J Francho

The best way to catch trophy pickerel is to enter a bass tournament on a lake that has pickerel. ;D

Yep. If I lose one, its replacement will be just like the one I lost. Can't say that for many other brands.

Be specific....depends on the style worm.

Agree, We should aways have creative ways to say something. I have never pulled up on anyone, even as a newbie boater-deep down I knew it wasn't right, this is why I didn't do it, then again I try to treat others like I want to be treated. Even that is a tough call. This time of year, we bass chasers seem to intersect the with the perch jerkers up here. I know I've been guilty of screwing up, thinking they were doing one thing, when they were really doing another. I do what the guy that cuts me off, and apologize, and try to keep the peace. I now know to stay wayyyyy clear if I think they are perch jerking. Those guys are very fussy, and they will blame anyone around them for turning the bite off, including my electronics, paddling, or my bright kayak itself, LOL. I know in a tournament, that may be a tough thing to do, but really, structure fishing is usually about timing and agitation, so it may be easier to wait, or fish another spot. Whatever works....its just fishing. Keep it cool.

I've always said this too. But when the opportunity presents itself, and you're chucking a big Sammy on a baitcaster, sometimes there just isn't time to tie one on a spinning rod. When I'm fishing from the kayak, like you, I have all the time in the world, but in a tournament, or as a guest on a friend's boat, its a valid skill. I was recently fishing the Seneca River with a friend of mine, from his boat. Being able to skip my trap under overhangs and docks was key. Plus its fun to learn something new. I only started this spring, after watching Rojas skip a frog like a madman on SML. When he took a break, we asked him why he skipped it, and he said it was just something he was used to, and he also felt that the skip was part of the presentation. Interesting?

Yeah, there are ways to "educate" the people around you. I've had numerous occasions when I've been fishing deep structure, and another boat will pull into exactly where I'm fishing. I let them know what I'm doing, and they are interfering with that. 99% of the time they are apologetic, and figured I was casting towards shore, which is what they were going to do. I tell them they can come right inside of where I'm fishing, and have all the shore they want.

Jig.

That's the frustrating part. Same baits, same spots, same thing. Roger was even laughing about it, saying that he wasn't really doing anything precise, just chuck and wind, LOL. I did get bit, but missed four crankbait fish. Roger lost as many as he caught, including one close to the big one above - I know, I saw it. The fish seemed like they were on a tentative alewife bite, and indeed there were tons of small alewife all over the place. Toward the end of the day, I switched to a jig. I know I missed one jig bite. My take, well fed fish, cold front passing, slow bite, and plain bad luck for me. I just sucked yesterday.

For learning to skip, turn brakes off, and use a lot of spool tension. After a while, your thumb will figure it out. Start with something heavy, like a big trap, 5" Senko, or spook.

Thanks Paul. As you probably know, anything over 6 up here is noteworthy. This was Roger's 1st 6+ this year. I had 4 over six. Today, I was blanked, LOL. An so it goes. Was a great day to be out.

Day one, made it out on the water from noon to dark. Caught a pike on the third cast, and another a few casts later. Both on cranks. Did a little trolling, just to see if there were any browns, and I did come up with one small brown, though no pic. I kind of figured I'd get into a lot, and maybe get a bigger one for a pic, but no dice. Made a long run to a secluded cove, and cranked up somewhere around ten bass. Most were cookie cutter 2-3 lbs. Both pike were dinks, but spunky devils. Gotta love this scene on the graph. Typical bass of the evening. Day two, met up with Roger early, and we were on the water by 8 am. Action was slow, incredibly slow for me. Roger picked up a nice fish after about an hour on a crank, and a at least 6 or 7 others. We went out into Lake O. for a bit, but Roger gave up on the barren wasteland, after watching me lose one, and then come up empty drifting a drop shot. Roger, with a nice crankbait bass. As I got back in the bay, Roger waves me over, and says to get the camera an the scale. I'm like, yeah right. Then he pulls this thing out of the water: 6-2, 'nuff said. Congrats Roger. And yeah, but for two perch, I got a stinky skunk for the day, LOL.

Mid November (yesterday) You can't see it, but this hoss's teeth were very red. Caught by my friend Roger, 6-2. (Today)

I'd like to see it in fish from warmer waters. I think it might be both, and n ot mutually exclusive. I definitely see it without exception in early spring, and not just in ponds, though a few of those above are pond fish. Were you able to find that study I was referring to? I know I read something in the past two years about, LOL. I just can't remember where. Middle age sucks.

LOL, that is great!

I was thinking the same thing, Roger. I don't fish a Senko with any kind of patience. If I know there are fish there, then I toss it out, deadstick it for 20-30 seconds, and then I try the nest spot. Fishing a Senko vertically in deeper water might do it, but in deeper water, I lose my patience as well, and rig that Seanko wacky on the drop shot, with a long tag end. A really good "patience" bait to me would be a football jig beyond the deep weedline. In either case, you've got to fish where you know there are fish. If there aren't any fish, anyone's would patience would meet its limit trying to catch.

Make sure its a 12V charger

August: April: May: August: August: November: WRB might be on to something, crayfish make major migrations in spring and fall, and perhaps they are gorging on them then. Its just weird that I don't see it on the Lake O. smallies, and I know they are eating them there as well. Or maybe gobies have totally displaced crayfish in their diet. Ny my pics, there is definitely a pattern. Coldwater = redness.

Paul, take a look at research involving physiological changes in sunfishes' pulmonary respiratory systems as related to temperature, and I think you might scratch at this. I remember reading somewhere the size of the heart changes, and the there is a change in the blood makeup and capacity in cold temps. Perhaps my memory is fragmented, though.

We've been fryin' brined birds up here for a few years. Before that, I had some that was prepared very similar to Catt's recipe. Its good stuff. I smoked a few beer can chickens, but I'll have to take a look at smoking up a turkey. Sounds pretty good, too. Good safety tips up there Catt. make sure your bird is thawed, too, LOL.

Paul, I'm stealing your verbiage on why not to take the biggest fish. Its logic I also subscribe to, and your explanation is plain as day. Congrats on the fish as well

You'll probably ruin your TM if you run it at 24V, maybe even start a fire. Here is a link that explains how to wire them: http://www.zbattery.com/Connecting-Batteries-in-Series-or-Parallel.

Quit catching dinks Just kidding. I've found with little fish, a set of forceps works. I had some experience dehooking blue gills while fishing with my nephew. There are also "skinny" needle nose pliers, but I've never tried them.

Classic administrative solution, LOL. They probably held several meetings to come up with that one. They'll just use a different, equally obnoxious word, if they really want to make a disruption. Maybe the school leaders can pull their heads out of their arses long enough to get some fresh air, and simply address the trouble makers. :

Who needs to cool off? I thought we were having a little fun. No ticking involved.

Maine state record is 8-0.