FlyRod

Interesting question. One that arises in many fishermens' dreams, I'll venture to say. I LIKE to think I'd turn to my partner and coolly inquire if the camera is at the ready, pose for the pic, then ease the fish back in the water. I LIKE to think I'd walk her about a bit, murmuring soothing words of encouragement, then let her slip back into her world. I LIKE to think she'd drift off a foot or so, turn and somehow convey her admiration for my fishing prowess and compassion, then glide majestically into the depths. I LIKE to think that, each time I fished that area in the years to come, she'd surface, swim alongside for a moment by way of greeting, then mosey off. Heck, maybe she'll bring all zillion kids along, post-spawn, so they can receive my benediction. "Wake up!...FlyRod...wake up!"...."Hmph...grunt...huh? Wot?...Oh! I was just resting my eyes." I KNOW I'd make every effort to keep the beast alive so that she may spend the rest of her days in pampered regal splendor in some lush aquarium. I could visit regularly, bringing little treats...slow minnows, arthritic crawdads, and, for Thanksgiving, a really plump lizard. This way, I'd earn recognition as "The Man Who Caught The Record" and the additional kudos as a man of compassion. I'd definitely cash in on the benefits, however. I'd expect a lifetime supply of tackle (and a tad of endorsement $$$) from those who manufactured the toys with which I caught my Big Beautiful Bass. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that some generous speaking fees might come my way. I'd probably drive myself nuts poring over the color selector in order to finalize my selection of a freeby deluxe bassboat. There's the media frenzy to cope with. Hmmmm...Leno, Letterman, Oprah, Ellen The Degenerate, O'Reilly, Barbara Walters, Nancy Grace...NANCY GRACE???. Then there's the babe magnet factor of being "The Man Who Caught The Record". Hmmmm... so many lovely ladies, so little time. Did I mention the weekend at the White House and the week at GW's ranch? Yeah, I'd keep the critter, but only with much effort being bent to keep 'er alive. F.Rod Coming to a speaking engagement near you! 8-)

Matt, Rebbachelor is out working (poor stiff) so I'll answer that one due to time constraints on the sale. Academy is having a rod sale this week (through Saturday). The discounts are considerable...up to 30% or so. He bought his at an Academy in Corpus Christi. The "inland" Academies might not have most of the saltwater rods, though. Get yerself down to Acad and if they don't have the referenced rod (Saltwater 6'9" 3/16-?, CASTING!) I can look at two of the Acads here and let you know. Better hurry. Better yet, if you've got a bud in the Corpus area he/she might be able to nail one for you. I've not seen, much less used, this Falcon, but I believe that Rabblerouser knows what he's doing on this one in that he's handled my Avid enough to know what to look for. He can outline the details re which reel and line he intends to use. They will not be the same as what I've "prescribed" but will, no doubt, serve him well. NOTE: There are some good reasons for which I use braid with a fluoro leader on my DS rig; One, the increased sensitivity. Two, the smaller diameter per lb. test rating lessens the depth increase on the spool during a cast. This might increase distance and lessen the severity of an "overrun". Three, braid is far more forgiving of overruns when it comes to clearing one and there's no risk of kinking the line. Four, frequent re-ties of the hook, with mono or pure (expensive) fluoro line will result in a need to respool with greater frequency=$$. By using a leader, one can tie one on that is of sufficient length to allow for a few re-ties before replacing ONLY the leader, thus negating the need to respool entirely. Five, since fluoro will not fluoresce under UV, and is less visible than a standard mono in daylight, using YELLOW braid will allow a greater chance of visible strike detection. Also, if you douse your YELLOW braid with mebbe three applications of, say, Spike-It Chartreuse worm dye, it becomes even more visible under UV or daylight...repeat periodically. It won't hurt the braid, BTW. FR

Maybe it's due to atrophy from seldom casting with my right hand, as I do a spin rig, but my shoulder goes after a fairly short period of dropshotting or shaking with the spinner. I crank left w/spinning, BTW, but cast left, crank right with baitcasting. Perhaps with practice I'd get my groove back with spin rig, but the BC will remain my reel of choice...but who knows what the morrow will bring? If you can manage to acquire the specific rig I use, which means a rod and reel combo weighing barely ten ounces, you might possibly become a convert. I admit that it's a big investment though. There's just something about the AC69MLXF Avid that seems miraculous. Ditto the 'Narch 50MG. FR

