Fishing Rhino

As long as I don't have to pay for the fuel bill. That's all that matters to me.

I see nothing wrong. What the heck are you talking about?

I have always enjoyed being on the water just as the sky is getting light in the east. Watching the world wake up as the day dawns holds a special attraction to me. Glass smooth water. Mist rising from the surface. Watching the bubble trails betray the presence of snapping turtles and their movement beneath the surface. Some critters waking up and becoming active. Others heading home after foraging all night. As the song says, "These are a few of my favorite things". I'd still do it. But, I launch on the property of another, and do not want to potentially disturb them, though they told me it wouldn't. So, I still wake before daylight, check out the gear, organize my canoe, make any changes in lures and baits according to the day's plans, ice some water and a can or two of Coke in the cooler, grab a bite to eat, and if there is time check out this site. There was something special about violating the calm surface of the pond with a topwater at daybreak. Which reminds me, it's about time to rig one of the poles with a topwater plug. Haven't tossed one yet this year. Mornin' all.

Here's a couple of articles. I've started fooling around with the techniques in them, and they've worked well for me. Hope they do the same for you. http://www.insideline.net/weeklynews/2009/09-0415.html http://www.insideline.net/weeklynews/2009/09-0330-shakey.html

There is no "wrong" as long as you learn from it. Having said that, it is possible to fish Senko style or any other plastic worm wacky style with a jig head. I've been doing it the past few days using Strike King four inch finesse worms, and it has been working very well for me. Here's a couple of articles that should help. One of them mentions fishing the current. The Potomac is one of the rivers cited. http://www.insideline.net/weeklynews/2009/09-0415.html http://www.insideline.net/weeklynews/2009/09-0330-shakey.html The wacky works very well, but using the ShakE2 jig head rigged weedless as shown in the second article has worked even better. I have rods rigged with both, and fish an area with both techniques. I like the Strike King 3X finesse baits. They will outlast anything else by a long shot. They stretch a mile, and I've yet to have one tear. If fact, I have yet to need to change one. They last until a rig gets hung up on the bottom. One thing you do need to do is pierce them before hand. You cannot get them on the barb of the ShakE2 jig head otherwise. Cant get them on the coil holders either. Clamp a needle or thin finish nail in a vice or vice grips, anything that will hold it in a safe place. Heat it with a lighter or small plumbers torch, then insert the heated needle lengthwise into the center of the head. About three quarters of an inch is sufficient. Twist the worm as you pull it off the needle. It may not be absolutely necessary, but I do it, just in case. You can usually do a couple of worms with one heating. Just heat the needle enough to melt the material, but not so hot that the plastic reseals when you withdraw it from the needle. That's why I twist it. Test the first few on a barb until you get the hang of it. Take care to center the needle point, and to keep the worm aligned. You can do a package in a couple of minutes once you get the hang of it. They are worth the effort. You don't need to use O rings to make them last. Even when wacky rigged, I've yet to lose a worm, or even have one tear in the slightest. Other than the needle thing, there are no cons to these products. SK also makes five inch fluke style baits in the 3X plastic. I have use the caffein shad (it's not 3X) in place of a worm and had great success with the baby bass and smokey shad color. I suspect the other colors will work as well. I like the look of those colors, so I have confidence in them. When I use up my current stock of the caffein shads, I will replenish my supply with the 3X. The caffein shad is good for from one to a half dozen fish. If the 3X stuff is as good as the finesse worm, it should be good until it's lost to hang. One more thing. When you wacky rig the SK finesse worm, you'll notice how it "grabs" the shaft of the hook. It does not slide around easily. It will stretch considerably before the hook completely pierces through the body.

A brush pile automatically attracts algae eaters which in turn attract small predators, which in turn attract game fish. Commercial, electronic timed bait feeders are available. They may be fine for a private pond, or mounted on a dock, but they are visible to everyone and will attract fishermen as well as fish. I would think you'd have to feed on a regular basis to hold the baitfish at the brush pile. Years ago I read about an interesting way to "feed" baitfish without you having to do it every day. Get meat trimmings, road kill, fish trimmings, etc. Put them in a mesh bag, and hang from a branch over the water. The blow flies will lay their eggs, and the maggots will drop into the water as they hatch. Automatic feeding for days, and it will not add to the fly population. The bugaboo is to hang it where it's not easily visible, and over water deep enough for your brush pile.

