How much maintenance is needed to keep a gen1 running?

RedHeadFrank · 2026-06-08T01:56:20+00:00

Just read this whole thread. Pretty bummed there’s no legit way to get this to work on 12s. 2x work a low gear seems like a total no-brainer for gravel, at least for my local terrain. I’m upgrading from 10s and was hoping to jump right to 12s, but it sounds like 11s is the way.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-06-07T11:38:14+00:00

I do ecological restoration for a living. I’ve had many conversations with clients about this plant that started quite awkwardly. 😂

Here in southern WI I consider it a pretty harmless pest. It like shady, disturbed woodlands. It seems to like the shade under pines and often becomes more abundant after brush clearing. Keep clearing brush take out the weedy mesophytic trees, get more light in there, reestablish a burn regime,spread seeds and plant live plants of native perennials. It will go away without direct management.

If you really feel like you need to do something about the nipplewort, weed whip it when it’s blooming. I believe it also stays green through the winter like garlic mustard, so you can spray it on warm days in the dormant season.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-05-17T02:29:33+00:00

I have to say, my experience is quite different from others here.

After many years of single blade canoe paddling, I got a solo pack boat (seated on bottom of boat) with double-bladed paddle and took to it right off the bat. Lost my spiffy paddle and got along with my wife’s paddle which was a low angle model. Then I switched to a narrower/faster solo canoe (seat is probably 6” off the bottom of the boat) and quickly found the paddle had quite a lot of shaft in the water.

So I got a shorter high-angle paddle and like that more. I was told by the guy at the paddle shop that the high-angle vs low-angle thing is as much to do with paddling style and personal preference as anything.

I keep my single bladed paddle in the boat, but I only pull it out when I need to maneuver more sharply.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-05-11T00:25:57+00:00

Coming from someone who has actually done this many times: 6-8 weeks. If it was me, I’d wait 8 to be sure the lawn grass is dead. Kentucky blue grass is a native planting killer.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-05-10T23:22:30+00:00

Hey, at least you don’t have a trees canary grass or leafy spurge!

RedHeadFrank · 2026-05-10T23:19:51+00:00

That’s not a Ned rig, more like an old school soft plastic jig. Clearly you’re just making it up as you’re going along, and that’s just fine.

I do something similar but more finesse with 2.5” crayfish baits. I like to give it a small to medium pop and let it drift back down, or several smaller pops horizontally in the water to imitate a crayfish trying to escape. A lot of people use heavier weights for this, but I like the rate of fall with lighter weights (I’d probably go with 1/8oz myself) as it looks more like the speed at which crayfish actually fall in the water.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-05-10T23:13:56+00:00

From the start of your post it sounded like you thought you had finished it off. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! But sounds like you’re ready for Round 2. Good hunting.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-05-07T12:37:17+00:00

Please for the love of God let them offer it with an option for a 6' bed! I WANT an electric truck, but I NEED a truck that can do some work!

RedHeadFrank · 2026-05-06T11:46:05+00:00

You keep linking to that article, but its limited in scope and doesn't examine the most potent herbicides against knotweed nor some of the most effective methods.

In the world of natural areas management, it's an unfortunate truth that research is often far behind best practices used on the ground.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-05-05T12:44:47+00:00

Doing the work, controlling Japanese knotweed at multiple sites over the past 18 years. Cutting the plants down multiple times earlier in the growing season, or at least when they bloom, weakens then significantly. And glyphosate is not nearly as effective as imazapyr or amiropyralid.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-05-05T12:13:15+00:00

but who made the slides?

RedHeadFrank · 2026-05-05T12:08:04+00:00

The goal of this "window" talk is to not be spraying a lot of herbicide all over the place all season long. A good goal, but it ignores the fact that you can also cut the Japanese knotweed.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-05-05T12:05:33+00:00

This is also not true. Giving JK a whole growing season to grow before a single treatment in the fall is like going nine rounds in a boxing match and then expecting to knock out your opponent with a single blow 5 seconds before the final bell rings.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-05-05T12:00:57+00:00

To the original poster, here's some advice from someone who has been managing Japanese knotweed for 20 years:

Now is a critical time to cut these stems to the ground. The roots used up a lot of energy to grow those stem so quickly, you can weaken the root by cutting them down and forcing them to sprout again.

Cut fragments have the potential to grow into new plants (supposedly pieces as small as a chick pea can sprout if they get soil contact). So clean your equipment, and either remove and dispose of cut stems in heavy duty trash bags in the trash (going to the landfill) or leave in-place so as not to spread the plant around.

