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try a weightless texas-rig senko next to the weedline for the bass. 3/0 ewg hook, watermelon/pumpkinseed if it's clear water, junebug if it's murky. cast it out, let it fall to the bottom, lift the rod tip, reel in a bit, let it fall again, repeat. the senko bite is very subtle and you can sometimes see a fish bite by seeing the line move or just feeling the end of your rod be mushy - like half or more of my senko bites are just me lifting the rod and feeling it be mushy and setting the hook. i gotta get the kayak on the lake again, typing this made me itch for a bass.
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May 25, 2023 22:36
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| # ? Jun 6, 2024 16:55 |
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That spot looks chill as hell. I'm rusty and have limited experience, so my advice may be obvious or pretty basic if you've been reading up a bunch. A good, soft, accurate first cast (like a good spot close to the reeds) can sometimes snag a bite while the lure is falling. If nothing strikes on the fall, I try to be very patient and wait maybe 30 seconds to a minute, then you might get a bite the first time you twitch it and let it rest again. It's super relaxing to finesse fish like that with a texas rig. Watermelon red flake works great. Junebug or black/blue at night or cloudy days. Sometimes changing colors will just get you a bite. Senkos, craws, kinky beavers (lol) and baby brush hogs have all been good to me. Sometimes they are more active and will hit a moving bait (usually when the bite has been more frequent overall). I like using a small Owner Flashy Swimmer with a keitech paddle tail swimbait. Similarly a soft cast next to the reeds, let it fall, then if nothing strikes you can very slowly and steadily swim it back along the grass and get a bite that way. I've had all sorts of fish hookup with that combo, including sunfish, rock bass and small/largemouth. Sunfish seem to go crazy for really tiny crankbaits sometimes. They're hard to cast without a smaller line and pole.
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May 26, 2023 00:13
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If you aren’t against it, throw out a slip bobber with a chunk of night crawler on it and you’ll probably get those panfish going! Throw a whole night crawler out there and those bass will probably play too. Never a bad idea to try a wacky rigged senior or Ned rig/turd worm either!
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May 26, 2023 16:37
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Any folks here have a boat and live in an apartment? How do you do it? Do you keep it in a storage unit?
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May 26, 2023 22:37
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Charliegrs posted:Any folks here have a boat and live in an apartment? How do you do it? Do you keep it in a storage unit? Carry it on top of your truck? How big of a boat are we talking about? Like kayak or canoe? Bass boat on a trailer? 17' center console?
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May 27, 2023 01:24
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Charliegrs posted:Any folks here have a boat and live in an apartment? How do you do it? Do you keep it in a storage unit? What kinda of boat? I live in a condo/ apartment and have 17ft lund that I just bought. I got a spot at a city owned marina here on lake Ontario. If there were no spots available I'd have to keep it at a storage place. Also have a canoe, when I lived in a basement apartment, my landlord let me keep it in the backyard. Since I bought my own place, I don't have anywhere to keep it so it sits in my parent's backyard. I could *probably* keep it on my patio at my place as I'm on the ground floor, but there isn't a good way to get it there. There's like 15 ft of shrubs I'd have to go through to get it there.
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May 27, 2023 02:39
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wesleywillis posted:What kinda of boat? I live in a condo/ apartment and have 17ft lund that I just bought. I got a spot at a city owned marina here on lake Ontario. If there were no spots available I'd have to keep it at a storage place. sell me the canoie
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May 27, 2023 02:51
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Had much more success this morning, I got a 14” largemouth (I think) with the weightless Senko, then I busted out this old Teeny Torpedo for giggles and got a Crappie who unhooked himself and broke it but landed himself conveniently at my feet. Lastly I threw on a fluorescent fly and dropped it right in front of a Bluegill’s face and he immediately bit, and I teased another Crappie out of a small weed patch with it for 10 minutes until I got him to bite too.   
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May 27, 2023 17:56
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T-Square posted:Had much more success this morning, I got a 14” largemouth (I think) with the weightless Senko, then I busted out this old Teeny Torpedo for giggles and got a Crappie who unhooked himself and broke it but landed himself conveniently at my feet. Lastly I threw on a fluorescent fly and dropped it right in front of a Bluegill’s face and he immediately bit, and I teased another Crappie out of a small weed patch with it for 10 minutes until I got him to bite too. That's a nice bass! It looks like you're getting the hang of it. I fished my entire 3 day weekend and only caught one little Rock Bass lol. Also I saw a crapload of water snakes so that was pretty cool.