I enjoy the days when bands of rain come through. Fish before during and after the rain. I really enjoy fishing in the rain. Gear that keeps you dry is a plus. Why are fish more active during the rain? Are they more active during the rain? You know what a downpour sounds like above the water. Imagine what it sounds like beneath. Water is a much better conducter of sound than the air. I doubt the cacaphony panics the bass, but I suspect it heightens their senses. Clunk stuff around on the hull of a boat, and it is muffled by the din of the rain. Heavy rain also knocks insects and bugs onto the water, which should induce fish to feed. If they are in a feeding mood, then the fishing should be better than when they are not. Whether I'm close, or out in left field, matters not. As Eddie Rabbit sang, "I love a rainy night". I love a rainy day too. Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain. Telling me just what a fool I've been. Nevermind.

With that gizmo on your motor, connected to a hose, it doesn't need suction. The hose provides more pressure than is a available to the pump in a foot or two of water. If the motor is running, I would expect that water to be warm/hot. Maybe the new motors are different, but they used to stream water from the engine block. Have you found that stream of water to be cool in the past, or are you assuming that it was? I also believe that today's motors have thermostats to control engine temps in the optimum range. Don't know about outboards, but your car water temp will be 180 to 200 degrees in the block. Just searched. Ideal temps for outboards range from 125 to 165 degrees. I think most hot water systems in homes are about 140. You know how hot that feels at the tap. I would expect the telltale stream to be hot.

I have had success with the monkey both of the ways you mention. And, even with the weighted hook, I'll fish it on or near the surface like a topwater. It works better as a topwater or near the surface with an unweighted hook. You can work it slower on an unweighted hook, which results in a higher percentage of hookups. You can do the same with the craws, and lobsters. I've even fished the toads and shads that way, but their forte is on the surface. I discovered they'd work as bottom baits quite by accident. Thanks to a couple of backlashes, and fish picking them up while I was straightening them out. So I tried a few more casts with each, just letting them sink, and caught a few that way. You never know. Don't be afraid to do the unconventional.

I do the opposite when it comes to casting, and here's why. It has to do with the "scope" of the line. When anchoring, you need to use more line in deep water than in shallow. The simple quick answer is, duhhh, of course you need more line, the water is deeper. An anchor will not hold if you let out only enough line for the anchor to reach bottom. Anchors work best when the force against them does not exceed a specific angle. As you retrieve, you are shortening the line that is out, thus reducing the "scope" and exerting a more upward pull on the line. By casting into deeper water, when you retrieve, you do not reduce the "scope" as quickly, making it easier to maintain contact with the bottom. Pulling the lure into deeper water means you have to progressively slow the retrieve to maintain contact. When I find the fish at a given depth, I'll cast parallel to the shore, or if its a point or ledge extending outward from the shore, I cast along that depth line. I figure the longer (time and distance) the bait is in the zone, the greater the chance of a strike. I may be all wet. It's just a different perspective.

About the gadgets. The only gadgets I depend on are two pair of hemastats/forceps, one straight, the other curved, and some type of line cutter. The hemastats will go where my fingers cannot. Indespensible at times for unhooking a fish with minimal damage. My dentist advises against using my teeth as a line cutter. Not sure the above "equipment" constitutes gadgets.

Get a package of Strike King 3X finesse worms. I've got last year's version, elastech, and they are nearly indestructible. They work as well or even better than the senko or other senko style hooks. I started using them a couple of days ago. Caught 12 nice bass on one worm. It was scuffed from the raspy bass mouths, but otherwise untouched. No tears. Doesn't go flying up the line either. I suspect it was good for many more bass, but I lost it when the rig got hung on the bottom. If there is a downside to the bait it is this. You cannot get it onto a round barbed holder, nor will it screw onto a coil. I had to heat a pin to melt a hole about 3/4 inch deep into the head of the worm. It even resists the hook going through when rigged wacky style. It's that tough. You can stretch it to three or more times its normal length, until it's about a sixteenth of an inch in diameter. Try 'em. You'll like 'em. They also make a couple of fluke like baits in the 3X. I'm going to pick some of those up when I use the packages of caffein shads I now have. They are superb on the ShakE2 Megastrike jig heads. But are pretty much used up after a few fish. Sometimes one is enough to render them useless. The 3X will take care of that quite nicely.

