Lund Explorer

I usually have six different rods...in my 12' canoe! But at the end of the day, only 3 types of baits caught 90% of the fish... That number might change next year as I wean myself from my primary confidence bait. Now, we haven't heard yet from the folks that carry 27 rods on their boat... ;D Try not to take it personally when I say you've cursed me into making up a new fishing log for 2011. I used to keep a very complete log during my tournament days, but I've let it slip the last couple of years. The more I look at what I "could" keep track of, the bigger the spreadsheet gets!

Sorry Goose, but I carry at least seven different rods out on the deck everytime I hit the water. If I had to choose the top three, I could tell you that the top producer was probably a T-Rig 7" Power Worm with any one of five or six colors. After that, it would be a tie between a Pop-R, Lipless Crankbaits, Lipped Crankbaits, Spinnerbaits, Jigs, Tubes, Grubs, Asst'd Drop-Shots..... plus a few others. Did you know that the Bait Monkey has a cousin who deals in walleye baits?

That looks a lot more compact than what I camp in!

While I really liked thinking back on the "good old days", it has proven that my memory is faulty. I can remember when gas caps on cars were always behind the rear license plate, but what year did that change? Must be I've been driving a pickup for too many years! And does anybody remember the old blond joke when they moved the dimmer switch off the floor?

Here's ten more questions: 1. What was the name of John Wayne's production company? 2. How many films did John Wayne play the part of a pilot? 3. What were the names of those films? 4. Name four films where John Wayne's character died? 5. How many different American wars did John Wayne movies cover? 6. Name an American war he didn't star in a movie about. 7. What famous Stunt man developed stunts with John Wayne? 8. John Wayne was completely miscast in what movie, considered a flop? 9. What did John Wayne wear that most people weren't aware of? 10. What movie did John Wayne star in that was directed by Cecil B. DeMille?

#1. What Was John Wayne's first starring role? A. The Big Trail was actually the first movie in which he was given the starring role, but most critics say that the first successful movie in which he starred was Stagecoach. #2. Which 2 movies did John Wayne say "Pilgrim" (hint he only said it once in the second one) A. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance & McClintock #3. What was John Wayne's first movie with John Ford? A. Stagecoach #4. What was the first movie John Wayne was nominated for Best Actor? A. It was for the WWII movie, the Sands of Iwo Jima. #5. Which actress did John Wayne work with most? A. Maureen O'Hara. #6 Which actor did John Wayne work with most? A. Take your pick, there were so many actors in the Fox Movie stable that it would be hard to say. But if I had my choice, I'd say Ward Bond, or Harry Carey Jr. #7. Which director did John Wayne work with most( this is easy as it can get) A. John Ford #8. John Wayne's Last Movie? A. The Shootist #9. Which son did John Wayne work with on a number of occasions? A. Patrick Wayne #10. What were the three movies in "the cavalry series" that John Ford directed and John Wayne Starred in? A. Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Rio Grande

Okay, Pilgrim! ;D

What are you going to use this for? Single purpose, or multi-purpose? Have you got any other shotguns?

I think you answered your own question Catt. As any of us are trying to pass along our knowledge of the sport, I think that there are a number of more important factors to consider before what bait to throw. I would start with recognition of the seasonal patterns of the fish, and weather and other outsdie factors that could have an effect on those patterns. The next most important thing would be to recognize the potential of the body of water being fished, its structure and the cover found on that structure. A solid knowledge of these things should result in the fisherman being able to locate the fish. And in my opinion, location is the most important key. If you can find the fish, then that is the time to use the many various types of baits to see which work the best when taking into consideration all of the other factors you should have already taken into account. In your example, throwing a buzzbait could be the best bait for a certain situtation at some point in time. But even if it the best, there is usually several other baits that will pick up additional fish from a location after the easy bites have been taken care of. As the teacher, it should be our goal to have a pupil that is well rounded and takes into consideration all aspects of the sport to maximize time on the water. Forcing the student to work with only a single tool doesn't accomplish that.