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May 28, 2023 18:20
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i got a shimano vanford and a yakrods finesse spinning rod and after not having used nicer fishing equipment i think i'm ruined now. hooked up to a bass earlier and when it bit i felt like the rod was getting yanked out of my hand compared to the old stuff. blew me away. kinda wish i'd taken photos, there were three baby bass (maybe six inches) hanging out at the waterline chasing minnows.
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May 30, 2023 15:35
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Southern Cassowary posted:i got a shimano vanford and a yakrods finesse spinning rod and after not having used nicer fishing equipment i think i'm ruined now. hooked up to a bass earlier and when it bit i felt like the rod was getting yanked out of my hand compared to the old stuff. blew me away. Bait finesse gear has ruined me too.
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May 30, 2023 16:19
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Sickening posted:Bait finesse gear has ruined me too. it's just a medium power spinning rod on a nice st croix blank with some nice features for kayaking (shorter handle with a tether loop) - as far as i know bfs stuff is much lighter. the sensitivity compared to a cheap berkley or bass pro store brand medium spinning rod is what got me.
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May 30, 2023 17:09
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Southern Cassowary posted:i got a shimano vanford and a yakrods finesse spinning rod and after not having used nicer fishing equipment i think i'm ruined now. hooked up to a bass earlier and when it bit i felt like the rod was getting yanked out of my hand compared to the old stuff. blew me away. It sounds like your new equipment is a lot lighter than your old stuff. Which is awesome, I love light tackle fishing. Some of most thrilling fights I've had were with largemouth bass and pickerel in the 3-5 pound range using my noodle thin trout rod with 4lb test line. I have a somewhat heavier rod with 10lb test that I mostly used for cat fishing but I recently moved near the Atlantic ocean so I'm really hoping to catch some striped bass or bluefish with it as it would be considered a really light rod for that. I've caught bluefish on pretty heavy duty deep sea fishing gear and they still fought like maniacs I can only imagine catching them on this rod I have. Anyway my point is, ultralight for life.
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May 30, 2023 17:45
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Charliegrs posted:It sounds like your new equipment is a lot lighter than your old stuff. Which is awesome, I love light tackle fishing. Some of most thrilling fights I've had were with largemouth bass and pickerel in the 3-5 pound range using my noodle thin trout rod with 4lb test line. I have a somewhat heavier rod with 10lb test that I mostly used for cat fishing but I recently moved near the Atlantic ocean so I'm really hoping to catch some striped bass or bluefish with it as it would be considered a really light rod for that. I've caught bluefish on pretty heavy duty deep sea fishing gear and they still fought like maniacs I can only imagine catching them on this rod I have. Anyway my point is, ultralight for life. nah, same power. i pretty much use a medium power spinning rod with a plastic worm 95% of the time to hit weedlines for bass and i just got fancier stuff for that. it's just markedly more sensitive.
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May 30, 2023 17:56
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Fish can tell the quality of gear you are using and will respect nicer stuff this is a science fact. I also have more fun fishing nicer gear, even if I'm getting skunked.
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May 30, 2023 19:47
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Yearly reminder: I feed my pond It is is Northwest Indiana about an hour from Chicago There is good food within walkable distance I probably can't host overnight? If you like Bluegill and can get an Indiana license hit me up Catch and Release obvs Also maybe LMB and definitely some dece size Bullheads There are some seriously beautiful 7-9" Bluegill in there and they are FUN and easy to catch
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May 30, 2023 20:24
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Desert Bus posted:Yearly reminder: Oh man I love stocked ponds. I wish I lived closer. You ever think of putting Channel cats in? They would probably get huge and are so much fun to catch.
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May 30, 2023 22:18
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I've been out fishing a bunch since opener a couple weeks ago, and I even caught a few fish! opener morning on lake nokomis i caught 4 walleye, all 12-14". i kept and ate the 14". pictured was probably the smallest one. actually the first walleye i've ever caught+ate completely on my own. that's been a big motivation of mine  that morning i also caught my first ever tiger muskie  (even if it's just a baby)  don't tell my boss, but last week i snuck out over lunch break to catch some smallies. my work is pretty much right on the river so it's way too convenient  this weekend i also took the kayak out on the lake by my wife's family place during a get together and caught this lil pike  also got out on the river on my kayak and caught a few smallmouth. i'm starting to wonder if there's anything besides channel cats and smallmouth in the area because that's literally the only two species i've caught there in the last year.
