J Francho

Sam, a weather alarm system would depend on a meteorologist actually sticking his head out the window, instead being buried in computer models. That, and keep in mind these storms can be VERY localized. We didn't even get wet, though the ride back was limited to about 30 mph on the highway, and the boat was filled with marble sized hail. Fun stuff.

You need to get seat time to really get a feel for what you like best. Otherwise, you'll just learn to settle with what you know.

Never heard or seen of anything close to this. The only thing I can think of is they drifted onto a shoal, where the rollers can turn to breakers, due to the shallower water. Storms would be my biggest worry. Here's two videos from Monday, from Lake Ontario. This storm was moving around 50 mph. I just outran it going 70-75 back to the ramp. The lake and bay were glass just 20 minutes prior. My big water spidey sense kicked in, and I'm glad I listened.

Sammy 115.

If the fish were always biting moving baits, that's my preference. What I fish the most are jigs, drop shot plastics, and Jika rigged craws.

Pickerel, even big ones don't usually account for lost lures. Northern pike are another story. Thankfully, there are only a couple of short windows of time in spring and fall where both fish's location intersects. Otherwise, if you're catching pike while fishing for largemouth, then you probably in the wrong spot. Smallmouth, well that's another story, but we all know cranks don't work for smallies, lol.

LOL, that's the Lake O. salute!

Chuck, you'd probably have a MUCH better time up on Erie. I've taken the south shore of Ontario up as a personal challenge. Things took a turn for the worse, as far as quality and quantity - so much so, that hardly anyone fishes for smallmouth in the lake anymore. Even the live bait, "crab draggers" have given up. 20years ago, you could walk across the water, there were so many boats out there - everyone's rod was bent, too. Now, not so much. It's the opposite of Erie.

I don't use anything less than 50# diameter braid on casting gear. You can certainly use thinner lines, but starting out, I recommend sticking with line that equivilent to 12# mono or larger. Diameter is your main concern here, never mind the the break strength.

My #1 choice would be a PA 12 or 14, but the following will work fine. Fishing kayaks are designed with big guys in mind. Ride 115x or 135, Prowler Big game, Big Tuna, Malibu Stealth, Commander 12 or 14, and Moken 12.5 or 14 are a few reputable models that come to mind.

Still out there, searching the south shore area for smallies. Fished Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Saturday saw the most action, but had quality all three days. My big fish Saturday was 4-9, and Paul caught a 4-7 on sunday. he bites started out all on the deep side, 40-45 FOW. By Sunday, they were scattered. Bites as deep as 47 FOW, and as shallow as 15. All fish but one caught on a drop shot. The first fish on Saturday came on a gold shorty spoon, but after that I caught too many gobies, and switched. Weather got a little dicey at the end of the day. Despite the glass like seas, a storm kicked up from the north, bringing some funnel clouds, 40-50 mph winds, hail, and lightening. Another 15 minutes on the water, and a slower boat, and we'd have been in trouble. I'll try to get the video of the storm up soon.

Just an example....one $17 Lucky Craft crankbait will catch hundreds of fish. Yet, many scoff at the price. How many plastics, at about fifty cents a crack do you go through? In a day, I can use up $50+ on plastics. Why is that acceptable, but a $17 plug that will last you years deemed "extravagant" by many? Add in the fact, if you somehow lose that bait, you can get another that will act JUST LIKE IT. That isn't always true for many lower priced baits.

1/2 oz. Chartreuse blades, head, and skirt. If they are deeper, I'll throw a 5/8 or 3/4 oz. bait.

Absolutely.

Pretty much what slonezp said, but if you're popping 50 amp fuses, you might want to look into that.

Just a quick counterpoint... Sometimes that's true, but look at baits like the Lucky Craft Pointer. A ton of tech went into it's development, and it's still considered a revolutionary, hot bait after more than a decade. To me, that bait and subsequent hard baits got a lot more technical in their construction. Many copies are made, but the Pointer was an evolution of a tried and true bait that would not have been possible without the technology that a large manufacturer can afford.

You should be able to get the wire and waterproof fuse at any car parts store. If you can't find the fuse, then I'd say try a boating supply, like West Marine, or order online. I'd be using 6ga wire if I were dong mine from scratch, but I think 8ga is what is commonly recommended. Use the old lines to snake the new ones through. You want a fuse on each line coming off the positive terminal. On my Xpress, I think I have 30 amp fuses. The Bullet has 30 or 40 amp breakers. Here's a diagram from wiring two 12v batts in series for 24v:

I'd try to get a biologist to do a full work up of the pond.

Just cut through the ribs, and remove them with a fine fillet knife. Much faster this way.

Not a bad article, but more recent info suggests that "moving a fish back and forth" is NOT the best way, and to simply hold it upright, and let it respire naturally. I don't think it's nearly as big a deal with bass, but northern pike and musky sure do require some time to shed to the lactic acid built up in it's blood stream. For this, you simply cradle them, and you'll feel them regain strength, as fresh, oxygenated blood flows to their muscle tissues. They stiffen up, and generally start to swim away. I also can't believe the jump from 12% mortality to 46 to 58% mortality of the total initial population of the lake. More than half the bass are killed by fishing? No way. Less than 5% of the bass in a lake are actually caught. Electro shocking has taught us that. Unless they mean that half of the bass caught die, then that would be 2.5% of the total population, at most.

They're called "tire kickers." You usually can only convert 5% of them to "customers."

There are guys in my club that think it's too much. Their money spends as well as anyone else's. It doesn't work everywhere, and not just one rig does it all. I've had fun learning about it through using. Can't say it's been a huge difference make, but when all the guys in the money are using them, then you better figure out how, or don't waste your entry fees.

Rods shouldn't have to be babied. I think a rod manufacturer has to expect a certain amount of abuse, and respect that fact when honoring returns. If there a pile of Alconite guide rings popping out, then it's up to them to take that loss in replacement up with their supplier - Fuji. This doesn't give the user cart blanch to beat the crap out of their gear, but rods get abused, mostly unintentionally. It's part of the sport. I know I got rid of my rod tube storage in my boat, as it was beating on my guides. I'd rather they be in a sock under deck, or strapped in on top - not in a tube.

Just let me know...thread goes bye-bye......

Try placing a few craigslist ads....the crazies come out of the woodwork!!!!