Dwight Hottle

Congrats some of the best dogs are mixed breed shelter dogs.

Two bit _____'s is probably why.

Lake Kipawa?

The trouble with longer two piece rods is the overall length. Many smaller planes don't have overhead bins long enough to accommodate. Then the flight crew will make you check it plane side. You need a travel case adequate to keep your rod safe from other passengers cramming luggage into the overhead bins. Most designated travel rods are three or four pieces.

Clayton my guess its a gift sword given to a high ranking Mason that went thru the ranks. Maybe you find a local temple & inquire there.

A typical day fishing for salmon was catching several fish per day per guy. So we were not considering only one fish to be caught for the day when the bet was made. Usually that bet is a wash because you could plan on wining one arm of the bet.

This is the one I like for most bass hooks. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/EZE-LAP_Diamond_Pen_Type_Hook_Sharpener/descpage-EZELAPPENTP.html

Welcome to BR Adam.

I went salmon fishing with two other buddies on the Niagara River drifting through Devils Hole. We made a bet of $50 for the first fish. Second bet of $50 for the most fish & a final bet of $50 for the biggest fish. No qualifiers or restrictions. Guess who won all the others guys money with only one fish caught that day between the three of us? I laughed the all the way to the bank. They never made that stupid bet again without qualifiers. LOL

If you get an electronic trolling motor with a key fob operator you don't need a foot control. You can hang it around your neck or attached it to a belt loop. I never used my foot control on my last two boats. Thumb or finger only. The auto pilot allows to set a compass direction for course then just fine adjust with the remote control.

Shimano Antares DC provides two holes on the side of the spool for attaching line.

This is correct. Also correct. Correct. You guys have collectively nailed it. I was born in NE Ohio & spent my life there until moving to Erie PA in 2007. The Cuyahoga Falls river (in Cleveland) caught on fire back in June of 1969. That was a slap in the face for the State of Ohio & woke up people in other Erie surrounding states regarding the industrial run off, municipal sewage farm/residential fertilizer entering Erie & other great lakes. Remember the Love canal story in Niagara Falls in the early 1970's? As legislation & consumer concerns started to get a foot hold the Erie waters slowly started to improve. The introduction of the invasive zebra & quagga mussels from European freighter's ballast water greatly helped clear the waters. All sight predator populations increased accordingly with the muskies & smallmouth exploding from previous levels. They are not stocked in Erie like the walleyes are. Erie as the shallowest & most fertile of the great lakes is home to over 100 fish species. The great lakes drain from Lake Superior through Lake Michigan & Lake Huron & Lake St Clair into lake Erie then Lake Ontario before entering the St Lawrence & flowing into the Atlantic. Retention/replacement time of the great lakes in years. Lake Superior 191 years Lake Michigan 99 years Lake Huron 22 years Lake Erie 3 years Lake Ontario 6 years Retention/replacement time means the amount of time it would take for the lake to get rid of pollutants from water flushing through the system.

I have been buying Mike's jigs for a long time now & they never disappoint. Good quality. good selection, good prices & most importantly good hooks.

You made a great decision. You helped them out but let them pay with their own money which they worked for. That life lesson is more important than a outright gift.

It's a no brainer.

Almost all rock bottoms in Erie have some zebra mussels but the gobies eat them so it's diminishing.

Biggest LM was 11-7 3/4 caught on a SK red eye 3/4 ounce lipless around 3 pm in late October. Biggest SM was 7-7 3/4 caught on a Smithwick rogue DD around 11 am in early May.

No on the breakage. But I have had a few big bass break me off when the leader has worn through on the rocky bottom.

My first entry into the 7lb club went 7-6 caught on a Rapala tail dancer ticking bottom in 20' fow . I knew when I hooked here she was going to be special. Solid weight from the get go. She jumped once & then bull dogged to the bottom until we got her in the net. When she was laying on her side in the net on the bottom of the boat I thought she might go 8lbs before weighing. My second entry went 7-7 3/4 caught on a Smithwick Rogue DD occasionally ticking bottom. She just stopped the bait & felt big. She also jumped once & continued to try but I kept the rod tip down in the water to stop her. The rest of the fight she burrowed to the bottom until I could get her up to the net. When I saw her in the bottom of the net & knew she would go over seven because of her girth. Both fish pulled drag but didn't run like a pike will do. Both were caught on 10lb braid with a mono leader & came out of Lake Erie.

X2

A failing battery will give you the same problem. Put a fresh battery in & test it again. You can right click on the picture if it's on your computer then hit modify & select resize. If its on your phone you can email it to your self & it will ask what size pic to send, chose small or medium then use that pic to download into your post.

The island cluster in the middle of the lake caught my attention. Gull Island, Honeymoon Island, Round & IIIahoe areas. Poke around the windward sides first. Throw out that whopper plopper & pull it behind your boat covering water out to 20'-25' deep. When your looking for smallmouth trolling might be your best option until you find them.

I have caught smallies & steelies dragging a Deps buzzjet behind the boat in 20-25 fow.

Also try that whopper plopper when paddling.

The braid has no stretch & allows for direct input to working your bait & sure hook sets. The moderate action rod recommended will put enough give in the system to keep your fish pinned. The overall feel of braid gives me an advantage over using fluorocarbon.