Mike Z

Well, like in any law enforcement, they probably needed the time to gather enough evidence to be sure they had a bust. Also, catching them with a few over the limit they could claim ignorance, get a small fine and some inconvenience and sent on their way. By waiting, they proved them to be poachers and total scum, thus justifying the harshest punishments they can give. All said, I still think they should line up guys like them and shoot 'em... Or at the very, VERY least ban them from any fishing or hunting anywhere for life as already mentioned by others here. I understand "meat hunting" and I understand having to feed your family, but that is just plain greed and ignorance. Guys like them affect every other fisherman and outdoorsman. They paid big bucks to get their cars and boats over to the islands across that ferry. Its not cheap and fuel up there isn't cheap either. People who go up there aren't trying to feed their family because of any need. They go to the islands to party, powerboat, fish, and if they get some keepers, all is great. Also FWIW Thats BS. At the islands, you fish for that day, then they have places at the campgrounds where you go and clean your fish. Several places there offer services where they will freeze your catch for the day after you have bagged it all up and store it until you leave. This is how it was when I would go for a week with my dad and his friends. If they made it illegal to bring fillets back on the ferry, pretty much anyone who crosses back with a boat would be arrested. Also, with Lake Erie Perch and Walleye being so darn good, why would anyone want to keep all those bass? I don't get it. (from someone who never ate bass)

I think the discussion is relative to how much your equipment costs. I see some in here seem to be saying quantity would be only $150 rods and reels vs their $300 rods and reels. To me, quality is a $100 reel and a $100+ rod. In that case, quality is far better IMHO because quantity would just get me the same crap over and over, where my quality rod that I just bought might help me learn more, catch more, and make my fishing experience more enjoyable. At least that is what I am hoping for with my recent purchase.

Proof of how dumb these people really were.

Just got back from the store. They didn't have the Powell 703 that I was looking for but had the 702 and the 704. I was thinking about the Carrot Stix rod but the handle section where you grip felt about a half inch shorter than the Powell rod and with my hands that 1/2" made a big difference in feel. In the end I wound up buying the Powell 702C in Medium with the extra fast tip. Figure down the road I will get the heavier action rod. I am glad I didn't order a rod on line as I found that the grips felt a lot different between lines and even a small difference in size made a big difference in grip and feel. Thanks guys

I'm torn now. I have been to a half dozen different places and nobody carries the Okuma rod for me to check out. I was able to handle the Vandetta rod last night and wasn't really impressed. As usual, the places all have tried to tell me that their stuff is the best and one guy at one chain type store tried to sell me a $30 rod and tell me how great it was. I am sure it is capable but not what I am looking for in terms of quality. There is one local place that has a few that I need opinions on. Powell Max casting rods $139 702, 703, or 704 numbers. Carrot Stix $149 St Croix Mojo Bass or Premier. The Mojo Bass feels good in my hand but comments raised here said the rods had less feel than others. $99 for that one or $130 for the Premier. They also have a Skeet Reese yellow rod for $90 but I am not sure about the name line though as it seems I could get more for less. Leaning toward the Powell or the St Croix as I have been able to hold those.

like burley would say, ignorance of the law is no excuse. its your duty to educate yourself on them if you dont know them all give me a break. maybe I should have been more specific, but show me one person that knows every law there is, I doubt you can find one. I'm probably one of the most honest, law abiding people you've never met. (in the last 10 years at least lol. used to be a trouble maker) In regards to keeping a fish that's under the limit, I would never keep one, doesn't matter how close it was. your history of honesty isnt gonna cause the game warden to give you a break, but a ticket instead. i didnt mean to sound as if i were saying you were ignorant, but if you dont know all the laws for where you fish then you need to research them. its YOUR responsibilty to know them. doing something illegal on accident doesnt mean its all of a sudden legal just because you didnt know. Fishing regulations, at least in my state are VERY EASY to understand. You go anywhere they sell licenses and you will be able to pick up a pamphlet that outlines all the regulations, including lake specific ones if there are variances from state norms. All the info fits on just one or two pages. These rules even cover privately owned bodies of water, so no ignorance is permitted. In addition, where we have lakes that are considered nature preserves, they erect signs that either say no fishing, or they have the limit and size restrictions posted. If someone claims they don't know the law here, I would suggest they are too dumb to allow to fish or even be allowed on the road to drive to the lake.

Incheon Basser, this is why you should contact an attorney who specialized in patent law. They know the system and can help you push everything through. If your design infringes on one or more patents then they should be able to help you negotiate for licensing of that specific portion. Also remember that not everything patented comes to market. Its very possible that someone out there has patented designs and ideas but the patent is just sitting there because they haven't figured out a total design that worked. (and patents do expire too)

Thanks all so far for the suggestions. So far I am looking now at the Vendetta Buccoo Okuma EVX BPS Carbonlite I'm not a big fan of cork, so I really pushed the shimano away so far. I have a Gander Mountain close and they carry the Okuma rods so I am hoping to see maybe 3 of 4 of these rods this weekend. Wish I had a BPS close to me but the nearest one is 2+ hours away. I've also never used a rod with the forearm grip so I'm kinda looking forward to trying out some of these.

