OldManLure

My father swore by Uncle Josh’s pork rind trailers, and would use the liquid in empty bottles to treat other baits (I have no idea if that worked). About 10 years ago I found a bottle still containing some trailers in my mother’s basement. I couldn’t resist opening and smelling it. I was instantly transported back to the 60s and my place in front of the boat with my dad on the Tennessee river. That was a good smell, too!

There is evidence that bass can be conditioned to avoid specific stimuli when paired with negative consequences, and there is also evidence that its peers may adopt similar avoidance behavior through some form of social learning. What I haven’t found is any study that looked specifically at what frequency of reinforcement is necessary to prevent the avoidance response from being extinguished. The implication is that if everyone stopped using scent (or some other popular bait), the avoidance response would eventually be extinguished and the scent or bait would again be productive. There is an interesting anecdote to similar studies that relates to slot machine payoffs.

I’m still growing.🙂

Yum Christie Craw is money+ !

Cucumber water is even better!

A couple packs of WetOnes, 3-4 boiled eggs, small can of deviled ham, half sleeve of soda crackers, 1 can vienna sausage and at least 3 Gatorade.

@Susky River Rat It seems that you’ve made the decision to return to your fishing roots and simply enjoy the fun of fishing…getting on the water, throwing some baits, catching a few, calling it a day and going home to other things. If this take is unfairly presumptuous, I apologize; if not, I tip my hat to you.

Speaking of Google Earth, this is the current image above a section of the Potomac River…

Same. I’m waiting for one of those deals when some outfit pays for my lodging while they try to sell me a timeshare. 🤫

I don’t think you are atypical. I believe there are many who share your sentiment…many, many more than this forum would lead you to believe.

I almost exclusively fish rivers and have found the ‘historical imagery’ function the most helpful. You can almost always find past imagery of the river at lower levels enabling you to see or ‘not see’ structure and features that at higher water levels might go unnoticed. It is particularly helpful when planning a trip to a stretch of a river I’ve never fished.

My kids tell me jokingly (I think 🤔) I’m addicted and should attend SA.

And Ron White was correct when he proclaimed you can’t fix it.

In other words, if you’re 70 and fishing the prespawn on a windy night without a pfd you’re bucking the odds.

I fish braid and have never given braid count any thought…until now. In very general terms, wouldn’t 8 strand be compromised less by abrasion? That is to say, wouldn’t 8 strand tolerate ‘losing’ 1 strand better than 4 strand ‘losing’ 1?

I’m heading out in the morning to float the Potomac River upriver of Paw Paw, WV. It’s a trip I usually make at least once a month between April and Thanksgiving, but due to the frequent rains this spring/early summer this will be my first trip this year. It’s about a 2 1/2 hour drive one way, but has always been well worth it for both numbers and size. Especially size! I’m borderline giddy that the river has finally fallen to a manageable depth and flow. Anyway, I declined an invitation to a cookout with friends, and when I told them what I had planned for the 4th they seemed genuinely stunned that I would drive that far just to fish and release whatever I caught. So I’m wondering how far will you drive to fish someplace that you know provides a real possibility of catching a citation smallie (river or lake)? And is it a trip you make regularly, somewhat regularly or just once or twice a season?

Yeah, if you’re not paying attention those ratchet straps can really get away from you.

AMD

Drop your tailgate and hook ratchet straps to your bumper or other low point just behind your taillight. If you use bumper, stay away from where it turns toward front. Don’t overtighten it…just snug enough that you can’t slide the kayak sideways. Add a strap laced through your molded handle at the front. I’m guessing you have factory tie downs on the side of your bed near the front. Cinch this tight and you’ll be fine. Depending on your local LE, you might need to tie a red flag to rear of kayak. For hauling mine in the dark, I tie a large reflector on the rear. The reflectors on the small poles that people use to mark their driveways work great. Remove them from the pole and drill a hole through plastic frame for inserting para cord. And the ones I purchased are red on both sides so very visible as it flops around at 60-70 mph. With tailgate down, I haul my 11.5 in an S10 with 6’ bed or a Toyota with a 5 1/2’. (For a little more security I did end up using a multitool and cut a 1 1/2” triangle into my bumper returns specifically for the strap’s hooks)

Pickleball Central has a graphite Prince brand paddle on sale for $15.99! Providing more than 120 sq in of surface area, it can move some water.

I remember. Because the Potomac was so painfully low, a buddy and I considered visiting the Susky. We called an outdoor shop in Harrisburg and were told it, too, was very low. So I ended up doing a lot of wading and rock crawling last fall.

Oops. I take that back. I misread my own notes. It wasn’t Pennsylvania I was undecided about. But I’m pretty sure the Susky is in the mid to low 50s like the Potomac in October…getting cold.

Ha! I did see that and couldn’t decide if that should be considered ‘cold’ water. Since you seem to agree, I’m now inclined to add it to ‘cold’ column which add support for the trend.

I think your theory is thoughtful and sound. Go for it!

If you were to replace mono with flouro, though, would you replace it with the same diameter or same test strength?