Functional

A ned is my absolute last resort and luckily I havent had to go there for a quite a while. I start with my favorites, if that doesnt work I get more deliberate with my selection and move to a more thought out profile/size/sink rate. I'll go for reaction before I go to a Ned though and swap into a crankbait. If that all fails I'll go to the ned. Its very rare I even have to resort to even a crankbait though, usually its just a matter of me finding the right spot rather than stray from the few techniques I'm most confident/enjoy.

I use 3.8 for 98% of my FAT Impact use. Its worked well in lakes that I typically have to downsize and also just as well in lakes I dont have to downsize.

I've heard it used for exactly like @Tennessee Boy just posted. Some people are really fancy with it, I tried it for half a day and got worried some dock owners were going to sink my boat. Regular skipping for me with bass lures.

ahhh... upstate in quotes...that means you are in the dutchess/orange/ulster county area 😂. I was going to add suggestions but @Pat Brown covered everything I was going to add. One thing I dont see answered for you is why no leader. Some baits you would want to use a leader and others you dont. Frogs need all the power you can get with those twin thick hooks and the fact that a lot of times you are pulling through weeds or pads of some type. Any stretch and it will be hard to really drive those hooks in through all of that. Youll find a lot of us differ in dedicated line (mono, floro, braid) vs braid to leader vs straight braid with a lot of lures, but one of the few lures we all agree on is Frogs are dedicated braid.

Guarantee the house could look like a tornado hit and she will still be incredibly happy to be home again. Not going to matter to her as much as it probably does to you. Do what you can but don't drive yourself down. More important you are spunky for her when she gets back. Glad to hear she's getting out! Been thinking about you two.

@ol'crickety If you wanted to try fishing a jig but they want something flashier you could try fishing a chatterbait like a jig. That blade on the front would move some water and give a flash. Personally I prefer the excitement of spinners/chatters/swimbaits and the hits they bring but nothing says you cant fish a bladed jig like a jig.

I'm still more excited about this than I really should be....

This, for every food. If all I can taste is burning or seasonings and nothing resembling the "host" flavor its a fail for me. In my own cooking and when eating somewhere. I'm ordering the fish because I like the flavor of fish, enhance away but let me taste the fish. Youtube in general has to be taken just like everything else. If I'm looking for reviews or how to do something I use multiple sources. No less than 3 different videos and I'll pull info from a forum if its possible. Some of the least followed "youtubers" have been more value than the big ones.

Elijah Craig has been very solid for me for Bourbon. Bourbon isnt my preferred but I'll never turn down some EC and is the only bourbon I'll keep picking up. I've had Eagle Rare, makers, buffalo trace, etc. and still think EC is better than them. Sold/gave away my Makers and Buffalo Trace and looking for someone to give my Eagle to. Just not worth it when there are so many good options out there.

if I cant see the back of the boat I'm finding somewhere to take shelter, otherwise I'm fishing if I'm already out. Wont go out if its already raining. Only 2 things I really watch for is if its a cold rain that comes with wind, you can still get hypothermia in the summer under these conditions and I've had to find a spot in the woods and build a fire(small fire starting kit on the boat at all times). Also a reason I keep a towel in a dry bag (should add a spare set of clothes). The other...is lightning. Thats a big nope for me and I'm gone. Good lightning tracker app helps judge how far out it is. I set the mile notice depending on how long I anticipate it to take me to get back to the dock and on the trailer.

You could look at the county plat maps. That will show the property lines and i'll be willing to bet quite a lot (my company has an entire department dedicated to doing plats) those property lines do not go into the water and will stop 1-2 ft from or right against the water edge if there is public access to the lake. Even more so if the state or utility puts money into stocking or maintaining that lake/pond/water. For me, right or wrong, thats where I start, if there is public space that allows me access to the water and there is nothing in all my searching or signage that says I cant fish it or access it then I'm going. Wont touch anyones property without permission but I wouldnt believe I was wrong in using public access to access water. Pond surrounded by farm land, hard no without permission. Bridge with side access to water that is funded by the state (my taxes) to stock I'd willingly go to court and press charges for harassment. If I lose then I'm taking it up with the state why my tax dollars are going to stock private waters that dont generate electricity or drinking water. I've also admitted I'm no expert in this permission thing, I dont often have to do any of this but the times I have I've had no issues. So take all that as you will.

I'm not fancy, I dont know how to link a single post so here is a copy/paste for what I just put up in another thread. "for lower cost reels I have the below 3 for a few years. SLX MGL: Nice little reel, handles very light lures down to and including a ned rig if wanted. Fits my hand perfectly. Only downside is it seems the brakes are a hair touchy and it seems to go from not enough brake to too much very easy. Takes a bit more for me to dial in this reel so if you are swapping a wide range of bait weights it could be a chore. Tied for my favorite handle next to the Lews LFS SS. Fuego CT: Nice reel, for me it seems to shine with heavier lures like spinners, chatterbaits, etc. Id say 3/8oz and up is a nice good all around reel. For my hands its a bit big/round for me but its still manageable. Knobs are beefier on this reel than the SLX and LFS, not my favorite but thats personal taste. Lews LFS SS: Wont throw down to a ned rig but will do down to a 1/4 and 1/8oz Trig and jig and all the way up to a 2oz swimbait. Despite only having mag brakes the reel is very easy to dial in. This has become my favorite reel for everything but skipping (the SV spool reels just do better here). Can be had regularly for like $80, sometimes cheaper if you really hunt. For reference I use a Medium glove. I may try a Curado for the hype but at this point with the reels I have the LFS SS is my go to reel. "

