Quick, deploy the nets!

I usually shoot for a nice dry stretch close to May 1. Let the roots take hold more as things start to really green up. If you do it now you’re way more likely to damage grass than help it

Different scenarios for everyone for sure.

My boat sits in a 48 degree heated building year round with regular use so I’m not concerned. If I parked it for months in a completely unheated building or outside I’d struggle to just let lithium (or any batteries) sit through that regardless of alleged capabilities.

Mike W wrote:

Running a 24v 100amp on the Rainy River this week in my neighbors boat and it has been fantastic. Li time battery. Think Eric has $500 into battery and charger. This will be the third day on it without charging. Was still at 69%. Just not having to worry about it running out in a day is great. Blue tooth on it is a must to know what you battery is up to. Blue tooth also has a temp reading so you know if you can charge it or not. Even pulling the battery if you do need to is not that big of a deal. I’m sold and will be getting one.

Here is it’s stats this morning after running two days.

Impressive for sure.

With that kind of real life data, it’s making me wonder if I even need 100AH. I probably run a trolling motor for 3-4 hours maximum per outing and it’s often to just steer when pulling cranks or to readjust while slipping the current or on a long drift.

I know nothing of the area, but do know that winterkill areas aren’t always “bad”. They can bounce back fast and better than ever before if anything survived.

If small and low profile is what you’re after, I’d watch for a used Honda Rancher 350 or even one of the Recon 250s. The Ranchers with the 400/420 are pretty snappy machines, but the cost goes up to get into the 400cc class.

The Kodiaks are nice too, but they seem to sit higher even in these smaller classes which may be an issue with your trailer situation

I bought a used Kodiak this year after watching for something used that wasn’t beat on.

I’d agree with BC that $1000 isn’t going to get you something reliable.

This thread is making me hungry for egg salad. Egg salad sandwiches washed down by a cold beer between fish while pulling cranks is a staple of summer in my boat.

I lost some brain cells watching that. There wasn’t a person in that video who wasn’t an idiot.

Price on just the trolling motor?

I’m probably going to make the jump too for my TM. My group 31 Deep Cycle batteries are tired.

I am fine going with ONE 24V battery vs 2-12’s as I keep a charged booster pack on board at all times plus have a dual purpose cranking battery on board that will stay AGM.

My Questions:

1. Is there any reason to install a new on-board lithium charger for x1 – 24V battery, or if I’m willing to just plug in a portable charger to the battery when needed won’t that be sufficent? One flip of a lever and I have access to my TM batteries without moving anything the way I have things currently set up.

2. With a 80# 24V trolling motor, what kind of AHs should I be looking for? I fish the river and want to be able to hold a spot to fish, but am not someone who sits spotlocked in heavy current for hours on end.

^Don’t forget the 18% Buyer’s Fee + Rochester’s inflated 8.125% sales tax.

I like a good online auction as much as anyone, but for every steal of a deal I’ve made…there are 10 other instances where things go beyond what they’re worth once the fees and hassle are factored in

If I wasn’t at football, baseball, or basketball…we were bombing around from island to island on the Chippewa River with flatbottoms severely overloaded with gear, people, once high school hit we just added more weight with beer. We’d fish all day knee deep in cold, clear river water. We had not a care in the world at that age other than sports, the river, and girls.

There are still 2 spots where a buddy and I will go throw on some waders (or just muck boots if the river is low enough) and go chase walleyes from last light until a few hours after sunset with nothing but headlamps. Yes, it’s legal as it’s border waters. Some of the biggest female eyes’ I’ve seen in my life were on those trips. They are not as easy to catch as one would think. I’d bet we catch 1/10 of the fish we see. It’s tough to carve out a time to meet up and do it, but we will be at it again here in a couple weeks for 1 or 2 nights depending on river flow.

Congrats to you and everyone else who has reached the retirement milestone. Go enjoy doing whatever you want to do every single day.

