A-Jay

North Central Lower Michigan Table fare includes but may not be limited to crayfish, brown & rainbow trout, yellow perch, assorted pan fish and plenty of juvenile lmb, smb and walleye. As late spring/early summer comes on, I break out the flyrod to get in on a significant mayfly hatch. Some very decent smb come to the top at sunset to gorge themselves. A flyrod is the only way I've been able to get them - but that's not all bad. A-Jay

Nice ! I like the hair and skirt combo. Why didn't I think of that ? I agree that smallies might like those. I think I might try to make up a few of those myself ~ I got time. A-Jay

Perhaps not a True topwater, The Rapala Subwalk has been a steady contributor to my SMB photo album. Smallies hammer the Mossback Shiner color size XRSB09. I haven't tried the smaller one or the new larger one yet. http://www.rapala.com/products/lures/x-rap_subwalk/ A-Jay

I think you have it about right as well. I'd love to get into something other than clear water, but without a fairly heavy rain it's rare. I have 3 kinds of water in my immediate area -'clear', to like 10 feet, then 'wicked clear', to like 15 feet, then there is the 'you gotta be kidding me' clear to like 20+. The good thing is that if you're around fish, you can be fairly sure that at the very least they are seeing your bait; whether they take it or not is another story. A-Jay

x2 in the canoe. A-Jay

I do use Gulp Minnow and have had success with them on a jighead and with a dropshot. The down side to them is that they will "Dry up" on the hook while moving from spot to spot or if you switch to a different rod/rig. But there is no doubt the bass where I fish will eat them quite readily. A-Jay

Good For you ! (On quitting, not having a hard week) My younger brother is going through the challenges of quitting smoking also. I quit half a life time ago. I think I chewed up 10 boxes of tooth picks the first month. It's a B@#ch ! It has been the single BIGGEST lifestyle change I've ever made. You can do it ! A-Jay

United States Coast Guard (Retired) A-Jay

That would be my guess. . . . A-Jay

Keep'em. I use mend it. I'm pretty sure it's been talked up on BS before. From my limited experience, it's some fairly amazing stuff. It is especially effective when a used bait is still mostly intact but the initial hook insertion point and/or the exit area is ripped open and no longer will support the hook correctly. I save those baits and repair them at home for another trip. I usually allow the mend it to set up overnight before the next use. During storage, I try not to mix different brand/type baits - unless you're looking to get some wild new shades and color variations. A-Jay http://www.menditglue.com/

OK . . . Fish the Moment Respect the Resource And the #1 Rule ~ S t r e t c h the Truth A-Jay

LMB and SMB really liked the swim jig sold by *** - the green pumpkin w/ green pumpkin single grub trailer was the most consistent color. I'm partial to the Berkley powerbait grub. 1/4 & 3/8 were all I needed down to 15-20 feet of very clear water ~ come on SPRING ! A-Jay

That's quite a combination ~ who makes it ? A-Jay

x2 - You'll be glad you did. I fish from an Old Town Predator Square back just under 16ft. (pictured) with a #55 on the transom. I fish exclusively out of this canoe and I love it. I'm about your size and fish 1/2 the time solo. My gps says I make just at 4 knots. You won't be zooming all over the lake. If the wind is blowing less than 15-20 you'll be able to get around OK (while your battery is fresh.) I carry 2 - and yes I've fried them both a few times on all-nighters - which is what the paddles are for. I high recommend the Minn Kota battery boxes. They have 2 separate circuit breakers built in to them. One each for your trolling motor and one for accessories (fish finder, spotlight etc) This will prevent frying anything - I hate it when my electronics start to smoke The Minn Kota charger has been very dependable as well. (Links below) I've made some Mods/upgrades on the Predator that have made a decent difference in the vessels effectiveness. PM me if you'd like. A-Jay http://www.minnkotamotors.com/products/accessories/battery/trolling_motor_power_center.aspx http://www.minnkotamotors.com/products/battery_chargers/portable_chargers/mk110p.aspx

Thanks for the heads up ! A-Jay

Thank You All Very Much - I'm on a Mission. A-Jay

A while back I read a post here about fishing these with a trailer like a jig. I'm hoping to try this this season but can't find the thread naming the company that makes them. Can someone please hook a brother up ? 8-) A-Jay

This has and will continue to heighten interest in Japan's bass population. It will be interesting to see how the Japanese Government will respond. Will catch and release of LMB (and more recently SMB) continue to be illegal ? Tradition vs $$$ A-Jay

Thanks- I Wish I could say I had them all figured out ~ A-Jay

This is a great thread, especially for the "Hard Water Season". My outlook on this has changed over the years. I can't say that I look at my fishing abilities as strengths and weaknesses. Some fishing techniques fit my personality and some do not. The ones that do not, are my weaknesses for sure. Often times conditions have shown that I have not caught as many fish as I might have (or any at all) had I utilized a certain technique. Back in the day, I was fairly driven to "Catch" but when I didn't meet my own expectations I felt like I had 'failed'. Now when I'm out on a pristine body of water, especially sharing it with someone special, there is no way I can reasonably call that day a failure regardless of the days catch. Don't get me wrong, I try to fish effectively and try to learn new things on and off the water. More recently I have been able to allow myself a certain appreciation for the whole experience. Success for me is just being out on the water. A-Jay

"Teachers Gone WILD . . ." A-Jay

Well knappy, those fish were taken on a swimbait from a crystal clear, cold, clean Northern Michigan Lake. A-Jay

Great Fish ~ What Knob Head ! A-Jay

Great Fish ! A-Jay

Way to go DH - you're proving once again that traveling & fishing where the Trophy fish live Really improves ones chances of catching one. btw X2 I'm right there with ya ~ But instead anal - those of us also afflicted prefer the term "attention to detail" A-Jay