Lund Explorer

Another beautiful summer day in Michigan! A high of 63 up here, NNW wind driving a ticking rain and showers all day long. Gave me a good reason to start up the snow blower to make sure that it was ready to go. I think I'll get out the ice fishing gear today! >

Thinking that the point is down stream from the bridge, the first thing I would do is to sneak up downstream of that point. Then I'd cast a floating perch Rapala upstream of the point and let the current carry it down into the eddy below it. Twitching the bait to keep it on top. I might even try to use the Rapala as a jerkbait a few times. Then I would work the whole point area with a tube. I wouldn't forget to work the face of the point where the current turns out into the main stream either, before working my way to the bridge. At the bridge, I would work the pilings and current breaks with a tube first. If I couldn't reach all the pilings with the tube, a Rat-L-Trap or a medium sized spinnerbait could cover the other side of the stream. Good Luck! Bring us back some pictures.

Welcome to BR Frank, I'm looking forward to stories about how you did at this year's KYKX Big Bass Bonanza. I fished Lake O the Pines for a number of years back in the early 1990's.

Happy BD Uncle Leo & Welcome to the Club! Yep! AARP's dues are only $16 per/year or $63 for five. Besides the magazine, theres all the junk mail offering life, home, and auto insurance. Now if they could only get us parking spots closer to the ramp.

FYI guys, the minimum size limit for both LM and SM Bass is 14" state-wide. There are no slot limits, though they have been discussed in the past with very little support. Regardless if 90x is talking about Hamlin Lake or not, the only overpopulation problem around this side of the state deals with fishermen and not fish. There are way too many folks that practice catch and release only if the fish are released one fillet at a time into a pan of hot grease. Case in point - In the 1970's the minimum size limit was then 10" and it was not unusual to catch numbers of 9 1/2" bass during an outing. Towards the end of the 70's, the size limit was raised to 12". The next year, it was fairly easy to catch bass that were 11 1/2" long. And finally, when the size limit went to 14", somehow all those stunted bass grew another 2" in a year or so. Like many others, 90x needs to start searching other lakes that don't support a large number of resorts or campgrounds, or that don't support large fishable populations of panfish (the stringer fisherman's target of choice). There are any number of very good bass fishing lakes in the area he is traveling to, but I think he's found a lake where bass are considered nothing more than a strange hybrid bluegill. BTW, has anyone else ever watched a 12' rowboat with three guys in it work a line of boat docks, using live night crawlers before? There is a resort on Hamlin Lake where the owner trains his guests on this little tactic.

Almost sounds like you're talking about Hamlin Lake. Most of the keepers have been off the drops lately.

I wonder what the comparison would be between a few butts and any of a few other things like used plastic worms, lost lead sinkers, or plastic pop and water bottles. I wonder how much pollution gets into the water everyday from those old antique two strokes. But at least no one had a problem with peeing over the side of the boat!

That's because the former is fact, and the latter is gossip. The respectable sites won't assist in spreading rumors. The sad fact is, stories, gossip, and outright lies are conjured up and spread around when events like this occur. I have no clue why anyone would be motivated to stoop to such low levels. Maybe some people can't relish the great accomplishments and monumental moments in our sport. But making stuff up serves no purpose to further the sport and promote its image. It really disgusts me. I'm proud to run a site that doesn't participate in such antics. I think there's over 20,000 of us that are proud of that fact! Thanks.

Yikes x2! I really think that the majority of tournament fisherman, aka: Weekend Warriors, spend a great deal of their off the water time trying to keep abreast of the many new lures, techniques, and patterns that have been developed by the minority of tournament anglers, aka: the Full Time Pro. When the weekend warrior finally gets the chance to get on the water, they try to find ways to duplicate the things they've learned. I think that the majority of tournament anglers become more flexible in their abilities as they are forced by the schedule to fish many different lakes/rivers over the course of the year. This really doesn't give them the chance to dissect a specific body of water for the few spots where the Hawg Hunter comes into his own. The biggest difference between the groups is the definition of success, which is a personal decision that each makes. In my honest opinion, I don't think that any of these types of fisherman is better than the other. The full time pro has the chance to work at his trade without the distractions faced by the weekend warrior who needs to work off the water to make ends meet. The weekend warriors are the driving force in the marketing of the sport of fishing as they purchase the products developed by the pros. The big bass specialists invest a great deal of time and effort into trying to catch the oldest and wisest of the species. Every one of these types of anglers, tries to maximize their enjoyment of the sport of angling. Finally, I think that there's even a place on the water for Muddy's Mooks. A place were the simple act of sitting on the bank, or in your boat provides an escape from the everyday stresses we all face. Most if not all of us started out this way. I feel lucky to have explored the weekend warrior side of the sport over the years, and I'm happy to be slowly returning to the status of Mook!

Sounds like a plan BassNub, as it does sound like we're all talking about different veggies here. Here's to hoping that such an early reply from you this morning means you're getting ready to hit the lake today! For me, its Chippewa Lake in just about an hour.

