J Francho

I'm always a fan of the Cowboys, Yankees, and Knicks. There are teams, and by teams, I mean specific players or groups of players that I enjoy watching. While I'm not a fan of the team, I am a fan of the game, and good games are not to be missed.

Loomis with a Chronarch E on it, in 24'...went back a week later with a weighted treble hook, and got it back after 30 or so casts. Was a mess inside, but after a cleaning, still one of my best casters:

Here is a whole suite of baits that work well for river smallies. http://www.confidencebaits.net/

From our Forum Rules and FAQs:

This would be an appropriate outlet for reviewing online stores: http://www.resellerratings.com/ I've found it very useful.

It looks like an Arkie style head. Great in wood.

I'd DIE for those conditions, lol.

Hemocuts!! That's it! Thanks.

Probably close to 4. Looks fat. Had to be a wild ride on 4# line in cover. Congrats to her!

The fly shop at the Bass Pro in Auburn sells these hemo - scissors with an orange coated handle. Probably the best tool I've found for removing hooks and cutting line, including braid. You can sort of see them in this picture:

Do you fish spinnerbaits and cranks a lot? I'd split those two up, since I use radically different rods for each. For cranks, I use a moderate action rod with a ton of bend to help keep the bait pinned, and act as a shock absorber. I cannot imagine trying to drive a big hook on a spinnerbait home with one of those rods. For spinnerbaits, I use an x-fast action. Something with some tip that loads easily, but a lot of back bone to drive that big hook home. So often, I see anglers make the mistake of choosing a rod that is easy to cast over one that is more suited to the hookset.

Here are the records. "Fixed spool" means spinning, "Multiplier" means conventional or what we commonly call "baitcast." 150gm Multiplier - 0.31mm 278.96m Danny Moeskops, August '04 150gm Fixed Spool - 0.31mm 256.26m Danny Moeskops, April '08

Thanks for the pics. Looks like a riser pad hull with sponsons. I'm guessing the sponsons in the rear are necessary with that size motor.

Fixed that for you.

It isn't going to suck. Getting off the shore will open a whole new world of fishing.

If you want to fish the Great Lakes, you pick your days. By not fishing today, the pros picked their day.

Do a search for "Burnie Haney" - he's documenting some truly remarkable catches in the Eastern Basin and Bays of Lake Ontario that aren't quite Dwight material, but pretty darn close. Remarkable really, for a smallmouth fishery that was considered toast. Check his youtube videos and PDF reports. Going out in Ontario and Erie isn't dangerous. You MUST pay attention to the weather systems, not only in your planning, but through out the day. If there is something approaching, assume it's coming directly at you, and get back to harbor. I think of it the same as I did when kayak fishing - read the wind and waves, and have an exit strategy planned before you shove off. Probably about the farthest I travel from any safe harbor is about 10 miles, and even then, I'm rarely more than 2 miles off shore. 10 miles may sound far, but really, that's only a 10 minute run in calm seas. In rough seas, maybe a half hour. I will say this, Lake Ontario is deeper, and barring sudden, extreme winds, takes some time to get kicked up. Erie, the minute I see foam on the tops of waves, I'm headed back to the Buffalo boat harbor.

Regardless of what leader, mainline, or power rod you choose to use, always set the drag to the weakest point in the system. I use a a rule of thumb of 1/4 to 1/3 the breaking strength. If your main line is the weakest point, and it's 10# braid, then set your drag at 2.5-3 lbs. resistance. You can measure it first, but you'll develop the sense to do it by feel. Assuming your knots are strong, and all the parts are in good order, you should never break off.

Please, it's some of the best fishing in the Northeast, if not the country.

From a kayak, in a seated position, you can work a spook with a "tip up" presentation. The movement is the same - short upward twitches, immediately followed by throwing slack in the line. Then, a slight reel retrieve, and repeat. A short, fast to x-fast (tippy) rod still works best for this.

Looks some kind of injury when it was much smaller. Wrapped line is a reasonable explanation as any. Nice Feesh!

I've always given two weeks notice. What the employer decides to do with it is up to them.

A bent arm spinnerbait is probably one of the most weedless and snag free bait you can use. Throw it, or your money is wasted anyway.

I'm not sure it would make a difference on a boat that small. It might even make the handling worse. Generally, jackplates are used on boats bigger than 18' or in special circumstances where engine hight needs to be raised higher than the transom allows. I'd talk to the manufacturer, and get some referrals from other owners, and see what they are successfully running on their boats. I know I've learned a TON from other Bullet owners about proper set up for my Bullet.

I ignore the thermocline, and simply look for baitfish. Find the bait, and find the bass. Once you've gotten that far, and are cathcing fish, take note of the structure, and find similar spots on the lake to fish and see of they are holding bait and biting bass there as well.