Fishing Rhino

The loop on, loop off thing is fine in theory, but that is not the way it is loaded onto the spool at the factory. The problem with that method is that you can be taking a single loop off the spool four or five inches in diameter, and putting three or four loops on the reel spool which is a much smaller diameter. Want to get it loaded with the proper "lay" on the reel spool? Fill your reel with either method. When you're on the water, and before you tie anything to the line, stream all the line off the reel at a slow speed. Then with the boat stopped, or moving very slowly, reel the line in. The line will be free to twist in the water. This will allow it to be spooled onto your reel without any twist whatsoever. I load my reels with the spool of line on an axle, and never had a problem, unless I overfilled the reel. Overloading the reel is the cause of most birdnesting problems. That, and not having any tension in the line which makes it loose on the spool, allowing several coils to fly off the reel when first cast. Always have some tension in the line when retrieving line. On some retrieves, that means you may have to provide the tension by pinching the line slightly between your fingers. Loose coils of line on any reel are anathema.

Nice fish, but your buddy really needs to restrain his jubilance. ;D

I read the reviews two years ago. Sufix was rated the highest at BPS, according to customer reviews. Expensive, but what the heck, until I got a few more combos. I tried the spiderwire, and it was ok. Not quite as nice as the Sufix, but it worked. Last year I tried the PowerPro, and really liked it. it seemed quieter going through the guides, but what cinched it for me was the colors. 10 pound test - red, 15 pound test - yellow, twenty pound test - green.

I was just north of Boston on I-93, and south of I=95 last friday. All the ponds along 93 still had an ice cover. Didn't notice any open water on any of them. Went out again yesterday and caught five more, all around two pounds. I'm going to wait a week or so before going again. The fish were very sluggish, just weight on the line. No fight at all, other than a bit of head shaking. They should be getting more aggressive and feisty as the water warms. When it got to about 50 last year they got more spunky. Morning surface temps 41 - 42. The warmest temps were close to 46. Those temps were found along the west side at noontime where those areas were protected from the breeze. Great day. Air temps reached 60+. Got quite breezy in the afternoon.

When not in use, keep them out of sunlight. While I assume they have UV inhibitors in the resins, over time, the UV rays will break down most, if not all plastics. Probably not in our lifetime however.

I did use it by itself. All of the eleven bass I caught on a jig Sunday and Monday were caught on a jig with the same Flappin Hog trailer. Eleven and counting bass on the same "hog" is less than eight cents per fish. It has lost no appendages, and is still in place on the jig. If it were lost now, that's less than 8 cents per bass. If it lasts for another eleven, which is possible, judging by its present condition, it's down to about 4 cents per bass. When I use it on a drop shot, I can catch anywhere from one to five fish. That's a cost of between 17 to 85 cents per fish. Would I catch as many with another trailer? Perhaps, maybe even more, but at 8 cents per fish, it's definitely not a cost factor. While Yamamoto plastics are quite fragile, they seem to hold up well as jig trailers.

Caught five today. Four on a jig, and one on the Kreature. Rigged it on a 3/32 oz Jackall wacky jig head with the skirt forward. It will catch fish. I've caught a lot of nice fish on that little hook. I've rigged fat Ikas on it. Doesn't have much gap between the point and the Ika. Interesting, it's the smaller fish that tend to get away. Don't have a problem with the larger fish.

I'm going to try them today. Yesterday was my first outing of the year, and they were hitting the Booyah 1/2 ounce, pigskin, river craw jig with a flappin hog trailer pretty well. I'll concentrate on the jig, but will throw the kreature "backwards" as well. I'll post back on this thread and let you know what happens. Keep in mind, if it doesn't get bit, it might be the season as much as the bait. If it does get bit, we'll know for sure it works.

I don't have one. Have yet to find a bait that works well in all seasons, under all conditions. Some will only produce well at certain times. Others may produce during more conditions, but I have none that consistently outfish all the other baits I have. If they did, I'd fish that lure/bait exclusively. I try to find what the fish want, not force feed them the bait I want to use. I do have a few "favorites". But, there are times I will not even try them.

I picked up a couple of bags to use as trailers, as well as on their own. On its own, I'm going to try it tentacles forward, like the Fat Ika. It will definitely produce a wider spread on the other appendages. Hanging that way out of the water, it resembles a frog. Has anyone fished it "backwards", or is that the way it's intended to be fished? I'll give it a try today. They were biting jigs yesterday.

I don't know how accurate this is, but I was told that a rod made of graphite is more likely to break if it has a slight ding or nick than a glass rod. A graphite rod will have more "feel", but the very composition that provides more feel, also makes the rod more fragile once compromised by the slightest nick.

No. You would not have a watertight seal between the rain pants, and the boot.

http://www.netknots.com/html/albright_special.html This knot works best for my clumsy fingers. How much leader? As much as you can comfortably cast with. I make mine as long as possible. It allows you to change baits more times, or to trim away damaged sections before needing to replace the leader.

Yes, the boat is "balanced" for the weight of the motor, but that doesn't mean you'll need to add weight for pond hopping. Try it first. It may be just fine for your purposes. More weight will drain your trolling motor batteries faster. Don't add weight unless it is necessary.

Got out yesterday for three hours yesterday afternoon. The earliest I've hit the freshwater. Water temps from 41 - 44 degrees. Not bad since the last of the ice went away only a couple of weeks ago. Last week was cold all week, with show showers every day. I had high expectations that I'd catch something, and was not disappointed. The first hour I got only one hit. The next hour, I caught two, and the final hour I caught five. All were caught on a half ounce Booyah football head jig, river craw color, with a Flappin Hog watermelon red/black flake trailer. All were fat roe laden females weighing from two to three pounds. Heading out with a buddy mid-morning today, hoping or similar results, and a few larger fish. About the same average size as last years early spring fish. Kinda sluggish, with no inclination to jump. That will change over the next four to six weeks.

