Lund Explorer

I can't stop thinking about this bait. How's this idea? Rig it up on a light weight Rage Rig (maybe 1/16oz). Twitch it along just under the surface like a dying shad, letting it slowly sink every so often. Weighted like this, the bait should ride level on what looks like it's side, just like a half-dead baitfish. Can't wait for the next alewive spawn!

I would have to think that this stuff would last as long as any livewell treatment you added along with it. Of course if that pretty aqua-blue color started to fade, it might be time to add a little more.

LOL!!! There's got to be a story connected with that description. From a roadtrip maybe?

The only fish that I have tried to so-call steam with the skin on was a trout. Gut and gill, stuff the cavity with lemon quarters, wrap in foil, and thrown in the grill. As the fish heats up, the lemon juice produces steam that puts the flavor throughout the entire fish. With a bass, I like to skin them so I can cut out that dark latteral mud line. IMO it improves the taste way more than anything I could pour over or steam into them. My Lund is a 1675 with a 60hp four stroke. Can't go very fast, but no need for a kicker!

Things I'd want to know would be who drove it, and if it was a tournament sponsor boat, where it was driven. Most likely a Z7 is smaller than most of these guys would be running Lake Michigan in, but you just never know. If you've watched some of these guys out there skipping waves, those boats take a real pounding that could cause stress problems in the hull. Maybe find out what tournament trail the user was fishing as this could give you an idea of the kind of water they're fishing. Is this a one year old model?

You've been busy Mr. Steve - Can't wait to see the other goodies you've dreamed up. Colors?

Fixed it for you!

I'm afraid I can have two skinned and boneless fillets in the same time it took you to cut off all the fins.

What type of livewell system does your boat have? If you fill your livewell and then run the recirculating pumps only it will last longer than if you are pumping in fresh lake water into the tanks all day long. You may want to watch the videos under the video key at the top of the page for more information.

The only thing missing is a small lake with a bassboat being harrassed by a bunch of jetskis!

Have you ever wondered why street signs come in different shapes and colors? Years ago the Secretary of State had an office right across the hall in our building. So here I'm sitting on MLK Day and watch this guy walk in, rattle the glass door to their office, peer into the completely darkened room, stand back and read the sign "We're closed for MLK Day". He rattles the door a second time, and then peers through the glass door again. As he is about to give up, he sees me and opens my office door. "The Secretary of State closed today?" he asked. "Yes." I replied, "Someone will be here on Tuesday to read the test to you!"

So close to winning a Darwin Award, but only an honorable mention.

IMO it's time for you to head into deeper water. My favorite summer fishing takes place along the deep weedline, which in this area is normally around 16'. I will put the nose of the boat right on that weedline and travel along it pitching T-Rig Worms or a Jig/Trailer Combo to it. These deep weedlines are never straight line affairs, so I look for small indentations or points. These areas provide good ambush points for bass to sit along waiting for prey to swim along. Another really great spot are inside turns, which in my mind is a spot where prey fish will jumble up before making the turn. From looking at the map you provided, I see several of these inside turns. One is located at the 3 O'Clock position and the other is at 11 O'Clock. The first inside turn looks like a prime area as it has a large shallower flat close to it. I would think that the bass could move up onto this flat during low light periods and then retreat to holding or ambush points within the deeper weedline. The other inside turn at the 11 O'Clock position has a nice steep drop off to it, but it doesn't provide a feeding shelf of shallower water near it. I also like the look of the deep slot between the two islands in the lower right hand corner of the map. Wind blowing through or around these islands may create current within this slot that could turn on daytime fish. A day on your lake would find me doing what I do on the lakes around here. Start the morning throwing topwaters over the tops of the flats and then dropping back to the deeper weedline moving slow and deliberately with vertical presentations. If a good wind picked up, I'd think about moving to that slot and covering a lot of water with a crankbait or spinnerbait.

My all time favorite is when someone knows I've been hunting and they ask me "Did you catch anything?" I normally answer that everything was running soooooo fast, I just decided to shoot them!

These: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Terminal-Tackle/Weights%7C/pc/104793480/c/104779980/sc/104685480/Cabelas-Bulk-Bottom-Bouncers-Unpainted-Torpedo/739403.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Ffishing-terminal-tackle-weights%2F_%2FN-1100373%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104685480%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104793480%253Bcat104779980&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104793480%3Bcat104779980%3Bcat104685480 http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Fishing-Jigs-Rigs/Bait-Rigs%7C/pc/104793480/c/104736780/sc/104200380/Baitfish-Image8482-Walleye-Spinner-Harness-Double-Hook/739015.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Ffishing-fishing-jigs-rigs-bait-rigs%2F_%2FN-1100360%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104200380%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104793480%253Bcat104736780&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104793480%3Bcat104736780%3Bcat104200380

Amazing story of why it happened, and how all survived. Lessons for all of us to remember. http://www.glangler.com/_blog/Great_Lakes_Angler/post/MULL's_BLOG_Stupid,_Adrift_and_Thanking_God_for_a_Coleman_Cooler/

So was the hotdog eating contest!

X2 Plus a few salmon and trout thrown in for the smoker.

I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. Not sure if the two of you worked for the same agency, but I'm sure he was proud that you decided to follow his lead in your chosen career. While it might seem that you have suffered the loss of both a father and mentor, it is also true that he has given you the chance to find a new motivation to live up to the standards he lived by. As others have said, time lessens the pain of loss, and you will find that you will be able to celebrate all of the special things that made him your dad. The void you must be feeling today will never be filled, but it can be replaced as you try to give his grandchildren the kind of dad you had, and the kind of officer his public came to expect. BTW, my dad passed away on November 12, 1988 when I was the exact same age that you are now. We also worked together in the same office for ten years before I loss my father, friend, and mentor. I can fully understand what you are going through. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and all of your family.

We're still trolling for them up here. Using mostly crawler harnesses with bottom bouncers even though I will run a minnow style bait on the shallowest rod. Low light periods before sunrise and again after sunset we target 8' - 14' with weeds. During the day most fish are suspended off the drops about 20' - 25' down. Blade colors and trolling speeds seem to vary from day to day even though purple seems to catch a few daytime fish on every trip.

Hope you guys have a good day up there as well. So I don't have to wait until dusk, do you have any suggestions on something I can say to the wife to start the fireworks early?

It would be interesting to know what soured you on it. Like you, I started playing golf when I was quite young though I'm not sure what the cost was. My father had a family membership that he paid, so all through high school golf was something I thought of as free! Now that I'm nearing retirement, quite a few of my friends have part-time jobs at one local course or another. Mowing greens or fairways three mornings a week for minimum wage along with the side benefit of a free 18 hole round of golf each day sounded like just the ticket to keep me out from under the wife's glare.

Sure enough Sam. Not only did he have a great career on the field, but he probably delivered the greatest line in all of the old Miller Lite commercials! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pStfv9cjJt0

I'm off the water this morning due to thunderstorms rolling through the area. The last few times out though have been pretty similar. Hit the lake by 5:30am and stay until around Noon. I've been starting the day with my Pop-R (baby bass) and a 3/8oz tandem spinnerbait (bleeding shiner) over the tops of milfoil beds. Once the active bite dies off, I switch to a T-Rigged Space Monkey (junebug) or Power Worm (green pumpkin) which I pitch into holes in the weeds or along the deep weedline.

Fortunately I didn't have that problem yesterday. Encore had a James Bond Marathon going. The little woman had Bond, and I got to check out all the Bond Girls!