Md

Dave Wolak.

After seeing the coverage at this Classic, I can see why all of the great FLW and BASS anglers are also fishing the PAA. They can see the future of this sport needs help as we all can! Why fish for an association when they promote like idiots? PAA is the future....with a smart man like Timmy Horton in charge, I see the PAA becoming the premier tournament circuit in the US.

Sent my nasty e-mail....I don't know what they are trying to pull here. I fished a Stren as a Co and my non-fishing friends watched me online on stage. What gives???? It's the Classic!!!!! Get it right for ------ sake!!!!

Never mind all the spectators with a Blackberry that could see who's catching them on the ESPN blog. SHHHHHH!!!!

Unbelievable!!!! Just when I thought it couldn't get worse!!!

Wow! Are you really Batman???? ;D Or maybe Superman???

Pre-spawn smallies!

Every situation is different but I will add this...GPS units on your console are great for motoring to a spot, but where they really shine is when you have one on the front deck(or within sight) while structure fishing. It opens up a whole new world by allowing you to know exactly where the breaks, drops, flats, etc. are so that you can throw to them without guessing where they are.

That Gulp stuff is terrible...especially the the Gulp Alive! 3 inch leeches! Don't even bother trying to buy the buckets of 3 inch leeches if you're in the Northern NY area...the stores are always sold out of them. The stuff is such junk I couldn't crack 6 pounds with a smallie last season with it...only three smallies over 5 pounds on Gulp. I guess I'll have to switch to something different this year!

As a college grad, I feel your pain man. You need to take care of business in the classroom first and get that out of the way. But on the other hand, there aren't too many jobs right out of college, especially in this economy, that will allow you to take four or five weeks of vacation to do what you really love to do. That's a really tough decision. What is really messed up about your situation is that some college athletes rarely show up for class and take their tests when it is convenient for them, and the professors tolerate it because sports may lead to a career for them(besides they make money for the university). I saw it first hand over and over again at the Big Ten university I attended. The football or basketball players would show up for the first few days of class, and then they would disappear for the rest of the semester. In the beginning I thought they dropped the class, but often they would show up at the end of the semester for finals. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, because they have tutors and special aides, but your professors should cut you some slack because fishing may also lead to a career for you. If it were me, I would try my hardest to do both. What I would do to be in your shoes right now! Either way, good luck bro!

Hey man, I don't know if you saw Classic Patterns a few weeks ago with Dave Wolak at Keuka but it was a great show. He was there in late fall (around Thanksgiving) so it probably wouldn't help you too much. I know for a fact the dude knows those lakes very well and he caught some good ones. In the show he was hoping the fish were shallow (fall pattern) but 90 percent of the fish he caught were on a pumpkin finesse jig with a craw trailer as he pulled it off a ledge and let it fall into deep water. Just something to think about. I've fished Cayuga in the mid-summer and it can be super tough especially post spawn. The good fish just seem to suspend at that time and don't want to feed. Good luck!

Gosh yes. We are all better anglers in hindsight. But in my case it doesn't tend to transfer to the next trip out, especially if it's a week away. But, unless I made some egregious call, I'm always left to wonder if my hindsight was just another idea that might not have panned out. It's like discovering in my journaling that my memory is actually mush and I start re-writing history as soon as I leave the water LOL. Or, it's the "I wish I had my camera!" syndrome, when you see that huge buck step out along the road as you drive by. But try to actually GET that photo. Or hiking without a shotgun and you're flushing grouse like crazy! But, if you HAD your shotgun how many would you ACTUALLY get a good shot on? Hindsight can just be our ego's, or enthusiasm, talking. Reality is much more challenging. Decision making, in the moment, is a key attribute. Book learning is very helpful, but experience brings it home and is a much faster responder. Hmmmmmm...it seems Rick Clunn goes by the name Paul Roberts around here...hahaha...just kidding! Great stuff as always Paul...keeps me thinking and staying sharp.

