KSanford33

My back seat experiences have rarely been great. I'm 6'0", so depending how big the girl was, it's usually pretty cramped back there. Oh... you mean the back seat in a boat...? Oh, well this is awkward... 🤣

Welcome @jminer79 I grew up in Elmira, so I fish in that area every so often still. If you ever want to fish Whitney Point let me know.

These are so much fun to read. I'm really rooting for you to make the regionals. Keep working hard!

I had a great day on Iroquois Lake in Schenectady on Saturday. I spent the majority of the day working on house projects, but then freed up some time in the afternoon and went over there. The weeds are about a foot below the surface in most places, so it seemed like an excellent time to throw a fluke. As it was darting through the weeds, this ol' girl decided to get it. This is my 2nd largest bass ever (by length), so I'm hoping it's a sign on things to come this season.

Hey @Koz, As you know, I bought the same kayak based on your review, and don't regret a minute of it. However, I sold mine over the off-season for many of the same reasons you mentioned. I agree with what a lot of other members have said about the AutoPilot being just as heavy to lug around as the SeaStream is. What I've done is bought a Lifetime Teton and added a DIY trolling motor bracket in the existing rod holders. This kept the cost down, and along with the trolling motor and battery (LiPO), the weight is manageable. Using a kayak cart makes it much easier. It's not perfect -the trolling motor torque steers on high pretty badly- but now I don't feel like I'm competing in the Tour de Mohawk from all the pedaling. Also, I'm sure you know this, but I wanted to bring it to your attention. As a previous Bronco Sport owner, it's based on the same platform as the Ford Escape, so unless you absolutely have your heart set on the Bronco Sport, you can save yourself a ton of money and just get an Escape. Like you said, there's no easy answer to it.

I've seen a bunch of younger people walking around wearing something similar. And to be honest, I'm very proud of the people who wear these. They obviously threw themselves on a grenade and are wearing the jeans as a reminder of their bravery... 🤣

Good luck tomorrow! I'll be getting out later this week, but I'll happily share my reports. Thanks for putting this together.

Here is a picture of me from a lifetime ago: I made the mistake of retiring from hockey early and thinking I could do well in another sport (motorsports). There isn't a day that goes by that I don't regret leaving when I did. My team is the Montreal Canadiens. They're awful this year. Between losing two great vets recently -Carey Price and Shea Weber- and injuries this year, I'm just hoping the stars align and they get the #1 overall pick in the draft. I'm not really going out on a limb here by saying Connor Bedard is going to be a generational player. As much as it pains me to say this, I don't think anyone can stop the Bruins this year. They have enough veteran leadership to not lose focus during the playoffs. But that being said, the playoffs are the most wonderful time of the year.

If you have access to a boat or kayak, trolling has always worked well for me for pike. I troll only fish-imitating lures (crankbaits, swimbaits, etc.) until I figure out what they like. Oddly enough, they're about the only fish I've caught out of a river that don't seem to mind current.

Zzzzzing!!! I have an app called FishBrain where people constantly do that! I just consider myself a very private person. Plus, I consider almost everyone on here better than I am, so I'm much more comfortable listening rather than talking.

I have a jig tied on all the time. That's saying a lot because I usually only carry 3-4 rods. As others have said, you can swim any kind of jig, but I'll limit this to strictly purpose-built swim jigs. I look at it like a grid. One one side you have the depth you're going to fish: Shallow, mid, and deep. I use 1/4oz for shallow, 3/8oz for mid, and 1/2oz for deep. On the other side you have water clarity: Clear, stained, and muddy. For clear I use green pumpkin or another color from Siebert's that's a kind of brown with yellow and red mixed in (I don't remember the name). For stained I usually go with a lighter color, so some kind of white (whether it has flakes or hints of other colors doesn't really matter to me). And finally for muddy, I use black and blue. As far as trailers, it's either a Keitech or Fluke. That's 9 swim jigs that should cover whatever conditions you come across.

The only pictures I take are of fish on bump boards, and I’m sure 99% of you have caught bigger fish than I have, so I don’t really want to post pictures to have people say, ‘Oh… 14 inches… nice…’. I’m as averse to selfies as anyone.

Exactly this! I carry a 7' medium baitcaster which covers just about everything I want to throw. I'm usually shore fishing when I've got a little time to kill; not a scheduled trip.

I ran into this same situation on vacation in Florida. I showed up at their front door with a twelve pack and asked if I could access their pond. They're response? 'Just don't do nothin' stupid.' Like @Catt said, most people respect the direct approach, but it never hurts having something to grease the wheels with too.

I'm hoping for the same thing. I'm going to go up to the Broadalbin boat launch and see if it's clear on Sunday.