Walleye Supply Company has all supplies for making harnesses. Everything from all sizes and patterns of blades to beads and hooks. Excellent service and quality. They also have a flat fee shipping cost of $5. Go to their website. I've been buying from them now for 3 years, and have never been unsatisfied.
I started using circle hooks for catfishing 10 years ago. No more swallowed hooks, and every fish hooked in the corner of the mouth. I discovered that I could release smaller fish knowing they would live. They are great for pretty much all game fish.
In Wisconsin the DNR did a study on fish consumption and mercury levels. I was a participant in the 90 day study which ended in a physical exam and an taking a hair sample for testing as well as a blood test. I was 70 then and had been eating fish since I was old enough to sit at the table. My mercury level was so low that it didn't exist on their graph. 95% of my fish consumption is from inland lakes and 5% or less is from Lake Michigan waters. I usually eat fish weekly, and eat my leftovers for breakfast the morning after.
Peanut butter and cheese sandwich on rye. Granola or protein bar.
Rapala filet knife from 1965. Still have the leather sheath as well. I have a Rapala electric knife as well that I use for larger catches and doing catfish.
Blue and silver Little Cleos have been a go to bait since trout and salmon have been planted in the Great Lakes. Most flashy spoons work.
Big believer in Power Pro. I use the moss green color. 10 pound test on spinning reels and 80 pound on my casting reel that I use for musky fishing. I fish mostly stained water, so I don't use a fluoro leader unless I fish a clear water lake. If my line fades, I freshen the first 4 feet with a marker. People complain about the cost, but I usually leave the same line on my reels for 5 years. Braid has no memory, so no problems with coiling or line twist. I've been a fan of braid since it first came out.
Shiners on tip-ups or a dead stick. If jigging for panfish, use wax worms or small plastics. I've even had luck using the fat and rind edge from bacon cut in narrow, short strips,
Floating keeper nets work well and store in little or no space.
Twister tails make a great trailer. I usually overlooked them until I started teaching my 11 year old grandson to fish. They work as well now as they did 50 years ago.
I use Rooster Tails, Mepps and Panther Martin spinner baits on a regular basis. They are an excellent search bait and can be fished at various depths depending on speed of retrieve. I've caught everything from crappies to muskies.
Take it out on the water. You don't buy a car without driving it first!
One day I was fishing on an area lake and saw an empty 16 oz. beer can floating in the water. I motored over and picked it up. Then I saw another and another and so on. After the 11th one, I found their owner drunk as a skunk and sleeping in his boat with the last beer in his hand. I fish from my boat and have a beer at home if I want one.
All 3 of my Jitterbugs are the green frog pattern. My largest is jointed and is my go to lure for early morning and dusk. Works good for targeting both bass and northern pike.
My brother is 80 and I am 72. We fish together often, either in his Lund Pro-V or my 14 foot jon boat. We enjoy each other's company and fish for everything from crappies to muskies. Age is just a number. If the day comes where we can't get in the boat, I'm sure we will fish from shore or piers. I also have an 11 year old grandson that loves to fish and keeps me hopping.