So this is my arsenal for 2 days of fishing, 20-25-30-40-50-60-80 pound rigs, I am beginning to think I am crossing the line of excess.
Not at all! Since you sideline in reel repair, this is just another great opportunity to field test the equipment. Write the whole trip off as research. Good luck.
Oh so we're doing shoe pictures now? Amateur. Caught these today from our creek, fishing with one of those old school white and red bobbers and some hot dog (shoe is a size 12 for reference). Caught six more catfish but they were a lot smaller, 1-2 lbs. Not bad for about 2 hrs of fishing.
Tasty looking catfish. Been too long since I caught one of those. Here's a hawg I pulled out of a boat launch recently while lazily fishing for bluegills. Spoiler: big bass I know you're jealous. Big conservation news in Minnesota is the early closing of walleye fishing on Lake Mille Lacs today, which is one of the major sport fishing lakes here. I don't know enough about the situation to form an opinion, but bottom line the walleye population at Mille Lacs Lakes has dropped to a 30-year low and that is fucked. Also the DNR just released the zone maps for deer hunting this year and it looks like another very restrictive season. I'll be able to shoot only one this year and it is highly unlikely I can get a doe tag too. Oh well, hopefully the deer population will improve. At least the property I have permission to hunt looked fantastic when I stopped by to post no trespassing signs for the landowner. Didn't see any deer or turkeys during a short hike but there were a couple grouse drumming and that is always something I enjoy hearing.
You should come to Georgia - the limit again this year is 10 does and 2 bucks. They are small but plentiful pests.
Same with the zone I hunt in Maryland. 10 does, 2 bucks per method of hunting. Now that I have a bow, I could conceivably take 24, though I'll be thrilled with one and anything beyond that will go to friends/family and homeless shelters.
This place has never steered me wrong on gun recommendations before so here goes a fun one: Looking for a pest control .22 lr. $400 max. Semi-auto or bolt action. Don't really care about customizing it beyond a scope, a few mags and a sling (I know the 10/22 is the elephant in the room). I still have the henry lever action I learned to shoot with but I can't stand the tube magazine, and the action is annoying in certain shooting positions (read: anything other than free-standing).
10/22 is an obvious choice (the take-down model is really slick). Outside of that, though, it'd be worth looking into Savage and Marlin, as well. I have a Marlin .22wmr that I love and I've shot some very nice Savage .22s.
If you needed something to pack into the trunk of the car, you might look at an AR7 "Henry Survival Rifle" You can add a scope to it, but then it would not pack up. Otherwise Effin already mentioned anything I can think of in that price range. Katokoch is probably your best bet for finding something different.
The thought of this is mind boggling, since I usually have to hunt for a few days before seeing a legal deer (or any, at all). However one is still a lot better than none. Does your budget include the scope? If not, I'd look for a CZ 452 or 455. The differences between the two won't matter but I prefer the older 452 model. Can't think of a better built rimfire for the price. Otherwise I'll second the Savage and Marlin bolt actions- they're good and more affordable too, leaving room for the other stuff within your budget.
Budget does not include the scope. I have some old red dots, flip up ghost rings and scopes lying around that I use for my AR but I'm not sure how those would feel on a .22 as they might throw off the balance being a lot heavier and not gun-specific.
I think most bolt action rimfires in this class are relatively similar in terms of weight and balance so you may have to do some experimenting with whatever choice you make. I'll add CZ makes/made .22s with barrels ranging from 16" to 28", so one of those is likely to suit your style. You say you aren't looking to customize much but there is always the ubiquitous 10/22 and its myriad options of barrels and stocks to easily swap out too.
After plenty of research (had jury duty this morning) and going to three different gun shops, I ended up with a 10/22 carbine. I really liked the wood stock, and it was $100 cheaper so win/win. I held everything I could get my hands on, and the 10/22 just felt the best. Some of them (like the mossberg and the marlin) I actively hated. Also the clip fitting flush was nice. Going from an AR-15 with a substantial magazine to what felt like a little flimsy POS with the other banana clips was really off-putting. On a side note: Until today, every gun I have ever bought has been from academy. Best selection, best prices, best customer service. The guy who tried to help me today, I doubt he could explain the difference between a rimfire and a centerfire cartridge. It was frightening that he was the one selling firearms, and it felt very un-safe.
Went out this afternoon for a stroll down the Des Plaines River Trail starting at Independence Grove (in IL) and going to Lake Minear (have to pay for access) to see if there were any spots. Couldn't find a spot from shore which held fish so I walked back to Independence Grove and fished the North Bay with a wacky rigged worm. All these guys were caught on 6 lb mono with an ultralight spinning rod. All were approx 12-14". When I finally started fishing the time of day was approx 3-4:30 pm
Had a pretty good trip right out of San Diego, launched Monday afternoon and took a nice boat ride 25 miles straight out of Point Loma, fish all night drifting and got a good Bluefin, then had dorado, yellowfin and yellowtail during the day, it is very nice to not have a long ride home after fishing for 2 days. It is also nice to has some Bluefin sashimi.
Decided to try fishing with raw bacon today. Caught a dozen bass and a few cats before I called it an evening. This bass is about typical of the size I was getting. The way back was fun though. Our creek is about a half mile drive on the ranch from my house, and on the way back I crossed paths with a large hog. Only thing I had on me was my brand new 10/22 I was plinking with at the creek. While it's normally quite difficult to down a hog with a .22, let alone one that is moving, about 30 yards from you, and with iron sights... apparently a swarm of .22 rounds is quite effective. I unloaded 10 rounds into it and, shockingly, the fucker went down. Since I value my life I didn't feel like going into the woods to pull it out, but when I drove up I saw it rolling around amongst the cedars and acting like it got stung by all the bees in the world. I'll pull the beast out in the morning so the vultures can feast. To my knowledge, it did not have a tracking collar on it.
My archery hunt is coming up so I have been trying to shoot everyday, I made a mistake yesterday on one shot and pushed my wrist out to far and paid the price. It is cool to see you arm swell up instantly.
Done that before with a buddy's 80 lbs bow. Asked me if I wanted to try it. Wasn't thinking about my arm, but still good shot placement on the target. Hurt like you wouldn't believe. I imagine your draw weight is a lot heavier for elk, no? And why the fuck weren't you wearing an arm guard?
No I shoot a Bowtech with a draw weight of 70lbs, 300-340 feet per second at 30 yards my carbon arrows with go in one side of an elk and out the other. I always said arm guards were for sailors and faggots since I whacked my arm I have decided that I am one or both and bought an arm guard yesterday.