Lund Explorer

The bigger lens allows for zooming in to distant targets. I believe they go up to 600mm for the D40. Nikon also has an 85mm Micro for extreme closeup work.

Okay, that makes sense. I've had some of those issues with a couple of pump guns I've used over the years. One was an 870 that I used for ducks/geese and for some reason I just could not get myself to rack that second shell when I was shooting magnum loads. I think it was more of a mechanics issue for me as it did fine with lighter loads. I would sometimes get that same small dimple on the primer because the shell wasn't up tight onto the face of the bolt like it would be when it was seated into the receiver. I hate to say it, but the only way I cured myself was with a new 1100.

An Easterly wind in this neck of the woods usually is associated with the passing of a cold front, which may be the reasoning behind it. This is because the summer jet stream seems to run to the North of us into Canada. In the winter when the Jet stream moves to the South, an East wind comes before the snow. On this side of Lake Michigan though, a few days of offshore winds can blow the warmer surface water out which allows colder water to roll in underneath it. For pier fisherman after trout or salmon watch for this during the month of August as a good sign to hit the piers.

misfires or doesn't fire? To me a misfire is the shell only going half off.... like primer only. If it doesn't fire, I'd say you've either got an issue with the firing pin not striking the primer hard enough (are the primers dented?), or a problem with the slide going forward fully chambering the shell.

I've got the D40 and absolutely love it. It came with a 18-55mm lens and I've already got the 55-200mm lens, plus a filter kit, and a few other accessories. SLR is the only way to go in a camera anymore, it's almost as fast as a old fashion film style. There was a slight learning curve for me on depressing the shutter release so that the auto focus could do it's thing, but it didn't take too long. The D3000 is a 10.1 megapixel camera while mine only has 6.2 megapixels. If mine takes highly detailed pictures, I can't imagine what you'll end up with. If your wife let's you play with it, remember this link so you can re-size your pictures will fit on here. http://www.resize2mail.com/

You may not want to buy Hot Spots, but make sure you go to the Lowrance website. There is an update that was released a month or so ago that your machine may not have.

Bubba & Louie are watching an outdoor show on TV when the announcer states that the average male elk can successfully breed up to ten times a day. Bubba just can't believe it and throws his hands up in the air groaning in despair. He looks over at Louie, and then backhands him so hard it knocks poor Louie right out of his chair. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT" Bubba screams at him. Louie gets up off the floor rubbing his chin and asks Bubba what the hell he's talking about. So Bubba replies; "You're the one that wanted us to join the Eagles!" ;D

Works great on trout..... Dry fly on top and a weighted nymph on the dropper.

Pssst Robby, PSU? Why the "S"? Just Kidding ;D

X2! We got so much of that @#$%& stuff last year that the roof of our camper partially collapsed. Where the heck is this global warming thing?

Good News, Bad News. Good news is that this is happening at the end of the season and not at the start. And now you've got some time to work on the bad news before the ice moves out next spring. Bad news is that almost anything you can do is going to be expensive. Is your Merc a 1993 model? Before you spend a bunch of money on sixteen year old technology, I'd think about upgrading to a newer used motor. You might be happier with a fuel/oil injected model then another of the old carburetor motors. I'm not sure sure much you want to spend, or even how much is smart to pay when bolting it onto a 1993 boat, but you've got all winter to shop around. Just my opinion.

The way it was explained to me, you use black or other dark colored lures because they actually stand out from the background. Almost anywhere you fish, there is some amount of light. Moonlight, or even shoreline cottages or dock lights allow for some light on the surface of the water. Having said that, I'm not really sure if that is the biggest factor. I think that vibration, noise, or simple water displacement are more important to attract the bass.