for lower cost reels I have the below 3 for a few years. SLX MGL: Nice little reel, handles very light lures down to and including a ned rig if wanted. Fits my hand perfectly. Only downside is it seems the brakes are a hair touchy and it seems to go from not enough brake to too much very easy. Takes a bit more for me to dial in this reel so if you are swapping a wide range of bait weights it could be a chore. Tied for my favorite handle next to the Lews LFS SS. Fuego CT: Nice reel, for me it seems to shine with heavier lures like spinners, chatterbaits, etc. Id say 3/8oz and up is a nice good all around reel. For my hands its a bit big/round for me but its still manageable. Knobs are beefier on this reel than the SLX and LFS, not my favorite but thats personal taste. Lews LFS SS: Wont throw down to a ned rig but will do down to a 1/4 and 1/8oz Trig and jig and all the way up to a 2oz swimbait. Despite only having mag brakes the reel is very easy to dial in. This has become my favorite reel for everything but skipping (the SV spool reels just do better here). Can be had regularly for like $80, sometimes cheaper if you really hunt. For reference I use a Medium glove. I may try a Curado for the hype but at this point with the reels I have the LFS SS is my go to reel.

Do exactly this and read the # rating on the zip tie. I think I use 7 or 10lb zip ties. Saved my rear a time or 2 already.

I dont fish anywhere that isnt public and crowded already so if I catch it it's getting reported. A biologist does need to examine the fish but I have enough crap from my fish keeping hobbies to give her a nice comfortable home until they can arrive. NC record hasnt been beat for 25 years, would be cool to have my kids be able to see my name in the state record books.

whenever we see water on a road trip we always say "Get the poles!" ....coincidentally we used to call it seaweed when we were young. I'd say that checks out.

@TOXIC If you are having Tic already at 95K I'd personally question how long it would last even once disabling AFM. If you really wanted to keep the truck I would disable AFM and get the lash taken out of the lifter so you "start new". I never liked that technology.

so jealous....unless you make an actual dedicated effort we have stuff that looks green and crunches when you walk on it down here. I miss a good northern lawn.

Just a word of warning to all doing this (its what I do), make sure your safety latch on the hook is there and working correctly. If not you'll be stripping down and swimming to your boat....ask me how I know....

For your first few times it might not be a bad idea to have a physical check list. -rear straps -boat plug -kill switch in -keys on boat -Life jacket easily reach (if not on) -Front strap hooked (or unhooked if you have a buddy in the boat) -dock lines setup on boat cleats -"specific items" on boat I agree, I dont mind someone moving slow and learning. We all have off days or a particular wind condition that could throw many of us. What I cant stand is someone backing into the ramp, stopping and then spending 20 minutes doing stuff that should have been done in the parking lot or prep area. Other than that, practice in an empty parking lot to get a feel for it, longer trailers respond slower than shorter trailers. As far as how far to back in that will depend on the ramp angle and your boat. For me as long as the side bunks are just about to go under is far enough for me on most ramps. Steep ones I have to go deeper. Youll learn that.

I tend to not like fishing around anyone or vying for spots so if I see someone or a few someones doing something I'll look to do something completely different somewhere else. Chances are every Tom, Dick and Harry have been hitting the docks that day anyway and I'm not going to struggle with 2nds 3rds and 4ths. I'll still die on the hill that bass are mostly everywhere, its just firing them up at that particular spot. That's my logic to date...

🤣 I think you are an exception with paddling. At the very least give yourself a 9.9! I wouldn't be surprised if you've bumped a fish or 2 on the head early in the morning.

Since I think the question is more geared towards your ability to get places and fish and fish the area well and not necessarily how many/quality you catch I'm going to answer that way. Shore: 3/10. I did some of it in my youth but I was fortunate enough to always be taken on a boat or have access to a boat. My lack of skill here comes in the research area of where I can hike around a lake legally and getting access to areas you need to do some legwork to find the owner. My knowledge of all the ins and outs of that stuff is just very lacking. For the places I do go on foot I can fish to what I believe its fullest extent. Canoe/Kayak: 5/10. I've done it for a few years and still do it on occasion but I wouldnt say I ever got comfortable doing it. I constantly get pulled into cover fighting a fish, blown past spots too easily, etc. What I am good at is using its advantages and getting into spaces bank anglers and boats cant get and fishing. That and being a lot more quiet helps. Dedicating more time to this and the right equipment I'm sure I could bump this up similar to my boat score. Boat: 8/10. There are few times I catch myself thinking I could have approached a bit of cover better but other than that I know the limitations of my boat and have learned how to attack spots given wind and other conditions well. Some aspects of sonar I could understand better but I can adjust it multiple times a day to the conditions present and get the most out of them I believe I can for now. I'll never give myself a perfect score, always room for improvement. If were talking quantity/quality of fish then its a toss up. I've caught good fish and numbers in every one of those 3 categories. Some days I'll fish from shore quick in the morning and do well expecting the same on the boat to only catch 1 later that day. Others I wouldnt get a nibble from shore and kill em in the boat.

Joined this club a few weeks ago. Didnt realize until my shoe was floating by the seats. Cranked her up and punched it to beach the boat and stuck my arm in to put the plug in. Anytime I have someone else with me is when I do something dumb. Everyone always gets chatty when I do my pre launch ritual, another reason I prefer going alone. -Wife helped me launch, forgot one hold down strap in the back. -Dad came out fishing, forgot to put the plug in. Both within 2 weeks of each other.

"Failure Rig" Seriously, 3 knots, 2 barrels and in my opinion a poorly designed snap swivel. Before I did direct tie all the time we used swivel snaps all the time and I had more than I can accept bend/pull out when there was no "hook" on the snap part that prevented the part with the lure from pulling straight down unrestricted.