casts_by_fly

@DaubsNU1- That's about right for the generator itself. You'll also need the transfer switch, wiring, and fuel lines/install (presumably you have natural gas). I bet you'll be close to $10k in the end if he's giving you the friendly discount.

@Pat Brown- Jason christie did a video (maybe this past year) where he demonstrated that principle. He's a spinnerbait guy of course and he was fishing a creek arm and up into the creek with one, catching fish. It got slow though and he had two other variation tied up on the deck. As he went up the creek he just swapped across the set. One was a more finesse size, the other was a little heavier and a slightly different blade config. He explained as he went why he was changing them and what triggers he was seeting- in one case the bass was just nipping it so he went to the finesse; in another he started to see his lure (water was getting clearer) so he went a little heavier to drop it down 6-12" in the water column. It was a great example of what you're saying about the RES. I might just take all of the lipped crankbaits out of my boat for next year since they aren't "what I like" kinda baits. A RES or original trap would cover most of the instances where I also throw a lipped crankbait anyway.

TN river- I'm normally with you on this one. I pushed back on getting it at first but my wife was insistent for the peace of mind. In our case, we have well water. No power = no water. The first summer there was a bad noreaster and we lost power for 5 days. Fortunately, the pool was open and we could use buckets of pool water to flush the toilets. If it was winter we would have been in a bad way- no electricity mean no water and also no furnace (central air). We have a fireplace that could heat one room and that's about it.

Patrick/Pimpsy- For both of you, it's great to think about what a given combo does 'best' and what lures go with what combos that you have. That gets you thinking about what you like and why. At the same time, the only answer is to get out and fish them. Grab your three MH rods and throw a 3/8 spinnerbait on each. If something doesn't feel right about one of them then don't do that anymore. Throw a could weights of jigs on your 2-3 rods most appropriate and see what feels right. That's the only way you're going to find out what you like of the things you have.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Bass_Union_Weedless_Ned_Heads_3pk/descpage-BUNWNH.html this is what you’re looking for.

There are similarities and overlaps but there are differences too. Using the bladed lures example, a bladed jig and a spinnerbait sound very different in the water and put out very different vibrations. A spinnerbait has a lower pitch but thumpier ‘whomp whomp’. Like a helicopter. A bladed jig is much higher pitched and a clicking type of sound. The other two have little or no sound underwater. Some days the fish eat them all. Some days (or lakes) they have a strong preference. The same will go for topwaters. Sometimes a plopper and buzzbait can interchange but for where I throw a buzzbait you’re not going to throw a treble hook into it and come out clean. That’s the other part of overlapping baits. While the fish might eat either one when you put it in their face, getting the bait into the right place again and again is a lot easier if the bait is the right one for the job. Going down a lily pad field with a topwater is a lot easier with a buzzbait than a plopper. A plopper can go to a hole or down a lane, but you’re going to snag it up a bunch of the time. A buzzbait can snake through the holes and then over a couple pads into the next hole. Horses for courses.

We have a whole house generator. we considered general, Cummins, and Koehler. We went Cummins in the end but our installer does all three and is broadly happy with all three. Ours is automatic in every way- power goes out and it comes on. Power comes on and it turns off. Weekly test fire and run for 20 minutes. Ours is on natural gas and plumbed to the mains. Fuel source will influence what you do as will how much power you need and how critical it is to have power all the time. That all feeds into what the cost is. Ours was around $15k 5 years ago. My father in law just has a manual lockout and switch on his breaker box. Then he has a smaller portable generator that he has to feel fuel into. WAY cheaper

Meh. Tell them its a switch rod you put a spinning reel on.

I’m not an expert by any means. I learned how to back up a trailer 25 years ago and would share some of the driving when my dad and I would go fishing (normally drive home because he was tired). I learned the basics then and was ‘good enough’. That was on an extended cab Chevy with an 8’ bed and a big cap on the back, so that was a mirrors mostly operation. Of course I then didn’t do it for 25 years until I got the boat this spring. After a couple trips it was like I never stopped. The muscle memory took over, I learned the new length combo, and that was that. Backing it into the garage took a while, but I can just about back it the whole way in now if I really wanted to (it is a more than 90 degree bend backwards onto the travel path with a narrow driveway). That said, while I can use my side mirrors for some things at some times, I still find it easier to put my right hand on the passenger seat and just turn around. It just feels natural. The only time I use my mirrors is when there is a ramp or other drop off that I lose sight of the boat out the back. @Glenn- is the answer behind the license plate?

If that’s the case, then look at the St Croix Triumph 10’6” UL steelhead rod. Ultralight power for a steelhead rod puts it around a light power for comparison sake. Slow action and you can about make the tip touch the butt. A 5 lb fish has enough power that you just point the butt of the rod at the fish and it bends right over. I used one for steelhead for years and it is a lot of fun. They also have 8’ and 9’ light powers in the panfish series, but I don’t know those rods.