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May 30, 2023 22:30
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Charliegrs posted:Oh man I love stocked ponds. I wish I lived closer. You ever think of putting Channel cats in? They would probably get huge and are so much fun to catch. It ain't stocked been stocked since I think the 70's? It's just well fed lol I have considered paying for a couple of channels and some more bass and some baitfish so that it's not so lovely but... effort? money? give a poo poo? I would love more predators to thin out the smaller Bluegill population so the big ones can get bigger. There is at least one 18" shell Snapper in there and the Grey Heron pair does some good work but they can only eat so much. I just like feeding fish and local fisherpeople love this pond for some strange reason...
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May 30, 2023 22:31
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Desert Bus posted:Yearly reminder: Where at? I'm in Indy and could use a day trip
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May 30, 2023 23:14
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camoseven posted:Where at? I'm in Indy and could use a day trip I could probably be convinced to come out if it's a weekend.
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May 31, 2023 01:18
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It's the one closer to 30 on the south side. about 30mins east from I-65 maybe 30mins south from 80/94? https://www.google.com/maps/place/9...39521?entry=ttu 
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May 31, 2023 19:28
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The feeding action is already pretty decent this year, a LOT of them seem to remember me but if you give it some time it'll just get better. it's a lovely little runoff pond that I've dumped hundreds of pounds of food into over the years. It's dumb fun at this point if you're into Bluegill.
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May 31, 2023 19:30
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I mostly tie on hooks and lures with an improved clinch knot. Is it ok for thicker mono line like 15lb or more? I feel like there's probably a better knot to use. It's not like I'm breaking off or anything but it's a bit harder to tie a knot with line that thick.
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Jun 2, 2023 23:14
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Charliegrs posted:I mostly tie on hooks and lures with an improved clinch knot. Is it ok for thicker mono line like 15lb or more? I feel like there's probably a better knot to use. It's not like I'm breaking off or anything but it's a bit harder to tie a knot with line that thick. i generally use a palomar for terminal tackle. maybe easier to tie with thick line than thin actually. it's super simple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY4ZLtuG3fg
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Jun 2, 2023 23:28
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Charliegrs posted:I mostly tie on hooks and lures with an improved clinch knot. Is it ok for thicker mono line like 15lb or more? I feel like there's probably a better knot to use. It's not like I'm breaking off or anything but it's a bit harder to tie a knot with line that thick. The San Diego jam knot is very good for thick line. I've personally used it on up to 60lb mono.
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Jun 3, 2023 09:06
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Headed up to Wakami Lake Provincial Park on Thursday. Am very excited. We're renting a 16' boat from the Park, which makes the whole trip super convenient. Initial plan is to cast jigs tipped with worms or white twisters. Will probably get some minnows too. Maybe drag some raps in the evening. Anyone have any other lures or techniques we could try?
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Jun 5, 2023 15:13
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Yooper posted:Headed up to Wakami Lake Provincial Park on Thursday. Am very excited. We're renting a 16' boat from the Park, which makes the whole trip super convenient. Texas rigged plastic worms around cover works for me and I suck at fishing. Also since you'll be on a boat, you should try slow trolling with something like a rapala (hard swim bait) that always worked well for me for bass and pickerel etc.
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Jun 5, 2023 16:07
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Yooper posted:Headed up to Wakami Lake Provincial Park on Thursday. Am very excited. We're renting a 16' boat from the Park, which makes the whole trip super convenient. if you're looking for walleye try a crawler harness + spoon while trolling nice and slow. will probably need a sinker to get it down, you'll want it to be close to bottom. try looking for nice steep ledges and rocky/gravel points. everything eats worms, so as a bonus you'll probably also see pike and smallmouth depending on where you troll https://lakeofthewoodsmn.com/how-to-tie-and-manage-crawler-harnesses/ actually, do you know if you get lake trout over there? i don't know anything about fishing for them but they sure seem fun
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Jun 5, 2023 16:34
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according to fishbrain the main attraction on wakami will be the walleye and some pretty decent looking pike. remember you don't need to go terribly deep this time of year. troll parallel to the shore sticking relatively close and just off the bottom. vary your depth a bit, going out further and coming back in letting out line as necessary to hug the bottom until you find them, then try to hone in. they'll often be piled up and concentrated in certain spots, so try not to get attached to any given area if you're not catching. good luck!
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Jun 5, 2023 17:25
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I'd confirm that the park allows live bait. A lot of Ontario Parks don't allow the use of minnows. It's not a brook trout lake so it seems unlikely but better safe than sorry.