I use the Palomar for the hook, of course with the tag end brought through the eye, top to bottom, again so as to make the hook ride point up. The J-Knot is for attaching the leader to the line. There are others, but I'm a masochist. I've used PowerPro but find the cheaper TUF to be more mannerly...(See: Dig-in) If you're heaving heavy stuff then ballistics and inertial forces will negate a dig-in...usually. But when you are tossing light stuff, dig-in is death. The TUF seems to rarely, if ever dig in, even after fighting a phish or pulling a snag free. Shallow: See my response to Matt Fly Enjoy! FR.

I DO throw lots of small stuff with this rig. I use a drop weight of 1/4 oz or less and toss a lot of unweighted 4" Tiki Stix, and that smallest ShapRap is a featherweight. (Or did I misunderstand?) And...I've D.S.ed in as little as four feet of water, but only if the water is fairly turbid OR I make a long cast into clear shallow water. Many are the times when a small and very soft (See: Wiggly) worm danced almost on the surface in shallow water, above a drop weight, has triggered an attack, especially if you drag it slowleeeeeeeee past cover and make it do "My Hips Don't Lie". (God! I love that video!) A 4-5" finesse worm, either the ZOOM OR the 3X (even more live) will do the trick. FR

I'm assuming that most of us employ spinning tackle for dropshotting and shakin'. For my part, my reasons for doing so were twofold; ease of casting when you have two components on the line, and the assumption that the ergonomics of working the lure were more suited to spinning. I was wrong! Over the past two weeks I've been dropshotting with the following baitcasting setup: St. Croix Avid AC69MLXF rod, Chronarch 50MG reel, 20 lb. Yellow TUF-Line braid, and a 12 lb. fluoro leader. I find that if you're careful on the casting (sidearm is good in some cases) you have a rig that is easier to enliven the lure with and is markedly more sensitive. I tie on a leader of at least 8-9 feet so that I can retie the hook a few times without having to deal with the Deadly J-Knot too often. (Ever try to do a J-Knot in a stiff breeze?) Note: Use a "leader" grade fluoro, such as P-Line's Fluorocarbon Leader rather than regular fluoro line. Seems to be more durable, knot-wise. Moreso by far when compared to a spinning setup, the choice of rod is critical. The AC69MLXF was designed as a dropshot rod (and there's a matching spinning model) and is labeled as such. I bought three of them with the intent of using them for subtle presention of small and lightly weighted or unweighted (4" Tiki Stix, as an example) and tossing the smallest Rapala ShadRaps or similar very light hard baits. I should add that the combo is fantastic for white bass, crappie, or various sunfish too, using small jigs, underspins, etc. These rods have delighted me in my original applications, with far more backbone than one might expect but also their ability to offer "ultralight" capabilities with a baitcasting rig. Of course, the right reel is critical, and the 'Narch 50MG IS the reel of choice. It's feather light, casts the lightest stuff for miles (with the right rod, o'course) and yet retains more than enough power to fight any bass. I seldom dropshot "straight down", usually making long casts (especially in clear water). Here's where the sensitivity of the right rod and the braid/fluoro combo is demonstrated. With this combo I've felt bass take the worm in their most delicate and stealthy manner...Hurrah for Avids!...far moreso that with a spinning rig, and with SHARP hooks the whippy AC69MLXF effects a solid hookset. The fight of even a dink is greatly more enjoyable with this combo as well. If you use a braid that has a tendency to "dig in" you'll be in trouble with this rig unless you find a line that resists digging. I had all manner of trouble throwing light baits with some braids, even the P-line Spectrex, but find that the TUF-Line just doesn't seem to misbehave...cheaper too! I recommend the Yellow since the green is virtually invisible to the angler and you need to watch your line. A last ramble... I realize that buying a rod that costs 160 bux, a 250 dollar reel, and pricey line and leader isn't easy, but the rewards are great. The combo weighs next to nothing, especially v. a spin rig. The fatigue factor is greatly reduced, though, while the sensitivity increases exponentially. If you can, try it. With a little patience and practice you'll increase your dropshot enjoyment and success ratio immensely. F. Rod

