most of the available campgrounds I've found are primitive and without electricity. Does anyone have a solution for charging batteries that doesn't require electric hookup? Any solar options that are safe to use while on the water?

Does anyone watch Brent Chapman's "Pro vs. Joe"? I would consider Chapman to be a middle-tier pro...but the "Joe's" have a hard enough time competing with him in a 1-on-1 format. I think a full field tournament would be significantly tougher!