Gator

I don't know whether this is a good omen or not. We just got back from the ADK on Saturday, and I was finishing woods work yesterday when, as I was setting a chair into a platform blind, I caught a glimpse of bone out the window. I turned to see a really nice buck make his way through an open goldenrod field 25 yards away and into some pines. My fat fingers fumbled the phone and I failed to get a photo (say that one three times fast, lol). This was around 3:30 in the afternoon. But later that evening I had this photo come through on my cell cam. I also wanted to shout out to all my buddies who pitched in while I was gone to replace the windows in the tower blinds and put a new roof onto one of them. It's great when friends exceed expectations! I very much appreciate all the help I've had this year getting the properties ready to go - you guys know who you are - and I look forward to seeing everybody enjoying the fruits of their labor this fall. Meliora!

Sounds like it's time to send a diver down to take care of that sunken mooring.

X2. I have received a grand total of one picture since moving the Spypoint - only a hundred yards - so I know that it is working, and with fresh batteries, but nothing in almost a week. AT&T rocks the west side, but Verizon blows IMHO. My AT&T cams have full signal everywhere I put them. Anybody want to trade an AT&T model for a Verizon? I have one Spypoint and one Moutrie where I chose...poorly.

We lost three out of the four park giants that had been seen on camera over the summer a few years ago. I think more of those big guys die from cars in certain areas than from hunters, particularly near suburban parks.

I love bloody racks

Better a Twili than cheap rollers. We have used them for fifteen years and never seen scoring on the guides or had an issue. I don't know the Okuma rods specifically, but I know rollers, and IMHO - why? I expect to see them on high-end saltwater rods intended for big fish. And those rollers cost upwards of $150 for the guides alone. They are worth it. But a factory rod that costs less than a good set of rollers makes me go, "Hmmm..." It is Ford vs. Chevy, though, and you'll get other opinions I'm sure.

I got a nice picture of a bloody rack yesterday, while finishing trimming stands and setting ground blinds. I'm officially done with what I can accomplish in time for season. We leave for the ADK next weekend, and once we're back it won't be long before it's on like Donkey Kong.

You got the DT out of the way, now it's time for the DDT. If you hunt them, they will come...

Jeff handed the pole saw to me in the stand yesterday, right through a bunch of those hanging ivy vines that are so big they look like branches. Too early to tell if we got it...but likely so. It's a regular thing. With more dead ash around, that's becoming a common sight. Sight, cut, repeat. Concentrated Gly Phos (Roundup vine and brush killer) works well on the cut ends to prevent their regrowing, but FYI stay away from soil active stuff like Tordon, or chemicals that can transfer root-to-root. I was naive when we first started habitat work, and I think Tordon does more collateral damage than good. I haven't hung my regular Browning cameras yet, but I have three Moultrie and one Spypoint cell cams collecting information. I'm not seeing the bucks that guys with cameras on the beans are seeing, but it is early yet. Most of the stand work is done - we started as soon as season was over last year and never really quit screwing around with them - and next up is installing Deerviewblind windows in the towers and repairing a hole in the roof of one of them. Who uses particle board for a roof?? That's what I inherited when we bought the property in Albion. We replaced the floor last fall and should have done the roof this spring, but COVID set up back some. We did manage a socially-distanced fruit tree planting party where we go thirty apple, pear and crabs in the ground and caged (thanks, guys!). I'll post pictures as the season progresses. Maybe Brian will put up a picture of his tower blind in Brockport, built in his garage and assembled on site. It's a beast.

These are great reels at a fair price. I'd bite if I didn't already own a bunch of Ross reels, including several of these. You shouldn't have any problem selling them.

You mean like the fifty rods I have sitting in my basement and hanging in my garage lol? And 90% of the time, I end up fishing the same couple ones. I don't think I've built a rod for myself in three years - but I've built rods for almost everyone I know. It gets to a point where the differences are too subtle to justify a new build, and as mentioned above, sometimes you run into a dud. Why mess with something that you already love? But i also love to build. So most of my stuff ends up in other folks' hands. It's a good feeling when your buds catch a nice fish on a stick you wrapped for them.

I've built 8-10 rods a year for the past decade, no expert by any means, but enough to echo what's been said above. You won't save money trying to build your own. What you will do is get a rod that's set up exactly how you want. Particularly with bass and walleye rods, where the permutations are infinite. If you're around Rochester and want to get a better sense of the game, give me a shout. I'm happy to show you the ropes. The downside is that it's tough to figure out the exact characteristics of any blank based on a description, as all manufacturers use their own systems, and a 2 power walleye rod is very different from a 2 power saltwater blank. Even trolling blanks can be a bear. Don't make the mistake of confusing saltwater trolling blanks with Great Lakes. Frankly, I agree 100% that there are lots of good factory rods out there at decent prices, and blank-wise you're looking at an e-glass or composite blank anyway, where sensitivity doesn't matter - it just needs to be able to withstand constant torque. That having been said, I've stripped and re-wrapped new guides on some of my older Daiwa brown trout rods that I loved back in the day, and they're shiny again. It's a great place to start without breaking the bank.

That's a classy move, giving back to the cause, and a heck of an example to set. Good for you guys! Your team looks like they enjoyed themselves thoroughly, despite washing their shoes. Puke is pink, right?

More often than not, this is my typical trail cam picture lol. I will post some eye candy once the big boys start moving. Don't strain your eyes - I don't see anything either.

Killing it and taking no prisoners...