ButchA

Thanks for all the great replies... My wife and I just have a small suburban lot here in the western suburbs of Richmond, VA. I mean, pffffftttt... My backyard fence itself is about 70' x 75' (if I remember right from the property deed, etc...) which is +/- 5,250 sq feet. Silver maples, black cherry, and willow oak trees surround my backyard all the way around. We didn't need a gigantic leaf blower, but wanted a gas powered one on a backpack that was lightweight and suitable for the smaller type of property.

Over this past weekend, my wife and I were finally able to find the smaller gas powered leaf blower by Stihl, for this upcoming deluge of fall leaves... See, we also have a POS Walmart hand held battery operated leaf blower, but it only lasts (max) 10 minutes if that, and you have to swap in another battery. This thing is cool called the BR-200 and is Stihl's most lightest, most compact, backpack style gas leaf blower. Stihl BR-200 <-- click on the link. Anyone else have a gas powered leaf blower on a backpack? They are incredible! 😎

Here's my hopelessly spoiled dog Reggie, 5 yrs old, 82 lbs, and has his own reclining lawn chair next to the outdoor patio.

@A-Jay gave me an idea (based on the spinner jig photo, page 39).... Instead of inline, I did this.... What do you think? (edit: the reason for the price, was, a buddy was always asking how much it costs to make a lure instead buying one at Cabela's, Bass Pro, Academy, etc...)

Another touch of fishing lure creativity, since we have a 102° heat index outside! I was probably thinking about famous Walleye down deep in Lake Erie, or massive Lake Trout up in the Adirondacks, I don't know... But I came up with this design. Hopefully the local Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass will hit it too! 😎 Recipe: 4" wire shaft. 1/4" glass bead 9/32" red glass bead #3 clevis and Size 3 brass French spinner blade 9/32" red glass bead two 11/32" red glass beads and one last 9/32" red glass bead. Finish with a Size 6 treble hook with red plastic covering.

Here in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia we have: Cabela's Academy Bass Pro Shop (but up north on I-95, towards Ashland). Cabela's and Academy are probably 2 miles from each other in the west end in Henrico Co area called Short Pump. ....And we can't leave out the famous "mom 'n pop" store called Green Top, but they are more geared towards hunting, compound bows, rifles, treestands, etc... They do have a nice (but small) fishing section though.

I made this earlier before lunch... I had an idea about the famous Mepps Aglia in a Size 2 paired with a Size 6 dressed treble hook. I got creative with my own unique design, and took some red prism tape and made a simple chevron pattern on the french spinner blade. Looks pretty cool in the water, testing it out in the 86° summer sun at a public fishing pier. 🥵

Mepps? Been using them since the late 60's as a kid, fishing with my dad! Today - I can make them out of various kits and parts & pieces from Netcraft in OH. Right: A real, vintage, Mepps Aglia size 1 spinner. Left: My version, a hair larger, size 2.

Here's a random curiosity question.... Has anyone (besides me) ever tried to gently go trolling for bass? You know... instead of sitting there in a cove, flipping a worm rig or spinnerbait over and over. You decide to tie on a rattling crankbait and gently troll near a drop-off, where it goes 8', 15'.... 42' and bass are all over that rocky ledge! I have had my greatest success dating back to the 70's by doing that. Somehow, someway, it just seems to work. You might end up with a Pike or something else, but at least you're catching something! Agree? Disagree?

My wife: The Carpenters, John Denver, Anne Murray, etc... Me: Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Motorhead, Deep Purple, etc... Our old LP's and newer CD's cannot co-exist on the same CD rack. It's a rule! LOL! 😆

I'm a firm believer in Fluorocarbon... As mentioned before, just be very careful of the # strength! All my stuff is vintage spinning reels, old Mitchell's, old Daiwa's, old South Bend's, etc... Anything over 10# Fluorocarbon will fly off the spool like a coiled spring. Ask me how I know! 😧

I have it on my dad's old vintage Garcia Conolon light action rod and equally vintage Garcia Mitchell 304 reel... It's perfectly fine for stained, murky, type of water.

I like the 1/4oz buzzbaits and assemble them in all sorts of configurations.

Upstate NY - Adirondacks (aka "home"). VT, NH, ME, and MA. SC, GA, and now VA. Every time I drive down to visit my daughter & son-in-law (and especially my grandkids!) in the USMC off-base housing units in Beaufort, SC (aka Parris Island), I drive over Lake Marion on I-95. What a gigantic lake, full of bass, crappie, bream, etc... I want to pull over somewhere and toss in a line! 😎

Wow... Flashbacks!!! I think *everybody* had that bottle around somewhere!

Awesome replies.... Thanks, everyone! Here's my prized small Abu Spinnaren Reflex that caught so many Bass and Perch when I was a kid. My dad kept a prized large Eppinger Dardevle that caught massive Northern Pike up in the Adirondacks in northern New York going camping. So many fond childhood memories!

Remember these? Do you still have one? The classic Lazy Ike. I have 2 or 3 of them in various sizes. They have such a pulsating action upon retrieval!

I'm hesitant to reply to this... 😛 I just can't get into baitcasters. Never could. I know, I know.... 20 lashes! 😧 But, I've at least tried -- sha-boom, instant birds nest every <expletive> time! Spinning rods & reels for me. It's the way it is and will always be!

Thanks... I have some feathered #6 treble hooks, so I'll swap it out with my split ring pliers. 😎

I ordered two of these in gold, 1/4 oz, and put on small split rings (PITA!) and a #6 treble hook. A jerky, stop/go/stop/go, retrieve is all it takes with these spoons. Anyone have one or a few?

Thanks guys..... I had some leftover 6# mono, so I threw that on. I can easily rip it all off and get some Braid to redo it with. The stories this old reel could tell with my wife' grandfather way back in the day... Wow!!! Origin: Buffalo, NY... Lackawanna, West Seneca, etc.. (suburbs)... Walleye, Bass, Lake Erie...

How is this for "old school"??? Since it's nasty out, rainy, crummy, I decided to get out my wife's grandfather's old 1954 South Bend Oreno #5 bait casting reel, and clean it up, oil it, etc... Then respool it with 6# lo-viz green mono line. All I have to say is thank God, for YouTube videos on these old, ancient, bait casters!!

Excellent point!! Thank you!! 😎

Wow... thanks!! The other spool in the tacklebox has 10# braid that I changed out last year. I figured I try this out a tad heavier for Stripers or massive flathead catfish.