mikechell

👍

Good luck up there this summer. Hurricanes are one thing. Wide spread and catastrophic damage. BUT! We have notice ... time to prepare. Tornadoes are a completely different threat. Local damage that is complete and devastating with little time to duck. As far as rain, our ground is still saturated from last year's Hurricane Ian. We're getting 0.5 to 1 inch of rain (normal daily rain) and it's filling up the front yard and ditches. Fortunately, at this time, the water's daring through the sand within a quick day or so. If we get another slow moving tropical storm or hurricane, it'll be another summer of mushy yards and flooded streets.

Proof! Wild Gnomes look just like domestic Garden Gnomes !!!

Quadruple bypass 4 years ago. Up and walking around in the hospital less than 4 days after the surgery. Do everything they tell you and you'll be fine. Good luck, and remember, fishing would be considered light cardio, unless you're running after fish swimming downstream.

Welcome to the site!

I fish with all types of gear, like many of you. My first reels were spinning reels. Cast right and retain the rod in the right hand, use the left hand to operate the reel. I can skip a lure 20 to 30 feet under a dock with a spinning rig. Then I learned fly fishing. Cast and hold the rod in the right hand. As stated by others, I rarely put a fish on the reel, but all my reels are left hand retrieve. So, spinning and fly, reel with the left hand, control the rod with my right. I can cast my fly rods with my left ... pretty good with it, too. But I cannot get the hang of controlling the line with my right. I have to switch back to work the fly, set the hook and bring the fish in. When I moved south of Indiana, I started chasing larger fish with larger lures and took up the baitcaster. For some reason, it didn't work the way the other systems did. I still cast with my right, but then I switch the rod to my left and control the reel with my right. I think the reason that felt natural is that I've always palmed the reel. Cast with the handle, then grab the reel in my left hand and control the rod from there. I also use the reel a lot more to work the lure. I can skip a lure about 10 feet or so with a baitcaster.

As a "true fisherman" I can usually answer, yes, and recount how many!

Holy Moly !!! That is some great fishing !!! I sure hope you keep hitting the right spots. Your arms and shoulders will be sore after three weeks!

I touched down in Phoenix this morning. It got to 104 today. I might try to do a little fishing, but $20.00 a day for a non-resident license + 100 degrees or more = yeah, I probably won't. Going back to Florida on Friday for a nice long month at home!

DIBS !!! I call DIBS if you decide you don't like it !!!

Stunning! Excellent work and beautiful trees.

Thank you!

The recommendations for bear country is to carry pepper spray and wear bells. If you're unsure if the area you're in is "bear country" or not, look for bear scat. It's easy to spot. Just look for animal crap with bells in it that smells like pepper spray.

I'll be arriving in Connecticut on Sunday. Staying in the Groton area. I'm not even sure if I want to take my fishing equipment.

Welcome to the site. Hopefully, we can answer any questions you have. Just like most online content, though, take everything you read here with a grain of salt. If it can be taken as an insult or a joke ... always assume it was meant as a joke.

You're correct Mark. I saw the second sentence ... but I guess I completely missed the first one. “"She was 12 pounds 3 ounces, the biggest fish ever! Before I went to O.H. Ivie with Dalton, I literally had only caught a 7 pound 8 ounce largemouth.'" That's what I get for "scanning" an article.

Looking fantastic! Do you have to duck going through that arch?

You're catching fish in that variety, close to home. Your bonsai garden is looking wonderful. Life seems to be good, right now! Happy for ya. Nice that the deer are comfortable that close. I'm fine with hunting, but it's good to see places where the wildlife is ... unmolested.

Just a personal opinion/observation. If it doesn't make you sweat or improve your physical stamina, it's not a sport. Knitting, painting (art), cooking, etc. All these things can improve your ability to perform certain functions. But none of them improve your physical conditioning. Fly tying falls into this category. Fishing, the way I usually do it, isn't a sport either. I sit in a boat and cast. The most exercise I get while fishing this way is using the paddle to scull the boat around. Fishing during my last three week trip to California, however ... THAT was sport. Walking the edges of foot hill reservoirs took more physical effort than I've done in several years. It was fun, but I definitely put stress on my muscles and heart that proved to me they're all working just fine. Kinda wish I had that kind of fishing here, so I could do that form of exercise every weekend ... while fishing. Summary: flytying ... definitely NOT a sport. Fly fishing ... maybe, depending on how you're doing it.

You can get an inexpensive vise with a "rotary" capability. A "true rotary" can be a benefit to advanced tiers, I suppose. But the rest of us can use a "rotary"

I've had a Lenovo for several years now. No issues with it and I highly recommend them. Office Depot has a great sale going on them right now. https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/7316208/Lenovo-IdeaPad-3i-Laptop-156-Screen/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&mediacampaignid=71700000107550684_19775927934&gclid=CjwKCAjw3ueiBhBmEiwA4BhspHWOm9g1T6roSMv4fMq0ivfK9fdNXFltFoPQtfooGsoUJn0E71Lv3RoCV9QQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I'm very happy for you. Behind the smile is my envious face. Looks very good, Steve.