u/TarantulaFangs

Alright, so recently I decided to try my hand at artificial lures, I think they can be such a useful tool once you can effectively use them and I REALLY want to get good with them and understand how they work and be able to catch fish with them, but before that I was just using cut bait every time I would go out to fish.

Anyway, I recently bought myself the Ugly Stik 7’ Medium GX2 spinning rod and I have it currently paired up with a cheap stock 3000 reel that came with another rod, it has 10lb mono line, eventually, I’ll be replacing it with something of more quality, but in the mean time, it’s what I have.

Anyhow I bought some 3/8 jig-heads to pair with some recommended pearl white 4” Paddle-tails which meet the requirements of the Rod Lure rating of 5/8 oz.

So, I went out 2 days in a row at some rocky structure just experimenting and casting out and retrieving and I must have had like over 50 casts and I didn’t catch a single fish. HOWEVER, I ALMOST got a bite. As I was REALLY reeling it in quickly and I was LITERALLY at the border of the rocks and water, a huge—-what looked like a calico bass—- swooped in from the left and attacked my lure like a swift ninja, BUT I could not hook it, not sure what happened, not sure if the fish missed the bait or just couldnt get the hook, or what but it was INSANE, it happened in a split of a second and I was shocked by how close to the rocks that fish was at to go after my paddletail. I was upset at myself wondering if I did something wrong or what I could do better next time, however it really would have been the biggest fish I would have caught. That fish was massive for me, I suspect it was around the 14” give or take a few inches.

Anyway, I really need to know, am I doing anything wrong?

🔹Is there a specific technique that anglers use?

🔹Any tips or advice using paddle-tails or soft-baits.

🔹What kind of lures do you use?

Like I said, I really want to get good with these kinds of lures because I just want to avoid constantly using bait.

Ngl, I tried using Jig-heads a while back but they would always come out looking wonky, and I would never get any bites from them. So I gave up on them for a while and just focused on using good ol’ cut bait. But I knew that I would eventually go back to learning how to use em as I just thought they were such a useful tool for fishing since you can reuse them and I’ve seen people catch bass and Halis with them.

Anyway, I’m planning on trying my luck going for some Halibut—-since I haven’t caught any in YEARS—-this weekend and I decided to get me some jig-heads and paddle-tails to learn with. I even got a medium fast action ugly stik rod a couple of weeks ago that I’ve been dying to try out. I see a lot of people so effectively use Jig-heads that I vowed to learn how to rig and use them efficiently. Well, I FINALLY figured out how to rig the lil suckers. Those Halis wont know what hit em’, lol.

I’ve been researching on matching the right oz jig-heads for my rod lure rating and soft bait size with techniques and IN THEORY, I’m confident that I’ll snag a Hali this weekend.

You can see from the pictures the improvement, went from a hunchback jig-head to a much more straight one. I’m pretty happy now that I know how to set them up, but actually using them out in the water will be exciting and a good learning opportunity for me. Wish me luck, ladies and gents.

Man, I’ve been working out a lot, going to the outdoors and just watching my diet all this has been having me crave some steak. Decided to buy a few lbs. Of Ribeyes for $7.99 a lb. And I made the absolute BEST steak tacos Ive ever had. The steak was seasoned perfectly at a medium-rare, can’t wait for the next one. 🤤

Dude, I caught 6 fish today, that has been the BEST record for me. They just kept bitting and bitting but finally hooked a total of 6 fish despite getting nibbles, I couldnt believe it tbh.

1x Spotted Barred Sandbass Hybrid?
3x Smelts ( Not sure what kind, maybe Topsmelt?)
1x Baby Octopus
1x Mackerel

It was a great night of fishing, can’t wait to go back. Are Topsmelt good live bait?

This was my OMAD meal, after a great day of fishing, I got home and was so hungry that I could eat a whole Brontosaurus.

They had a special on Boneless Ribeye steaks for $7.99 a lb. At my local grocery store. This steak was 10oz, with 2 air fried potatoes, eggs, crema and queso fresco, a small avocado and half a cucumber.

Total calories 2,100 and this meal cost me $7.50 to make.