Try the Owner twistlock, keel weighted hook. You'll find the baits last longer. I started with the standard worm type keel weighted hook. Often the monkey or toad would sail up the line during the fight. Beat the heck out of the nose. The Owner twistlock stopped that foolishness. The other nice thing is that you don't have to retie when you change baits. Unscrew one, screw another one on. The one downside I can live with is that you will pick up a bit more gunk on the eye of the hook with the Owner. All in all, it's one of those compromises that work for me.

A very effective braid cutter is the stamped metal cutter on dental floss. (saw it in a post on here, and it works slicker than scissors) In fact, PowerPro line has that very cutter on their line packages. Spool line on a reel and cut it. Keeps the tag end of the spool right there, ready for the next usage.

At the moment, I prefer PowerPro Spectra braid. Have used Sufix, and Spiderwire too. Didn't have a problem with either, but the PP casts better and is quieter through the guides. I could live with either of the others. One reason I went to PP is the colors. Red for ten pound test, yellow for fifteen, green for anything higher. The line color doesn't seem to matter to the fish, even when I did not use a leader. If you go with braid be sure to use a quality mono, hybrid or fluoro leader. Braid is extremely fragile around rocks. It's great in vegetation such as grass and lily pads. Saws right through em when you've got a fish on. Don't know about the tougher stuff like blowdowns or viney types of emergent vegetation. I use twenty pound Seaguar for leader material. I connect the leader to the braid with an Albright Special knot. It allows me to start with a six to seven foot leader. I like to start at that length so I can retie to change lures or cut away chaffed sections several times. Connecting with swivels is fine, but I don't like even small swivels passing through the guides. At most, that allows for only three or four feet of leader. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the "premium" brands. They wouldn't be major players in the line market it they were significantly different from each other.

Never fished a place like that, so it would be all guesswork for me. Nonetheless, I'll give it a shot, since it often works well around here, though mostly with rocks, not timber. I'd toss a wacky jig head hook, or similar with a Strike King finesse worm on the shady side of everything that is deeper than four feet. I'm on a tear recently. Had been using spinnerbait or chatterfrog in three foot depths, typical wacky rigged on circle hook in the deeper water, and small wacky rigged or Rage Tail in the shallows. I wanted to try some finesse stuff, so I rigged some Megastrike ShakE2 with finesse worms and SK caffein shad, and have done well. I tried the Wacky Jig Head hooks with smaller senko style and they worked very well. Also worked with the Owner twistlock jig head rigged weedless with a finesse worm and liked it as well. Today was windy, and started off with a couple of two pounders and a dink, then nothing. Changed all the jig heads to wacky style worming with finesse rather than Senko style and Bingo. I was into the fish again. They loved them on the drop. It seems to me that dropping something like that in the shadows would be effective. With surface temps that high, and the sun that strong, the shallows have to be scalding to a bass. I would not expect them to be in anything less than three, four or maybe even more feet of water. The above is nothing more than conjecture. No experience in the situation you posed.

I have access to a small pond which is surrounded by private property, and can bring a friend/guest. The bass fishing has been excellent for the past three weeks. Had to make adjustments in what I'm using to accomodate their wants. The fish I've been catching average about two pounds each, not counting the dinks. Some days I catch a couple at most, but more often than not, I don't see them. Weekdays are best, and I usually fish four or five hours. Get up close and personal with the fish in a canoe. It's stable enough to stand in. Trolling motor to get around, and paddle for working in the rocky shallows. (You fish. I'll do the paddling.) Bring your gear, whatever bait you want to try. If you don't have what they want, I have plenty of plastics, hooks, jig heads, leader material etc. We'll each be limited to three rods in the canoe. It's usually a good topwater pond, but other than the Rage Tail stuff, I haven't tossed a topwater yet this year. The past four times I've been fishing, there has not been another person on the pond with rod in hand. The pond is a half mile long, a quarter mile wide, and averages six feet deep. In addition to dependable bass fishing, it also has a nice population of large pickerel. Haven't caught any in the past few weeks. If it's like last year, they won't be caught in any numbers until fall. The pond is in the vicinity of Sawdy Pond, South Watuppa, and Stafford Pond in Tiverton. If you don't catch a bass over two pounds, you get double your money back. : Contact me by pm if you are interested.

