scrutch

My local lake has them and the water is now gin clear, the weeds grow deeper, and the smallmouth population is going off the charts! Bigger and more fish! I know there is a new state record fish in this lake after talking to the fisheries biologist who recently did a fish population study. Time will tell what the real results will be.

Spoken like a cop! Oh, and didn't Aquaman graduate from Georgia Tech? Or was that Florida?

The reason for the elongated fish arches is speed. Like another post said, you were probably sitting still or drifting across these fish. If you increase your speed while scanning, like between 2 and 6mph, the "fish arches" will look more like what you are used to seeing. While drifting, EVERYTHING will look elongated and distorted. Laydowns look like a jumbled mess, steep drops will look like gradual ones, a two foot tall rock will look like a two foot tall ledge. Speed up a little.

i think the next craze coming to my house is diving in these clear lakes we have around my house. I need to go get PADI certified, then get some gear. I cant wait to dive and observe bass behavior.

Steve, do you have an Indiana pro staffer yet?

Wow! Next time I'm passing thru Hamburg I'll stop on in.

After meeting him at the 2012 roadtrip, I was impressed by his attitude and patience. He's a great ambassador for the sport.

Sorry I was thinking of the autopilot feature. I have the Terrova with ipilot and autopilot and they work together. Too many darn pilots.

I like that point off the island top left. It drops into 30 fow and is close to grass.

They do work together. Set your course with the remote and make small adjustments with the foot pedal.

Awesome. Finally. I wrote to Minn Kota a year and a half ago and asked them if they were coming out with this type of a link. They wrote back and said "not currently, but these are some good ideas". I suspect that they were already working on this stuff and they didn't want to let the cat out of the bag yet. It is such an obvious marriage of this technology. This will be awesome.

X2. No mold.

Don't have one but I want one too. Sweet ride.

Ahh the wisdom and perspective from our resident sage! Always refreshing. Thanks again Tom for the laughs!

Yes, but how busy are they? In my area there are numerous lakes and a handful of guides who would call a three trip week a busy week. I know that the guides at well known fishing lakes are probably busier. When I was in the golf business I would average 20 lessons a week. Almost all of my fellow nearby golf pros did the same. There is more interest in golf from the public partially because of the efforts of the PGA of America's grass roots campaign to teach the game. There are so many differences that you really can't compare the two.

All good choices. I'd pick #20 to start. Another idea is finding fish when a thermocline exists.

Just about as lucky as four people can be at the same time.

After reading a few threads about crankbaits I can't stands no more. With the exception of getting a little different action from the crankbait, what other reasons would you change your hooks for? I'm talking out of the box, not the old dull rusty hooks on that old rapala your grandad has used for forty years. Those stinking trebles grab everything in the boat they're not supposed to hook into. They will certainly do the same to a fish if he BITES the darn thing! What's the point?

I'm in Florida right now and have been throwing a frog a couple of days now. Man they sure do attract the small gators! I had to smack one gator on the head to get him away from me when he got into my personal space. Pesky little #^~!,'¥£€*!!'s aren't shy at all!

Do you gullet hook many fish waiting that long? I'd sure think so. If you wait 5 to 10 seconds to set the hook, you will eventually kill some quality fish. I generally agree with Gary Yamamoto's theory. It only takes a small, short pop to set the hook with today's equipment. I've lost a few fish by not giving it some sort of hookset. I still use hard hooksets when Carolina rigging and frogging.

Sounds like you need a "maintenance" routine instead of a diet to lose weight. Find what level of exercise keeps you where you want to be and still allows for a couple of food "cheats" a week. If you're still gaining adjust it some until you maintain. I just went on a 30 day diet and I've already lost 15 days!

You are correct when talking about tournaments, but when talking about the two sports together, fishing is wayyyy older. Golf started in the mid 1400's and who the heck knows when the first fish was caught! I enjoy them both. I think it's about the money. More people like to watch golf which translates into dollars. The fishing community is very, very small compared to golf. Not people who fish, but the business of fishing is dwarfed by the golf business. Almost every golf course has a golf pro promoting and teaching the sport.

Mike, did your wife get you anything for your birthday? I'd tell you to ask for what I usually ask for but getting a little action at your age usually means that your prune juice is working! Happy birthday man!

I hope so too, but judging by the looks of it, probably not.

Great advice to go to BPS and play with them. It's what I did and it helped me a ton.