Does it have to be 8’? Bass pro has the 7’6” microlight in an ultralight. They list it as a fast action but that’s nowhere near the case. I have one. With 4# supernatural mono I can fling a single salmon egg a long way. A 1/32 oz jig goes forever. And also it’s $60

12 here this morning and only 24 for the high. But it isn't getting any colder tonight and then warms up to 38 tomorrow afternoon and then 40 on sunday. I'm going to try to fish Sunday because after sunday afternoon we have 72 hours below freezing with the lowest bottoming out at 9. One of the local lakes had skim ice yesterday morning in a shallow protected cove so I'm running out of days. The USGS for a bigger lake is showing 42-43 degrees still so shoreline ice at the ramp is my main risk.

@Backroad Angler- what inline fuse doesn't have power? If that wire isn't factory then I would find the other end of it (probably at the battery) and reroute it to the fuse box (which should be under the dash).

A basic charger that doesn’t detect anything from the battery (by design) hooked up to a lifepo battery will wake it up. As will jumping it to another 12v battery. It just needs to feel 12v for a minute to wake up.

for Humminbird/Minn Kota it is a heading sensor. That's likely what you're seeing on kayaks. It tells the motor or FF which direction the boat is pointing. On an autopilot kayak it enables the jog function. On a HBird fish finder it will show you the boat icon with a straight line to where you're pointing and I agree completely with Mike that it's indispensible. With a heading sensor and range rings you can pinpoint a piece of cover that you've graphed over. With FFS you can do the same while also using the range rings to creep up to it and into FFS range.

Is it the UV mag speed worm you guys are referring to?

I was just going to say the small spunk shad but pat beat me to it.

@Backroad Angler you’ll need a pair of those that match the connector on the boat (check sizes). If that wire is going into a fuse block like I would expect it to, then you don’t need the inline fuse. In that case you’ll just need the spade connector you pictured (in the correct size). If that wire pair goes straight to the battery, then you’ll need to add the fuse in which means an additional butt connector. https://www.westmarine.com/ancor-heat-shrink-butt-connectors-291294.html?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=GGL_PLA_Marine Electrical_High Margin&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22685667024&gbraid=0AAAAAD_lEer7wNJoYHd-kd0Yk7yeCapxE&gclid=Cj0KCQiAubrJBhCbARIsAHIdxD8_bZ_6cY98CpnAKbZI3Ij0fKGurCjxbvkHhvklnD07dQozZ4ZFtP0aAu6wEALw_wcB

This storm turned from a lion's roar to a squirrel's fart. 72 hours ago the forecast was for 6" here at the house and more to the north. Then every 24 hours it dropped by 1/3 until last night it turned into sleet/rain. We got about 1/2" of sleet to start the day and then it has rained on top. Everything is just about melted now and another couple hours should take care of it. Unfortunately, a full day of 35 degree rain is going to put a hurt on the water temps in the lakes.

I shared my best landing tip above already, but I'll share one more that I don't recall if it was noted above. Sharpen your hooks. You can't land them if you don't get a good hook in them. I've been okay about it in the past but also have gotten burnt by it. I'm making a more conscious effort the past couple years and it pays off. Those hooksets when it first hits the water and you don't have all the slack out yet or when they hit it so hard that they knock slack into the line. Those are the ones where the sharpest hooks make the difference. @Swamp Girl- if you're losing more than 10% most days I would check this for sure. You probably do, but you also catch so many bigger fish with hard jaws that I bet your hooks dull down by the hour.

Crimp the wires how though? You have spade connectors at the supply side. Bare wire on the fuse and FF power cord. So you're going to need to connect bare wire to bare wire on the power cord to fuse connection (a waterproof heat shrink butt connector) and then two sets of bare wire to spade connector. You can't just crimp bare wire to the spade connector- you either need to add a spade connector on the fuse/power cord side (my choice) and plug it into what's inside the boat or you need to cut off the spades on the boat end and crimp/butt connect the newly bare wires. Also, not sure if this is a new boat or not (waiting for it to come in implies maybe) but if that wire coming up to the bow is factory then it should already be running through a fuse box under the dash. You probably don't need to do anything but put spade connectors on the fish finder power cable and plug it in.

If you're talking about the inline fuse picture above, you'll need some type of connector for it. My preference is waterproof butt connectors. You only put it on the supply/positive/red wire. If you're then adding spade connectors to connect to the existing wiring those just crimp on but you'll need a crimping tool to do it. Before I did all of that, I would check that you have power to those connectors and what controls/supplies it.

still hasn't kicked in for me either. I've had a a couple decent bucks on my cameras here behind the house but just offered them to a buddy to come shoot.

Bass, trout, salmon or otherwise, the answer is side pressure. Fishing with ultralight line and rods vs lake fresh steelhead will teach you that quickly. Trying to pull upward to turn a fish’s head is a lot harder than turning its head to the side. Side and slightly back is best (though not the easiest with bass most of the time). What that means is practice is a low rod tip that is perpendicular to how the fish is facing or running. You can knock out a 10 lb lake fresh steelhead in about 2 minutes that way on 6 lb line.

Yeah, good luck with that. The first time you go out and are wishing for something just a little different….