Fishing Rhino

I remember when cutting edge hooks were appearing on the scene. I read an article pro and con about conical and cutting edge hooks, probably in Salt Water Sportsman. The argument went like this. The cutting edge hooks will penetrate more easily, and are a definite advantage in some situations, particularly in fish with tough mouths. However, the fact that it cuts means it creates a larger hole than the conical which pierces, then stretches the skin rather than cutting it. Once past the barb, the conical will hold better, since it results in a smaller hole. So the gist was, the cutting edge provides better penetration, while the conical has better holding power. I don't recall which if either got the call as the better overall hook.

I doubt it is in the liquid state in gasoline. I. Definition: Liquid nitrogen is a cold, liquefied gas with a temperature of -321° F. Nitrogen makes up 70% of the air we breath so it will not harm your eyes. Liquid nitrogen therapy is done by spraying this cold liquid onto the skin from a spray gun. Each skin growth that is treated needs to be sprayed three times. The skin must completely thaw between applications. http://www.skinsite.com/info_liquid_nitrogen.htm

I don't know about the studies, but if I recall my high school science correctly, the atmosphere we breathe is 70 - 75% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, and the remainder, other gases such as carbon dioxide. That means every internal combustion engine is inhaling large quantities of nitrogen. I will not state that it's just a publicity gimmick, but I do have my doubts as to just how effective it is.

That would work well most of the time. Depends on the depth of water, the clarity, and how long you can hold your breath. I don't have gps (yet), so I like to take bearings from landmarks when I find interesting structure or bottom. When I find a patch of bottom that looks like it has potential, I'll drop a float to mark that spot, then work around it, dropping other floats at the transition edges. It gives me a visual perspective on the surface of the basic shape and size of that piece of bottom. I've found a lot of productive ridges and rough patches doing that. Areas I would never have known about, and thus never fished.

Nothing wrong with a Gammy. I have some and have no problems with them. The twistlock feature is the big item with me. Also got a couple of packs of the Beast. Heavier and should work well on the larger plastic baits. I bought two packs of each size of twistlocks to use on other hooks. Circle hooks? I'm satisfied with either brand. Still learning what to use in different applications.

That would be hi tech in Gramp's day. And mine too, though this is the first time I've heard of it. It will also bring up a core sample of the bottom, except when it is rocky. Then that piece of conduit will ring. Sans a "fishfinder", sounds like the ideal technique to me.

I'd say it will work especially great on bass with squinty eyes.

Let's not forget the "sled head". It features a type of twist lock with the hook shank being the centering pin.

I've got only two questions. Where is the Wii? Where can I get a Rapala Fishing Frenzy lure?

This is a great thread. I'm going to bookmark it. Next winter when all you Rebels are making fun of us Yankees being housebound or reduced to ice fishing, I'm gonna pull it up as a reminder that the place you call "heaven" in the winter is "hell" in the summer.

Sea gulls are very interesting creatures. If you are on the water regularly and provide food for them, intentionally or not, you may find yourself adopted by a sea gull. My first experience of being adopted was while I was tonging sea clams along Horseneck Beach, near the mouth of the Westport River. There were a half dozen or so of us that regularly fished for them. Each of us had a sea gull adopt us. In the process of tonging, it was not uncommon to break a clam or two. Sea gulls are fast learners. Toss them the innards of a busted clam, and they'd quickly become your buddy. They would perch on the outboard, not more than five feet from where we stood to tong. Every time the basket was brought to the surface, the sea gull would perk up, raise its head and stare expectantly looking for broken clams. They lacked patience, and if too much time lapsed between snacks, a common practice was to tug and the rubber starter handle of the motor. The interesting thing is that once adopted, you were their own personal possession. No other seagull would have the audacity to move in on their territory. If they were off when you arrived on the clam bed, when they returned, they would drive off all the other gulls who were milling around in the water near to the boat. If you held some clam meat in the air, they would fly to you, hover, and take it from your hand. On the lobsterboat, we had a mascot that we named Ronnie. Ronnie had a foot missing, and there was a local guy at the Point who lost a foot in an auto accident. Everyone knew him as "Pegleg". His name? Why Ronnie of course. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=clam+tongs&go=&form=QBIR#focal=e47bda3f5728cdbb303f3d208564c1ab&furl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lehsd.k12.nj.us%2Fseaport%2FVaughn%2Fclammer8.jpg

Before the advent of sounders, fishermen used a sounding lead. The lead was hollowed out at the bottom and the cavity was filled with grease, wax, soap, or any other substance that could bring back a bottom sample, such as mud, sand, gravel, etc. The color of the bottom was also important, mud can be green, gray, brown, reddish, etc. You'd be better off using a bank sinker or a piece of steel round stock, rather than a lure to determine, not only depth, but whether the bottom is hard or soft. You can feel the bottom by "tunking" the device along the bottom. Hard and rocky bottom will usually transmit an audible clink, where soft muddy bottoms will transmit nothing. Steel is preferable to lead in this regard. Using a sounding device will give you an accurate depth since it hangs perpendicular from the boat. Lures are iffy. Depth at which they run varies according to the speed of retrieval and length of cast. And, if you cast and feel the bottom, how do you know at what depth the lure is actually running? Unless it's out of your budget, your best bet is a fishfinder. I have an Eagle Cuda which cost 99 bucks. It attaches to the hull of my canoe with a suction cup. Runs many hours on 8 AA batteries, so you don't need a heavy deep cycle battery to operate it. It not only shows structure, with practice you can tell if the bottom is soft or hard. Not only that, if you run it regularly, you will stumble across the occasional rocky patch, piece of ledge, or brush pile someone has sunk in the pond/lake.

