Sorry for your loss. You can be proud of your son and always cherish his memory. You have both given the ultimate sacrifice for God and Country.

One thing I really like about going it alone whether fishing, hiking or hunting. Without someone chirping in your ear, you can always assess where you are and what you’d do if say you twisted an ankle. I have a very small but complete old Forest Service day pack I toss in my truck, boat whatever. I’m confident that barring a major heart attack I’m good to go if the unexpected happens. If I did have the big one, what better way to go than out on a lake or a hike. Someone would find me eventually as I left the note.

I myself always hunted and fished with friends when we were younger. Lots of them are now not around. Fishing alone like all have said is a great experience. Like others, health issues sometimes makes me question how smart it is. Letting someone knowing where you’re headed is common sense especially if you are in a boat.

You’re welcome. I used Stabil for many years. All of the Chain Saw shops in my area switched to Startron about 3 years ago and I followed suit. It is a good product.

Not sure what part of the country you are from, in the Western States we have Maverick stations that usually have 91 Octane non ethanol gas. I mix my oil and Startron additive in before adding the gas to get a good mix. The Startron keeps it fresh in both the tank and carb for over a year. It’s available on eBay and Auto Zone for sure and is better than Stabil.
Good tip on checking with the shop for the engine maintenance.
Nice looking Jon Boat. Age is irrelevant. Be a good guy and take Gramps fishing.

As said above the stupid question is the one that goes unasked.
If you have friends that are wanting you to go, they will most certainly be the ones to ask. I’d bet on them offering advice and gear. If you have fun, tell them you’d like to get your own gear. They will surely help and maybe find you some bargains.
Good luck and most importantly, have fun.

That’s what has been puzzling me as well. In the Slough, if were were not getting action with our normal set up of a plug cut herring we would switch tc not cutting and rig the herring backwards with a good bend for action. Crazy as it sounds, it would get strikes. Also, they seemed to take it harder instead of gumming it. Much more easily to feel or see a strike. It was not foolproof though, as we’d rig up that way to start with and not get hits. A switch back to the cut plug could entice them pretty often.

What a beauty!

I’ve caught keepers in both the Columbia near Kalama and up in some of the tributaries off of the Snohomish river as well as ones too small and a few too big.
I’ve never used a flasher either but I’ve seen some pictures of rigs guys (and gals) are supposedly using in Lake Roosevelt.

Here is my 2 cents worth. Ugly Sticks are tough, reasonable feel and action and good prices. Unless they’ve changed, they also had a lifetime replacement guarantee. That said, I think that a reputable store with a good selection may find a rod for you that you like better but maybe not.
The advice about buying online is solid. I’ve checked three identical rods in a store and one was superior to the others. You just can’t tell until you take it fishing.
Good Luck

I’ve often thought a saw blade would make a great filet knife as it has some flex. The Caron Steel is a pain especially if you leave it in your tackle box. Years ago I saw one made out of an Old Hickory butchers knife. It was a dandy but would start rusting if you set it down to drink a coffee (beer?). I think the guy that had it was constantly wiping it down then hitting with some Olive oil.
I’ll just struggle through life with my Rapala’s.

In years past, I successfully fished for Sturgeon in the lower Columbia and some other rivers on the West side of the mountains. Roosevelt Lake has a good Sturgeon population and season. I’ve never fished it before (it’s a lake behind one of the dams on the Columbia) and have heard that many of the most successful fishers are using flashers and some different baits. I’m used to either a downriver or a crescent weight with a herring. I use a heavy Salmon/Halibut Rod and a Penn 209 with braid.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Such great tips from all. You might want to advance after you start getting the hang of it. With my Grandson I put a few buckets out to the distance he was casting. I exchanged the weight for a regular old red and white bobber to more simulate a lure plus give him a visual and let him try to hit the buckets. He was casting great within the weekend.

It’s pretty hard to break an Ugly Stick.

I started bait-casting with a very old Pfluger Supreme (I still have it) 50 years ago. I just was getting the hang of it when I enlisted. After my service I started whipping the water again. The hot line that was the then new Maxima if I remember correctly. It was called the line the fish can’t see. It did not take but a few casts to see that neither can the fisherman. We were always fishing for Salmon and Steelhead in the rivers and I found out real quickly that a bright spoon helped me to thumb the real just before it hit. If you couldn’t see the lure prior to hitting it was always a bad bird nest. That’s good advice on setting it tight to start as well. If the spool lets out the line faster than the line is traveling it’s a mess to straighten out.
Good Luck and Good fishing.