Against the Yankees there are a lot of Twins fans. x2

So what time are all you guys meeting at Falcon's house for free beer and hot wings? ;D

Fantastic Vent! And now for some of that advice you asked for. First off I'd like to congratulate you on finally getting to meet Mr. Know-It-All the other day. Actually, his family is all that way, and there's 100's of them. There isn't much you'll ever be able to do better than them, so just bow to the greatest and ignore them. A great lesson for a happy life is that "actions speak louder than words". Having said that brings me to the next subject of SECRET SPOTS!!!! If you decide that you are going to enter the world of tournament fishing, you are going to face an issue that every other tournament fisherman does. And right off the bat, I'm going to tell you that there is no such thing as a secret spot on any public body of water. But there is an easy and fair way to approach this issue, and it deals with respect. Respect is not just a word, but to me it is lifestyle choice. If you decide that you will treat everyone you meet in life with it, you'll earn a lot of it back. Anyhow, the subject of spots is an ongoing frustration to a lot of tournament anglers. In some ways it is understandable, but in many others it approaches the ridiculous. So I suggest that you adopt the two basic rules that I've always lived by. It may not make others happy, but then again, you can't please everyone. Rule #1 - Don't Act Like A Seagull: Quite simply, if you see someone sitting on a spot that is just hammering the fish, resist the urge to sneak right into that area to join in on the fun. If someone is working a shoreline, or a line of docks, don't jump in front of them. If you really want to fish that same area, you really need to start way behind them, or start behind them and work the other way. This is a really simple rule to follow because all you have to do is to think about how you would feel if someone was doing it to you. Rule #2 - Respect Your Teacher! If you go fishing with someone else and they take you to an area that they tell you something like "This is one of my favorite spots!", then you need to show them a little respect when the day comes that the two of you are competing against each other. Before the tournament, go up and ask the guy about it. If they say that they plan on starting somewhere they showed you, or if they say they plan on going to a spot at such and such a time when they expect the fish to turn on there..... LEAVE THE SPOT ALONE! And that includes any prefishing time before the tournament. Resist the urge to go back to these places the day before the tournament just to find out "How's my buddy going to do?". This is another easy rule to follow. Imagine that you introduce your girlfriend to your buddy, and when you get home from the lake he's at her house sparking with your gal. Does that sound outrageous? Of course it does, but with a lot of guys (regardless of age) think their spots rank one or two spots above the woman in their lives. Rule #3 - There Isn't One! Aside from either of the above, anyplace you fish, is going to be something that your knowledge, your time spent in map study, or your time spent on the water searching, is going to be the result of your efforts. It doesn't matter where you find to spend your tournament day, someone has been there before you. If you get to that spot first, then fish it. You may have someone tell you that this is their spot, but you have the simple reply: "How would I have known that?" On a public body of water, no one "owns" their spot. And you can trust me that you WILL get to the point where the tables are turned. You'll pre-fish for a tournament someday where you find the "perfect spot". And the morning of the tournament you'll draw the dead last blast off number. That's the way the cookie crumbles, and unless it is a friend of yours sitting there, you will just need to move on. My final piece of advice deals with your buddy's Dad, and maybe with everyone else as well. In a very respectful way, you tell them that some wise Ol' Yankee Know-It-All took the time to read my really long vent, and then took the time to write an even longer reply. Explain to him the rules (and these don't have to be it) that you plan to live by when you become a tournament fisherman. And now go out and make your own magic..... Good Luck!

I just had to vote other because "All of the Above" wasn't a choice. In the fall, I usually have 7-8 rods rigged up. A topwater (with a front runner tossed in), a jerkbait, dbl willowleaf spinnerbait, a Rattlin' Rap, a T-Rig 5" grub, a tube, and ALWAYS a Hopkins spoon. Fall smallies means you are going to run across schoolies, and nothing reaches out better than a Hopkins spoon. This is the one rod that is always close at hand with the lure reeled up to the tip ready to cast.

Over the last 30 years, every dog we have had has come from the pound or a rescue. They might all have some issues, but with positive attention they have all worked out. Can't remember who said it, but I'll live by the quote that there aren't any bad dogs, just bad owners. At least until I get bit by one of them!

Yeah, ain't it great! Around here it's the "W" word or the "R" word that you don't dare to say out loud. And I swear she knows what day of the week Monday falls on too. That's the day I have to go to the post office to mail out payrolls, and she might even know how to count. The more mail that gets piled up, the more antsy she gets. Do you take Malcolm to the drive through bank? Great place for free doggie treats. Cocoa even takes the girls at our bank cookies every Christmas.

