Functional

I pre rig. There is enough information on the internet to be somewhat prepared even if I've never been to the lake before. Also, at this point I have about 4 rods dedicated to confidence baits that are always rigged up. The only thing I'll change is color/pattern and maybe size/weight based on wind/clouds and expected water clarity. The rest of the rods get strung up with a little bit of everything...like A-jay I plan for if they are tight to shore, offshore but shallow and then "deep". Once I start hitting I may rig some other rods to favor those conditions/areas but its not super often that I need to.

Yall laugh if you want to...but I really miss "The Flying Lure". My and my father did some damage with these in black back in the day. I know you can kinda replicate it with a tube rigged backwards but its not the same. If any of you have some stocked away let me know. All the ones I find on ebay are colors I dont think anyone wants (including me).

You are around some of the best lakes in the state but I have no idea how they are for shore fishing. This time of year and in stained water I'd be throwing a shad colored double willow (silver) spinnerbait with like a zoom paddle tail fluke on as a trailer. I've had little luck with solid pure white even when my home lake goes to chocolate milk and despite colorado and indiana blades giving off more vibration I've actually had less takers vs the willows. A walking bait like a KVD Sexy Dawg with a white or bone colored belly should do well around this time. Its been my experience but when I'm hammering small fish its just best to move spots and/or come back and hit it at a different time. Its rare I'll come across a decent sized fish when so many smaller ones are feeding. I'm not talking a far move either, sometimes all it takes is a couple yards down the shore. As for a rod, if you are looking to upgrade, the ARK Catalyzer is actually a really good value for the cost. I bought one to leave at my in-laws and it hasn't made it out of my boat yet. Also nothing wrong at all with a speed spool (i use several myself). You'll likely come across some good BF deals and pick it up cheaper...think I got mine for like $45 on sale.

I'd go to Texas if you dont think you can get a stretch of time like this for a while after a job/career change. Not ideal but you could probably hit the FL spots over a few long weekends. TX is more ideal for a longer stay like you currently have. If time off isnt going to be a problem either way flip a coin....TX has the tournament but FL has peacocks if you want a fun day thrown in there. Sometimes I do some good thinking on long solo road trips. Both my decisions for getting married and being open to kids were done on long solo trips. Something you sound like you might want given your situation.

if a new engine is the same or close to a rebuild I would get the new engine. Metal shavings are bad news, obviously, but like Susky said what else did that metal get into that may seem ok but could/would fail not long after. I'd buy the new engine and if you are like me, keep the shot one to tinker on or tear apart and learn. Might be able to put a few bucks into it and recoup some money selling it.

Heated vest, heated socks and fleece pajama pants over my long johns but under my hunting pants. I'm going to incorporate a muff this year too with the battery powered heated hand warmers. Trick is to turn the heated things on about 30 minutes before you step out of the truck. If you get cold first they are useless. We dont get hard water here so its just learning winter fish patterns for me. Didnt get out much last winter due to some last minute surgery but hopefully havent lost my touch this year.

personally in that specific situation I would quickly hit the area if possible (others around or not) and confirm thats where the fish are and at what elevation they are hitting. If I'm trying to not overfish it Id then pick up and hit other areas that match the same conditions (depth, drop off, cover, etc.) and see if I can replicate it with what I know they are keyed in on. Should make exploring those new areas quicker and give me more confidence in what I was throwing. Just one mans approach.

Excellent to hear Andy! How's Lynn feeling after the surgery?

I have some busy beavers over here at my job I have to get rid of every other year. They do a hell of a job in a hurry if you want to come down and nab the group.

Good luck to her and you!

I havent been up there for a bit, but if water temps are similar to my home lake about an hour south of it then I'd still hit main lake points and maybe some secondary points closer to the entrance of fingers. Key for those points though would be steeper transitions from deeper water to shallow with some type of cover in the shallow area. Might explain why that guy was saying in small stretches. My guess is they are looking to start moving into shallows before the cold hits to fatten up but they aren't fully committing just yet. Again, all a guess not having been on the lake for about a month or 2.

Footage of A-Jay, not a dramatization. Stable with some wins is always excellent. Glad to hear it.

