Saturday, December 29, 2018

2019 Chicago Marathon VLOG 2

Well here's my second video on my journey to The 2019 Chicago Marathon. I am hoping the videos get better as we get more into the workouts and other issues affecting my training. These will be geared toward people running their first marathon as I have never even done a 5k formally. Please leave some comments if you like and I will do my best to answer them. Thanks for watching and stay tuned in every Saturday for another video.

Sunday, December 23, 2018

2019 Chicago Marathon VLOG 1

Here's one for the runners out there. I am officially in The Bank of America 2019 Chicago Marathon. I am hoping to put up a good time and have already started training. I would consider myself a novice runner at this time but I am getting better. I have done lots of research on how to make gains in my running ability from nutrition to increasing my aerobic base. I have just gotten to the point that I am running 45 miles per week and I hope this will be 60-80 miles per week in the next 3-5 months. Feel free to follow along as I will be putting up something every Saturday. I will be discussing my training, nutrition, stretching routines, workouts, and equipment used. I am learning as I go, but have made some real good gains so far. For example, I broke the 7 minute mark for a mile this week running a 6.43 mile in my 4X1600 repeats. If you have questions please put them in the comments and I will do the best I can to answer them. Thanks for participating in my journey to the big day next October.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Huk Gear Attack Fishing Shoe Review

Hello there and hope you are all doing well and catching em good this year. Recently, I needed a new pair of shoes and figured why not try a pair of fishing shoes because that's what I would be doing with this pair of shoes. I decided to spend some money and purchase The Huk Attack Fishing Shoe just to see if they were any different or provided any benefits that regular footwear did not offer. I ordered them from Amazon and they were a total price of 84.99 to my door.

At first glance they had a good solid look and feel to them. The soles most notably were very thick and had a great feel to them. I noticed that the tread on the bottom was like a new tire. The tread if you will had deep grooves and a unique look. This was the grip x traction system. The mesh that comprised the rest of the shoe was also sturdy and seemed to be constructed well. Here's a picture of the shoe with the soles including the grip x pattern.


They also have some good drainage features so that if you are in the water with them, the water will drain effectively. Lastly, they have non-marking soles. This is nice if you have a white gel coat on your boat because you can use them without putting a bunch of scuffs and marks on the white gel. I tried to make marks on my boat and they really do not mark or scuff the gel. This is pretty nice.


Now onto some not so good things about the shoes. The most notable issue was with the width of the shoes. I take a size 11 and have a very narrow foot. These shoes fit lengthwise perfectly and since my foot is so narrow, they were very comfortable. If you have a wide foot, these shoes would not fit great. I looked and did not see on the website any solutions for a wider foot so keep that in mind if you decide to purchase a pair. I liked the feel of them because they felt sturdy and even though they are a low profile, offered a nice stable platform for my foot. The material in the inside of the shoe was a bit rough as well on the back of my heel especially. This was not bad though and I wore them around the house for a day and a half to break them in a little.

I used them for a nice morning of fishing that consisted of about 6 hours of fishing and I really liked them overall. If you have the money, I think they are well worth the price. I will make updates to this review if I see any glaring problems or have something else I really like about them. Here is the video I did on the youtube channel if you don't like to read. Check it out!!!


Tuesday, May 15, 2018

New bass rig!!! Skeeter ZX195C

So a few weeks ago I had another near miss with a bass boat rig and it fell through. I started thinking to myself, am I ever going to actually find one. I got pretty discouraged and really stopped looking. I did see this boat but discounted it originally because of the year. I was looking for something in the 2002-04 range. My cousin who was in bassboatmania as well wound up going onto craigslist and sending me the listing the morning after I noticed it. I texted Jared and was surprised that the boat was still available because it looked very nice from the listing. I waited til after work and contacted Jared. We talked for a while about the boat and this is when I got a bit excited.

Jared indicated that the boat was garage kept for its life and was never outside unless it was fishing. Then came the part that got me really excited!!! The electronics!!! He indicated that up front was a Humminbird Helix 9 and on the console was a Helix 12 with SI/DI/Chirp/GPS. So we talked about the possibility of meeting up. Jared was down in Missouri by Table Rock Lake and I was now having money issues because the guy that did not sell me the other boat. I just did not have high hopes that this would work out due to the nice quality of this boat and what it had on it.

Soooooo..... I actually got my money from the bank which was another issue altogether because they actually did not have enough money in the bank. Yep, that's right, the bank did not have the money in cash for me to get but they worked on it for me and obtained the money the next day. So I get right on the phone with Jared and tell him to send some pics. The pics he sent were very good. There were a few places that needed repair or light wet sanding but all in all, this thing was pretty straight. After talking again and viewing the pics, I decided that this was the boat. Jared agreed to sell the boat and was a man of his word. Finally, someone that wanted to actually sell their boat. I made plans to meet him Friday morning in Missouri and take her out for a ride.