I would add to the discussion that here along the west side of Michigan we have a third type of lake, which has many of the characteristics of a manmade reservoir, but that was naturally formed. These are the flooded river mouths that form along the Lake Michigan shoreline. These rivers were in fact large coves formed after the retreat of the glaciers. Over time, sand dunes forming along the shore filled in the mouth of these coves and creating a lake with a small outlet into the bigger lake. While many of these lakes now have a manmade channel put in by the Corps of Engineers for navigation, they are naturally made. Many of these lakes actually still retain a serpentine area of deeper water that at some point was the river channel. They also contain large shallower flats that can either be covered with weed growth, but sometimes are nothing more than a large barren sand flat. They also maintain current through them, though at times, some of these lakes actually have a reverse current as you nearer to the manmade channel. Some of these currents are much like a tidal river in that the current switches directions in a normal and steady rhythm. A breakline forms between the water from the river and that of Lake Michigan and in most of these cases, there is not only a color change to these waters, but a temperature break as well. Many times a person fishing right along this color line will catch both bass and walleyes (warm/cool water species) and various trout or salmon (cold water species). On another note, many of these lakes were used heavily during the late 1800's in the logging industry. Conventional wisdom at the time was for the saanother sitells to take the bark and scrap wood (slab wood) and to pile it on top of the ice during the winter. In the spring, much of this would sink to the bottom of the lake. Over time, long thin piles would form on the bottom that still exist today. It is not uncommon to be sitting in 30' of water and be within casting distance of 10' of water on both side of the boat. Of course these piles are no wider than 30-40' and the the water drops right back down to its normal depth. If you ever get the chance to fish any of these lakes, these slab wood piles are a great place to start your day as both smallmouth and largemouth will use them.

Great post Roger! Much better than my ramblings.

Those Corgi's are neat dogs, but I'd hate to be Malcolm if he lived up here with all of the snow and those short legs! Does he go fishing?

Daviscw, The first Blue Heeler I ever met was my Grandpa's dog. He was a working dog on a dairy farm, and did a great job of herding the cows up to the barn twice a day. Our dog even at five years of age still has a lot of energy that she burns off. A daily walk in the morning is usually followed play time in the back yard with either a frisbee or soccer ball. Even though on a really cold winter day, she can become a A-1 couch critter. And you are correct about the shepherds being more aggressive in their herding. When they first crossed the wild Dingo's with the Shepherds, they would herd everything. It was the reason that the second cross breeding that they went through was with a Dalmatian, hence the spotted coats, and the calmer demeanor.

In this part of the country, fall fishing ends when there is too much ice at the landing to launch a boat. Then we call it winter ice fishing. Fishing a fall pattern up here is probably a lot like yours is in that the fish will first move shallower and become more active during the day. After the fall turnover, the fish will scatter for a few days, and then the fish, and the bite start to slow and move deeper. I usually start each day somewhat shallow, or at least at the shallowest depth I've found fish the trip before, and then start to work my way deeper. A few days of warmer weather sometimes moves the fish back to shallower water, and colder than normal weather drives them deeper. And my definition of fall turnover..... This is when the surface water above the thermocline cools to the point where it is colder than the water below that mark. As warmer water will rise, the water below the thermocline rises and mixes with the surface water. Prior to this event, the water below the thermocline can be depleted of quite a bit of it's oxygen, which would limit how deep the bass could travel. Once the water is mixed, the oxygen level is equal throughout the water column which allows the fish to winter over in the deeper water. And why do fish move deeper when the warmest water rises? Because up here, water never gets colder than 39 degrees. Below that temp, it is no longer strictly water. It slowly transitions into ice, which freezes solid at 32 degrees. Therefor, water between 32 and 39 degrees rises as it get cooler, just as ice will float. And most lakes in our region have a winter turnover within a few weeks of solid ice forming.

I found a small cove somewhat like this on our local river in the backwaters of one of the dams. Small cove, outside bend of the river, far enough upstream to still have decent current. Fished it a few times without much, and then one day it was like I was in a stocked pond. Thinking about the day, it came to me back then that we had just gotten a fairly heavy rain a day or so before I had been there. Trips after that day were mostly unsuccessful except for those days following a fairly good rain that brought in a good deal of runoff. I think in my case, the runoff was the key that brought food into that cove. This might be what you experienced.

So ah, how many beers does it take to get to that upper age limit?