I read the reviews on this game and saw so many negative remarks. I didn’t know what to expect from this game tbh, I love survival horror, love the RE franchise, love the Dead Space franchise, so why not?

I’m about 3 hours into this game and so far I’m REALLY loving it, it’s not as scary as Dead Space in my honest opinion, YET, however I love the creepy horror theme of it. I think this game is definitely worth getting IF you don’t try to compare it so harshly to Dead Space. I know people say the action is repetitive, but I feel like all games can become repetitive later on—-to a certain extent. I dunno, maybe I’m more open minded and less critical when it comes to this genre as it is my favorite style of game. Also, this game looks fantastic, I love when companies pour so much amount of details into games, it really makes them pop.

Over all, I’m pretty curious to know what everyone’s thoughts on The Callisto Protocol is. I think it’s a great addition to the Action/Survival Horror games. Especially as I wait for my Resident Evil : Code Veronica fix, But time will truly tell. What do you think?

Ngl, I don’t gravitate towards side platformers much, however the LN franchise does it well. I love the Creepy/horror vibes.

But boy, Little Nightmares for me was the BEST one of the series and I’ve played them all. I loved despite the characters lacking dialogue the developers did so well bringing so much character from these little guys. I truly felt engaged and connected with them and was rooting for them all the way through. The visuals were stunning, from the dark woods to the abstract, it left me taking it all in and just taking my time absorbing the backgrounds and left me wondering the meaning of all of it.

I can definitely see now why number 2 is the highest rated LN game because the way it was done was spot on.

I still have my criticisms for the LN franchise, mostly lacking replayability, and too short, BUT if you’re like me who loves taking their time getting immersed into the world of the game then I highly recommend LN2. Still not the scariest game, and wont leave you scared and crying to your mommy like a little kid, but still an enjoyable atmosphere and horror themed vibe, imo.

So glad I got this on sale, completely worth it and I’ll be buying the DLC in the near future.

Total rating : 9/10 for me.

Boy have I changed so much as a man, the past 5 years have been nothing but personal growth, I hardly recognize myself anymore.

I went from eating fast-food and restaurants daily to making my food from scratch at home. I learned so much about nutrition, portions, and balancing out the right meals.

I’ve lost a total of 73lbs, it hasnt been easy but the more I learn about myself and all these other things the more tools I have to really achieve what I’m after.

Anyway, I realized that I was a pretty picky eater, I liked only certain foods and wasnt open minded enough to try different foods and ingredients.

This was my first time cooking sweet potato and it was so easy and simple. I just cut it in half, seasoned it and threw it in the air fryer to roast for 40 mins, didnt have to do anything more to it than that.

I cooked 5oz of ground bweef and some fried eggs, chopped a nice cabbage, cucumber and tomato salad with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and some vinegar. Served it with some avocado and a jalapeno for that spice. 😘 Next time I’ll buy some 90/10 ground bweef to help save on the calories, but I needed the extra calories today because I had only 500 for the whole day and the beef was on sale.

Total macros roughly :

1,200 Calories
55g Protein
82g Carbs
93g Fat
22g Fiber

This tasted fantastic and I now love sweet potato, I’ll be eating the other half tomorrow and I’ll be stopping by the store to buy a few more cause this Sweet Potato Bowl smacks!

And it only cost me $5.13 to make.

Well, I had such a great time fishing on a boat that I wanted to do it again soon. I dont want to keep renting out their spinning rods so I decided to try my hand at learning how to use a conventional reel and I wanted something heavy duty that I can grow with. Did some research and the Penn C3 seems to have everything I’m looking for. It’s my first time really investing in a good quality rod, all my past rods are VERY economical and I’ve been catching all kinds of cool fish, but now I felt if I needed a boat rod, I wanted something that could really hold some heavy sinkers for bottom fishing and still be able to go after some Yellowtail and Tuna later on. The C3 is the most I’ve ever spent on a rod and I’m happy with my purchase. Can’t wait to pair it up with a Fathom 2 Level Wind 30.

So what kind of rod(s) do you use for fishing deep sea out on a boat? I’m curious to know.

