RoLo

You know what, it would be easier to list the rapalas I don't like. I love all three you mentioned (Original Floater, Shad Rap & X-Rap) plus the DT cranks and Husky Jerks. Roger

Interesting history. I know what you mean about trees with water-loving root systems being good river-channel markers 8-) The dramatic branching of the Ahuehuete surely enhances the vista! Roger

Raul, is that fat tree in the backdrop a cypress tree, or is it some other species?

That is true, there is a mini-turnover in the spring, but due to the rising water temperatures in spring it doesn't produce the "complete" turnover that we undergo in fall. In the spring, as the water under the ice rises from 33 to 39 degrees it will rollover within its own thin upper layer, but won't penetrate through the hypolimnion to the bottom of the lake. During a complete turnover in fall, an odor from the bottom of the lake is sometimes detected, which is not the case in spring. Roger

You said a mouthful! It goes without saying, the Team Daiwa Light and Tough can't compare to a Loomis, St Croix or Kistler, but neither does the price. Rather than modulus overkill, the team daiwa L&T uses IM6 with an incredible lure range of 1/8 to 1 oz, that casts 1/16 oz with ease! Roger

In my experience, I haven't seen convincing evidence that there's a 'dependable' correlation between barometric pressure and fishing success. On the other hand, I've experienced poor fishing on countless occasions when the air temperature was significantly colder than the water temperature, irrespective of barometric pressure. In sharp contrast, we frequently experience good fishing during days when air temperatures are significantly higher than water temperatures, regardless of barometric pressure. If I were backed against the wall though, I'd probably choose a steady barometer, over a rising or falling barometer. Roger

There can only be one thermal turnover per year, and it must be precipitated by water temperature change. Water is heaviest at 39 degrees, at which state it sinks to the bottom of the lake to form the hypolimnion. Even a whole gale lacks the energy necessary to lift up and mix the heavy lower layer of the lake (hypolimnion) with the warmer and lighter layers of water overhead (epilimnion and thermocline). The most harm that a big wind can do to lake stratification is to create a so-called "seiche". In essence, a seiche is tilted stratification, where the thermocline may be a little deeper at one end of the lake. This is caused by the wind, which over time may stack the lighter upper layer (epilimnion) against the downwind end of the lake. A seiche however, is a far cry from a turnover. Roger

That's a Jewfish, also called goliath grouper, the world-record weighed 804 lbs. They're a protected species in Florida. Roger

All lakes do not turnover, but only those that stratify (epilimnion, thermocline, hypolimnion). In Florida, a true "fall turnover" is a rare event on any lake. Roger

Matt jogged my memory: Green crabs are the favored bait for "tautog", a saltwater species also called blackfish. We routinely remove the large claw from the green crab, but not because blackfish are afraid of large claws, but because they live among rockpiles and snaggy reefs where the crab is apt to latch onto something that either fouls the rig or keeps the crab out of harm's way. Roger

As Catt stated, the defensive posture of crayfish is essentially a bluff, and while a crayfish is posturing he's contemplating his best escape route. Consider this: The Zoom Big Critter Craw has large claws that "float", and that was the same lure that boated the all-time heaviest 4-day stringer in BASS history, 115 lbs, 15 oz! Roger

I'm not quite sure whether you're looking for a superior brand of monofilament line or if you're anguishing between mono and braid. Among all the hybrid monos I've tried, I like three: Sufix Siege, Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft and Berkley Sensation. I love Sufix Siege, it's first-class line, but I tried it with spinning gear and it had too much memory for my personal liking. I no longer use monofilament or cofilament lines, but use PowerPro braid exclusively for both baitcasting and spinning. If I use mono for anything it would be a short trace of fluorocarbon leader. Roger

Good advice Brian, and it's nice hearing from you again soldier The most difficult part of jig fishing is detecting the pickup and knowing when and how to set the hook. Jigs are most commonly fished as a Drop Lure, where 'line watching' is the only communication between angler and lure. For any beginner to jig fishing and even for veterans, I believe that Gliding a lightweight jig on a semi-tight line is often just as effective. Crank the reel a couple of turns and without moving the rod, allow the 1/4 oz jig to glide in an arc, back to the bottom. Do nothing while the jig is gliding but mend the excess slack, thereby maintaining constant contact with a line in limbo (taut/slack). You'll know when the glide has ended and the lure is on the bottom, because the line will suddenly go limp (i.e. droop). In my opinion, you've got plenty of time to learn the freefall delivery, but in the meantime, by maintaining contact with the jig you'll quickly master the 'feel'. Furthermore, there'll be many days when "gliding" is just as good or better than "freefalling". Roger

I go back to the old Split-Bamboo Fly-Fods (and homemade lemon-wood straight bows). If you leaned a bamboo pole against the wall during the off-season, by the trout opener in April, the blank would take on a set. In those days, I faithfully stripped the reels from the rods and hung each rod on a screw-eye by the tip-top guide. Well today, I no longer own any split-bamboo rods but essentially deal with high-modulus graphite. I've reached the age where even in the absence of ideal care, all my rods and reels will probably outlast me. Enjoying my newfound selfish attitude, I now expect my equipment to take care of me, rather than the other way around. ;D All kidding aside, today I store my rods exactly as Roadwarrior described. Although our dens make look somewhat alike, RW's arsenal can be distinguished from mine by the number of Loomis rods versus the number of Shimano Tuna Takers. I'd offer him two Tuna Takers for one Loomis, but I know he wouldn't bite Roger

