Ratherbfishing

Looks like your plain ol' smallmouth to me. A nice one, though.

Both of my largest bass (6-3, and 7-2) were caught on 2 3/4" Rapala Glass Shad Raps-white and pale green, respectively.

Rebel Ringworm Bomber crankbait (the bait that looks like a mudbug) Havoc Beat Shad (not very durable but small and potent) Was under the impression that Rapala Flat Raps had been discontinued but maybe not....(?)

As A Jay mentioned, lipless crankbaits with stock hooks are rather frustrating. I either widen the gap on these with pliers or replace them with one or two sizes larger-especially the back hooks.

This sounds contradictory and,if applied incorrectly is the WRONG thing to do but I think what has helped me the most is learning to try different things and, also, to slug it out when it is necessary. I am not one to give up after a few hours and usually on a rough day I will stop, have a snack or a drink, and then tell myself to imagine that I JUST got on the lake and the clock is starting over. It doesn't always help but it seldom hurts.

Your fish finder thinks it is Zorro.

When I was in high school I used to trap quite a bit in the crick behind our house. Trapped quite a few muskrats, and coons. Never did get a mink or a fox, though. I've gotten "soft" though and while I wouldn't ever tell anyone else not to do it, I can't bring myself to anymore. Trapping is a lot like setting trot lines and the air of anticipation and surprise made it quite fun.

Must have taken a little while to edit all those fishies. But winters in Ohio(?), what else is there to do, right? Nice compilation.

Can't say. Don't wanna say. Too many great lures out there and too many places to fish them to narrow it down. Glad I don't have to.

It's a lot easier to change baits than to move to entirely new locations but sometimes it isn't necessarily big changes that need occur. If, for instance, you've had good luck with certain baits in an area, maybe you need to downsize-or upsize. Maybe you need to slow down or speed up. If that doesn't work, then you might consider looking for a new/different pattern altogether-which may necessitate moving.

Did exactly that with a Berkley Lighting rod YEARS ago. At that time I didn't have much money and cutting a "perfectly good rod" seemed risky. But apart from not having a pretty rod butt anymore, it performed just fine.

Y2K. Oh wait, that was YEARS ago. Y3K, then.

So...I am thinking of going ice fishing in Wisconsin. I have a Humminbird Ice 35 flasher AND I have a Helix 7 fishfinder (the non-portable kind). My intention/hope is to use the GPS and a Lakemaster chip to "begin the quest" and then use the flasher after I've drilled holes. I don't, however, want to have to lug around a second/heavy 12 volt battery to operate my Helix 7. My question is this: If I run them separately (one at a time), can I use the Ice 35's battery to operate my Helix 7?

Can't say I've moved back TO budget rods since I've never really left them. I do have one St. Croix rod which has seen a lot of service but so have my Lightning Rods. It is possible I would notice an improvement but I've been pretty content.

Just for my outboard to keep running reliably and for my fishing buddy's knees to feel better so he can have a few more quality seasons on the water. I'm blessed with everything else I could realistically want or expect.

I strongly suggest you speak with your doctor or a trained oncologist BUT it would not surprise me at all to hear that chemo, radiation, etc. decreases your endurance and your autoimmune system. Actually, I'd be surprised if I heard it didn't. Go easy until you learn what YOUR body can take. Pushing yourself too hard and you could go backwards in your steps to recovery.

Can you have packages delivered to your work? I can't stand thieves and porch pirates are thieves I can't stand in the least (borrowed from Dr. Seuss). Hope you recover your purchase.

It's pretty there, I'll grant you that!

I have tried but the slit prevents it from staying on well. Plus there's very little action so except for bulk and maybe for profile, it isn't the ideal trailer.

I have only a 25 horse motor on my 17.5 foot aluminum so obviously I can't go very fast BUT the only time I've really desired to go faster is when a storm is rolling in. To have a bigger motor would mean I can't take it on my (now) favorite lake.

I've not really been all that adventurous with my line choices but the only one I have not been reasonably satisfied with has been Berkley Fireline-which was surprising as I like most Berkley products. It fishes like dental floss and forget about trying to use it as a leader!

ipt? Inches Per Turn? 5.1:1 is a decent gear ratio for big-bill crankbaits. High gear ratio reels will work you to death.

Prayers and more prayers!

Once the water drops enough, you're lucky, really, to even get much of a follow. Go back later in the day when the water has had a chance to warm a bit and try then. Or follow with a soft plastic. Oh, and try a suspending jerkbait. I've had my best luck with these.

I'm such a huge fan of the 1976 version of Midway (Henry Fonda/Charlton Heston/James Coburn/Glenn Ford, Hal Halbrook, etc, etc) that I'm afraid if the new version is anything remotely like the 2001 take on Pearl Harbor, it'll make me want to throw up in some tin foil and eat it.