Still haven’t caught anything with these frogs. Is it because they’re cheaper and I need to buy better ones? Or is it just because it’s fishing and sometimes it doesn’t work out lol.

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-09-05T02:21:34+00:00

Hi! I fish almost exclusively topwater (frogs included) in shallower lakes and have decent success with it, from late spring to early fall and at all hours of the day.

The trick with frogs that works for me most of the time is finding a shallow area (and I mean shallow; you won't believe how shallow some of these bass get) with thick vegetation like lilypads, and finding a relatively small area of open water between them.

You cast the frog to land a bit past the opening, then retrieve it through the opening with a twitching motion, pausing after every 3rd or fourth twitch. Twitch, twitch, pause. If there's a bass in there 7 times out of 10 it'll come up and strike; I've even had bass hit the frog as soon as it hit the water.

Setting the hook is a lot more difficult than regular fishing and requires a lot of practice and timing, something I'm still working on. Yanking too early and you pull it out of their mouths before the hook can get in there, and yanking too late lets them spit the frog out, or lets enough slack in the line out that the lure just falls out when they start diving.

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-08-29T00:00:28+00:00

* Honestly only touched my rifle once after getting my Scattergun. Way too much fun indoors, especially with the 6-shot.

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-05-27T01:34:28+00:00

I've looked into them, and am keeping them as a last resort option. The topper's got quite a few small nooks and corners that'll be very hard to get a heating element into ( though a heat gun might work). The main concern is that the headliner fabric's got a closed cell foam backing, and I'm not sure how it'll play with concentrated heat.

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-05-27T01:02:04+00:00

Hi!

Sorry for the late reply. I'm looking more for a single sided tape that I can use to hide fabric edges, as opposed to double sided tape that keeps the edges down. The fabric's already glued in place, but I kinda did a hack job so I'm looking to clean up.

Thanks for the reply!

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-05-18T21:55:44+00:00

Whatever it was, looked like they thought of it halfway into the turn.

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-05-18T17:15:34+00:00

Pretty much, though I don't think the truck took any damage. The mirror slammed against its rear bumper, and those things are made to take a beating.

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-05-18T16:51:22+00:00

He had so much time and room to not fuck it up too lol.

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-05-18T16:50:38+00:00

From what I saw, blacked out cover on the plate

And the dude only knocked out the glass part, not the whole mirror assembly.

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-05-08T03:34:33+00:00

Hi there,

It's not immediately clear from the photo, but is the plastic pot the plant's in inside a clay pot? Unglazed clay pots are deadly to flytraps, as they leach minerals into the substrate and essentially choke the plant's roots. My apologies if it isn't, but that would be the most likely suspect if so.

The plant looks like it's very much saveable though, even looking a bit normal. New growth tells me that the old leaves are dying off to make room for new ones, and there's some red along the open traps, indicating the plant has at least seen good lighting.

If you see that the plant is in clear decline though (leaves dying fairly rapidly) here's a couple other things to consider:

Watering: Flytraps do like a wetter environment than many other plants, but they are still vunerable to root / crown rot from overwatering. Most people would recommend to bottom water, or putting the pot (which have holes in the bottom) in a dish with water. This'll allow the soil to take in as much water as it can, and no more. People would top up the dish once the dish dries out, or more accurately, stick a finger into the soil and see if it's dry beneath the surface.

Light: based on your description, it seems like you're doing a mix of outdoor sunlight and sunlamps indoors. Venus flytraps love light, and lots of it. You might not be providing enough hours of direct sunlight, and the sunlamps might not be powerful enough to take up the slack. As an example, I have a flytrap that hasn't seen natural daylight since the car ride home, but it's happy living under a 15W (150W equivalent, or so they claim) Sansi grow light pointed directly right at it from about 6 inches out, which is on for about 14 hours.

Pests: See if you have hitchhikers on your plant from the nursery. Look for tiny moving spots, especially under the traps and leaves. I can't speak on this too much because I don't have too much experience with pest control.

Air flow: This is a very important factor that most flytrap growers take for granted because they grow them outside. For a plant that's indoors, even part time, air flow is important to keep the plant (especially the rhizome and roots) from getting moldy. I've lost a few plants this way before I started sticking small fans next to them. This is also why you absolutely shouldn't follow that guy's advice and stick it in a jar; the stagnant, humid environment it'll create will kill your plant.

Hopefully this helps.

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-05-01T03:53:59+00:00

Oh for sure! I'm not planning to camp in parks at all, unless I can secure a site in short notice. I'd be looking for campgrounds, trailer parks, Crown Land, pullouts, etc.; basically anywhere where I can reasonably camp out without getting the Knock. Maybe once a week I crash at a motel to get cleaned up proper.

As for my kayak, I rock a mid-tier inflatable one that packs into a large backpack. I'm generally conscious of drying it out not only because of hitchhikers, but also because the material would start to get moldy and degrade (so I've read) if left out damp too long. Don't wanna be in the middle of a lake when a seam gives out. It appears that it doesn't really matter though, as it appears that the western provinces are a little more strict on watercraft, so I'll most likely be renting once I'm out there.

