I’ve only been to Rainy, so can’t speak to fishing but here’s what I like for sites.

Dock sites are king, sand sites are OK if you don’t mind getting wet, rock sites are rock and not very pleasant to get in/out of. I’d look at the NPS site instead for searching campsites, halfway down this page is a nice interactive map, which links through to the recreation.gov page for each campsite.

We’ve been picky about where we’ve stayed based on site layout, landing type, and wind direction, some can be quite exposed to sun/wind and/or have a big hike up from the lake. Hope this helps, good luck.

It’s likely a dead display, same thing happened to mine a couple of years ago, confirmed it when I checked parts with a buddy’s functioning unit. It’s old enough where unless I run across a cheap/easy fix, I’m just gonna replace it with a newer model off Marketplace one of these days. Hope this helps, good luck.

Bearcat89 wrote:

Yeah they are i believe. How much louder are they then the charge. Are they 50 percent louder ? They are on sale for 299 right now and I like they have replaceable batteries incase the battery takes a crap like my charge did.

IDK if I can say it’s 50% louder but it’s noticeable and we use it for our ragers when the guys get together. If you really want to blast out tunes I’d just get a bigger unit and spend closer to the $500 point, something like JBL Boombox, UE Hyperboom, or Bose SoundLink Max.

I like rtings.com for reviews on all types of tech gear, Might be worth it to poke around that site.

Bearcat89 wrote:

Any one run a jbl xtreme 4 ? How loud are they. I prefer the neighbors can listen to my music when I want loud music.

Yeah, I have three friends that have had JBL Extremes over the years and they’ve been very happy with them. FWIW I think they’re a bigger version of the Charge.

The JBL’s are a great unit for the price, I wouldn’t worry about going back to a newer Charge model or a bigger Extreme or Boombox model. Ultimate Ears (UE) also get good reviews for their whole speaker line and would give them a hard look. Anker are good at price for smaller sizes, larger speakers get mixed reviews but I like them.

Not much experience with Bose or Sonos, gonna spend more on those brands and not sure it’s worth it, like TVs the speaker quality difference has really flattened from the low to mid price range and it’s about value for the price point.

I have a Sony SRS-XG500 and it’s only OK – very directional sound, max volume ain’t great and charge life stinks.

Hope this helps, good luck.

Pailofperch wrote:

They actually have a Snow Bear only fishing tournament on Big Stone each winter with like 70 of them things.

There’s a dealer in Sisseton that runs the Big Stone tourney, same reason you see a bunch in NE SD.

Glacial Lakes Sno Bear

I’ve had friends do that in DL and in NE SD on lakes other than Waubay and Bitter, it’s on my bucket list for sure.

Obsession wrote:

Anyone know the ice thickness on any of Tonka’s big bays (Crystal, Smith, Brown)? Are there SxS or trucks out there yet?

People have been out of Cty 15 on Browns with wheelers since the pre-Xmas snowfall, nothing bigger that I’ve seen when driving by.

I’ve only fished the upper lake on foot this season but I had 10″-13″ on Sat plus saw a 3/4 ton with a 20′-22′ wheelhouse go out of Phelps and south around the islands.

I’d be surprised if there’s less than 9″ on those lower lake bays, probably won’t be long with big houses in those areas. Good luck if you go.

I was out of Hudson on Monday midday, water was ~61F south of the bridge. Bite was decent, fish were scattered for me though, both depths and location.

I might make it back out Sat afternoon, good luck if you go.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>boone wrote:</div>
Maybe a little off topic, but why would a guy buy deer hunting property two hours north of the Twin Cities instead of going two hours in the other direction to southeast Minnesota?

Tell us you haven’t looked at the price of land lately without telling us you haven’t looked at the price of land lately.

that plus some people just don’t want to immediately deal with CWD when buying deer land. I know I wouldn’t but YMMV

buschman wrote:

Not looking to spend a ton. 60-100.00. I know frog togs are budget friendly but seeing what else is out there for comparison.

At this range Frogg Toggs are probably your best bet, maybe Columbia stuff if you can find it on sale. Otherwise start digging at your closest Sierra or Marshall’s, never know when you’ll find a $300 jacket for 50 bucks. Good luck with what you decide.

Baitwaster wrote:

Got myself a “road tub” – 2×6 blocks, small floor jack, cross bar for lugs, pre-packed bearings, rubber gloves, pliers, hammer, screwdrivers…

…with the hope I never need it

I did the same and have had to use it, thankfully in a parking lot vs a busy shoulder, but absolutely worth it.

I like a stouter rod like the one you’re using, currently run a 2B 6’9″ MF, cause I prefer to have more control over the lure and dislike how mushy a ML rod feels when popping a 5/8oz+ bait. I run full mono, 10lb Sufix Advanced, to help with shock absorption and keep fish pinned. A 25 or 30 series reel is nice for balance and line pickup, too.

Some people prefer the softer rods, some swear by braid, but it’s all personal preference cause the fish don’t care as long as you present the bait correctly and you can get them in the boat. Good luck.

I have an early 90s Johnson and as Grouse said, after Robbinsdale Marine closed it’s tough to find a shop willing and able to touch it. Didn’t like anything close so I’ve ended up over at Roberts Marine, Brian and Zach are great to work with.

Had mixed luck with Pro-Tec in Albertville years ago, have not gone back. Good luck with what you choose.

I make a cold brew concentrate 3-4 times every summer, use 1 part coarse ground beans to 4.5 parts water by weight and steep it for 12-24 hours in a stainless pot. Even though I strain it though cheesecloth, I still get some sludge on the bottom of every batch.