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Jun 5, 2023 17:40
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If that park is in Ontario, you might want to check the regs before doing any bass fishing. I think that in *most* of the province, bass season doesn't open till last Saturday in June. Just an fyi
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Jun 5, 2023 17:49
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Thanks folks! It is Ontario and we don't plan on specifically bass fishing nor keeping any. I don't believe there are any lake trout, though it is supposed to have a good whitefish population. I'll post some pics once we're back.
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Jun 5, 2023 19:39
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wesleywillis posted:If that park is in Ontario, you might want to check the regs before doing any bass fishing. I never quite understood the regulations around the seasons for different fish species. Does it just apply to fish you can keep? Because you can't really control what kind of fish you can catch. Although you can kind of "target" certain species so maybe you aren't allowed to do that in the off season?
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Jun 5, 2023 21:09
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Charliegrs posted:I never quite understood the regulations around the seasons for different fish species. Does it just apply to fish you can keep? Because you can't really control what kind of fish you can catch. Although you can kind of "target" certain species so maybe you aren't allowed to do that in the off season? In texas it only applies to fish you keep and its only salt water. Actually, some lakes require you keep certain fish you catch depending on the time of year as mortality rates jump up in certain seasons. Its also dependent on species.
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Jun 5, 2023 21:21
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Bass nest this time of year. Basically they guard their eggs, don't eat and attack anything that comes near. This makes them easy as hell to catch and given they aren't eating, repeated fights will likely kill them. Their spawn is about guaranteed to die as well, and you also just took a breeding fish out of the population. I personally just go after trout this time of the year because bass are super easy to catch accidentally.. but you're on a walleye and pike trip so I guess just change up if you keep catching smallies? Oh and I'm not sure what your lodging sitch is but the bugs are really bad this year. Be prepared! Edit #2: also there's a bunch of fires going and most of the province has a total fire ban Math You fucked around with this message at 23:11 on Jun 5, 2023 |
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Jun 5, 2023 23:03
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Math You posted:Bass nest this time of year. Basically they guard their eggs, don't eat and attack anything that comes near. I am not a big fan of fishing during the spawn but a lot of this is completely inaccurate. I can tell you with a ton of confidence that I have on many occasions failed the catch the biggest bass of my entire life because they were impossible to catch while spawning. Its also June, is this spawn still going on up north? This seems awful late.
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Jun 5, 2023 23:12
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Yooper posted:Maybe drag some raps in the evening. Anyone have any other lures or techniques we could try? Charliegrs posted:you should try slow trolling with something like a rapala (hard swim bait) Hehehe
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Jun 5, 2023 23:49
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Charliegrs posted:I never quite understood the regulations around the seasons for different fish species. Does it just apply to fish you can keep? Because you can't really control what kind of fish you can catch. Although you can kind of "target" certain species so maybe you aren't allowed to do that in the off season? You are not allowed to target any fish species for which the season is closed and if for some reason a particular area is declared a sanctuary, you are not permitted to fish for anything, regardless of its season status outside of said sanctuary. You are correct, targeting fish in the off season is prohibited and you can to an extent control what you catch. Conservation officers have a fair bit of discretion, but if its late May for example and you're using top waters around a weed bed, you're going to have a hard time convincing them that you are fishing for lake trout. Pulling a red and white daredevil spoon or a bucktail is a pretty decent indication that you're probably trying for Pike though. Or Muskie, which might be closed also. Using a Wally diver to "try and catch some carp" but Walleye season is closed, or that lake does not have any open season for Walleye? Probably getting fined. Sickening posted:I am not a big fan of fishing during the spawn but a lot of this is completely inaccurate. I can tell you with a ton of confidence that I have on many occasions failed the catch the biggest bass of my entire life because they were impossible to catch while spawning. Sometimes fish have done sawed some poo poo and ain't getting fooled. I ain't a fuckin bass biologist, but I'd guess that they probably decide based on water temps. They ain't just being all like "yo, its june 1st, we need to start fuckin and get them kids out the house before motherfuckers start trying to catch us". Up north is probably still fairly cold. Obviously this doesn't necessarily apply to every year. but I think the powers that be try to make a one size fits all rule.
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Jun 6, 2023 02:25
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Couple of questions, I think I read in here as I was making my way through this thread some small discussion on tackle satchels with a little fold out table surface? I think something like that would work great for me if anyone has a recommendation, I’m already kinda sick of lugging around a big plastic tackle box. Also have seen it recommended a hundred times to take a quick fly fishing lesson if you’re interested in it, and my girlfriend has mentioned she would love to get into fly fishing. I did not see anything from a cursory glance on BassProShop’s website though, do they not do anything like that anymore?
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Jun 9, 2023 15:40
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