Ratherbfishing

I'm not a pro (nor have I ever stayed at a Holiday Inn Express) however, I REALLY like Yo-Zuri hybrid. It's not quite as limp as, say, Trilene XL but still it has little line memory and it's much stronger for it's rated test weight.

ANY boat that looks like a giant can of chewing tobacco is...suspect. Bet it tracks like an amusement park ride that's gone off its rails.

About the ONLY time I will go "ahead" of another boat is if it is pretty clear they are anchored or otherwise stationary (and have been for awhile). I might even ask them if it's okay if I move in front of them. Of course they don't own the entire end of the lake they are pointed toward but if they are moving, 30 yards is too short a distance to be cutting someone off. Their argument of "it's a big lake, go to the other side" was just plain lame. If it's how they believe, they should have followed their own belief/advice and not acted so badly. I don't think it's rude to call someone out on something if it's done reasonably appropriately. Name calling and physical hostility is inappropriate (and the latter, illegal) but some people are either clueless or just plain rude and until someone calls them on it, they likely won't stop. The latter...they probably won't stop anyway but perhaps if they catch heck often enough... I fished with a guy who...well, the jury is still out as to whether he was a clueless or just plain rude but eventually it (and other things) just got to be too much for me. Unfortunately, I waited until the "pressure cooker" blew (verbally) and THAT part of it I regret. But, again, calling someone out is perfectly acceptable to me.

In the fall, a cold front can herald in better fishing BUT only after things have settled back down again (after several days). But to summarize, the first day (overcast, cold and windy) is terrible, the next- it will feel good to be alive (blue skies and cooler temps) but the fishing will be lousy, the third day-better but you'll still have to work for them, and the fourth day-about back to normal. Unless it's my day off and then the fishing will remain bad.

With the exception of fighting a strong wind from a boat, I am more patient with fishing than I am with just about anything else. I don't understand it, really. But anyhooo, I HAVE a boat and while I use it pretty regularly, I find fishing from the bank (with as few complications as possible) to be the most relaxing. It's nice to not have to do ANYTHING but fish.

I'm unsure if I've made it more complicated or less but unless it's a bait I use an awful lot of, I remove/hold back about half of every worm/crawdad/creature bait I have so that my tackle bag isn't weighed down/packed with a lot of unnecessary ballast.

If it's no deeper than this, I'm surprised it doesn't freeze solid in the winter and boil over in the summer. I'm surprised it even supports carp. As J Francho says, skip it and find a different pond. This one isn't much "good" for anything besides watering cattle.

It'd be truthful if he said he "netted him." But otherwise...no.

Did you really? Ha! My friend said he did that once. He said he wondered why there were so many fish under the boat and why it seemed so much deeper than it ought to be.

Yeah, that being late thing would have put me in a rather sour mood too. If you read my entry in the similar thread (about what some non-boaters have done), you'll see that I can attest to this. I have a friend who quite often outfishes me (he seems to execute better) BUT he will listen to my suggestions and will not stay on a "pattern" that isn't working. All I've ever want/expect is someone who doesn't think they know it all or persists in something that obviously isn't working. Oh, and who is also punctual.

Backed his trailer off the road? Was the truck/trailer/boat damaged? Was the non-boater a complete idiot or completely incompetent (and misrepresented his abilities)? I guess I'd have to know more before I formed an opinion. But yeah, it would suck to be left high and dry.

Unsuccessfully, I assume?

Yeah, that WOULD kinda stink. Was any excuse ever offered?

Use them pretty regularly-especially when I want to "swim" a bait some distance between "stops." Those flappers really get moving. But really, I don't differentiate that much. They're just good solid "jig" baits.

Growing up on a farm where pigs/cows/sheep/chickens, etc. are (future) food and not pets, I definitely know that that's how things "work." Our whole hobby/sport is predicated upon the basic instinct and need for fish to eat and defend their "turf." If, while fishing, there was a good chance I might be eaten (or preyed upon), I think I'd find a new hobby. I'm glad I'm near the top of the food chain. Otherwise, the whole concept might be MUCH less appealing/fascinating.

I'm not a tourney guy so I haven't anything to contribute BUT to turn the tables a little bit, I'm curious what some NON-boaters have experienced with (ahem) "less than ideal" boaters.

ah...the late summer early fall phase. It's a tough time for nearly everyone (or it can be). You know what they say about "expectations being planned disappointments." It's no truer than in fishing.

What's the going rate for a tooth from the tooth fairy these days? Perhaps you can recoup some of your loses.

No. But once I waited so long to set the hook the bait went inside the basses mouth and out it's poop chute.

He actually expected a tip, you think?!!! (shaking my head sadly) I'm not in the least bit experienced with hiring guides but the ONLY time I think a guide should pick up a rod is to assist in determining a pattern. Afterwards, his main emphasis should be on boat control and offering tips/suggestions.

You fish one when one (or all) of the others isn't working. Let the bass tell you what they want.

This may seem like the cowards way out but if he practices this regularly, perhaps wait a few weeks and THEN report him anonymously. If he is fined or arrested immediately, it wouldn't take a brain surgeon to figure out who turned him in. If you have to work with him, he could make your life difficult and, if he has authority over you, he could make it even worse than that. Life is not always fair and too often it isn't BUT, on public waters especially, this is inexcusable behavior and it needs to stop. HE chose to knowingly break the law. It's too bad his son has had to witness any of it but it is what it is.

Ouch! Did you send out a group of divers to search for the remains? With a bait like that, the ONLY place it would go would be in a walnut frame and on my wall. I still get weepy when I think of a 6 dollar bait I lost on the first cast. Losing a bait like THIS would send me to the loony bin.

I have used them and I do like them (great savings) BUT their selection is not what I'd call stellar. If you are willing to compromise or just luck into the specific items/colors you want, it's a great shop.

Everyone is going to feel a little bit different on the matter. Some will say it doesn't matter if or how much and others will think the non-boater has an obligation to cover half the cost of the trip (excluding wear and tear-which really is difficult to define). Some non-boaters (including myself, probably) haven't any idea, whatsoever, how MUCH it costs to tow and operate a full-sized fiberglass boat and may unintentionally underpay. Others may feel they've "overpaid" considering that their boater treated them like "excess ballast." Personally, I prefer to follow Robert Frosts philosophy when he said "Good fences make good neighbors" (i.e., establish in advance what the fee will be). THAT way the non-boater will understand in advance what is expected and no toes will be stepped on. Anecdotally, a friend of mine was unhappy about having to go up to Canada in my smallish Tacoma so he wanted us to pull my boat with his (larger) truck. He THEN suggested I pay for all the gas there and back (since it was his truck we were using). I told him I would do so if he paid half of what a boat would cost to rent up there. About then he shut up.