T-Billy

Nope. I just keep shelling out the $$$. I go through a pile of 'em during A-rig season, but I've found the juice is worth the squeeze. Nothing else I've tried works as well, especially once the water gets into the lower 40's.

Flippin rig, jig, slow rolled spinnerbait, toad.

Congratulations to Shaw. A class act all the way.

Good luck today A-Jay.

I did a little recon today. The milfoil that was matted just a couple weeks ago in several of my favorite bays is now only about halfway to the surface. I consider that optimum for my night muskie fishing adventures. The 45 day forecast is looking good to have the water on a slow steady cooling trend through August. I hope it holds. As of now, conditions are looking good for my vacation from 8/10 through 8/20. I built a single mag #12 blade for night operations, and took it for a test drive last night. I think it's gonna be good. Tons of thump and it sounds like a mini locomotive coming though the water. Double skirts with two 7/0 trebles hiding in them.

Corded DeWalt here as well. Not expensive and tough as nails.

Prayers for a successful surgery and fast healing.

I got a three hour nap before I went. Had biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Shower and clean clothes are optional. I opted out. 😂

I had a pretty good trip this morning. I got started about 02:30 and bass fished until a bit after 05:00. I caught nine on the bladed jig and lost several more. All dinks, 12" - 15". I switched to muskie at daylight and fished until just after 13:00. I caught the 43.5" below, and a 37.5". I also raised four others, all 30 somethings. Not an epic day, but better than it has been for the last several weeks. Surface temps are down a couple degrees from last week, and after a couple scorchers this coming week, the extended forecast is looking good for that cooling trend to continue.🤞

The lake I fish most is just over 1K acres and HEAVILY pressured for both bass and musky. Despite the pressure, it keeps producing quality fish. I think that's largely because it has lots of weeds and deep water where the fish can seek refuge, though unfortunately FFS is changing that. I'll rate it 4 stars given it's small size and the amount of pressure it receives.

Some of this AI music's alright. 😂

I'm a day late, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY Tom!!! I hope you had a great one.

I've seen my muskie guide buddy have to deal with all this and more. Ain't no way I could do it. My fuse is way too short for that job. Edit to add: I couldn't do your job either @Bluebasser86, for the same reason. God bless ya brother, and thanks for all you do. 😉

X2

I've been the recipient of the generosity of a couple forum members myself. There's some good folks hanging out here.

Ha!!! They would probably work, but rigging them up could be....... interesting. 😂 I have two neighbor ladies who insist on feeding the birds. Those feeders draw in lots of chipmunks. I drown 2-3 dozen of those destructive little buggers a year.

83 in the main lake basins. 77 in the creek where I caught that fish. I haven't felt the need to stop fishing for them due to temps. We usually top out in the low 80's. I don't fish deeper than about 14' for them in warm water though. The thermocline sets up around 15' in my local lakes, and I'm generally fishing weeds in 12' or less through the summer. If the extended forecast holds, we've peaked for this summer, and August is looking good with highs in the high 70's/low 80's and lows in the high 50's/low 60's. 🤞

Nice pike. Congrats!!!

Lucky #7. I FINALLY got the skunk out of the boat today after it took up residence for six trips in a row. Musky skunk anyhow, I caught some small bass during that stretch. I got off to another tough start today. I only had one lazy follow by a low 30's in the first 4.5 hrs. I switched gears and hit the shallow weeds, and on up the feeder creek in the upper end of the lake. The creek is only 15-20 feet wide and 1.5' - 5' deep. It was 4-6 degrees cooler than the lake and loaded with muskie. I had four follows by mid 30's fish, had a low/mid 40's blow up on my blade and miss while burning it just under the surface, then finally connected with the beauty below all in the last 1.5 hrs. She is 46" right on the nose.

@TnRiver46 has been doing the same thing lately. Seems we has us some edgimicated hillbillies round here. I never went in for that fancy book lernin stuff myself. 😂

Soap.

I've been drowning a bunch of chipmunks the past couple years with those "walk the plank" traps that mount on a 5 gallon bucket. They're very effective and reset themselves. I'm sure they'd work well on rats too. I use black oil sunflower seeds for bait.

@TnRiver46, yer lucky ya didn't get yer leg tore off by a grass carp!!! 😂

Same here. It's been brutal tough here for a few weeks. That big heat wave brought the surface temp up from 72 to 82 in a week, and it was 84 yesterday. Shut 'em off like a switch. I haven't caught a muskie in 3 weeks and have only managed some dink bass. I'm REALLY looking forward to the hot bite that comes with the falling water temps once we start getting some cooler nights in August.

Yep. Several Zillion. 😉