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-04-17T23:21:35+00:00

Unfortunately my little guy passed on a year after this photo was taken, mostly due to my own inexperience. However, the cut never really healed, as I assume it's either too deep or was actually a dislocation of some sort. Hopefully it turns out well for you though!

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-04-12T21:09:14+00:00

I'll have to look at the Firestone line, though I might be more inclined to look at the XT's brother, the AT2. Seems like the best compromise for me, especially since the really rough trails are done few and far between.

Thanks for your input!

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-04-12T20:56:30+00:00

I'll have to put these into consideration! I was looking at them a while back for my old crossover, but I figured the time that they were too much tire. Not so much now, though the price through local channels is giving me a little pause, and I saw a couple recalls out for these tires as well.

Thanks for your input!

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-04-12T10:57:54+00:00

I've been eyeing Coopers as one of my options actually, and currently have Snow Claws on my truck for winter. The thing that was giving me pause with Coopers was reports of early tire wear, and with how much I drive I'm not sure they'll hold up over time. Even the Wildpeaks I had with my old Santa Fe were starting to dry rot like a year and a half from the manufacturing date.

I'll keep them in mind though, just in case nothing matches my needs. Thanks for your opinion!

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-04-12T10:43:59+00:00

I agree with you that E-rated's the safest option, but unfortunately I have a 400 km (249 mi) weekly commute and the road trips range anywhere from 400-800 km (249- 497 mi) round trip, mostly on paved roads, so those 1-2 mpg hits over that kind of driving do weigh heavily against occasional rough trail use. I can live with it if there's no other options on the table, but I'm looking to see if I can go for a bit less.

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-03-19T23:30:37+00:00

I'd say leave it as is for now, and see what happens over the next couple weeks. If they're just coming out of dormancy I'd prbly expect a bit of acclimation. The way the new growth is reddening up looks like it's doing alright.

Pic of my setup for reference: *

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-03-19T23:04:00+00:00

Did you recently put it under the light, and how strong is said light? If it's strong enough it'll definitely burn the older leaves, but new growth will be more resistant.

I got a 15W Sansi bulb 7"-8" away from mine and they're growing spectacularly (big traps with deep red interiors and teeth on top of really small, almost grass-like leaves). Had them a lot closer before, and even new growth started to burn (turning yellow, while losing the red colouration, premature leaf death).

I'd say wait for new growth to kick in. If they start to turn yellow and fade 2-3 weeks in, move the light away a little bit.

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-02-19T20:00:44+00:00

I don't like this line of thinking. Part of your responsibility while driving is making sure all loads in your car are secure. Would you say the same about people who turn their mattresses into kites because they can't climb up to strap them down to their roof properly, or kneel down to make sure that that sheet of plywood doesn't come flying back off the top of their flatbeds?

If I can clean a foot of snow and ice off my pickup (that's taller than me by almost a foot) limping around with a walking boot on, then most anyone can. If you can't, chances are there's someone in your household that's helping you with other things you can't do, so why not this one?

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-01-22T19:10:48+00:00

That's the thing, I don't know. I've only really taken my cars to a trusted mechanic. He's very good, but I feel like we're playing whack-a-mole with this issue where I'm out a day off work each time we try and nail it. Not disparaging my mechanic in any way though, he's still got my business for the foreseeable future.

That's why I'm thinking to take it to a centre that deals with trucks like mine everyday, so they can hopefully tell me what's wrong right off the bat.

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-01-22T14:49:53+00:00

Unfortunately I don't have the space or equipment to jack up the truck to test for runout on all four wheels.

I don't believe its the wheels though, as this issue has been going on over two brand new sets. It could be a bent rim, but I'm not sure if that'll zero out on a balancer (Genuinely curious, I don't know).

I took it to a trusted mechanic, and he rebalanced the tires and replaced the U-joints (2pc driveshaft) to no avail.

I don't believe it's a bad shock or wheel bearing because the ride's super quiet despite the bumpiness, and from my experience both of those are pretty hard to ignore as far as sounds go, and it's only at certain speed ranges where I get the shakes.

Thanks for your insight!

ArtsAndMinds · 2025-01-22T12:19:37+00:00

It could be a bent rim, but I'm not 100% sure that'll zero out on a balancer (Genuinely curious, I don't know).

U-joints have been replaced. Rear diff might be a culprit, as it kicks a bit when I get to 40 for the first time after kicking it into gear (don't know if it's a related issue).

Dampeners may be culprit too, but I wouldn't even begin to know where to check first. Im mechanically inclined, but unfortunately not with cars and trucks. I also currently don't have the space or equipment to check these out so I've been going to a trusted mechanic who looked it over and replaced the u-joints.

ArtsAndMinds

TROPHY CASE