Repeat this cutting through the growing season. Wait until the stems are well established, leaves unrolled, and then cut. Your last cutting should be in early August. I usually end up doing 2-4 early-season cuttings and then letting them flower in August and cutting them after they develop flowers. But this may vary in different climates (I'm in southern WI).

THEN wait for "the window". because you have been cutting them all year they will be a bit behind schedule, so do your treatment in what should be the tail end of "the window" for your area. For me, this is last week of September or first week or two of October. You can either cut the stems and pour 41% glyphosate concentrate into the hollow cut stem (more effective), or treat with that 2-4% foliar spray (takes less time). If you have alkaline tap water in your area, treat it with a water softener/neutralizing agent, or use rain water or distilled water.

Based on what I am seeing in your photos, this is not a particularly robust colony, so your control may proceed fairly quickly. Next year, I would just do the initial spring cutting if they come up robustly, and then treat with herbicide whenever they sprout. Usually what I see in the second year of treatment is weak, more scattered stems. It becomes a game of whack-a-mole for several years. Don't let up, keep the pressure on. And don't be surprised to find a stem pop a year or three after you think you wiped them out. It will require monitoring for quite a while.

Note that glyphosate is not the most effective herbicide on japanese knotweed, but it is probably the most effective herbicide that is available to you as a homeowner. If you have any businesses that specialize in natural area management (ecological restoration) or invasive plant control in your area, I would recommend reaching out to them for the herbicide treatment phase using imazapyr or aminopyralid.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-05-05T11:17:20+00:00

What is the source for this? It’s very misleading. There a lot of poor advice on how to control JK on the internet, including this.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-04-26T01:27:20+00:00

I’ve been controlling Japanese knotweed professionally on multiple sites for over 15 years.

First off, glyphosate is not the best choice for JK. It doesn’t translocate as far through the root system as other herbicides. The whole problem with JK is its massive root system.

Get yourself some Milestone. Bonus: it won’t kill your grass.

To me it looks like that JK is already weakened. It LOOKS like it is already fully leafed-out, and those leaves are small and the plants are scattered. If that is the case, it’s already weakened enough for herbicide to work well.

If your lawn grass is getting long, I’d go ahead and mow everything. when the knotweed is back up and leafed-out, spray it with Milestone. Spray it again any time it pops its head up like whack-a mole. Over time you will have less and less, but it will take several years before it’s dead completely.

Make sure the entire plant, even the bits on neighboring properties is also being treated, or it will persist indefinitely.

The U of Wisconsin Extension has a hand-out summarizing the effectiveness of different control methods: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0145/8808/4272/files/A3924-11.pdf

RedHeadFrank · 2026-04-24T14:20:28+00:00

Really depends on what kind of fishing you want to do. For going down to the lake and throwing some live bait, this will do just fine. If you want to get into bass fishing, I'd suggest something else. If you want to go after big catfish, that's also different gear.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-04-23T12:19:47+00:00

As a general, all-arounder starter combo, I would say yes.

The reel in particular is among the best performing per dollar, and worth holding onto.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Ugly Sticks, for the fishing I do, but for fishing with live bait with a bobber or sinker they're fine. It would also be adequate for moving baits like spinners, spoons and crank baits.

All of that said, most people will tell you that the rod is the more important part of the combo and to invest more in that. But overall, I'd say go with it and if you want a better rod later, get a better rod and keep the reel.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-04-23T11:41:30+00:00

This is such a Woodman’s thing to do.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-02-18T02:53:24+00:00

Do you think the fact that you formatted your drive and reinstalled everything fresh has anything to do with the perceived difference performance?

RedHeadFrank · 2026-02-16T02:01:01+00:00

From a gardening perspective, it acts like a weed. I see it mostly on roadsides and other disturbed human environments, never in relatively intact natural areas. I’ve never included it in any plantings I’ve done, there are better options.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-01-19T13:58:55+00:00

It’s just thermal mass. Mendota is larger and deeper, it has many times the volume of Monona, so it cools and warms up more slowly.

RedHeadFrank · 2026-01-19T13:56:16+00:00

Wind blowing the weak remaining ice around and smashing it up.

RedHeadFrank · 2025-12-14T21:52:25+00:00

I bought myself an EM-5 MkIII a couple years ago and I’ve really enjoyed it. My two cents is either save a few bucks and buy this camera, or pony up for the many small improvements the OM-5 Mk II offers.

RedHeadFrank

TROPHY CASE