I long ago figured it all out. Lures are designed to catch fishermen. Whether or not they catch fish is secondary to lure manufacturers. They are blind to all colors except Money Green. Within those parameters, however, I believe that some of you have pretty much nailed it; Color matters mostly to the extent that a fish can see the lure. Taking that a bit further, there IS, IMHO, such a thing as a fish being able to see a lure too well. That's why, I think, that in clear water, with good light penetration, a less vivid color is the better choice. My experience has been that in clear water a lure that is subtle in color, let's say a more translucent worm with a small profile, perhaps a Zoom U-Tail in Watermelon/Black Flake, should be more effective than a thick-bodied worm in, say, solid black. Conversely, in a more turbid water, a thicker profile and a color that provides more visiblilty via either "silhouette" (black?) or a "Hey! Over here!" color (chartreuse?) is more effective. Whether my assumptions (and that's all they are) are correct or not, the "rule" seems to work for me. FR

My Dad (RIP), his fellow Army officers (AKA "Uncles", mostly all RIP :'(), and some of the wonderful local folks in various places we were stationed...KY, TN, TX, LA, Panama Canal Zone (Die! Jimmy Carter!!! And do NOT RIP>) FR Forever grateful.

So they now speak with a lisp and swim with a limp? FR

Well, mebbe a couple more Avids and Chronarch 50MGs. (One for me and one for a fellow basser.) = 900 bux +- Then, though a little off topic, but relevant to bassing, a week at Amistad for Rebbasser and me. = 2400 bux +- (food, gas, lodging, sunscreen, Beano.) Tickets to an OU football game. = God knows! Maybe 400 bux, if lucky. The rest to the Band program at some small and poor school. Fact! FR Sucker at large.

All the scientific and interesting studies notwithstanding there are days when, even if fishing a water body, twelve inches deep, with starving bass evenly spaced, one per square foot, I STILL CAN'T CATCH ONE!!! :-[ Dang! FR

Over the years... A BAT on a popping bug while flyfishing for bluegill. Somehow freed the bat without him turning into Dracula. More than enough seagulls. Got beaten up pretty well in the course of release. One Great Blue Heron...DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! A couple of water snakes, including a cottonmouth. Many large bullfrawgs= YUM! (Sorta on purpose.) Re: Great Blue Herons...These are dangerous critters. If you must handle one be certain to wear protective eyewear and other protective gear. Why the eyewear? Well, if a GBH feels threatened, he goes for the "predator's" eyes. One stab with that long rapier bill=one empty eye socket. Sad story...A few years ago I was night fishing off a low pier at Rockport TX. Each pier along Water St. seems to have a resident GBH that hangs out, hoping someone will toss him an undersized or otherwise undesirable fish. "Old Beaky", the Heron-in-Residence on this particular pier, ate 7 11-13" seatrout in one sitting, courtesy of yours truly, one warm night. Anyway, as I was happily angling, a young couple with a 4 year-old daughter wandered out onto the pier. They stopped to watch me fish and when I landed yet another undersize trout the father asked if he could take it to see if his daughter would actually hold it in her hands. She did, and they wandered further out on the pier with the little tyke beaming as she clutched the now-defunct fish in her grubby lil' paws. A few moments later I heard screams and cries for help. I and a couple of other anglers dropped our rods and sprinted to the end of the pier. What we discovered was pure tragedy. Seems "Old Beaky" had noted the fish in the tot's hands. He approached to within perhaps ten feet, hoping for a freeby. The little girl tossed the fish to a spot equidistant between herself and "OB". As he cautiously approached the fish she went toward him, apparently intending to pick up the fish and try to hand-feed him...NEVER!..."OB", startled, did what GBH's do and speared the child's right eye. One innocent child now blind in one eye. One GBH cursed as he flew off, minus fish, all because of an innocent attempt at kindness and a bird's equally innocent attempt at self-defense. Later that early AM, when I was the lone ranger on the pier, OB reappeared. I fed him another fish and told him I understood but that he'd done a bad thing. He "told" me, somehow, he was sorry. I believe he meant that, BTW. FlyRod