Even a room for two is cheap accomodations. Eighty something bucks per night for two beds equals out to just over forty bucks for the accomodations per night, per person. You've still got to eat at home. So food is not a major factor. Heck, most fishermen I know are content with some cold cuts, cheese (should I have said that), and even peanut butter and jelly to make sandwiches. If the food joints are typical of the south of the Mason Dixon line variety, it will cost almost as much to eat at home as it does to eat out in them. I figure that registration, accomodations, and fuel is going to cost about four hundred bucks with two to four sharing the fuel expenses. According to Mapquest, I've got a round trip of 2500 miles. We will be making a Banzai run, going and coming. Figuring food at fifty bucks per day, which is plenty high brings the total to about 700 dollars. Fishing license a bit more, plus what you kick in to help with boat fuel. And, if you take out the three hundred for grub, you are looking at the net cost to be four to five hundred dollars. As they say, "You can't beat that with a stick." One question which has been answered, but to be sure, is the Tennessee license the one to get just in case we venture below the dam? Will it cover all possibilities?

All the answers, and then some can be found here. http://roadtrip.bassresource.com/lake-pickwick-info.html

In a couple of weeks, I'm going to our daughter's in GA for a week of fishing. There is a small/tiny pond of maybe five acres tops that does hold largemouth bass. Last year during the week of Thanksgiving, I caught a half dozen or so, the largest being 4.5 pounds. I'm thinking about getting a couple of inexpensive spinning combos to give her, so that when she and her significant other are inclined, they can paddle around in her Basshunter and do some fishing. Any recommendations would be appreciated. If there is anything decent for casual fishing around fifty bucks, that would be great.

I know from years of field trials, the absolute best rod to use is Ron Popeil's Pocket Fisherman. And, if one Banjo Senko is good two is better. My favorite set up is an umbrella rig with several. The rig is known as duelling banjo senkos. For line, use either lead core (is that still available?), or monel wire line to get it deep. The good ol' hay baler twist works well on all wire line. It's a "knot" all fishermen should have in their repertoire of knots. How to tie a Bale on a Vertical Baler On standard Vertical Balers, Single Loop Baling Wire is used to tie off completed paper bales and metal bales to hold compressed material together for handling and shipment. The following instructional steps to do this are very similar on most Vertical Balers. 1. Always wear eye protection when handling Baling Wire. Only trained personnel should operate any machine. 2. Feed one end of wire thru the slots on bottom of platen or plunger of baler. It does not matter which end is first. 3. Go to back of machine and loop or feed end of wire around bale and thru the matching bottom floor slots so both ends are now in front of baler. 4. Feed end of wire thru pre-made looped end and pull out excessive slack. Some slack is OK as Bale will expand to tighten upon ejecting. 5. Bend back free end of wire against loop and wrap it around itself 3-4 times. 6. Continue steps 2-5 for each designed wire slot. 7. Makes sure main door is open fully and connect ejector chains or cables provided with the machine to platen in back of baler. (Note: Some machines may do this automatically.) 8. Place forklift, pallet, or pallet jack in front of bale chamber to catch bale. 9. Stand clear from front of baler while pressing the "up" or "eject" button. Platen or plunger will raise causing bale to roll out of chamber. 10. Remove bale from front of chamber and make sure all wire slots are clear in baler. 11. Remove ejector chains or cables from platen and ensure they are laying straight in floor grooves. 12. Close Baler door and begin baling next bale.

It's a killer for drop shotting. Rocky bottom, grassy bottom. I fish them from a foot from the sinker to four feet from the sinker. Swimming the drop shot has also worked very well for me. Make a great trailer for jigs. I also use them on the Jackall or Inichi wacky jig heads. Hook 'em through the center of the nose, and deep enough so the head of the hog is snug to the ball sinker at the eye of the hook. Cast it to the bank in shallow water or in deep water. Use the jig heads with the "weedless" wire guard, and you can drag them through grassy bottom as well. There have been times the bass just nibble at the end of it. When they do, I switch to the 3 3/4 " Yamamoto craw in the same color. It's a much smaller bait, but works well when the fish are toying with the hog. Experiment with them. Their applications are many.

Could be wrong, but I've understood that carbon fiber and graphite are one and the same. Actually, I believe graphite fiber is the correct term, because graphite is a flaky substance often used for lubrication. I once had a can of graphite powder. On my first lobster boat we made a bearing for the rudder post by adding the graphite to epoxy, making a "dam with a piece of waxpaper covered plywood secured to the outside of the hull, then filling the gap between the rudder post and the horn timber with the graphite impregnated epoxy.

I'm touched. I just felt a warm feeling go through me. Wait, it was just gas. Besides, you'll probably have a limit off the banks of the marina by the time everyone else gets on the water. I'm going to join you and Glenn this time. You can jump in and free any snagged lures though. ;D Warning! Warning! Nobody strike a match.

I'm going to put in my two cents worth about the possible showing of the pros. If they do, that's great. But my main interest in attending the road trip is to meet the guys and gals who post here on the forums. The fishing is an attraction to be sure, but we have a relationship to one another, and in that relationship a bond, or fellowship. You guys and gals mean more to me than KVD, Iaconelli, and all the others combined. Then again, celebrities have never held any type of fascination for me anyway. No disrespect intended, but I would not go across the street to meet any or all of them. But, I will go to Tennessee, or further to meet the members who are attending.

That's got to be the best answer.

I'll make a slight correction. There is a lack of demand for such a product at the price they would have to charge to make it profitable.