First time cooking my catch

I really got into fishing the end of last year and just recently have I really been hitting my stride. I try to fish when I can, but I wish I had more time to devote to fishing and the outdoors.

Well, recently I REALLY wanted to go fishing on a boat and I did that, none of my friends are as outdoorsy as I am, BUT they’re slowly starting to come around. However none of them wanted to go boat fishing, I don’t like waiting on anyone so I just booked a ticket on a fishing boat for a few hours and it was amazing.

We kept catching Sculpin left and right, I musth have caught 9-10 of them. Anyway, I love challenging myself and fishing on a boat was a unique quest for me. I also wanted to cook my catch and set out to make fish tacos from the sculpin meat I managed to get.

So, I heard a lot of good things about sculpin meat but I was skeptical, mostly because I’m not much of a seafood guy myself despite loving fishing.

Anyway, I made some nice homemade cilantro lime rice, a baja style slaw, home fried tortilla chips, black beans topped with queso fresco and crema; and the beer battered sculpin fried fish tacos were fantastic! It was the absolute best fish I have ever tried, beats the store bought Mahi Mahi and Cod tacos I’ve made in the past.

One of my picky friends was weary as well, but I told him about the whole trip and he seemed curious to try the tacos and once tried them he loved them. Gave them a 10/10, highest rating to date. I’m truly proud of myself, I went out on an adventure, did well, came home and cooked my catch. I’m really learning a lot and just having fun, this is what it’s all about for me.

What’s your recommendation for a boat fishing rod set up?

Went boat fishing for the first time a few days ago and I had a blast, I definitely want to do it again soon, but I would rather invest in my own gear and buy a good rod setup that will last me a long while.

Now, here’s a few things that I noticed while fishing out at sea. We used a really heavy weight, I believe it was a torpedo 12oz so I’d assume that I’d have to get a rod with the capabilities of being able to hold a weight that heavy.

The ship used a 8000 reel on their rods and it looked like it was a great choice as we dropped our lines straight to the bottom with no problem.

Secondly, I would want a heavier powered rod since I would love to catch bigger sized fish like Stripers, Yellowtail, etc.

And lastly, I was doing some research and despite the rental equipment on the boat had spinning reels, I read that conventional reels are better designed for this kind of fishing as theyre able to withstand more weight like lures, sinkers, and fish.

So, I guess I’m really confused here and just need some ideas on what kind of reel and rod combo I should consider getting for boat fishing and for bigger sized game.

I really got into fishing the end of last year and just recently have I really been hitting my stride. I try to fish when I can, but I wish I had more time to devote to fishing and the outdoors.

Well, recently I REALLY wanted to go fishing on a boat and I did that, none of my friends are as outdoorsy as I am, BUT they’re slowly starting to come around. However none of them wanted to go boat fishing, I don’t like waiting on anyone so I just booked a ticket on a fishing boat for a few hours and it was amazing.

We kept catching Sculpin left and right, I musth have caught 9-10 of them. Anyway, I love challenging myself and fishing on a boat was a unique quest for me. I also wanted to cook my catch and set out to make fish tacos from the sculpin meat I managed to get.

So, I heard a lot of good things about sculpin meat but I was skeptical, mostly because I’m not much of a seafood guy myself despite loving fishing.

Anyway, I made some nice homemade cilantro lime rice, a baja style slaw, home fried tortilla chips, black beans topped with queso fresco and crema; and the beer battered sculpin fried fish tacos were fantastic! It was the absolute best fish I have ever tried, beats the store bought Mahi Mahi and Cod tacos I’ve made in the past.

One of my picky friends was weary as well, but I told him about the whole trip and he seemed curious to try the tacos and once tried them he loved them. Gave them a 10/10, highest rating to date. I’m truly proud of myself, I went out on an adventure, did well, came home and cooked my catch. I’m really learning a lot and just having fun, this is what it’s all about for me.

Went on my first boat fishing trip and it was awesome. Everyone was catching Sculpin galore, they kept biting nonstop. I caught about 9-10 of them, I lost count after 8, but I could only keep the limit of 5, but boy did I have a blast. I’ll have to set this up again soon, but I want to try for an earlier trip. Overall I did pretty good, after having them filleted, I had almost a full pound of meat. Now I get to get creative and figure out what kind of tacos to make out of them. I’m excited because I’ve never eaten what I’ve caught before so let’s see how they turn out.