I’ve got a ways to go, but have 59 “circled” as the magic number and am planning everything possible around it

I do roughly the same thing. I like to hit mine on the end, then roll across on a paper towel before peeling them.

We have our own chickens and I set aside our blue eggs as that bird lays eggs with shells that are consistently thicker which makes them easier to peel quickly (larger pieces).

Do yourself a favor and don’t ever go back to the factory store-bought eggs.

^None of those are designed to be cast far, hence why they didn’t probably work.

The “Rocket Bobber” is the best for casting that I’ve found. The pro series weighted slip float from Thill is right with it but more sensitive to subtle bites or uplifting bites.

Certain lines have been drawn with technology and the harvesting of large game. It’s illegal to use 2 way radios in a way that helps harvest deer. I believe most states have laws on the books that forbid the use of drones while actively hunting large game. Yet for some reason many feel that fishing cannot possibly have lines drawn on technological assistance to harvest (or harvest and release) fish.

I don’t know what the “line” is for fishing. I don’t feel the current versions of FFS are something that need to be banned or strictly regulated. I DO feel that there has to be some kind of parameters at some point and planning for the future isn’t a bad idea. It’s not as if technology is just going to stop.

mnfisherman18 wrote:

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize FFS is impacting muskie fishing negatively. Same goes for panfish on smaller lakes. So over time your average angler will be catching smaller and less fish thus impacting their enjoyment. Its so early that there has not been time to actually conduct long-term credible studies, but seeing and hearing countless stories about the negative impacts at least warrants a conversation.

Its obvious other technologies have impacted fishing, I don’t think theres a person here who would dispute that. I am not advocating for a blanket ban on FFS by any means, but the question is where do you draw the line? I don’t understand why people think we cant or shouldn’t even consider regulating it when other sports such as hunting have clearly demonstrated its possible.

Great post.

The “where to draw the line” needs to be established before technology runs well beyond that line. It’s not about what FFS does now, rather what technology will do moving forward. The technology for average anglers to decimate fish populations in multiple settings without a huge learning curve is not that far off. …and that’s coming from someone who isn’t supportive of some widespread ban on FFS in its current form. My concerns are for “tomorrow” not today and think proactive policies will have to be put in place at some point. I have very very little faith in common people to manage a public resource on their own free will when technology makes it so easy to exploit the resource.

isu22andy wrote:

My wife wanted to buy FFS for my birthday and I declined . Was honestly concerned I was going to catch less fish with it cause I’d be dicking around with it too much . The worst is the species – I’d be chasing a 8 lb drum on the river thinking it’s a 28 inch walleye . Ice is a different story .

I still like to argue I bet it’s 5 percent or less that actually use it to an advantage . I see hundreds of FFS poles on pool 4 … and they ain’t catching anymore than the next guy .

I agree that it’s everywhere and a majority of people either don’t have enough experience with it or aren’t using it in a way that significantly increases their success rates. With that said, I think the next generations of FFS will do way more of the interpreting, managing settings, and even turning to stay with pods of fish in a simplistic more user friendly way that’s basically automated.

What’s really crazy is that FFS is relatively “new” still. We are still talking about its initial generations. The “smart” or “AI” component isn’t even a factor yet. With today’s devices, you still have to interpret the relative size of the fish, guess at the species based on what you’re seeing, and react to its mood while having first-hand knowledge of the lure you are throwing as far as diving depth, fall rate if power corking/drop shotting, etc.

We aren’t THAT far off from a live imaging component that interprets all that information for you. Think “2.5# SMB, 71.4′ from the boat at a heading of 112.4 degrees” with an indicator on the map/imaging circling what it is on a seperate screen and maybe even a suggested lure. Mass produced and shared algorithms for suggested areas to go “scan” or check “live” on major lakes could easily be a factor too.

Fishing is going to be significantly different for future generations. I don’t even want to think about what fishing/catching will be when my children are my age. I am going to enjoy fishing my way for now with current levels of technology, but with the full understanding that what is a hobby of mine now may very well be of no interest to me in the future.