I made the trip down with my dad so that I was assured to have someone with me carrying so much money in cash. We made the trip Thursday night and stayed in Springfield Missouri. This put us within about an hour of Table Rock. The next morning we got up and finished the trip to Table Rock Lake. I called Jared and he was already out on the lake.

He came right in so that I could take her for a ride and man, this thing was fast. It planes out very quickly and once on plane, has tons of power left. I checked it out briefly and it was a done deal. I was very happy to have this boat. I took it back to the dock and we loaded her up. Jared and I took care of our business with the money and he gave me some last minute things about the boat. We hooked it up to the car and were off back to Mount Prospect.

Although since I have gotten it home there are some things that need attention. This boat is very clean!!! I am choosing to do a lot of repairs such as putting a new surge brake actuator on because he took the old one off, sanding the gel coat, three stepping the boat with Meguiars Three Step Process, and other minor things such as cleaning up the battery compartment. I am hoping that she will be ready to hit the water by this weekend after all repairs are done. I am happy to have it and she seems like a great rig.

Sunday, April 1, 2018

Irish Setter Rutmaster 2.0 Hunting Boot Reveiw

Several years ago I was in the market for some new hunting boots and I was surprised how many were out there in the various styles. I was looking for a mid shin or just under the knee boot that was rubber for bow hunting but could also be used other things such as fishing or upland bird hunting. I looked on the web for reviews and got only more confused due to the amount of people who either loved or hated most of the boots on the market. I guess that's how it works with reviews, you either get the people who loved the product or the ones that hated it. I wanted to do my due diligence so that I got the right boot.

I focused on The Irish Setter Rutmaster 2.0. It had all the features that I was looking for but again, there were some good and some bad reviews. I decided to see if I had any Irish Setter Dealers near me. As it turns out, I did. I set out to go and see if they had a pair of these boots so I could put my hands on them. I arrived at the red wing store and looked for a pair and immediately saw they had the boots. I got a few different sizes to try on and was impressed with the fit. One of the most critical issues was that people said that the boot was tight around that ankle and they were next to impossible to get off. I noticed that they fit very comfortably and were lighter than I thought for big rubber hunting boots. I decided to make the purchase.

Here we are two years later and I could not be more happy with them. I will admit that they are a bit tough to get off after a long day of hunting but I can live with this because of all the other positive attributes these boots possess. First, again, they are extremely comfortable. I can wear them all day and I feel no different than if I was wearing gym shoes. They are waterproof and I have been through water up to the mid shin level many times and have not had a drop of water in them. Now, I do not only deer hunt with these boots. I fish and upland bird hunt with them. When I am upland hunting, I could be in the field for several hours or more walking to find birds. They are still comfortable and keep my dry. One of the only other negatives I could point to is that the finish on the boot came off after the first season of upland hunting. It is still ok but I did notice after walking through tough grasses that the finish was a bit lighter than the sides of the boots. They also have some insulation at 800 grams of thinsulate so they are not too hot for upland hunting. I also bowhunt deer with them and with just some thin liners and wool socks, have not had cold feet or toes except for very extreme conditions.

Overall, these boots have served me well and performed exactly as I had hoped. I would recommend them for sure and they can be used for multiple purposes. They are comfortable and will keep you dry and warm. Now, they will not work in extreme environments such as hunting in northern climates with sub zero temps.

Pro's
Lightweight
Comfortable
Warm but not too warm
Great Tread Pattern
Waterproof

Con's
Finish wears
They are difficult to remove

Here is a video I did so you can see them. Please don't forget to like and subscribe and follow the blog if you like it. Thanks and good luck if you are in the market for hunting boots. These are a great buy and will work for you!!


Thursday, March 15, 2018

Huk Gear All Weather Bibs and Jacket Review

I have always had inadequate outerwear and with as much as I fish and hunt, I needed an upgrade this year. I did some internet research and to my surprise, there was not much in the way of reviews of the various options out there with outerwear. I looked at many different options including, Simms, Frabill, Stormyr, and Huk. To be honest they all seemed overpriced for what they were but also seemed necessary to protect one from the elements. After looking into all of the brands I could, I made the decision on The Huk Gear All Weather Bibs and Jacket. They had good looks and seemed to be quite functional. The best of all is that I found them on The Huk Gear Website on sale.

When I got them in the mail I noticed that they were light weight. This is what I wanted because all of the bibs and jackets with insulation were a lot more of an investment and with my base layers and other gear, I did not need insulated items. I immediately noticed the stitching both on the bibs and the jacket. The stitching was sturdy and seemed like it was done with thin but strong thread. The look of them is awesome and I know that it really does not matter how these garments will look, but you know how it goes! When you look good, you feel good!!!. I looked at the jacket and noticed that is was nice and the fit was perfect. I had enough room to fit a few layers underneath for cold weather applications and they were thin and breathable for warm weather. The hood was nice and attached to the jacket both with heavy duty snaps and a zipper for easy removal if needed. All of the zippers had a rubberized coating on them so that when zipped, they were waterproof. This seemed to be a very nice feature of both the jacket and the bibs. Also, the sleeves had velcro on the cuffs so that in case of inclement weather, one could secure the cuffs to keep water to a minimum.

