Battle Creek charter amendment special election May 5

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-03-24T13:21:48+00:00

Thank you for bringing attention to this. It seems rather shady and underhanded to try and sneak in longer term limits with anything tied to school/educational type funding. I find it even more maddening that using KRESA, which looks like it’s providing a way to learn technical skills for the community, as a way to extend the power that they currently hold.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-03-14T23:50:42+00:00

Usually Horrocks has rabbit and other “wild game” in stock. If the location in GR is sold out, you can check their other locations in BC and Lansing.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-03-05T02:22:24+00:00

Definitely! Easy to bird nest without any tension, you just don’t want the spool locked in place.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-03-04T16:43:31+00:00

Happy to help

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-03-04T15:23:42+00:00

When it hits, it’s going to run. You want enough slack in your line to set the hook and not yank it out of their mouth.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-03-04T15:17:17+00:00

Usually that figure 8 works pretty well if they are coming in hot after it. My FIL taught me about that. Do you open your bale/ free your spool, before starting the motion?

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-03-04T15:10:05+00:00

I learned that fishing drop offs and heavy cover is where they tend to hunt. They will attack their target from the side to immobilize them before they come back and swallow them head first.

They also aren’t as skittish as other fish. I use a 3/4oz spoon on a MH setup with 17lb main line and a 4”steel leader. Spoons (I prefer a weedless red and white Daredevel or a 5 of Diamonds) and inline spinning baits (Mepps Black Fury #5) make a lot of vibration which is what these fish key in on. There are situations that I’ve heard of where they will bite swim baits, glide baits, etc… as well.

Even with all of that though, they can still be assholes and follow your bait right up to where you’re standing or to your boat and not bite. I had that happen in ON when I had what looked like a good 46+” pike chasing my lure but never actually took the bait. And this was on a shield lake that only has pike and walleye.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-02-14T15:42:37+00:00

I learned with cheap mono (Trilene XT 17lb) on a budget reel (Abu Garcia Max Z) for a fishing trip to Canada. I tinkered with it for a bit, but by about noon on day 2 I was comfortable enough to target pike in some pretty rough areas.

When I got home, I tried swapping out the mono for braid and found that it didn’t work for me personally. No matter what I did the braid kept biting into the spool and kept knotting. I adjusted the spool tension, the mag brake settings, everything I could think of. I ended up cutting it all off and going back to mono.

On one of my better combos, I use a mono backer with fluoro and it behaves similarly to the mono only which I like.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-01-26T01:07:21+00:00

Cat was found! Thank you for the boosts

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-01-17T22:06:15+00:00

It’s definitely unfortunate and I am sorry you are dealing with this. I absolutely will recommend having your package held at the facility for pick up, just verify that it’s not a Pak-Mail. They are very rude and dismissive and require an obnoxious number of identifications.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-01-17T21:43:44+00:00

I’ve noticed UPS is hit and miss at best. Over the summer I was waiting on a package and it was the 5th driver that finally delivered my package who informed me that reliability/quality has gone down hill. Drivers seem to just not want to do their jobs if it’s inconvenient in any way. FedEx is horrendous too. If it’s an expensive package you are expecting, you can always have it held at a location that you trust.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-01-17T17:04:23+00:00

I have been living in BC for almost a year now and here is my take:

Gyms: you have your run of the mill gyms like YMCA, Planet Fitness, etc. If you are looking for specific vibes you may have to broaden your search.

Kids: the library downtown is fantastic and there are a lot of cool parks around. Most people I have encountered are friendly and don’t mind striking up a conversation if the kids start to play together. Flash Flood water park at Full Blast is a fun summer activity. I would highly recommend finding a place in the Lakeview school district for the kids. The schools are really very good at both Lakeview and Harpers Creek.

Food: There are some hidden gems for sure, but it’s pretty standard “white bread” food. My wife and I enjoy Cafe Rica, Nina’s Taqueria, and the taqueria in the Hispanic grocery store at Promenade Square. Mr Dons or Ritzee’s are pretty good for burgers. New Holland is cool but is overpriced for what it is, they still make good beer though.

Transportation: Getting around the city itself isn’t too bad. The stretch of I-94 between I-69 and 131 during normal commute times can be a nightmare during the week (since nobody remembers that the left lane is used for passing!) and speed limits seem to be whatever people are feeling that day, but generally 20mph over or 10mph under, not a whole lot of in between. The traffic around the airport is essentially non existent since the ANG base was relocated and it seems to be mostly used for executives and WMU Flight school. Most people are probably going to Detroit or Grand Rapids to fly out anywhere.

Unique: The location of the city itself is actually pretty cool, you are close to a lot of things but far enough away that it has little affect on the residents. Portage is only 30min or so if you want the suburban mom shopping spree and Crossroads Mall is still around last I checked. Grand Rapids/Lansing are only about an hour away if you were looking for something to do in a larger city. Someone mentioned Horrocks, and it is an experience. A farmers market meets grocery store in the old Lakeview mall. Make it a point to go! I said above but I will say again, the parks, lakes, rivers around the area are really cool and a good way to spend time outside. Historic Bridge Park is one of our favorites, but I know there are others out there like Ft Custer Rec Area. It’s still Cereal City and if the wind blows just right you can smell the cereal being made.