Yeah Paul, that's the stuff I've seen. Around here there's a few lakes with it, but it only grows a foot or so tall. As far as fishing in this short junk, I usually rig a very light sinker or split shot about 30" up from the bait C-Rig style. I don't really drag it, but the leader allows the bait to sit on top of the weeds were the fish can see it.

I don't think that is what you are looking at. Chara, Muskgrass or whatever name you want to call it doesn't grow that tall.

Little Billy was in class one day when the teacher asked each one of the children to get in front of the class and explain what their father's did for a living. At the very last, Little Billy got up and told the class; "My dad works as a male stripper in a gay bar. He doesn't make much per/hour, but the tips are good. Sometimes he can make extra if someone wants a lap dance." Needless to say, the teacher gets this complete shell shocked look on her face, and all of the other kids just sit there in stunned silence. Fortunately, its about this time that the bell rings, and as the other children leave the room, Little Billy goes back to his desk to get his books. Before he leaves, the teacher comes up to him and says; "I'm so sorry if this humiliated you Little Billy. If I had just known what your father did, I would have never started this whole thing." So Little Billy tells her not to worry about it, and that he really just made up the story. When the teacher asked him why he would come up with such a story, Little Billy answered; "Well, you see my dad actually plays football for the Detroit Lions, but I'm too embarrassed to tell people that!"

There is one main problem with health care insurance. While there are many people who either don't have coverage, or who are forced to buy their own, there are way more people who get there coverage "free of charge". Not really free, but at least the vast majority is picked up as a tax free benefit of employment. Then of course when you add in the existing medicare and medicaid folks. I think the majority of us are sheltered from the problems of the minority. Imagine if your home or auto insurance was covered by your employer. Would you care what it costs?

Sounds to me like there's way too many bass in that pond. If you want to go broke feeding those fish, stocking minnows is just the ticket, just don't expect any of them to survive very long. Michigan and it's neighbors used to have the same problem with the alewives in the great lakes. They started planting salmon back in the 1960's and for quite a number of years 30+ lb fish were common place. But they finally got to the point were the number of salmon was more than the supply of alewives could handle, and weights started to drop. The cure for this problem was to stock less fish. Your cure should be to take out a bunch of these fish to try to balance their population to the available forage.

Aside from that 5 hour drive, I used to have the same issues and I usually never traveled for more than two hours. I never completely cured the problem, but after awhile, I did figure out a couple of things that helped. First, you need to do all of your prep work on the boat, rods, and tackle on another weekday. I made it a habit of getting everything setup on Monday nights. It gave me the chance to have a couple of days to pickup anything I thought I'd need for the coming weekend as well. Second, you need to go through your day of sleep deprivation on Friday rather than on Saturday. Try getting to bed a little bit earlier on Thursday night so you can get up during the wee hours of the morning on Friday. By 7pm on Friday night, you will be able to zonk out for a good five/six hours. Hey, these things worked for me. Good Luck, and remember there's always the Wal*Mart parking lot where the retirees camp out.

Rates and coverages vary from state to state, Florida blue cross is higher than in most other states. The online quote is a starting point, once dialogue is established your background will be checked and at that point the rate may be adjusted upwards. My Mich.B/X rate is about half of what it would be in Florida for a similar plan (still not as good) but they will not write us due to pre existing condition. My wife had a stroke in 97 and presently takes heart and cholesterol medication and I have acid reflux (gerd) and they don't want me either. My last group rate for 2 people in Michigan about 6 years ago was $1140 per month, can't imagine what it would be now. It sure hasn't gone down! The wife just came off of a three month layoff and the COBRA payment was $550 per/month. Thankfully the new rules only required us to pay 1/3 of the premium.

x 10k! But they're perfect in the preseason... 1-0, better get those season tickets before they're all gone.

Several weeks ago, I created an account with the screen name of "Bass-Ackwards". Now I see that there is a full member who is actively using that same name (dask -vs- underscore). Being that I think that seniority should reign supreme, I've decided to change mine to Lund Explorer. Just trying to keep confusion to a minimum or from stealing anyone's thunder. Sorry if any toes were stepped on.

From the bank, as in fishing from the shore? Or did you mean fishing IN the bank?

The Irish have a slightly different way of testing you!

Only thing I could think of would be an old copy of Bassmaster that covered the 2000 Classic. I'm sure a few of the boats fished it.

That's a great way to get a ticket and possibly get someone killed. : x2!

You've got some really good tips to get you started. Now just remember that if you're throwing topwaters, to wait until you feel the fish before you set the hook. Nothing more fun than jerking the rod and not feeling a thing. You just know that lure is flying right back at you in the dark. When (not if) that happens, turn your back to it! And make sure your partner understands how to warn you when it happens to him/her.

Good luck with your plan Benito. From my experience in marketing a product, I can tell you that you better have some really deep pockets. Pricing? Shipping? Terms? They're all based on volume.