J Francho

Me too, but I do like to hit the ponds. To me its not really shore fishing, since I can pretty much hit anywhere from shore. Anything bigger, and I drop the yak in, LOL. This pond has produced many over 5 and two over 6 for me. I actually wished I had the yak for the pier trout fishing. I wouldn't have lost that fish.

Yeah, but I had to use tractor trailer inner tubes to get it to float!

Made it out around noon time today, after the boys' bowling leagues were done. A little too cold for me, sun came out later than expected. Wind 5 ish out of the SE. Never checked the water temps. Went back to old school, and hit a bunch of shore spots. Broke off a nice rainbow casting from a pier along the lake. Thought it was a brown the way it bulldogged, but got close, looked about 26-28" 'bow. Got her in too green, and a flick of the tail - bye bye 4# leader. Went back to couple of bass spots, and hit a bunch more dinks on XR-10, Mr. Pink, and Mr. Construction Cone. Nothing on shallow cranks, or traps. Decided to change it up, and hit a spawning flat with a big Flash Minnow, worked really slow. Really just shaking slack line, and sweeping it in slowly. 3rd cast, and finally, a decent 3 lb. (OK, 2-15, but who's counting, LOL) fish. I did throw one weird thing, just to see what would happen...a Sammy 100. Caught a dink, LOL. That fish didn't read posts on fishing forums! Tomorrow, I'm throwing a frog. Visited the 'rents for a while, and headed home.

All things being equal, a heavier spool will rotate longer. Start up will be slower. My guess is the difference in weight will be negligible.

hahahaha - that really made me laugh man - I heard "moose" I think, oh yeah, and "booyah" - colorful fella - I like him - nice bass too - hate to see how he reacts to a 10 lber - now that would be a funny video!!!!! He's got a few over ten, and one in the 13 lb. class. He also does a character called "Mo' Bass" complete with hillbilly teeth and goofy hat.

Swept handle usually means swept star drag. I'm not too sure what'savailable for Curados in the swept department without serious customizing. Burley linked to a good source for CF handles.

Get hooked up with the Sure Life people, and you'll reduce that mess. That, or don't fish that trail.

The spares are heavier. Its on the Shimano FAQ page.

Come join the Western NY Kayak Fishing Association at Mendon Ponds 100 Acre Pond. The ice is gone, and there are bass to be caught! I'll be bringing an extra boat, if you want to try it out. Here is a map of the park:

Depends on where they are...time of year. Right now, suspending jerkbaits, spoons, traps, buddies.

Dead fish penalties seem too arbitrary. So its alive at the weigh in....I've seen fish that were counted as five-alive at weigh in, but dead at the release point. I realize that all bass tournaments should be catch and release, and will do anything in my power to care for the fish, but the penalties are goofy. Our club is only a 4 oz penalty, rarely does it make a difference, though rarely is there a dead fish. Get rid of the penalty, and mandate a live well care program.

Well, like a Senko, there's not much to actually know about fishing an IKA.....you throw it out there, and wait. So much more thought goes into it before you even get it wet, thought about more important things, like fish location. Crankbaits, on the other hand, will take a lifetime of learning, and you still won't ever know it all.

My friend Chad Hoover uses several corny expressions for big fish, LMAO....

I think the report was just right. Good job, and cool post.

I fish streams all winter for fish much bigger then bass.

Shoulders Dink Football Green Trout Slob Pig Slower than slow Burn Twitch Nod Shake

90% of the time, I'd be fishing a crank before I went to a Fat Ika. The deal with these types of plastics is KNOWING exactly where there are fish since you basically cast it out, and let it sit. A crankbait is more efficient at locating fish, especially if they are deep. Get a few bites on a crank in an area, and it cools off, then ply that spot with an Ika.

I'm a Canon guy, but yes, this camera is great. Unlike the lower range Nikons, you can pretty much use any AF Nikkor. The details are on DPR's review: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond90/

Black or clear w/ pepper.

An arkey style jig will tell you a lot about where you're fishing.

Yeah, it gets boring after 10 minutes....

And I said "longer reels" LOL. I meant longer handles! ;D

If money were no object, then why limit it to one boat?

I think he means the handles on the reel. You can find longer reels, but its really something you'll have to get used to.

There is no better book: http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Updated/dp/0817463003 My only other bit of advice is to make your camera choice based on the lenses available, not camera features.