Functional

Probably 10%. My problem is I'll find something and try it or only have 1 package of a soft plastic and try it for a day and hammer them. Then the next time I'm in a store I stock up and grab some other colors. I'll from then on out skunk out on that lure forever. I also won a $200 certificate to Zoom Baits at a shooting match that loaded me up with a ton of stuff I still havent even cracked open yet. My rule at this point is if it cant fit in the boat, something has to go. Either to my nephew or donated. Just gave a gallon sized bag of lures and plastics to a girl at my in-laws lake community. If she is there, she is fishing, and well into the late night. She earned it.

Same here. This year marks the least amount of fishing I've done in the past 6 years. I can probably count on 2 hands the amount of times I was able to get out. Hopefully next year looks better!

There are few things I miss about the north...but its scenery is by far the biggest one.

I usually smarten up for a few months and then repeat my mistakes. Thankfully there is no White Castle here.

not jealous at all...not one little bit... As for the lump....the Taco Bell hit me hard on the water. Couldnt make it back to the ramp. Never again.

One of the boats I miss the most was a Basstender 11.3. We had it in the green and tan combo. That would be a great little boat for your pond there if you could figure out a way to get it out of the water in the winter/spring. Can stand up front and in the back, rod storage, some gear storage, seats if wanted, 2 spots for motors.

Eastern NC but there isnt a day I go out that I cant hookup on a jerkbait. As @Pat Brown there are some days so on fire I put the rod down just to see what else I can catch fish on. Jig has been one that I never had a great day with. I can catch one or two here and there but I dont think I've ever caught more than 3 fish in a day on a jig...and not quality fish. Again, agree with Pat though, my better success has always come from presenting smaller lures of all types. My buddy though has been throwing monster worms on a T-rig...I'm talking 14"+ custom pours and doing fantastic. Thinking of breaking out my big worms again and seeing how it goes.

Late to the topic but thinking about you and your mother Gim. Hope things go well with treatment.

Absolute top for me is Lagavulin 16 year. I keep at least 2 backups handy just in case. I think we started top 5? I really only have a top 3 so here they are. 1) Lagavulin 16y 2) Glenmorangie 18y 3) Glenlivet Caribbean Cask

I don't get paid to fish, but from my experience its just generalizations to give you a higher percentage than just winging it. It's gambling though, if one card is out of place it could be a completely different situation. -Heavily pressured vs. no pressure -hydro/control lake vs. not -nuclear lake vs not -actual depth ranges -weeds vs no weeds -water clarity -primary forage These and so many more can have a huge impact on the generalizations. This isn't even accounting for weather conditions, bait preferences or water column to fish. Without experience on the specific lake it's best guess. Hell even the pros get pre-fish days and still miss.

I've been waiting for an update but never want to jinx it by asking how she has been. Great to hear!

my buddy fishes tournaments on that lake often. Maybe a week ago he was still hitting them in offshore weed beds about 10-15ft deep. At the time it was with a t-rig creature bait.

Im going out with a few rods that have lures I know how to fish confidently and I expect will work. If I start hitting them good on one type of lure I'll rig a few rods up in the same lure but different colors and see if I can improve it. Once I'm out on the water I take my best guess of the top 2 or 3 based on actual conditions and I'll hit an area with all 2-3 before I move on. I do move somewhat quick though, I havent seen a benefit for working painstakingly slow if no bites are coming. I will potentially re-hit a spot with no bites later in the day. Sometimes it just the right place at the wrong time.

Gets a ton of laughs and giggles....how could you not?

Been teaching my 4 year old this past summer. Every time she sees her rod she always asks to cast it. I throw a little practice plug on there and shell toss it out into the yard and reel it in slow and pretend she catches a fish. Every now and then I'll run and grab the plug and she fights me in like a fish. Got her on a bunch of blue gill and some catfish this summer and she loved it. Got about 30-45 minutes of attention span but she insists on doing everything herself including getting the worms out and picking which one she wants to use. Still havent let her bait the hook yet, maybe next year.

Thats awesome and really well done. I used about half of those lures myself learning to fish with my father and my early years. Brings back memories.

@DaubsNU1 for me, water clarity doesnt make a big difference to decide to use one or not, unless its chocolate milk looking. I just adjust the color/reflectiveness/opacity according to water and sun conditions.

My answer for just about everything this year has been to throw a jerkbait at things but its worked so thats my advice. I'd try 2, one in the 4-5 ft range to go over the tops and if you can accurately locate the piles get a deeper one in the 9 ft range and skim it close the sides of the piles. That strategy was very productive for me when a trig or spinnerbait/swim jig wouldnt do it.

Might have to try this, slept through all my alarms yesterday 🤣

Every time I see my line start racing towards the surface I think "O man this is going to be great" and then quickly " no no I'm not supposed to want this, it will throw the hook" and lower my rod tip into the water.

I never heard of this until I moved south, but apparently a bunch of people I work with leave their tree up year round and just decorate it for every month/holiday/season. Like valentines day would have its own decorations for the tree, St. Patrick's day, 4th of July, etc. etc. I thought we were bad putting it up right after Thanksgiving...

You need noise. Spinnerbait in black or white. A lot of people say Colorado blades for the conditions but I've had better luck with willow despite it being less thump. Play with retrieve but I've found just fast enough to keep it at the depth I want and just quick enough to turn the blades worked best. As mentioned closer to cover was best

2025 Life: Great, made some changes and my heart function shot up over 20% and I've felt the best I have in a few years. Family is all healthy and thriving. 2025 Fishing: Eh, with 2 kids and trying to get my bosses job when he retires next year I've had very little time to fish. Despite that I did catch some very nice fish even with less time on the water. I'd guess one was threatening to be my new PB but he escaped my grip and went over before I could weigh him (yea I know, fish stories).

spinnerbaits come through wood better in my experience. Might have better luck not getting hung up if they bite them.

I have a swim jig with paddle tail tied on a rod all the time. I mostly use it to rip through grass or when its a very calm day with little cloud cover. The more gentle approach is usually preferred over something very noisy in those conditions. Basically I use it as levels of aggression in this order from most to least. Water/sky conditions dictate which I throw more and then if they are buried in grass. Bladed Jig Spinnerbait Swim Jig