I've fished with and without 'em...Findings? They are generally a great improvement. Even when sitting, if the distance between the seat and pedal is right, they are an ankle-saving blessing. Standing, they take a lot of wear and tear off the non-pedal foot. There's one "improvement" that might be a further blessing. That would be a longer tray engineered so that the pedal can be adjusted, then LOCKED in position, to accommodate the long, the short, and the tall. Perhaps mounted on a recessed rail. FR

Speaking of suspenders... 8-) http://www.sloops.com/annmarie3_suspenders_small.jpg Me likes 'em! F.Rod

Well, sometimes you eat the bear. Sometimes the bear eats you. Here's a bad one... http://barkbarkwoofwoof.blogspot.com/Yogi%20Bear%20Cropped%2012-11-05.JPG LBH is right. Even the comparatively mild-mannered Black Bear (The U. of Maine mascot, BTW) is dangerous, especially if it's a sow with a cub(s) in tow. Mebbe yew oughta wait until this particular bear is in the process of becoming a fireplace hearth rug. http://bonniettascrochet.blogdrive.com/images/Bear%20Skin%20Rugs%20001.jpg Awwwww....sniffle. Have a beary nice day, FlyRod Wildlife Consultant at Large

Gimme this and a map of the Middle East! http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/3044/orig6qf.jpg Then, we can dream of bass boats, free of fear. FR

When the regulations that govern a specific fishery allow retention of a stated number of fish within a set size range, then to expect all anglers to practice C 'n R is unrealistic. Some fisheries would, in fact, be degraded in quality if all fish caught were released. If one is trying to recruit new fishermen, especially if that recruit is a wife, prospective spouse, or child who needs an outlet other than X-Box and the mall, then a properly prepared meal featuring fish that he/she/it (applies to all-too-many kids ;D) caught might tip the scales. Well, ya' can't cook 'em if'n ya' don't catch 'em and clean 'em. Usually, a patient and calm explanation of C 'n R is all it takes to achieve the desired result. If the person balks, then you might consider that there is a genuine need to tote home some food. Might even be that his spouse or parent has agreed to his joining you with the understanding that tackle and travel costs be offset by having some good eats to show for it. If you're determined to share a C 'n R day with someone, try this: Ring...Ring..."Hallew?"..."Hey Morty, this is Vern."..."Lo, Vern, 'sup?" "Well, I thought I'd get out for some bassin' tomorrow, just for fun, and all Catch and Release. Just think! A day on the water and no fish-cleaning to spoil the day. Wanna go?" Another: Ring....Ring..."Vern here."..."VernBoy! This is Clem. How ya'll?"..."Oh, fair to partly cloudy, Clem., yew?"..."OK, 'cept I haven't heard from ya' in a while and I was wonderin' when we might go fishin' again in that fancy 21 foot StripedApeSSXTGTO bote of your'n."..."Uhhhh, well, Clem, I'd love to spend some fishin' time witcha, but I'm pretty much catch-and-release nowadays and I figgered yew wouldn't be interested in that sorta thing." At this point, friend Clem can be expected to cave OR hang up . Also, you might set some rules that allow your partner to retain some fish and soften the impact on YOUR psyche. Why not say "Clem, I gots me a good eyedear! Howzabout we keep only them basses what are between the legal minny-mum, 14 inches, and 16 inches, with mebbe one up to 18 inches for thrills? Yessir, that's it! Now we can go bassin' and my sigh-key is unruffled!" You could even establish a rule that bass can be kept on every other trip, or every third trip...whatever applies salve to your personal ethic and "sigh-key". Now, if it's Clem's boat, then toss your fish back and keep your trap shut unless he's violating a state or federal law...your laws don't apply. F.Rod Soothsayer-in-Residence