@TnRiver46 post shooting range trip tradition was me and the fellas would stop and get McDonald's or taco bell. I stopped eating taco bell when they put a fist full of lettuce and a demi task spoon full of meat.

I recall a video I watched when making my decision of underwater noise test of MK, Motorguide, Ghost and Garmin Force. The Force was the quietest to my ear and if I recall right the Ghost and Motorguide were the loudest. I only mention it because you mention noise in one of your paragraphs. If that isnt a factor or super important to you go with the Ghost to integrate. You may not think you need the features but once you have them you may find you are wondering how you lived without them. Given we arent talking thousands of dollars difference between these TMs cost should be lower in your consideration in my opinion...a TM is a big part of the experience of fishing.

OK, we have a few different threads for vegetables and another on just pics of what we ate. Seeing as so many of us cook or like to cook and ALL of us like to eat, lets get a thread going of recipes. I keep looking in those threads and making a note of messaging so many people about what they made I figured it would be easier to do it this way. Few guidelines: -Must have picture of finished product (process pics optional) -Must have recipe of meal and/or sides -Include any tips/tricks to get it *just right* -Optional: include any alterations/variation tips if you have any. -Optional: drink pairing, I don't do this often but some meals deserve a fine drink with it Tomorrow, I'm going to be making semi home made tomato sauce and home made pasta and will cover it as a kick off to the thread unless someone beats me to it.

My company sent out about 1/4 of our utility workers and equipment out to Western NC to help out this past Friday. I'd say from what I've seen and heard from them and the reports its actually worse than whats being reported. Odd from a media generation that tends to blow things way out of proportion. Freed up one of my guys to run supplies from our site to drop zones this week. From what I understand the place our guys were supposed to stay had no water/electric so they traveled about 1hr outside the edges of the effected zones and still couldnt find power/water. They just restored it to the area where they are staying yesterday. Problem now is the infestation of bugs in some of these places because of the water is a problem you dont hear about at all...minor, but still an issue. About half our guys have resorted to sleeping in their trucks. Not to discourage any of you all in the immediate area but I've been hearing they wont have the bulk of services restored until well into November.

99% of the time I have some type of white colored swim jig on deck during all seasons. Its been my highest producer the past 2 years.

I've been on a lot of construction sites north and south at this point and I have yet to see this. Im both disgusted and curious to try it....that is how I'm weird...today...

With a lot of people starting to see more and more chemicals in their store bought food and more and more alerts of some disease on them I think we are going to start seeing a swing to more people keeping to eat. You can see it already with home gardens. With the population boom since that last gen I think in the next 5 -10 years we will see a change in creel limits because of it.

I have the opposite. I'll make the perfect cast tight to cover, no splash, work it perfectly in a area that SCREAMS fish and be on pins and needles with a half smile waiting for the crash only to get the lure to the boat and ask "what the hell?"

@Swamp Girl Tagging her so she finds this for you bud.

Oh no. Not one bit. Pro tip....take the tank lid off before you go down, the back of your head will thank you when you hit your first snow mound. We did it only twice though, was pretty heavy getting it back up the hill. After the second time we tied it to the back of a truck and flung eachother around in a field for a while like we were on a water tube. Good times and only a little blood.

Among some other things (like feeling like you need to get the other(s) on fish, and length of stay, start/stop times) I feel like this is a big hurdle for a lot of people. The ability to just sit in silence with someone and not feel like you need to fill the void. I have this with both my father and brother in law. I've fished with others but theres always been a need to make it a social event from the other person or even me if they seem awkward. Between fishing and hunting its amazing the things you'll see and how close you can see them at if you just close your mouth and sit. Not to mention be able to appreciate it all more.

I like Bobaflex actually so I'll have to find that one! Yes I did hear the live version, it was actually the first time I heard him cover it and liked it immediately. The live vs recorded definitely have a different sound but still both good. Since we're on the topic of rock.... fun fact, my wedding song was My Darkest Days - Without You. My wife thought I was nuts until she listened to the song lol. DJ said he was keeping it in his wedding rotation after our wedding.

I went sledding sitting on a toilet bolted to a upside down car hood....cool went out the window LONG ago!