Matt Moen wrote:

I don’t use it on the boat with our daughter. When I’m with the fam I want them to enjoy the time, not have me stare at a screen.

In the pop up <em class=”ido-tag-em”>ice fishing its different. It was fun to teach my daughter to read the screen and gave us something to do when it was slow.

If it’s slow on the boat we’re swimming or tubing.

Well said.

If my 5 year old is with, I don’t even use side imaging to scan spots hardly. We get to well known “fishy” areas and give it a go. If nothing is happening we bust out the snacks, turn our hats backwards, and enjoy the ride to the next spot.

We have had good luck for pancakes with the Kodiak mix. My 5 year old daughter can make a mean pancake 100% on her own on the griddle with the mix. You just have to be willing to eat 1/4lb of chocolate chips in only a couple pancakes if she gets a little wild……..not to mention cleaning up the mess after

Matt Moen wrote:

I’m glad you had a good experience. I don’t know the guy at all…like I mentioned, I don’t have a good reason for not liking him. Something about his demeanor that irks me for some reason. It’s a “get off my lawn” kinda thing I guess.

He’s obviously built a good business…there are a whole lotta YouTube guys vying for views and he’s getting them. I’ll give him credit for that.

The guys filming/producing shows or content that I’ve run into are generally pretty polite. The old IDO crew was nice when I ran into them on Pool 4 years ago too. We ran into Gillespie’s crew with a local down by Wabasha fishing a wingdam. We were calling it a day on a wingdam as they were coming out to fish it. We compared notes for a bit and that crew seemed nice.

More often than not, it’s the guides around here on the river that are the a**holes. Some of them are awesome, but there are a few that rub everyone the wrong way. There are 2 off the top of my head who I wouldn’t fish with for free.

I couldn’t care less about how each tournament (for any species) handles FFS. Using it in an efficent way where you aren’t wasting time is just as much a skill as casting or retreiving a lure is. They’re both skills…just completely different ones. It’s up to those tournaments to define what angler skills they want to award with a trophy/payout/etc.

My only issue relates to bag limits. Those limits are set in-place, and if the MNDNR believes that they are assigned in a way that the system can safely handle MORE anglers taking their full bag limit as technology advances…then so be it. If there’s doubt about whether or not a system can handle the increased success (more anglers taking their full bag limit) then changes need to be made.

I don’t think enforcing different regulations on a case by case basis whether or not a particular angler has the technology in their boat is very practical for COs.

Matt Moen wrote:

Other than Boley using them I’ve heard good things. I don’t know why but I can’t stand that guy.

My opinion of him is the opposite. He’s not screaming, yelling, loud, or whatever while fishing. Most of his content is solid stuff and he’s got a calm demeanor.

I’ve never paid for his content but have seen some YouTube videos and even ran into him on Pool 4 a while back. He was launching in Lake City and was a polite guy. I didn’t know it was him specifically, but saw the camera gear and realized it after the fact. He approached us and asked how the bite was and so on.

Got it. Thanks for clarifying!

I’m confused. Don’t you register ATVs and side by sides to be able to run them on legal trails and frozen public waters? Is this proposed legislation to make it illegal to run them all over public land as you see fit? I thought that was already illegal?

I’m a landowner and ATV owner. I don’t trail ride or register my ATV as the most recent one hasn’t left our land…so this is all new to me

Duke looks like the easy favorite heading into the final 4. They’re the perfect mix of athleticism, size, and smart play. Knueppel just plays like a savy vet who always makes the right play. He’d have looked real good in a Badger uniform had he stayed home.

Houston vs Tennessee is going to be interesting. Those are 2 dog eat dog type coaches who value defense. Both of those teams have gotten this far despite not having the offensive firepower many tournament teams have.

I am not a Bruce Pearl fan. He’s annoying and was a cheater before cheating was legal in college athletics. I hope Sparty knocks them off

Look on the bright side for us Brewers and Twins fans: Only like 315 days until pitchers and catchers report for the 2026 season. The future is bright