Great question, in that it should cause many of us to examine our fishing habits. I suggest we consider the question as follows: A-Are we fishing for food? B-Are we fishing in a competetive scenario? C-Are we fishing for fun? D-Are we fishing to learn? If the answer is A or B, then it's reasonable to assume that a fisherman will "Dance with who brung him". In other words, if he/she is fortunate enough to have found a productive bite on a certain combination of lure and presentation it would be foolish to change either unless one is a competitor who has a limit in the well and is seeking some means of attracting larger fish for culling purposes. If fishing for food, and having enough to meet that need, one might try different lures and presentation in order to catch and release fish purely for entertainment OR cull in order to bring home more "bacon" within legal limits. If the answer is C or D, then one should, fairly often, switch from a productive lure or technique in order to conduct "R and D" (Research and Development). Why? Well, here is the perfect no-pressure situation wherein to learn and develop lure selections and techniques one might have shied away from before, perhaps due to ignorance of their potential or methods of employment. One of my partners, a fine gentleman with whom I've fished for several years, has often said "WHY are you changing (lure and/or technique) when you're knockin' 'em dead with what you're using now?" The answer is always..."R and D, pal, R and D"! Now, he'll admit that we've both benefitted from my wanderings. "Senile" touched upon another valid reason for a switch away from a lure/technique that is producing to one that is purely speculative. He's right; Nothing gratifies our hunter-killer gene like a fish's felonious-with-malice-aforethought assault on a topwater lure. Hmmmm...what a coincidence! Last Sunday, while fishing with Rebbasser in the darkness of the early AM, I switched from a T-Rigged 5" soft Senko knockoff to a Super Spook Jr. I had caught 4 bass on the stick, one which turned out to be the "FOD" (Fish Of The Day), but that old primal need for a topwater strike became irresistible...again. I caught a dink on that SS Jr, another on a smaller TW (Luhr-Jensen Johnny Rattler) then went back to softies, stick and worm in varying sizes, colors, and shapes. Please note, however, that even the soft stick represented some "R and D" in that I'd carefully inserted a small rattle therein, right behind the bend of the hook. I'm convinced it helped...and I LEARNED something! This wasn't a day during which I wandered very far afield from the comfort zone, to be honest. There wasn't time. Had we been willing to suffer the increasing heat and humidity any longer, however, I hope I'd have dragged out some weapon that has thus far been ignored under similar conditions. Instead, we had the good sense to say "We've caught 14 basses *****, so we leave as winners." What can I honestly say I should have tried? Well, I really need to do more C-rig fishing. I need to refine my techniques with cranks and lipless cranks. I need, REALLY need, to get with the Chatterbait craze. I need to fish frogs, both the traditional types and the buzzing type, until I'm confident in them. I also confess to an almost pathological aversion to jigs :-[...but I'll work on it, I promise. Be safe, FR

How does a jig bite feel :-?? I dunno. I've never been bitten by one. http://www.hometimecrafts.co.uk/jigsnake.jpg Honest! FR

Topic? What is this "topic" of which you speak? ;D FR

Yeah, I heard the APB on my police scanner! ;D FR

Won't be long before..."Have you heard the one about the travelling bass fisherman and the farmer's daughter?" Personally, I can't wait. So here goes. Seems a travelling bass fisherman was making his way through rural Texas on his way to Lake Mungus (Named for Hugh Mungus, a former director of Texas Parks and Wildlife.) All of a sudden an untoward series of events unfolded. First, a violent thunder and hail storm brewed up, effectively blinding our hero. Then, the swing-away tongue on his trailer...well...swung away, on a sharp curve in the road. Finally, he realized he was out of coffee...Oh, gall! Oh, Cruel Fate! As he stood, being stung by large raindrops and bruised by hailstones, surveying his 21' 2.3" StripedApeSSVXGTO boat, now nestling in a ditch, though undamaged, he realized that he must seek help. Squinting through the gloom he spotted a dim and distant light. "Aha!" thought he, "That must be a ranch house, where help is available!" "Hmmmm..." he further mused, "Where there's a ranch house, there's a rancher, probably a jolly one, and where there's a rancher, there are rancher's daughters!" So, removing his new GPS from the boat, stuffing it in his pocket (along with a small vial of Pfizer's most popular product,)and assuring that the storage compartments on the boat were locked, he began his trek. After what seemed like an eternity of slogging through Caliche muck, being poked by prickly pear, rattled at by rattlers, and stalked by a famished 'yote he stumbled onto the veranda of a rather rundown ranch house. Hearing a noise outside his dwelling, the rancher, a large and capable-looking chap, opened his door to see our angler collapsed in utter exhaustion on his stoop. "Good Lord, man!", cried the rancher, "What has befallen ya'll?" "Can't...talk. Too...tired...tell...you...later...need...sleep...understand that...I'll...have to...(cough)....sleep with...(wheeze)...your...daughter...s'OK." "Actually, pilgrim, ya'll will be bunkin' with my son, Bruce. He's home on vacation from the University of Texiz, whar he's majoring in Modern Dance, with a minor in Drama." The angler (A staunchly heterosexual Oklahoma Sooner, they ALL are!) stood up, cleared his throat, and said "Thanks anyway. How far is it to the next ranch?" FlyRod Humorist wanna-be

