Ratherbfishing

My two largest bass (6 lbs 3 oz and 7 lbs) came from a white and a chartreuse glass rap, respectively. So, you could say I like them a lot.

If/when I choose to troll, I will either use a crankbait or a spoon. The little cleo is one of my favorites. Sometimes I'll fish a johnson silver minnow but conditions rarely seem right when or where I'm fishing.

If it were a state record, I'd keep it quiet. No sense spoiling a nice fishing hole. If it were a world record, on the other hand, I'd want to know what kinds of royalties, endorsement deals, etc. I could get out of it. I'm far enough from retirement to at least make the idea worthy of consideration.

I have about a dozen walleye crankbaits. These will probably hold me over for a couple of centuries since there are only a very small handful of lakes within driving distance which actually hold walleye. When I actually do go to Canada I usually wind up chasing smallmouth or pike. Still, they're pretty.

Quick thought: Is the motor turning freely? Perhaps you got into some fishing line that is jamming up the works.

I use braid all the time. Since braid has next to no stretch, however, it's best to use a medium (soft) action graphite or a fiberglass rod- so you don't pull the lure out of the fishes mouth or so they won't throw the bait if they do get hooked. In really clear water or with really pressured fish I think a leader can help but IMHO much of the time it's just an extra knot that can fail. You have to weigh these things yourself, though. Sometimes, i'll use a blue or green marker and put intermittent marks on my braid (near the bait) to break up the continuity of the line.

Last Saturday the bluegill in a favorite pond were staging to spawn and I was prepping for some exciting flyfishing. However, since then it has been rainy and cold (^&*%$ cold fronts!) If the conditions aren't right for spawning, will the females absorb or release their eggs or can they delay for a certain period? Or can bluegill spawn numerous times?

Glad to hear you made it out alright. You didn't say, however, what happened to the other fellow and his kid?

Thanks. I just want to have some crickets in advance of a trip and don't want to stop and get them (there are very few bait shops in this area). I believe the local Pet Smart has them but they won't open until after I've been on the lake several hours.

Aww!!! So cute!!!!

What's the best way to keep crickets alive and healthy for an extended period of time? Any suggestions?

With great deference to Aldo Leopold, there are two spiritual dangers in not owning a charcoal grill. One is the danger of supposing that well seasoned steaks come from a grocery, and the other is that heat comes from a tank.

As cats go, mine is a pretty nice one but it would still just sit and watch the action.-maybe leaving just long enough to get some popcorn.

I bought a soft tackle box from a friend's garage sale last weekend. At 5 bucks it was too cheap to pass up. In my naivete' I thought I might transfer all the baits from my old hard box to the new one but I don't think everything will fit. I realize now that this is was the baitmonkey's clever way of entraping me. Nature abhors a vacuum!

And they will continue to say this as long as their grant money keeps rolling in.

In the spring or early mornings/evenings, I usually start at the top of the water column and work my way down. In the summer, once the sun has come up, i usually default to deeper crankbaits or soft plastics-except where there is ample moss or slop. Then I'll go with a frog or moss mouse. There are always exceptions to this but that's how I normally "roll."

Not to be pesimistic or anything but when it's all said and done, how do you think the world will end? Asteroid Super Volcano World wide plague Nuclear holocaust Justin Bieber

Even IF you placed your gear on a hornet infested island surrounded by sufuric acid and guarded by a family of ill-tempered honey badgers, some jack-arse will find a way of pinching it. I wouldn't leave anything you couldn't stand to lose.

When I'm by myself I'm much more likely to experiement or try some things that others might consider a waste of time. When I'm with others (or afterwards, actually) I find myself asking "what if...?" As in "What if I'd stuck around and tried a smaller bait?" or "what if I'd spent more time working those points, drop off's?" etc. Of course since there's only so much time in a day, I can wind up asking myself these questions anyway but it happens more frequently after I've been out with others. Disclaimer: There's obviously no guarantee any of the additional things I might have attempted would have worked but it bugs me not knowing. Oh, if there was only more time to fish!!!!!!!!!

Although I like to fish with others and probably wouldn't change if I could, I often wonder (after a trip) if I'd have done better if I'd have been free to make decisions on my own (when I am unencumbered with the wants/needs/plans of others). How do you all feel about your decision making processes alone and with others?

Heck no! I figure I've done good if I remember to tighten them in the first place. Murphy's law being what it is, I'm not about to tempt fate and test my memory!

If they do auction your gear perhaps you can bid on it and get it back. and maybe you'll get a great deal on it! Seriously though, in similar shoes I wouldn't be too happy with my uncle. Did they take EVERYTHING? That seems a bit extreme to me. Since you HAD your license I think I would challenge that in court. As far as your uncle goes-he made his bed...

Possibly the biggest pain with catching pike is getting them (and the now tangled lure) out of the net. There is no reason I can think of why you can't move back and forth between pike and bass (and many areas will have both species). I'm sure you've already experienced the wisdom of using steel leaders in areas where there are both species. While it was in Canada's Lake of the Woods and not Wisconsin, both smallies and Pike had a big thing for large 1 ounce rat-l-traps (or even the 1.5 ounce). It is generally wise to use larger/more durable baits-especially if you fish spinnerbaits a lot. A big pike will demolish a typical bass-sized spinnerbait. As has already been mentioned, medium-heavy and heavy bass gear is generally sufficient for most pike. Pike (and musky) will often follow a bait a considerable ways before it decides to strike so a long rod (around 7.5 feet) and a smooth reel can go a long way (pun intended) to making distance casts.

If I'm fishing for carp (exceedingly rare these days) and I catch a big one, I'm content but if I'm fishing for muskie and a carp foul hooks itself, I'm decidedly less thrilled. But hey, they do pull well enough.

As a union steward, I assume it is your job to protect your workers (plural, not singular).