I prefer making a big batch with at least a 12oz bag of beans each time, keeps in a glass jar in the fridge for about a week and can make a cup as strong or weak as I’d like. Great in cocktails too.

Scheels usually has their branded A/M 24 on sale for around $80 during their fishing sale, I’ve picked one up the two last years, will probably do the same this spring as my boy will be big enough for it shortly.

I wear mine constantly when I’m out solo and/or when water temps are under 50 degrees, put it on with the kill cord every time I’m behind the wheel otherwise. Once you get used to it, you don’t even notice and I’d rather be safe then sorry. Good luck with what you decide.

Sorry Grouse, I know KWP was a good friend of yours – I just saw you say big brookies on mouse patterns and my mind instantly went to that post. Cheers

Bearcat89 wrote:

What kind of bunk cot ?

We have the kids version of THESE and they’ve worked great for my family, either on their own or stacked. The XL adult versions look nice, too. Definitely not packing light though, even the kids version weighs a ton.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

The late forum member KWP went to God’s Lake and then up God’s River to fish brook trout.

The pictures were unreal. Huge brook trout. They were slamming mouse fly patterns. He had a terrific time.

Great trip if you get a chance.

Since Grouse mentioned it, I had to find the REPORT cause it’s a beauty, both the description and the pictures. Hope it helps with your planning, good luck when you go.

picklerick wrote:

I won the office chili contest last year by using leftover smoked brisket. There were 8-9 contestants and about 22 votes in total. I got something like 14 votes and 2nd place had 3-4 votes.

You can order online, but I buy dried chilis from WalMart or a Mexican grocery store. 3-4 ancho, 3-4 guajillo, and a 2-3 arbol peppers. Remove the stems and seeds and soak them in hot water while getting everything else ready. Blend them into a paste using a little of the soaking water. When your onions are slightly softened, add a little oil if needed, and fry the pepper paste, regular chili powder, cumin, and a small can of tomato paste until it darkens in color. Wing it from there with whatever else you like.

This is the way.

3Rivers wrote:

Regardless of what the final number is, I would rather support aligned regulations statewide in an attempt to make it less confusing for the weekend angler. The confusing regulations is actually hurting angler recruitment and I’ve heard from many first hand that they are very frustrated trying to figure out the regulations for every lake they try to fish. Instead, they just won’t go.

Micromanaging every pond and stream with their own set of rules is not helping.

I’ve long been in favor for reducing the walleye limit for exactly the reason Darren lays out here.

If they implemented a 4 fish limit with one over 18″, they could toss out 90%+ of the special walleye regs statewide. KISS

And I’m glad no one has mentioned minimum length requirements either, those only encourage targeted harvest and actively damage class structures in fish populations.

Gimme two lines state wide while we’re at it, too!

MN Z wrote:

If a lake is partially wide open now, generally, how much ice will this cold weather that is coming make in a week?

A lot, pretty quickly. Only a guide of course but we should have 6+ inches if the forecast holds.

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New Glarus version is very good, Steel Toe in St Louis Park also has their Scotch Ale out right now, named Wee Heavy, has won a few fancy beer awards over the years.

It’s in 6 packs this year and worth it if you see it, they don’t distribute very widely though.

If your group willing and able to pony up for it, a SnoBear trip at either Devils or eastern SD is usually worth it.

No matter the weather, the guides that invest in those machines stay on fish pretty good all season long. Good luck with what you decide.

Was out of Hudson with the FW on Monday during banker’s hours, we did well for not being out there since early August.

Kept 5 legals + 4 others bites, pulling lead in community spots, 20-26 FOW. First bite was a big whitey that really wanted that crank. 62.5 was surface temp, hope to be back out on Sunday afternoon.

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Windy for me. I also like that it has the Euro forecast model (ECMWF), not many apps do and I find it more accurate than GFS or other NOAA versions.

Denny O wrote:

@Rodwork
Do you worry about the bad pathogens for allowing your meat to lie in the 40f to 140f exceeding the 4 hour period?

Not a concern for me either – beef in general is not hospitable to the types of bugs that get you sick, primal cuts especially, since those bugs rely on surface area exposed to air + other surfaces. Plus the enviro inside a smoker is doubly tough for that, the method of smoking was developed to preserve meat after all.

Proper food handling prior to going on the smoke and everything should be just fine.

I have not done it but Kenji does great work in developing these recipes and this should give you a good spot to start, his YouTube channel is terrific too.

https://www.seriouseats.com/sous-vide-barbecue-smoked-bbq-brisket-texas-recipe

There’s two different styles of beer sold as “Oktoberfest” – a Marzen, which is darker and maltier, and a Festbier, which is lighter with more of hop bite – both good but most people have a preference. Lots of the big German brewers make both styles, so it pays attention to check labels.

Both Schell’s and New Glarus are Marzen style, so while excellent beers, they just might not be your jam. Sierra Nevada has an excellent Festbier in 12pk cans that I’ve been buying a lot, good luck finding something you like.

One thing to mention about Nissan/Subaru – certain years in the models that have been mentioned do have problems with the CVT, with many of those years being covered in class action suits to extend factory warranties.

We bought a 2016 Rogue last spring with 78XXX miles on it and the tranny crapped out by September. We were lucky enough to still be within the factory warranty (under 84K per class action) but it was close on the milage. Have known friends/family that have dealt with the same on Subarus.

We do like our Rogue now that it’s fixed but would not purchase another, just to avoid CVT issues. Good luck with what you decide.

Thanks Steve, this is a really great post. Question for you, Andy, anyone with tying experience – do you have any recs for vices + bobbins? There’s a pretty big variance in prices for tying equipment and I’m mostly curious of things to look for and/or avoid when shopping.