I think you answered your own question Catt. As any of us are trying to pass along our knowledge of the sport, I think that there are a number of more important factors to consider before what bait to throw. I would start with recognition of the seasonal patterns of the fish, and weather and other outsdie factors that could have an effect on those patterns. The next most important thing would be to recognize the potential of the body of water being fished, its structure and the cover found on that structure. A solid knowledge of these things should result in the fisherman being able to locate the fish. And in my opinion, location is the most important key. If you can find the fish, then that is the time to use the many various types of baits to see which work the best when taking into consideration all of the other factors you should have already taken into account. In your example, throwing a buzzbait could be the best bait for a certain situtation at some point in time. But even if it the best, there is usually several other baits that will pick up additional fish from a location after the easy bites have been taken care of. As the teacher, it should be our goal to have a pupil that is well rounded and takes into consideration all aspects of the sport to maximize time on the water. Forcing the student to work with only a single tool doesn't accomplish that.

I think you answered your own question Catt. As any of us are trying to pass along our knowledge of the sport, I think that there are a number of more important factors to consider before what bait to throw. I would start with recognition of the seasonal patterns of the fish, and weather and other outsdie factors that could have an effect on those patterns. The next most important thing would be to recognize the potential of the body of water being fished, its structure and the cover found on that structure. A solid knowledge of these things should result in the fisherman being able to locate the fish. And in my opinion, location is the most important key. If you can find the fish, then that is the time to use the many various types of baits to see which work the best when taking into consideration all of the other factors you should have already taken into account. In your example, throwing a buzzbait could be the best bait for a certain situtation at some point in time. But even if it the best, there is usually several other baits that will pick up additional fish from a location after the easy bites have been taken care of. As the teacher, it should be our goal to have a pupil that is well rounded and takes into consideration all aspects of the sport to maximize time on the water. Forcing the student to work with only a single tool doesn't accomplish that.

Hang tough with that first thought chief! Don't break down now, not when you only have to wait a couple of weeks to start going broke all over again! ;D

Hang in there Burley..... Thoughts and prayers that you have a speedy recovery.

Having been stationed with the USAF in North Dakota many years ago, I sort of feel sorry for them. So much so, that I would gladly volunteer to do something, anything, to keep one of them nice and warm. Perhaps this poor soldier

Like every other year, it will boil down to which goalie gets hot. But my bet is that the octopus will rule again! Go Wings!!!

I loved fishing back in those days. The first six years of my life was spend in Cadillac, MI where we lived a couple of blocks away from the lake. Many evenings, our Dad would take us down to fish for bluegills from shore. When work moved the family to Big Rapids, I became a river rat, and three to four miles of the Muskegon River was my escape. Like you, a cane pole was #1. A few hooks, real sinkers when we had them, a nut when we didn't. There was an old bowl factory that made wooden bowls in town. Fifteen minutes spent digging through an old sawdust pile got you all the fresh worms you ever needed. The day after Mom cooked chicken, we would take the pilfered liver down to the creek where inside an old soup can, we could collect leeches for a day of walleye fishing. Some days collecting old beer bottles netted us enough cash to buy more hooks and sinkers, and sometimes live minnows to use in "The Pike Hole". We didn't watch the bobber so much as we waited for the pole get jerked right into the river. Then we would swim out to get our pole, swimming back to shore and fighting the fish at the same time. The spring sucker run always meant that we had to load up a gunny sack full of white suckers for the Johnson family. Canned sucker meat helped a family of 14 make ends meet. We learned that part of our chores not only included mowing our lawn, or shoveling the snow out of our driveways, but it also included going down the street to do the same at the widow's home too. And while Mom told us to never accept any money for it, she always had fresh cookies. My first BB gun came as a Christmas present too. The neighbors bought me it. The next day I repaid their generosity by shooting the chickadee out of the large willow tree in their front yard. One of the shots that missed put a really nice chip in their picture window! Wow, was my Dad ever mad at me, but not the neighbor. They only had girls, and it was almost like he was happy to see it! They were simpler times!

