Ratherbfishing

Ditto and ditto again. Time on the water is the best teacher. To supplement that, find other experienced fishermen you can shadow. You'll be amazed how much you can learn when others help you think outside the box. You'll probably be able to teach them a few things, too.

The only one at risk of lead poisoning in my house is the one who breaks into it.

If you find a spot that looks particularly good, and you know fish have been relating to such cover, you should try casting to it from every angle and with every method. Repeatedly. Especially if it's a spot that looks like it's been hit hard by others. A friend of mine was amazed to see me cast to the same spot a dozen times before I'd get bit. He said he'd have moved on long before then. By the end of the day, however, by repeating this method he was outcatching me. The dawg!!!

Two fisherman are on a boat on a lake near a bridge. As they are fishing a funeral procession starts across the bridge. The fisherman in the front takes off his hat, places it on his chest and solemnly waits until the last car has passed. He then puts his hat back on and continues to fish. The man in the back, a little surprised, says to him, "My, that was awfully respectful of you!" "It's the least I coud do," he replies, "I was married to her for 25 years."

If a shirtless hairy man offered to take me out in a boat with him, I'd politely decline. JOKING!!!!!!!

it is sort of a sick christmas joke. The joke is on us.

Here's a thought (for what it's worth): Instead of trying to go "up" (in terms of floating platforms), consider going down in the size of the bodies of water you fish. I don't know what you are accustomed to or what's available to you but larger lakes can be difficult to fish from the banks. Access can be quite limited. Small lakes, ponds, and rivers, on the other hand, can offer really good fishing without having to scale cliffs or wade dangerous currents, etc.

I've been fishing for yeeeeeeaaarrs and although I've amassed a fair amount of knowledge, I have to confess that ponds are a far cry easier to fish than large lakes and reservoirs. This isn't to say you can't or won't do well but it's not as easy as shooting fish in a barrel anymore. You simply cannot saturate the water anymore. You really do have to put on your thinking cap and locate the fish.

Are those billable hours?

It must be a heck of a subtle wiggle cause, again, I detected nothing. I'll try lighter line and see if that helps. Thanks for your post.

Folks, I fish Rapala's regularly. it's one of my favorite crankbait brands (my two largest bass came off of Rapala glass raps). But last year I tried a countdown for the first time with high expectations. It seemed to me, however, that it didn't have any action whatsoever. It didn't wiggle, it didn't shimmy. It didn't shake. It didn't seem to do anything but sink. Fishing it was like dragging a soggy hotdog through the water. Did I get a hold of a bad bait or is that how they always run?

Death Valley

I like Zona. He can be a bit much at times but can't we all? Or, rather, some of us (including myself) could probably benefit from an infusion of some of his zany enthusiasm.

Do not be discouraged. You can make fishing as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. They say that there is a very fine line between a hobby and insanity and fishing is no different in this respect. I think you may find that as you "progress" in the sport, you will find limitations in any particular method of fishing and you may choose to diversify. Or you may just get curious and want to try different things. But apart from such things as holding a spinning rod/reel upside down, don't let anyone tell you that you are doing it wrong (the fish may tell you that). It is probably worth saying that with fishing gear, like everything else, you get what you pay for. So don't go too cheap. But there is a law of dimishing returns, too, and you don't have to sink a whole ton of money into gear to be adequately equipped.

Oh, how I want to make this political!!! But I'll refrain. Unfortunately, little remains to comment on.

To be blunt, haven't you figured out yet that when you are in the military (guard, reserve, or otherwise), the government OWNS you? You cannot bank on anything working in your favor. I am not putting down servicemen and women (I am a veteran myself). It's just the truth.

rebel crawdads, panther martins, and floating rapala's are very high on my list.

Good argument for NOT trying to give them mouth to mouth resuscitation.

I usually set mine just deep enough that the prop doesn't cavitate (sputter on the surface). Cavitation is inefficient and will scare fish away. This depth will vary depending upon how wavy it is. If you set the motor too deep, you run a greater risk of hitting objects, fouling the prop on weeds, and tearing up the prop and/or bending the shaft.

This has got to be a rhetorical question. The answer: I don't think it's ever going to end. I've been holding my breath since last October.

Ditto. Or at least I'll have to turn back around to go retrieve them once it dawns on me what i've done. Depending upon how precise one has to be in a particular location, i like to use marker buoys because you can more easily pin point and cast to a spot thattaway. It's kinda hard to watch a little gps screen or fishfinder and cast to an exact spot at the same time. As far as someone muscling in and casting to my marker buoys is concerned, fortunately it's never happened but they would get an ear full if someone ever did Especailly if they were to snag my buoys.

I'm afraid I've been misquoted HOWEVER taking elephant steroids might do the trick, too.

I've given up on being organized or a minimalist. If/when I fish the bank, I just make sure I've given my pack elephant steroids in advance.

Ditto

Besides blondes (and brunettes and red heads), my weakness is WINTERTIME. During the warm weather months I actually don't buy that much. I'm too busy fishing (or mowing or watering the yard, etc). It's the winter when I'm all cooped up inside that I buy stuff. Lately it's been Rapala crankbaits in their various manifestations. But if the local store has a serious sale on just about anything, I'll probably buy it. Grrrrrrr!!!!