RE: The "which is better" question. Consider this. If only one company made line, it would be the best..............and the worst. We all have our preferences, but the competition for our money has accounted for any and all improvements in all tackle and gear over the years. Because Power Pro is in the line business, they are partly responsible for developments at all the other manufacturers. The same can be said for everyone of them. The best is only the best until the next "best thing" comes along. Brand loyalty is fine, but keep in mind, that line you feel is the best is only that good because competition from other manufacturers forced "your company" to improve their product.

Yes, another post about removing the hook from fish hooked in the gullet. It has to be fate, karma, or whatever. I cannot remember the last time I caught a fish that was gullet hooked prior to your posting of that article. Since then, the article is probably responsible for saving as many as eight fish. Better yet, two of those were caught by fellows fishing with me. They were in despair when all they saw of their hook was part of the shank and the eye, with the remainder in the throat. Not to worry I told them. I know how to remove it without harm to the fish. They watched as I turned the hook and were amazed when it popped free, once turned. Now, you have two more disciples, or proseletyzed two disciples for the fellow who discovered, and perfected the technique. I would make one suggestion regarding the technique. A pair of curved hemastats/forceps are an invaluable tool to use in the procedure. With them closed, they are easy to insert between the gills, then turn the curved part toward the hook, and rotate it to get it in the proper position. It makes it easier on all sizes, but especially so on smaller fish, including dinks. Much less "invasive" than working with fingers inside the confines of a fishes mouth. Thanks again. That is very possibly the most important article of the many you have posted for us, to enjoy and educate.

Woodworking was one of my many vocations. It was not so much the working with wood as it was working with the tools of the trade. I've always been a tool/machinery lover. I have owned a Craftsman, and a Black and Decker skill saws. I used them primarily around the home, not in the woodworking shop. I thought they were OK at the time, and they fit the budget. They also did the job. A few years ago I needed a replacement. Our finances had become much better over the years, and I was starting a major project so I bought a Milwaukee. It cost more than double the econo brands, but the first time I pulled the trigger, it was amazing, so quiet and oh so smooth. It didn't buzz through the wood, it hissed effortlessly, even through 2 X 12 stock. It was such a pleasure to use that I began looking for other projects just so I could work with it. Funny thing is, I cannot tell the difference between a medium and a medium heavy rod by feel, but give me some other type of "tool" with moving parts and I can feel the very subtle differences. When I started fishing again last year, I did not want the high end gear, but I did want good stuff. I tried a cheaper Shimano Symetre, which felt smooth, then I tried the Saros, and to me, it was like night and day. That's not to say the Symetre felt like junk, it didn't. But to me, the Saros was worth the extra twenty or thirty dollars based on feel alone. Good thing I didn't try the Sustain or the Stella.

Well let's see now. Before I took my fishing hiatus, I used a Shakespeare Wonder Rod and a Pfleuger Freespeed spinning reel that my mom got with S&H green stamps. I thought it was great............................until I started fishing again last year and bought some new equipment. I figured the old rod, with some eyes being held on by adhesive tape and others by band aids, needed to stay in retirement. In its day, I thought it was just great. Caught a seven fourteen largemouth, a thirty six inch pickerel and many, many smallmouth, some over five pounds on that rod. It has as much inherent stiffness as a piece of angel hair pasta, cooked past al dente. But it worked just fine to catch many nice fish. Back in the day, I used two and four pound test mono. Initially, I used six pound test. How I ever set a hook with that rig will forever remain a mystery. I have many fond memories of those days, but would not want to go back to that piece of equipment. I may get it refurbished, just for old time's sake, and take it for an occasional spin, just for shucks and giggles. Most of my stuff is medium or medium heavy. I do have one finesse, one heavy and one extra heavy rod, that I rarely use. The others, I use interchangably, and cannot tell the differences between the actions. Then again, maybe it's because the rods are all BPS stuff. No matter, I have no problem catching plenty of fish on them. It's more of a case of the hands that hold the gear than it is the gear that is in the hands that counts. To repeat what I've posted elsewhwere, a great fisherman with lesser gear would still be a great fisherman. A poor fisherman with the best gear would still be a poor fisherman. It all about fun for most of us. In that regard, the guy, or gal, having the most fun is the best fisherman or fisherwoman. It's not measured in numbers or weights. It's measured by the joy and satisfaction we get from it.