There were some things that were easier for us old codgers..... Remember how you could pull into a service station, buy $1.00 (or less) in gas, and there was someone to pump it for you. And they washed your windows, checked the oil, and everything else under the hood. All the time, you got to sit inside your car no matter how cold or rainy it was! That dollar also got you enough gas to drive around all day. Growing up in a college town, a bunch of us kids found were the students partied in the days before either the bottle deposit laws, or the drinking age dropped to 18. Long neck beer bottles were worth two cents apiece, and we were always happy those "old guys" drank a lot. We could pick up a couple dollars worth of bottles every week. For a brief time, I can remember getting a sliver of ice from the guy who drove the milk truck. Always a nice way to cool off on a hot summer morning. We also got to witness some of the most amazing things to ever happen. A real live man was shot into space and lived to tell about it. Then a few years later, a couple of them walked on the moon. We could even beg our mothers to buy Tang.... because the astronauts drank it. Some things we witnessed weren't so good. JFK got shot, so did MLK. And Jack's brother Bobby got killed too. We had race riots, and anti-war protests. But we also had Motown, Muscle Cars, and Mini-Skirts! Elvis was skinny, there wasn't any reason to write a song called American Pie, and Michael Jackson looked like, well never mind. We had The Duke, Jimmy Stewart, and we could look forward to seeing a new movie that Alfred Hitchcock not only directed, but made a cameo in. To top all of that, a guy named Hefner had started a magazine that only your dad was supposed to "read". But somehow most of us figured out where he hid all the back issues. Yeah, I think we had it pretty good!

THAT.... Should be on a signature line!

Do a search on the "Bait Monkey", make a list of most of the stuff these guys have suggested, and then run up to the village of Borculo to visit the baitshop there. They got everything in that store! My advice? Power Worms, Pop-R's, maybe some Power Worms, Dbl Willowleaf Spinnerbaits, Don't forget to look for some Power Worms, Husky Jerks, and have I mentioned Power Worms? BTW, welcome to the forum. It's nice to see another West Michigander here.

While it's quite a drive to get to their HQ, like 8 hours from The Soo, these are the folks I've been most impressed with. http://airivanhoe.com/ George & Jeanne Theriault are fantastic hosts. You could also look around your area for a boat, sport, fishing show this winter. Many times they will have a number of Canadian outfitters attending. BTW, if you can find a copy of this, George Sr. wrote a really interesting book called "Trespassing in God's Country". Many stories from his youth and through his days as a bush pilot 1920's to the 1980's. It's a book you'll read more than once.

The African Queen North by Northwest Forrest Gump Young Frankenstein True Grit - the real one!

Thanks Mike! I was thinking if maybe there was something I could whip up to feed the crew one evening. Of course seeing as how so few people seemed to like Speedbead's "It's Still Kickin' Chicken", I might be better off leaving my roadkill cookbook at home! ;D

So for all you guys that hate the wind, and the bouncing mushroom anchors that go with it..... Have you ever tried using an old window weight? I have several in the 20lb range that I use as drag anchors. They are about 2 feet in length, and not much bigger than a beer can in width. But if you hang them far enough back off of the boat, the entire length of the weight lays on the bottom which produces a lot more drag than a mushroom anchor. You can also move forward by simply hitting the trolling motor as their shape is fairly snag free. Just an idea to help fight the wind.

So for all you guys that hate the wind, and the bouncing mushroom anchors that go with it..... Have you ever tried using an old window weight? I have several in the 20lb range that I use as drag anchors. They are about 2 feet in length, and not much bigger than a beer can in width. But if you hang them far enough back off of the boat, the entire length of the weight lays on the bottom which produces a lot more drag than a mushroom anchor. You can also move forward by simply hitting the trolling motor as their shape is fairly snag free. Just an idea to help fight the wind.

So for all you guys that hate the wind, and the bouncing mushroom anchors that go with it..... Have you ever tried using an old window weight? I have several in the 20lb range that I use as drag anchors. They are about 2 feet in length, and not much bigger than a beer can in width. But if you hang them far enough back off of the boat, the entire length of the weight lays on the bottom which produces a lot more drag than a mushroom anchor. You can also move forward by simply hitting the trolling motor as their shape is fairly snag free. Just an idea to help fight the wind.