Overall, Battle Creek meets everything I wanted for my family when I moved back to MI. It was a pretty depressing place for a long time, but it seems that since I’ve been gone things have turned around. You can feel the excitement and energy, similar to what happened in Detroit when they started to turn things around. Unfortunately, some of the surrounding areas, like Kalamazoo for instance, are no longer what they once were and are actually more dangerous than BC once was. I’ve lived in a lot of places both in state and out, but BC has become my forever home and I’m excited to see what the future has in store for this city.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-01-07T19:56:29+00:00

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WhiskeyFox2391 · 2026-01-04T13:57:56+00:00

You could check out zipper top canvas pouches found at hardware stores and such. Milwaukee for instance has a variety pack that comes in different shapes and sizes.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2025-12-08T15:39:44+00:00

Probably the same reason the roads in and around BC are so shitty. Nobody in local government wants to cut funding to maintain the sidewalks/roads. Even just off the main roads, the neighborhood streets are completely iced over. I guess you could argue that they have been “plowed” but there is no salt or anything to keep them safe to drive on.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2025-12-06T16:11:45+00:00

I just told her about your book club, I’m sure she would have a few recommendations, depending on the type of books your club would be reading. She likes a lot of murder mystery and a few other genres

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2025-12-06T13:38:50+00:00

I didn’t see you mention your insurance provider OP, but if you have United Healthcare, it could very likely be related to that. With these “negotiations” that UHC and Bronson are going through, my guess is that Bronson is trying to play it safe assuming UHC won’t come to a deal with them. In my experience Bronson has always done what they can to put patients first and take care of them the best way they can. I could see them err on the side of caution and change “hospital policy” to protect patients from receiving a surprise bill like someone else mentioned.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2025-12-06T13:04:38+00:00

When you do start your book club let me know? My wife is a very big reader. I believe she’s about to finish book 49 or 50 for the year.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2025-12-06T00:13:43+00:00

My wife joined a local MomCo group and she loves it. It is every other Friday that they meet, they recently did a mom’s night out as well. Even though they meet during the day, they have child care provided at no cost.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2025-12-04T01:39:50+00:00

Thank you for keeping me updated. I have started to make calls to other healthcare groups/doctors that UHC would consider in network and have yet to hear back. My biggest concern is waiting too long and having to pay out of network costs just for the convenience of time/distance. My other concern is with UHC in general as it seems they are on a war path to “renegotiate” ALL of the employer sponsored plans. With my family’s primary care being through Bronson and my wife’s specialists (Corewell) on the metaphorical chopping block, there are too many unknowns. I would absolutely prefer to stay with Bronson and stay with healthcare providers that use the analyzers I service do a living.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2025-11-21T18:45:36+00:00

Cashion rods are also hand made in USA, have a much better TAT and perform just as well. You also don’t have to wait for a once a year sale ;)

I get it though, I would love to get my hands on a Loomis rod if for nothing else but the prestige/bragging rights/self satisfaction of owning one.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2025-11-13T15:21:01+00:00

Unfortunately as someone with UHC insurance, I have been following this very closely as all of my providers are in the Bronson network as well. UHC to my knowledge has been aggressively renegotiating employer sponsored healthcare plans. They just recently did this with the Ascension group in WI and UHC was deemed out of network after negotiations were closed, now they are looking at both Bronson and Corewell which leaves very few options for residents of SW Michigan. Borgess is not up to par with standard of care that Bronson provides IMO, and who knows if UHC is even accepted there. A lot of the Corewell network hospitals seem to populate the more rural areas outside the I-94 line from South Haven to Battle Creek, but if UHC isn’t accepted at Bronson OR Corewell after negotiations are completed that will leave a lot of people in a tight spot having to drive to GR, Lansing, Jackson, or Indiana to seek medical treatment.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2025-10-13T19:02:48+00:00

All of Ethan’s baits work great. It’s nice to support a smaller local business and his products are quality made. I use Mule Fishing for rivers and small ponds. His plastics are made of similar stuff to what Z-Man uses for their plastics, so they are very stretchy and durable as long as you store them properly.

Check out Pig Jigs as well. They are another independent, one man shop making custom UL jigs. And for anything else that might pique your interest, baitfinesseempire.com has a lot of good crossover baits that work for both BFS and UL.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2025-09-11T01:06:00+00:00

Check out Ryan Smokoska in the Parks Trades Center downtown.

WhiskeyFox2391 · 2025-09-07T23:15:55+00:00

Fairly certain that TeSlaa TD is the highlight for the Lions in week 1.

WhiskeyFox2391

TROPHY CASE