rps

Walleye have the urge by now. The water temp they prefer to spawn is 44 to 50. The move to the areas (whether they will prove effective) they prefer has started. By March 13th they will be mostly finished. Personally, I do not fish for them until after they settle down in April/May. However, if you are trophy hunting, the next month will be your best bet. Big girls will be full and shallow. Hope this helps. Good luck!

thyme and Worsh...Worche...Wort...Lee and Perrin's. My father in law called this "what's this here sauce?"

Left over roast, faro, vegetables, slow cooked, with corn bread.

I totally approve of this. Many times you need to make things happen with what you have or what you can buy. Sounds really good!

Chicken, garlic, spinach, feta sausage with cheesy polenta.

We made a Cassville Walmart run this morning. I had an eye appointment and wound up ordering new glasses. Lightweight bifocals will set you back. When we came home I began casserolling. Almost out of the oven is a chicken spaghetti. Ready to go in next is a chicken enchilada casserole. Between the two we will have school lunches for the week, plus a few extras that I share with those who need them. Meanwhile I have a pork chop popsicle in the sous vide. It will share the plate tonight with an asparagus mushroom risotto.

I do not tie flies. However, I do tie feathers on trebles, and I do use a bobbin when I make rods. I would love to use one of those beauties. What does a mere mortal need to do?

Since then I bought a Boga. I put it on a 3 foot rope with a 2 foot pool noodle. I net the fish and take it out only with the Boga. If you bottom lip with the tool you get the same freeze. I then use locking hemostats to remove the hooks. I don't tournament fish so speed and rules do not dictate what I do. My goal is no more sticks.

It and the 75 I had for 6 years before it have bee wonderful, and inexpensive to maintain as well. Makes me wonder why anyone would buy a four stroke.

Laugh at me as old school - my pocket knife cuts a clean line. The only time the knife is difficult is when I need a nip close to the knot. Then I use the line knippers that tear the line.

I feel your pain. I finally bought the smallest egg knockoff made by Kamado Joe. Found this article. Maybe this will confuse you even more. https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/06/best-kamado-big-green-egg-alternatives-smoker-grill-equipment-reviews.html

Salt, pepper, a bit of Old Bay, dust well with flour, dip in egg blended with a bit of water, shake off the excess egg, roll and cover with panko, let sit 15 minutes or so, fry in medium high neutral oil until golden brown, salt lightly again, serve with spicy fruit salsa on the side.

I have found SeriousEats very reliable. This is what they say. https://www.seriouseats.com/roundups/best-pellet-smokers The article also references here. https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews-and-buying-guides Hope these help.

Even on the best lakes, there are times when 9 healthy keepers in two days means you did well. Go back and look at the big league tournaments on all the great lakes. In every one, half the field does no better than you did this last weekend. And those guys/gals are the "best." We are glad you enjoyed your trip and would welcome you and your reports if you move here!

Sorry. The quick joke was too easy. Stripers are nearly the same salt water and fresh. Large plugs, large spinners, and even the right cut bait will work. However, the gear you have will also work with large jigs and maybe balloon rigs. I would use a guide for a day or two in each of the seasons and then apply it to what you know. BTW, 1 ounce spoons like WarEagle or Binks make great striper lures and probably fit some of your gear. Good Luck!

I have heard strippers love big flashy bait.

If you go single line, and I am making that move with my jigging spoons, the VMC hooks are good.

Oddly I did a little looking on the internet. Vexus owners are claiming higher mph. Maybe the load in the boat? A second person, a full tank of gas, and a full livewell probably makes a difference?

I am sure that is true. I do not know of hull design and speed things. Never been a concern to me or important to the way I fish. I was merely reporting what I saw and was told.

The grade dark is a great cooking prep tool! Salad dressings, marinades, bbq sauce. Basically anything you might use brown sugar. Think on this: good bourban, bacon and maple syrup.

Good question. You are welcome, donation or not. We would all like to meet you. We would appreciate the donation, good cause and all that. The permits are for the regatta - event - and apply to all. We hope to see you there!

The best trebles I have ever found are Daiichi Deathtraps. Owner and VMC tie for second place with me. BTW, anyone who brags that they have a "bunch of pre-Rapla" warts is inviting a burglary.

Crawled in, under, and all over several models of Vexus boats at the boat show in Tulsa. In my life I have owned Lowe, Tuffy, Supreme, Xpress, Alumacraft, and Lund boats. The Vexus fit and finish exceeded all of those. I also looked at the new version of Rangers and several Phoenix boats. The Phoenix appeared very well made. As it happened, the man to whom I addressed questions at the Vexus display turned out to be Keith Daffron, the company president. He struck me as very personable, and sincerely interested in making the best product. I learned several things worth sharing. First the company is up to 100 employees. 90 are former Ranger employees. That made me smile. Vexus makes their own trailers to assure the trailer meets their expectation. The first fiberglass model is built and will be rolled out at the Bassmaster Classic. Keith would not share any details about models or price on these. The 1980 model (19'10") with a normal load will travel around 50 mph with the 150 (max) and around 45 with the 115. Rigged out well, the 1980 will be about $40K.

Yesterday I drove over for the next to last day of the Tulsa Boat Show. Not every brand was there, but nearly so. I did not see Basscat, Lund or Alumacraft, but Skeeter, Triton, Phoenix, Crestliner, SeaArk, Ranger, Whaler, Vexus, as well as Johnny boats. In addition, all of those boats I hate showed up, too. Motor homes, and docks, and resorts, and boat clubs filled the rest of the Expo Square building. If you haven't seen it, you really should. When it was built for the annual oil and gas exposition, it was the world's largest clear span building at 345,000 square feet. I still is in the top five. I took one picture. The boat shown had been marked down for the show - over $100,000. It still was mid 400's.