Ratherbfishing

Having a psychology background and always wondering what makes people (including me) tick, it's the "why" which fascinates me as much or more so than the "what." It really should not be a mystery but I recently came to an epiphany as to WHY the baitmonkey has such an influence on me. It's not a thorough or complete explanation and there are other factors (such as the never ending quest for the magic bullet) but for me, when I am "lured" (pun intended) into buying tackle, it is an extension of the DOING. I really enjoy fishing. When I am not fishing (which is too much olf the time), I think about fishing. Oh, there are other annoyances and distractions (such as work for the former and relationships for the latter) which vey for my time but otherwise, If I'm not directly about fishing, it's about what truck should I get for pulling my boat or carrying my kayak. Or how should I best budget my limited vacation and resources to maximise my fishing time. And so forth and so on. When I buy a lure or reel or whatever, I already have in my minds eye how I might want to use it or where I would like to travel to to make this possible. It is what keeps the "fantasy" alive when I can't otherwise be there. I rarely make my fishing purchases during the months when I actually can fish. It's during the winter months (before there's safe ice) that my bank account is treated so roughly. Although it probably won't make the least bit of difference, I want to say it anyway: "Baitmonkey, I'm on to you!!!!"

Woah! That was awesome!!!!! I once had a pike sail over the bow of my boat. It cleared the water by a good 2 feet. Wished I'd gotten that on film.

I only care what someone spends IF I think consumer habits become such that every lure manufacturer feels they can raise their prices accordingly. Otherwise, have at it!

If someone accidently drops a worm weight or rod or trips over themselves and stumbles in the boat, I don't give it a second thought. If they are regularly/habitually banging around, I might explain to them how this often disturbs the fish and ask if they might tone it down a bit. As far as the trolling motor goes, the shallower or closer to the target I am, the more I try to shut it down or run it at a lower speed. I almost always shut down the outboard and coast into a spot. Sonar? I seriously doubt if it makes the least bit of difference.

I drag a Mann's Ghost (which doesn't have legs or a skirt) through slop all the time. Even when it's not able to "walk the dog" in open water it still catches fish so no, you don't need legs.

Have caught two which were between 14 and 15 inches on my favorite lake. Both times were when fishing a texas-rigged Chigger Craw for bass. Never caught a single crappie there when actually fishing for them.

I'll answer this as soon as I stop hitting my head against my desk....

Are wipers the product of striped bass eggs fertilized by white bass or vice versa? I'm guessing it is the former.

No, but my buddy has. Actually, he HAD purchased his license, it just wasn't on him. It was in his bag from when he'd waded the river with me 4 months earlier. I'd dragged him out to go ice fishing with me on a pond in the local forest preserve. There was about 7 inches of snow on the ground, it was about 10 degree's out and the wind was whipping like mad. I was having a good time but my buddy-not so much (I'd say he was probably miserable). Having the Conservation Officer ask for his license probably didn't help his mood any. Anyway, when he couldn't produce it, the C/O walked him up to his truck where he radioed it in. He was lucky he wasn't fined anyway because the C/O didn't seem any too happy to be out there. He (the C/O) did issue fines to a couple of other ice fisherman that day for keeping blue gill which were too small. Yes, you heard it. Too small! I'd never seen anything like that before. Who even thinks to check if there is a minimum size limit on bluegill?!

I pretty much stick with what I can find in the Sears and Roebuck catalog.

The more abuse you throw at Raider, the more he seems to like it. And if no one else is abusing him, he abuses himself-hence, the piercing.

A covey with ONE bird is a miracle around here. It's actually a subject of conversation of you see one anymore.

Colorado ice fishing might be different than midwest ice fishing. What species will you be pursuing? There are a couple of tried and true methods for ice fishing. The first, tip ups, is sort of a numbers racket. You find a (hopefully) good area, drill as many holes as you have tip ups (or whatever the law allows) and set them up with live bait. Another method (which I use) is to drill a few holes, wait for the fish to come back if, perhaps, I've frightened them, and dip my flasher transducer in the water to see if it's marking cover or fish (preferably both but at least the later), and repeat the process until such time as you do. A decent flasher (set at the proper setting) can tell you a LOT about what depth the fish are at, where your lure is in the water column, how timid or aggressive the fish are, and even when a fish is about to bite. It's a heck of a lot of fun and you almost forget about the cold. Often, when I'm hunkered over a hole, I'll suspended some live bait under a bobber in a nearby hole just to increase the odds of catching something. Often, though, when the fishing is good, you'll forget all about the other set up and/or will take it out so you aren't overwhelmed. I've read that early season ice fishing should be done relatively shallow and near where weeds are (or were) and later in the season, move deeper. My fishing seem to bear this out. i'm no expert but I'm enthusiastic. PM me if you have other questions.

When/where the bass are stunted, i tend to harvest a stringer of bluegill when I can instead.

I think you'll find the legs will try to stick to everything they come in contact with. Hope not.

Gulp turtlebacks are hard to beat when the bite is tough.

I know pheasants aren't native to North America but having grown up with them, it feels like a huge loss to see their numbers dwindle so drastically. With the advent of the corporate and "thousand acre" farms, there just isn't much space left for pheasants (or quail or countless other species for that matter). Each year I see the farm fields creeping around the utility poles and closer and closer to the roadsides and since most farmers mow anyway, even that little bit of habitat is lost.

In my neck of the woods (euphamistically speaking because there are few woods left here) pheasants have become almost as scarce as lips on a chicken. I remember the days when it was common to see dozens of pheasants crossing the roads. Loss of habitat and coyotes have diminished their numbers to the point where I'd feel like a cad if I did hunt them. Are there states and/or regions where pheasants still thrive?

I've used a few off brand crankbaits which had the action of soggy lettuce but, generally, if a lure isn't working, it isn't being fished in the right way, in the right place, or at the right time.

Lacquer thinner, eh? I assume I need plenty of ventilation. I'll see if I can provide some pics (and boat brand) later. Thanks!

Folks, If I dug long enough I could probably find what I'm looking for but then again, I'm lazy and just about every topic has been dealt with at one time or another with numerous repeats so why should I break precedence? Anyhow, my boat carpet is both ugly AND needs replacing. It looks like I have to remove the plywood to remove and replace the carpet. I'm at a loss with HOW to remove it. There are no obvious fasteners anywhere on the floor and, for the deck, they must be underneath- in the "crawl space" under the deck. The access opening on the side of the deck is rather small and I'm not as skinny or nimble as I used to be. So, how does one go about this without resorting to a saws all. Any quick tips? Thanks in advance!!!!

Awkward! Reminds me of the time I was at an acquaintances house. I had made the "error" of letting his 4 year old son hold whatever it was I had in my possession (it could have been about anything-I can't remember now). Anyway, It's time to leave and I pick up the object. Boy makes a grab for it, yelling "Mine! Mine!" (or something to that effect). in retrospect, I should have just let go of it and asked his father (who was right there) to deal with it. Instead, unfortunately, there we were in this "death struggle" for some stupid item. Father just looks at us stupidly. (Later, after I won the battle, I made a face at the little boy and kicked him in the shin)

Don't know how "ingenius" it is but when I've been fishing a stickbait texas rigged and the front portion tears up, I'll save it to be fished as a wacky worm later.

You must work for the government! : )

I've been considering taking the plunge myself but haven't pulled the trigger. I think Hobie would sell a lot more if it didn't feel so much like taking a plunge (in ice cold water). They ARE mighty pricey.