That's it exactly. The lids on some of the early hard boxes did not mate well with the tops of the partitions. I was forever re-sorting loose hooks that migrated into other bins, in fact, some of the old hardboxes were so sloppily constructed that I've had BB-shot sneak through the top slot!!! Anyway, the lid on the Plano 3600 box mates pretty well with the grids, about as good as you'd expect without using a pliable gasket. Bottom Line: You can stand the soft bag upside-down without incident...Try that with a hard plastic or aluminum cantilever tackle box Roger

4" Charlie Brewer's Slider Worm (Neutral Weight - doesn't rise, doesn't sink) 4" Mann's Jelly Worm (full-floater) They are still being sold Roger

Differently put, you're dead in the water ;D Roger

In my post above, I advocated one or more small hard boxes like the double-sided Plano Magnums (I prefer that approach today). If on the other hand, you're determined to take along every lure in your arsensal, on every outing, you might be happier with a large soft bag with several hard boxes within. The following is copied-& pasted from a former post I made listing the Pros and Cons of a large SOFT tackle bag that stores several HARD boxes (hybrid storage): My soft angling bag happens to be a Cabela brand, but I'm sure there are other brands today that are equivalent or even better. SOFT ANGLING BAG CONSTRUCTION (Cabelas) TOP-ENTRY Side entry is less accessible, especially from an upright position CAPACITY: Six Plano 3600 Storage Boxes (1-3/4 x 7-1/4 x 11) PERIPHERAL: Three External Pouches Shoulder Carrying-Strap EXTERIOR: Waterproof Nylon (600-denier) INTERIOR: Low-friction Taffeta Nylon LINING: 1/4" Closed-cell Foam My trump suit is soft plastics, which occupy the most tackle space. I labeled the storage boxes as such: PLASTICS (Active-Tail) - PLASTICS (Inactive-Tail) - JIGS - PLUGS - METALS (spinners/spoons) - TERMINAL TACKLE ADVANTAGES OF SOFT BAG OVER HARD BOX 1. Space Conservative Top loading angling bags require less cockpit area. Hard tackle boxes with double cantilever trays are deck-space hogs 2. Lighter & Smaller Given equal dimensions the angling bag holds more tackle than a hard tackle box. The empty angling bag alone weighs less than an empty hard tackle box of similar dimensions. 3. Custom Storage Six independently adjustable tackle boxes with 6 to 21 compartments is a major plus. 4. Quieter on the deck (particularly in an aluminum boat) Soft bags do not make scraping sounds on the hull and have no hard lid to bang the deck or gunwale 5. Convenient Access Instead of hovering over an entire tackle box, you can simply cherry pick from one small box placed in your lap. 6. Spill Proof There are no latches to forget which have resulted in some major spills with my hard boxes. 7. No-Hands Toting. If so desired the angling bag can be toted via the shoulder carrying-strap, leaving both hands free. 8. Scramble Proof The lids of the small tackles mate with the tops of the partitions. This prevents small tackle such as hooks and split-shot from shifting compartments during transit (a distinct advantage). Roger

And you can throw in halibut, bighorn sheep, rocky mountain goat, moose, elk, woodland caribou, mountain caribou, grouse, pine marten, black bear, grizzly bear, fisher, lynx, bobcat, mink, and a whole bunch more. Heaven on Earth! Roger

They say when two people fish together long enough, they start to look alike ;D We're easy to tell apart though, she's the one with the bend in her rod Roger

Well put, Alpster Roger

Reel Mechanic makes a very important point, by getting back to basics. If at all possible, assemble the rod and reel and test the balance point and overall feel. Though our eyes may run-out-of-stems over that new rod or new reel, when an outfit isn't balanced we'll usually hear comments like "There's just something about the feel I don't like". Roger

There are at least two separate approaches to toting fishing tackle. One approach is to haul every lure for every species in a humungous carry-on, another approach is a small hard box of selectively chosen tackle for one target species. For most of my life I've been hauling the big suitcase, sometimes two (the 'ready for anything' approach). Lately though, I've been gravitating to the latter. Now however, I usually create a "Day-Box" of selectively chosen tackle for one target species or one type of fishing. The tackle box I use for target fishing is the Plano Double-Sided Magnum Hard Box. Currently I have several double-sided plano magnums setup for various species and types of fishing: Largemouth Bass - Lures <> Largemouth Bass - Shiners <> Northern Pike <> Crappies (also saltwater species) Roger

Real good thread guys and a lot of good info and great tips One day after duck hunting in Brigantine, New Jersey, I had just finished trailering my boat when a jonboat with three waterfowlers came roaring in toward the ramp on the heels of darkness. They were drinking on the marsh (a big No-No) and one of the waterfowlers fell overboard within sight of the boat ramp. After a fashion, the other two guys finally managed to haul their buddy out of the icy water and back into the boat, and they were laughing out loud the whole time. When I returned the following week, I learned that it wasn't a laughing matter at all, because the fellow who fell overboard, died of hypothermia that night! Roger

Ditto