When I was lobstering, Sea Ravens were a fish commonly caught in lobster traps. We had a tradition, that when someone came out with us for the first time, they had to kiss the vent of the first Sea Raven to come up in a trap. They are a type of puffer. And, yes, I have done it. More than once if only to demonstrate the technique to our guest.

That would be a lmb/dogfish cross.

What "looks" real to you may not interest the fish. Presentation is the key.

How long? How patient are you? Type of retrieve? Don't hesitate to vary it. I've done what Catt has suggested with good success. I've also cast, let the wacky rigged worm sink a bit, then retrieve it a couple of feet with a smooth sweep, pause, and repeat back to the boat. Another method I use/try, is to retrieve in short, quick, twitches which makes the worm look like it is "rowing" its way through the water. I use this mostly in shallow water. Trial and error will tell you which the fish prefer at that time. Sometimes they all work.

It occurs to me if they were "that good", there would be enough demand so they would not have been discontinued. But, for the devotee' of the hook, who can no longer find them, it's a case of all the market will bear. Not a bad marketing ploy. See what has been discontinued, and buy up what you can find, usually at a reduced price, then sell it at an outrageously marked up price to a buyer who absolutely has to have it. No one is holding a gun to the buyer's head. P.T. Barnum operated on the same principle.

Electric eel and lmb. Kiss that!

White perch. They live in fresh water, salt water, and brackish water. They can also be known by other names. See crappie/calico bass, or bunker/pogie/mossbunker/menhaden. http://www.chesapeakebay.net/white_perch.htm

Seems you are looking down your nose at the use of live bait. I'm curious to know why. If I misunderstood, disregard the rant below. I mean, if you prefer to do the fishing and catching, why use any method other than your bare hands? Do you use electronic devices of any type to help locate fish? Heck, do you ever fish from a boat? All of these, including artificials are designed to give anglers an advantage over the fish. I'm sorry, but I've read that some consider the use of a landing net to be unsporting by those who pursue bass in 60,000 dollar boats with GPS, color fishfinders, side scanners, and several thousand dollars in tackle. But let some guy fish from shore, a dinghy, kayak, canoe, jon boat, zero electronics, a couple of zebco rods and a few lures pull out a net, and he is unsporting. i agree, people shouldnt stick their nose up to live bait. after all the artificial baits theyre using are all designed to emulate live bait. just ask Fish Chris about live bait/night crawlers. he posted links to very informative articles about fishing with night crawlers that he wrote. some of the biggest bass ive ever heard of were caught on night crawlers. and from my personal experiences sometimes it can be just as tough fishing with live bait as artificial and vice versa. to me, when it comes to the love of fishing, you dont have to have the best and latest equipment to enjoy yourself. Just for the record, I have not been using live bait, and haven't for years. But, that's about to change. Years ago, I did use "mumpers" a couple of times to catch largemouth, and they worked quite well. They are, after all, just another bit of ammo. I bought a minnow seine and along with a friend am going to use it in the marine estuaries of the Westport River. He'll use the smaller ones for fluke bait, and I'll use the bigger ones for largemouth. I prefer them to shiners for a couple of reasons. I can get them myself, and they are very hardy. They can be kept in an aerated bathtub or other large container for months. Just feed them cornmeal. They are chunkier than shiners and more durable. In salt water, I've fished with sea worms, herring, makerell, pogies (also known as bunker, mossbunker, and menhaden), crabs, clams, etc. I may set a couple of traps to see if I can catch some crawfish in the pond where I fish. One of the little used, if ever, docks where I fish has several bird droppings that have been washed by rains. All that remains are piles of crawfish shell pieces.

Ahhh, you bring up an interesting point. Fish slime protects fish from bacteria and other organisms in the water. While I was lobstering, I got a case of fish poisoning when the spine of a fish penetrated my glove and punctured my thumb, right beside the nail. At the end of the day, when I removed my gloves, my thumb was fire red and inflamed. Went to the emergency room since fishpoisoning can be fatal if not treated. The treatment was to soak my hand in water as hot as I could stand. The heat somehow breaks down or neutralizes the toxins found in fish slime. Perhaps bass do not have it in their slime, or it has to be "injected" into the blood stream, but kiss them at your own risk. I've heard tell that you can actually watch the poisoning travel up your arm. Without treatment death is likely.

Seems you are looking down your nose at the use of live bait. I'm curious to know why. If I misunderstood, disregard the rant below. I mean, if you prefer to do the fishing and catching, why use any method other than your bare hands? Do you use electronic devices of any type to help locate fish? Heck, do you ever fish from a boat? All of these, including artificials are designed to give anglers an advantage over the fish. I'm sorry, but I've read that some consider the use of a landing net to be unsporting by those who pursue bass in 60,000 dollar boats with GPS, color fishfinders, side scanners, and several thousand dollars in tackle. But let some guy fish from shore, a dinghy, kayak, canoe, jon boat, zero electronics, a couple of zebco rods and a few lures pull out a net, and he is unsporting.

Family Portrait

My eyes are getting old, and I need glasses, but that does not look like a jon boat. No matter, there are plenty of threads that show conversions on this site. This should get you started. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1206322448

I've been using the space monkey and lobster as topwater through the emergent vegetation. Sometimes run it just below the surface. It seems to me that the smaller bass are the ones that really blast the bait. The bigger bass seem to slurp it. But that's fine. The small ones really look quite large when they bust the bait. When I get that little slurp is when I hang on.