I'd say it depends on the type of sport you've participated in. An active sports "career" might speak well of your capacity to endure the long, grinding nature of serious tournaments In fact, in an effort to garner some sponsor support, I made certain that I mentioned my own two sports. Sadly, sponsors felt that one of them 8-) was unsuited to a family-friendly milieu and the other sport, thumb-wrestling, wasn't applicable either although I pointed out that, as a result of same, I hadn't had a backlash in years . FR

Honestly, I can't remember a five-bass total since the Texas limit was lowered to five bass (from ten) after I quit tournament fishing. (It was either quit tournament fishing or hate fishing forever.) I did, however have a ten fish limit, circa the early 80's, that was right at 48 pounds...NOT in a tournament, and caught from a belly boat, and mostly on topwater. The best part? TOPWATER!. With a little dim (very dim) recollection and some interpolation I could hazard to guess that the best five of those totalled close to thirty pounds. What made this noteworthy, today's huge catches notwithstanding, is that these scaly denizens of the deep were caught in a small city reservoir that had NOT been stocked (so far as I know) with Florida-strain bass. My good fortune was attributable to the fact that the lake was relatively "new", perhaps 5-6 years old, and the creek that fed it had a healthy pre-existing population. Also, the lake received little skilled fishing pressure because outboard engines cannot be used save in dire emergency. Ergo, launching and trailering of large boats is a pain despite the presence of a fine launch ramp. The conditions that prevailed were much in my favor as well. It was either late March OR early April. The sky was overcast and intermittently drizzly, and there was a very light breeze. Never saw another human being that day. Just deer, rock squirrels, armadillos, a raccoon, and some wild turkeys. It was one of those magic days, I guess. The downside was a constant fear of lightning. Imagine being in a belly boat, a 30-minute paddle from where you'd launched, with three spare "lightning" rods sticking up on the off-side of your doughnut. I never heard a single rumble, except from my stomach, and the first one of THOSE scared the porridge outta me! As I laboriously made my way back to my launch point, under menacing skies, I broke out a small Stars and Stripes and appended it to the tallest rod in the holders...fact! I piped the crew to "Man the Rails", and had the ship's band strike up a merry ditty...OK, maybe NOT a fact. My B-Boat, named "Das Toob" (See: "Das Boot"..."The Boat", a movie re a German U-Boat in WW2) is, in fact, Haze Gray (and currently in the Reserve Fleet, mothballed.) I finished the day damp, slightly chilled, and deliriously happy. So much so, in fact, that when my sweet young GF picked me up at near-dark, bearing a thermos of Tanqueray martinis, I celebrated so well that I was truly delirious by the time we got home and lit off the grill. A warm shower, a great meal, and a warm GF...Ah, wilderness. Thou wert Paradise enough! (Sorry, Mr. Khayyam.) Well, kiddies, another longwinded and stirring story from Uncle FlyRod's logboook has been related to you. Now off to bed with you! Remember!...Hands OUTSIDE the covers! Uncle F.

Tricky Nicky, The Starfire still is one of the most beautiful boats ever built. I sincerely hope that the boat checks out to be in sound structural and mechanical condition and that you actually DO wind up owning her! Just a thought...maybe someone with skill and experience can help you build a (removable?) front deck extension, should you decide it would be useful. Anyway, Starfires are great! They are one boat that, if I came into possession of a sound one, I'd consider a complete factory rebuild to original condition, with some modern safety and convenience upgrades, of course, such as better instrumentation, new engine, etc. Good luck from... FlyRod