Nice catches Kerry, l have not for sturgeons but I live in central Minnesota and fish the border waters between Canada and in Wisconsin where they are common. I fish for muskie and walleyes mainly. I have seen some big sturgeons taken out of the saint croix river and the rainy river. I just don't want to hit one in my boat. 🛶

I have like Canada but cannot travel there now because the borders closed. I liked mazatlan Mexico years ago caught some nice yellowfin tuna but I don't think that I will go back again because of the cartels in Sinaloa now. Hope to go back to Alaska when I can drive my RV there again. I caught a 95 lb. Halibut there off of Homer and lots of silver salmon in the kenai river. The king salmon spawn was over when I arrived in mid August. 🛶

I was able te retire early at 60 with a full state pension and move to the house my father built on a chain of lakes in central Minnesota with my wife and six boats. My dogs passed away and I have not been able to replace them yet.🛶

I usually use Rapalas different colors and diving lips. For smallmouth bass fishing I cast with a bait spinning reel. I also use my planning boards to fish shallow and my downriggers for deeper water. Have to be careful for rocks and reefs. 🛶

Beef jerky, sausage sticks, cheese curds but I fish in Wisconsin and Minnesota a lot. Cheese curds can also be used as bait for catfish. 🛶

I like cheap lures ar garage sales and pawnshops. To cold in Minnesota for garage sales now but in April and May I will be looking. It is good to look around lakes as they have tackle and a lot of widows just want to get rid of it and don't know what it is worth. I always pay a fair price for it.🛶

My favorite is my grandfather Finnish kahala knife. He was a commercial fisherman in Finland. I inherited it but do not use it anymore I'm afraid of losing it. I use a Rapala 9 " knife now they are are thin bladed knives and flexible work good on filleted northern pike. My friend that fell through the ice and died always used a electric fillet knife. I never tried it. But he could cut up fillets fast. 🛶

I tail hooked salmon in lake Michigan on my downriggers and always released them. I thought that they were huge fish the way they fought only to find a 10 12 lb one. I was camped in Wisconsin north of Milwaukee one year and there were some people snagging salmon out of the river. WDNR tagged them for it. I was bass fishing in a tournament in Missouri on Truman reservoir and pom detire and saw many people snagging gar fish off the creeks flowing in to it . I have never tried it looked like they were using large treble hooks and heavy duty lead weights. 🛶

I put non ox gas in my boats and mustang every fall here in Minnesota. I buy it at my local Fleet farm store. Its labeled on the pump for off road use only but I have never had a problem buying it. I think I paid about $3.00 a gallon last November.

I don't know about NC I'm in central Minnesota and it has been below zero for 11 days now. Warmed up to 6 degrees today. Walleyes and northern pike. Always bite under the ice. Lake trout also but they are farther north from where I fish. When it starts warming up in March the panfish go nuts ice out is the best time. 🛶

Hi all I live in central Minnesota and it was -25 last night and it warmed up to -6 today. And have 2 feet of snow here. But I have snow plows and blowers and long underwear sorel boots and a Polaris razor. 6 months of winter up here. But am not in Canada just close .🛶

Sorry to here about your mother. Mine was in a nursing home for 7 years before she passed away. Was in a mental health situation. I am just glad that she passed away before this virus started. I live in central Minnesota and am used to the cold weather here. My wife hates hot weather will never move south but it gets hot here in the summer also and humid.

Hi I live in central Minnesota and when I can get my boat out after the ice is out I like the shallow bays on the south side of the lake. It warms up faster. I like a spinning rod with a small jig 1/8 to 1/4 once and I like minnows if you can find them at bait shops in early spring here.or else I use plastic jigs. Sometimes black is better and sometimes white hard to tell.I have my partner try one color and I try another. 🛶

You can move to central Minnesota where I
Live -25 farenheit this morning and 30 to 45 below windchill. But at least I have two snow plows and blowers. But the ice will not go out until the end of may most likely. 🛶

Hi I worked on the Mississippi river in Minneapolis Minnesota for 18 years at a power plant and every spring cat fishermen would fish below the damm . I talked to some of them and they used there own stink bait in gallon buckets. They would not tell me there secret recipe but I saw it was chicken parts soaked in brine with something else mollass maybe. They were getting some big channel cars and blue cars. I prefer to fish for walleyes and panfish muskie also.🛶