The bibs had the same nice stitching with the same rubber encased zippers. The bibs had nice strong suspenders and it seemed like they would take a beating before they would wear out. The knees had extra material so that it would not wear out and there was no padding under the knees. If you are looking for that you would need to go to The Huk Next Level Bib. The bibs also had the same construction as far as velcro on the bottoms of the legs to close off the bottom to the weather.

Over all, these will fit the mission I need for them. I think they are constructed well and fit nicely. The sizing guide is worth mentioning before I end too. The sizing guide on The Huk Gear Website in my opinion is spot on. I begrudgingly ordered a large despite feeling that I should have ordered an extra large however; the large fit perfectly. I am 5'10" and weigh 180 and they fit with a little extra room for layers. So if you go to the website, just follow the sizing chart unless you want more room. In that case I suggest only going one extra size or they will be too big.

Pro's
Great looking
Solid Stitching
Breathable
Extremely waterproof
Heavy duty suspenders
Detachable hood

Con's
Still expensive even on sale
No padding in knee area
No insulation if you need that
could use another pocket on bib chest


Here is the video I did on the youtube channel. It will give a visual reference to everything in the review. Good luck and don't forget to visit the youtube channel and subscribe!!!


Sunday, March 4, 2018

Bass Pro Shops Carbonlite 2.0 Combo Review

So I went to the Spring Fishing Classic at Bass Pro Shops a few weeks ago and purchased a combo. I normally don't buy combos at all because I like to taylor the reel to the rod for specific techniques. However, this seemed to good to pass up and to be honest, if it was not good, the whole combo was 119.00. Now, as you all probably know, I am a bit of a gear junky and buy normally high priced rods and reels so I was not expecting much from this but it was going to fit a specific technique that I needed to fill. I purchased a Carbonlite 2.0 rod and reel combo. The rod is a medium heavy fast action with a 7.5 to 1 Carbonlite 2.0 Reel.

Aesthetically, the rod and reel looked amazing however; looks do not catch fish. I picked it up and it seemed to be not the lightest combo but definitely adequate. The reel at 5.8oz felt balanced on the rod and the Winn Grips fit my hand very comfortably. It felt every bit as good as my Shimano Chronarch CI4 and that is a significantly higher priced reel. Some notable features of the reel are a standard recurve carbon fiber handle with eva grips, 1-piece machined aircraft grade aluminum frame, 10-bearing system, Dual Braking System, Carbon fiber drag washers, and Titanium nitride-coated line guide. I forgot to mention the price and this is what got me to make the purchase. The price of the rod and reel was 119.00 and this was an unbelievable price.

The rod was also had a nice feel to it. They're built with Carbon Coil Technology, an advanced construction process that creates a double-helix configuration of materials for structural reinforcement. Made with RT4 Graphite, rod blanks are light and also very sensitive, so they can be used even in the demanding tournament arena. Other features of this combo include a line ID system that allows you to keep track of and to easily identify the line weight used on each rod and reel setup. This could be important if you have more than one of these setups. Fuji FaZlite guides further reduce the weight of the combo. The CarbonLite 2.0 Casting Rod uses Winn grips that feel simply put, amazing, reducing stress in your hands and body leading to longer more accurate casts as the day goes on. A skeletonized Air reel seat improves sensitivity by maximizing blank exposure.

Now, all that said I can get to the good part. I used the combo this past week and it performed flawlessly. The rod and reel was very comfortable as I suspected. The dual cast control was smooth and the rig can cast a mile. I was using a straight shanked flippin hook with creature baits to work the rocks on some rip rap with a 3/8 tungsten bullet weight. The rod was extremely sensitive more so than I expected. I was picking up every little contour and rock. Then came the first actual test! I had a strike. Now I felt that this was a small fish because it was just an ever so slight tap on the line. I set the hook and it turned out to be a little silver catfish. I could not believe the sensitivity of this combo. I can compare it to my Kistler Jig Rod and that is paired with a Quantum Exo and that combo is probably 3.5 times the price. A few minutes later I got another hit and this was an aggressive hit. I figured it was a bass and it was. The bass was only about 2.0lbs but I got to see the drag and how that felt. The drag was smooth and the fast action of the tip allowed me to control the fish well because I was fishing off shore and wanted to keep the fish out of the rip rap.

Over all this is a great combo that I would recommend even at full price which is 209.98 on the website. If you can make it to The Bass Pro Shops fishing classic this weekend the price for the whole combo is 119.00 and well worth it. I really think I will be fishing this combo a lot this year and whether you are a seasoned veteran or just want a great entry level rig, this will handle it. The other great part is they are made in casting combos and spinning combos in just about every action and gear ratio. I hope this helps if you are in the market for a new rod and reel.

Pro's
Nice looking
Comfortable
Smooth Drag
Great cast control
Sensitive rod

Con's
Not the lightest
Hook Keeper a bit small and hook will fall out if not enough tension is on the line

Here is the video to accompany the review!