Seriously.....seems odd that he has a patent produced 2 years after Brent started selling these. Which means they were probably being manufactured way before then. Hmm...I think I will find something that doesn't have a patent yet and get it patented myself. You see these words on a product all the time "Patent Pending" The process can take quite a while and even though some products take a year or more from conception to market, even large companies cannot get through the process before their product goes to market. The fact that his design was issued a patent means that nobody had yet patented the design. I guess if it can be proven that these were in circulation before he applied for the patent then that would be a good defense. FWIW with the music deal, downloading will get you in trouble. Hosting the songs on your computer for others to download will get you in a whole lot more trouble. The RIAA went after many college kids for doing this and sought millions in damages. Personally, I think the music industry screwed themselves over early on with these lawsuits, but with the advent of iTunes they may have wound up actually protecting their future. People no longer want to buy entire albums and to be honest, the albums today are crap for the most part. very few true artists and songwriters anymore. Everyone just buys lyrics and performs on stage.

can't speak for the finesse rod, but I believe the difference between the worm/plastic and the crankbait could be length and tip stiffness. In almost ever rod model I have looked at the tip had a fast action for the plastic and most were only 6.5' long while the crankbait versions were about half a foot longer. I think the reasoning is that with worm fishing you need to feel the bite while with the crankbait you don't need the sensitivity. I'm in the same boat as you are though i have a little more to spend. If you are maxed at $40 i wouldn't give up on the Tec Spec just yet. Dicks often has on line 20% off sales and they also have $10 off coupons they hand out when you buy a fishing license. The on line printed ones don't really work because the company knows what is going on. Either way, $10 off brings that rod to within $10 of your number.

I picked up a baitcast reel yesterday and now need suggestions for a rod to purchase. Being a noob I don't have any given style that I like or dislike, though I have been trying Senkos lately because they are fairly inexpensive compared with $5 a pop for a spinner. I have a budget of between $75 and $100, maybe $120 max. I shore fish and really don't know anyone with a boat, so that may help in a recommendation. I also own a pickup and can put the rod in the back, so it doesn't need to be two piece. Also looking for something that will stand the test of time as I really don't ever see myself buying a $150 or $200 rod in the near future (5 years or so) Some of the rods I have seen people talk about here are Tek Spec at Dick's for $60 St Croix (thought the Mojo Bass I have read isn't that sensitive) Okuma Thanks! <update> I'm torn now. I have been to a half dozen different places and nobody carries the Okuma rod for me to check out. I was able to handle the Vandetta rod last night and wasn't really impressed. As usual, the places all have tried to tell me that their stuff is the best and one guy at one chain type store tried to sell me a $30 rod and tell me how great it was. I am sure it is capable but not what I am looking for in terms of quality. There is one local place that has a few that I need opinions on. Powell Max casting rods $139 702, 703, or 704 numbers. Carrot Stix $149 St Croix Mojo Bass or Premier. The Mojo Bass feels good in my hand but comments raised here said the rods had less feel than others. $99 for that one or $130 for the Premier. They also have a Skeet Reese yellow rod for $90 but I am not sure about the name line though as it seems I could get more for less. Leaning toward the Powell or the St Croix as I have been able to hold those. (update also posted below)

Follow all regulations I don't keep anything anyway so that point is moot. Oh, and the regulations posted at many lakes around me says that you don't put a fish back that you have injured and is not likely to live. <wink>

When you have multiple carbs you need to have someone do the work who has the correct tools to check for minute variances inn the RPMs as the carbs are sync'd up. For example, for a given engine, it may call for turning the idle up for carb number 2 until you get a certain exhaust mixture. Then it may call for turning up the idle by 25 RPMs. Also, the ambient temperature when the engine was tuned could have something to do with why it runs odd when warm. The engine could have been tuned when it was 55 and low humidity. In addition, the time of year when it was tuned could also have something to do with it since most states have winter and summer blends of fuel based on time of year. I guess what I am trying to say is to have the engine tuned during the approximate temps that you will do most operation.

Well I was listening to you guys and not going to buy but then I found a coupon I got from when I purchased my fishing license. So I figured for $40 I could play around and not feel bad if I didn't like it. If I couldn't get into the reel or just baitcasting in general then I am out a few bucks vs over a hundred if I had bought the Revo or similar reel. And if it works out then I have a decent reel to practice with and learn. On the plus side, this thing has a switch for flipping. Guess I'll have to report back as to wether I made a stupid move or not.

Just remember, he is an independent contractor/business owner. Do you tip your plumber who charges you $95 an hour? Electrician? HVAC specialist? Do you tip your lawyer? Why is the fishing guide any different? (they do work for more than the minimum wage entitles to servers and wait staff if they are employed by others)

Because the distributors are profiting off the sale of the illegally produced items. (potentially) I'll admit that while they didn't produce the items, they may be named so that the process can identify realistically how many of these baits were sold so that a settlement number can be obtained on accurate numbers. The lawsuit may also seek to uncover correspondence to see if any of the vendors knew about the patent infringement. Its a big game right now but typically everyone gets sued and the judge will decide if people get excluded from the case.