I've used spiderwire, spiderwire stealth, Sufix, but recently switched to PowerPro Spectra. The others are good, but I prefer the PowerPro. Plus, it is available in colors. My ten pound is red, fifteen yellow, anything above that is green. I use it on everything, with a Seaguar fluoro leader. If you fish in the rocks, the leader is an absolute must. Braid will pop like sewing thread if a fish, even a small one takes it around a rock. I use a twenty pound test leader on the ten and fifteen pound stuff, and thirty on the rest. Don't need winch cable for the waters I fish, but would not hesitate to use it when called for. I tie the leader directly to the line with an Albright Special knot. I had been using swivels, but do not like them passing through the guides. The knot passes through just fine for casting. I start with a six to seven foot leader. It allows me to retie to eliminate frays or to change baits several times before I need to replace it. When it gets to three feet or so, it's gone on the next retie. If you use the Albright Special, tie it several times. It's fairly easy, but it's also easy to mess up. Put the tag end back through the loop the wrong way and it will pull apart. At the most, with practice, you should be able to tie it in a couple of minutes. If you are dextrous, unlike me, you can probably do it in a minute or so. Maybe even quicker. http://www.netknots.com/html/albright_special.html

I haven't seen that net, but welcome aboard. There has to be someone on here that will be able to answer your question.

Same conditions here is southeastern Mass. Had been doing well with the Rage Tail stuff, then they "went off their feed". Been using the ShakE2 jig head from Mega Strike with excellent results. I am using Strike King finesse worms and Strike King caffein shad in baby bass and smokey shad colors. The SK finesse worm seems indestructible. Caught 12 bass on one and it still looked like new, but for a few scuffs. No tears. The material will not go on the barbs of the jig unless you heat a needle or pin and pierce the head lengthwise to a dept of about 3/4 inch. It's soft and stretchy, but resists going onto the barbs or twistlock type holders. Rig weedless as shown in article below. http://www.insideline.net/weeklynews/2009/09-0330-shakey.html I'm fishing them in the rocks, in four to five feet of water. The pond I fish is shallow, averaging about six feet deep, with three spring holes of nine feet. I'm finding them on the outer edges of the rocky shelf. The wacky jig head is also catching them in the same places. Try the three and four inch senko type of worms. Other types may work as well or better, but I haven't tried them yet. The smaller sizes seem to get more hits from even the larger bass. Scroll down to the wacky jig head. It's a small hook, and looks flimsy, but it catches the big ones just fine. After several fish, if you're like me, you'll probably lose the weed guard wire. http://www.insideline.net/weeklynews/2009/09-0415.html ShakE2 or wacky jig head. Fish 'em slow, allowing them to tick the stones. Slight twitches and occasionally very short jerks have worked well for me. Vary your retrieve until you find what the fish want, then stick with that. The shad on the ShakE2 head can catch them on a fast retrieve off the bottom. I've caught a couple this way, by accident, when I've brought the lure back quickly at the end of the retrieve. You never know. Almost forgot. I'm using braid, ten and fifteen pound test (Power Pro), with a twenty pound Seaquar leader of about seven feet. I tie it directly to the braid with an Albright Special knot. I use that length because it allows me to retie several times before needing to replace the leader. When it gets down to about three feet, I replace the leader.

Since when is a canoe not a real boat? You almost sound apologetic. An enduring truth about fishing. The man in the boat is more important than the boat the man is in.