Not sure if you guys consider Little Nightmares a horror franchise but I do, even though I don’t find it really scary I still love the horror themed atmosphere and still creates enough spookiness for me to enjoy, imo.

Even though I do enjoy and like the LN games, this is my first time playing LN2. I got introduced to the series with a friend playing LN3 on Co-op and I loved it! Boy did I have fun despite so many players criticizing the game for moving developers and “not capturing the original essence of the older games”. I loved it so much that I decided to give the franchise a go, I played LN1 and tbh, surprisingly I didnt like it as much as LN3, both still great games, but I truly did like the 3rd in the series more.

So many people were amping up 1 & 2 for me, but 2 was the absolute BEST in the series from what I heard. Well, I’m probably guessing Im about 40%-50% done with the game and I will say that LN2 has to be my favorite so far between all 3. This game just seems to have done it all well imo. I love what they did “story wise” The environments, the characters, to me it all meshes really well. I just got to the part with the mannequins and it seems like it was done well, reminds me a lot of RE8 DLC. The only few things I dont like about the LN games is the lack of playability, wish they were scarier, wished there was difficulty settings to make the game more challenging, lacking bonus content, wished they all had Co-op, and they are way to short of games.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Big fan of LN?

I just bought a ticket for a boat fishing experience, never fished on a boat before so I don’t know what to expect tbh. I have done predominantly most of my fishing off the pier, and I’ve gotten so much better as a fisherman. I know it will be fun and tbh, I’m not really expecting to catch anything except more for enjoying the moment and getting some experience under my belt. Any tips for my first time? I’m pretty excited ngl, especially since it’s night fishing.

Worked hard for this, went to the store and bought a whole bunch of chicken thigh packs for $15.00 (total of 14lbs), then I individually wrapped them and made them ready for throwing them in the air fryer when I get home from work. It’s basically partially meal prep., I love my food fresh and I love cooking it, it just works for me.

2 Chicken thighs, 84g of white rice, and 1 zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, and some cucumber with a nice fat jalapeno. It all hit the spot perfectly. Total calorie count about 900 cals. Lesss gooo.

Yeah, I know, it’s just a Mackerel, but that’s not really the point here, lol. My fishing skills have gotten so much better, that today I targeted specifically Mackerel and I finally caught one; it’s a testament that my skills as a fisherman have vastly approved. Despite it being a common fish, I could never catch one, until today.

Had my line out for 2 hours without a bite, decided to switch something out, threw it back in and within 2 mins. I got a bite, it surprised the heck out of me. Had a great time with friends today. 💪🏻

This whole plate was around 950 Calories and I’m stuffed. I love Zucchini and mushrooms so adding these veggies to my meal helped me keep the calories down AND stay satiated.

I use to just “ballpark” portions and there were some times where I was waaay off, buying a food scale has helped me tremendously with this.

Just today for breakfast, I weighed my yogurt (248 Cals) then I added my homemade granola (255 Cals) and then I topped it off with some agave syrup. Total macros was as follows :

Total Calories : 593 Cals

Total Carbs : 65g

Total Fat : 30g

This meal helped with getting an accurate assessment with counting calories and it helps me to visualize what a portion can be calorie wise. I’m being very methodical and meticulous in my approach to diet, nutrition and fitness and I love it. Creating these structured systems that helps keep me organized and trains me to be accustomed to a lifestyle change. Super proud of myself, I’ve come a long way. Reworking these systems of daily habits helps me stay on track. Go get it, guys. 💪🏻

Man, I cant believe how much Ive been missing out. This air fryer has been a God send. It makes prepping my meals for the day so easy, tasty and time saving. I’m still trying to figure out everything I can use it for, but so far Ive been roasting chicken thighs and they come out perfectly juicy. This was my first time cooking broccoli in it so we’ll see how well it does.

Overall macros were great. 2x Chicken thighs, 31 grams of white rice, 3 fried eggs and some broccoli.

Total calories around 850 and 69g of protein.