I read the suit a few weeks back shortly after I joined the site here and was searching for *** on Google. There are basically two different claims here. The first and biggest is that one or more of these companies either made and or sold a product that he has a patent on. If the product is similar and not changed in any great degree then they will will be paying him quite a bit and or stopping of sales of those products. The second aspect of the suit was that one specific company was still selling products labeled as patented when the patent had expired years before, leading you to believe that you were still no longer permitted to make copies. Apparently this is a deceptive business practice and illegal. This would also result in unfair competition and a continued monopoly on a product when the company has no right to that monopoly.

QFT People charge what they charge because they know this is their livelyhood and that is what they can charge based on their knowledge and experience. these people should be looked at as any other business or storefront in my opinion. When you go to the restaraunt, are you tipping Bob Evans? No, you are paying x amount for their product and figure that once you pay the bill, your tab with Bob is settled. I personally think that these days people are too tip happy. People now say you should tip the mail man, the trash collector and everyone else under the sun. I also take exception with people who say you should tip the waitress 15% even when you have poor service and more if it is good. Sorry, why the heck should I tip the mailman for not getting my mail wet in the snow? You want me to tip a guy for doing his job? I don't get tipped at my job when I do something good, so why does everyone else expect it?

I was looking at a new reel today, mostly because it would cost me $50 or less. It was a Shaw Grigsby signature series reel. (baitcast) I was kinda saving for a Revo SX in left hand retrieve but for the price and me starting in baitcasting I figured what the heck. In doing some searching they were normally about $120 or $130 reels and were new a few years back. Also realize that signature series reels are more lower end and aimed at mass market because of name recognition. Wondering if you guys think this reel would be a good deal for a beginner baitcaster or if you know anything about them. <edit> In doing some searching, it seems as though this reel is fairly similar to an accurist or accurist PT reel.

Ok, couldn't think of a title but looking for possible tips or tricks that you guys have for storage, bait carrying, etc not involved (or involved) with fishing. For example, when I went to the Yamamoto website the other day following a link from here to an article about fishing the Senko, I found other useful info on storage. One of the tiops he had was to buy the lingerie bags from Walmart to store your stuff in by color, style, etc. The bags are pretty big and all my worms wouldn't fill even one but at a buck each I found several other uses already. The first is that my rain jacket and pants are easily folded and stored in that bag. Since the bag is mesh, I can be assured that any water still left on the items will evaporate. This is useful because I keep my rain gear in my truck and its easier to stow under the seat. I also found that before I was carrying a plastic bag with crawlers and snacks/beverages for the kids when I took them. The bags blow away easily and sometimes stuff is harder to find because the bag blows around so easy and my view keeps getting blocked. With the mesh bag, everything can be seen, the bag can be folded when empty and there is even a small loop on the corner and I can attack a small rope so that my kids can carry all their stuff over their shoulder. Wondering what non fishing stuff you found a fishing use for?

I bought some fake minnows because the loacal park system doesn't allow live minnows for bait. So its either worms or nothing for live stuff. Haven't opened the package yet though. I tried the catfish bait they sell and have been skunked so far. On Sunday I took the kids to the pond where I live and I know there are tons of catfish. One used the gulp and the other used hot dogs that I cut up. The little one using hot dogs caught three fish in 10 minutes. I gave up and let the older one use hot dogs as well because he wasn't even getting a bite on the gulp stuff.

Plan on getting a new rig this year, probably something totaling a few hundy, but for now I am still using my 25+ year old Mitchell 300A. Took it to the sporting goods shop a few weeks back and asked about grease, etc. Guy popped a few things apart and said looks fine, leave it alone. Its been trusty for me and I'll keep using it and it will become my second rod someday hopefully.

Thanks guys. So its not really the size of the hook, but the relationship of proportions so that the jig acts correctly in the water. Should have seen that.

I can't comment on how good it is but can say that I have read a lot of recommendations in the last few weeks here and it seems as though when anyone asks for a good reel under a few hundred, a Revo sx is always one of the reels that gets a ton of votes. That price is pretty good to with prices around $160 at most places. If you are wondering about 2009/2001 model differences, the mfg normally states what was improved, if anything. Personally, i would go for it at that price. If I could get a reel right now I would grab it too.

Having read quite a few of the posts stickied or referenced about the Senkos, I found that a large number of people have actually said that when they went to a bigger hook, say 4/0 or 5/0 vs a 3/0 or 2/0 that they actually caught more fish. I was wondering why this would be, and if the larger size of the hook still brings in the smaller ones? In one of the Senko how to threads it was suggested to use 4/0 hooks and a 5" worm. That is what I bought, but I also bought some 2/0 and 3/0 hooks as well. Wondering if I should skip purchasing the smaller hooks once I lose these to snags and just go for the one size of the bigger ones? Thanks