You are not coming off as confrontational at all. Anyone that says that they never have days like Ike did would lead me to question their honesty. If you read "A Day on the Lake" you'll see how many of the best pros get humbled quickly as many of us do. That being said, I can personally chose to set goals such as, "I want to improve every time I get out on the water" or I can set my goals so high that they MAY be unreachable (the beast). I feel the later drives me more and actually makes me even more driven when I don't attain them. And I don't have the energy to worry about things that are out my control...I just try to adapt and deal with the moment. By the way Paul, GREAT point about understanding why the bite is off.

That's quite a standard! Does such a mythical beast really exist? On any/every water? I'm not sure if this "beast" really exists or not...but the question is "great bass fisherman" not "good bass fisherman". There are plenty of good bass fisherman out there. I do strive to be what I "describe" to be a great bass fisherman, as we all do....whether or not it is a reachable goal can be debated. Do greats set goals that are easily attained?

X1,000,000

I know where you guys are coming from. The first time I drove into Wildwood NJ for a vacation and realized the traffic lights are sideways, I came to a complete stop at a green light. Then I figured out which end the green was on (left?) and I was good to go for the rest of the week. I also have been unhired from a job in which I was hired pending a physical because I am colorblind. In fact, that it when it was first confirmed medically for me. It really doesn't come into play ALL of the time when fishing because of all of the steps that I take to defeat it, which have become routine over the years. It becomes a MAJOR factor at other times, especially when fishing alone. One example is when I'm trying to "match the hatch". For example, if I see a crawfish in the water or catch a goby, bluegill, or baitfish I can't just look in my box to see I have anything with the same colors that resembles it. And if I don't have anything like it, I can't go to the store and get one because I have no clue what colors to look for. It leads to experimenting which costs me time. Most of the time it just causes me to stick to the basics, which is not always a bad thing. Sometimes I just feel I'm missing out on something...a fishing tool that others have. All in all, I'm just happy to be healthy and at least have eyesight as many people aren't as lucky as all of us around here!

I saw Kim Stricker thread the hook out the nose first also, and then tie on. After that, he buried the eye back into the nose. He then stuck a toothpick into the top of the nose and out the bottom while passing though the eyelet of the hook. Then he broke the toothpick off flush with the rubber on top and bottom. Seems like it might work for a better hold.

Here's two reasons I don't use LC jerkbaits where I fish. $$$$$$!!! The first fish I had on a week earlier on a husky jerk and it bit me off and took my lure. I wasn't thrilled and as I was tying another one on he began jumping about 100 yds away and threw my jerk! Most of the time I'm not that lucky. I was fishing the same exact area a week later with an X Rap and got redemption! He still had hook marks in his mouth from the prior week. They took a TON of my jerkbaits over the years!!! The second fish I caught on a tiny 3 inch Gulp leech in 35 ft of water on a size 2 Gammy DS hook. Unfortunately, if you're around bass on my waters, these boys aren't to far away!

White or white/chartreuse skirt with silver blades in clear water can't be overlooked also. I like to add a white single tail grub also.

Welcome man! You ever fish the 1000 Islands?

It was a pic of about 22 lbs. of 5 dead largemouth lined up on a picnic table. I'm not one to call people out, but it was so obvious. Along with the pic, he stated the biggest bass had a 12 inch catfish "IN IT'S STOMACH" along with a striped bass in it's throat. When everybody started giving him grief about killing the fish, he decided to change his mind and the catfish got puked up also. Then he got rid of the post altogether. It was GAMEOVER for him!

THIS IS TRUE,i HAVE WITNESSED IT MYSELF. Aliens came on Groundhog Day, and tried to give some kind of anal probe to all the fish on the East Coast and when they farted they exploded. I will swear to this in court. Me,Robby and MD will be taking up surfing this summer, to pass the time. I guess all the P.M. work I did on my gear was for nothing....time to wax my board! ;D

From what I understand, the entire northeast suffered this same fish kill! Don't even bother to fish around here for a few years...there's no fish left!

x2 When you find them, they are usually piled up. Dragging grubs and tubes works also if they are super finicky in deep water. But you still can't beat a blade deep or a jerkbait/craw crankbait on the flats to load the boat. 100+ fish days are not out of the question. I have found they usually school by size, so if you are catching dinks but want size, start searching elsewhere.

X2....The table isn't even wet.