bassnleo

Interesting experience-------During a summer tournament I caught a 2 pounder (LM) on a worm, fish was on a rockpile in 18 feet of water. Put him in the livewell, rounded out my limit. Next cast I catch a 3 pounder and cull the 2 pounder I just caught. I returned to the same rock pile 2 hours later. First cast I catch the very same 2 pounder, same bait. I know it was the same fish, it was missing an eye. Different body of water now-----hook a fish waaay under a dock on a senko. Get him the whole way out and my line breaks. Fast forward 3 hours, fish the same dock, same bait, hook another fish which I land. To my suprise there was my hook and line hanging out of his mouth, least I got my hook back! Have other stories about catching the same fish 1 or 2 days after originally catching them. My belief is that a fish will bite after being caught, even handled, it's up to the fish and they are all different.

Sooo, did you pass? Ever seen a guy who didn't pass? :-? I have, kinda makes you get that sick feeling in your stomach to think they worked beside you.

I like the hawgtails on a carolina rig. I prefer the wooley bug for flippin. I went through about 50 packs last year.

I own about 10 Accurists of varying age and model. They have always been reliable for me. You will definately get alot of mixed responses on this thread. Some like, some don't, some good, some bad. IMHO it comes down to what feels good in your hand, what you can afford, how you keep a reel in working order.

Yes, there should be a tension screw, that's where I would start. (My Minn Kota's have one) If that does not loosen up the pedal, I would closely examine the shaft. A slightly bent shaft could cause what you describe. If all still appears well, it may be time for a new cable.

I also use flouro for football jig fishing. I was always worried about the light wire used on football hooks flexing and bending (and not penetrating fully) on the hookset with braid and a mh or h action rod. Interesting side note-last summer a fishing buddy and I were tossing footballs in 15-20 fow. I was using my standard set-up, 7 foot m/h fast action rod w/ 14lb flouro. He was using a 7'6" heavy action rod with 30 lb braid. He lost about 1/2 of the fish he had hooked. I didn't loose any. I really think he was overpowered and when setting the hook the wire was flexing too much and not penetrating properly. He also broke 2 off on the hookset, braid just did not hold up well around rocky areas.

Paca Chunk Zoom Ultra Vibe trailer

A shad die off is a normal in Spring in many local lakes here. A few years ago I put in for my first bass fishing outing for the year, it was March 27th. As I motored toward the area I planned on fishing I noticed dead shad floating everywhere and many that were swimming in circles and floating down. I had a lipless crank tied on, did have some success with that. I tied on a jerkbait (X-Rap) and caught a bass on my first cast with it. Ended the day catching over 25 bass on the jerkbait. I would make a long cast, reel it down to it's running depth, then kill it. I would then work it with a jerk-jerk-long pause. All the bites came on the long pause (over 5 second pause). Water temp was around 39-42 if I recall correctly....

Yeah, where in PA ? Welcome!

PM sent to ya

I recommend the Inn@Presque Isle. It's nothing fancy (but the rooms are clean and neat), prices are very reasonable, very close to several ramps including the Penninsula itself, and it's close to gas stations and eateries. When you call to reserve a room tell them you are coming on fishing trip, they offer a discount for fisherman (it's like 20-30% if I remember correctly). Also tell them you would like a first floor room that you can park a boat in front of. There are outside outlets and you can also run a cord right out your window if necessary, I've done both. If you have any questions feel free to ask or PM me.

Neither set-up (spin vs. casting) is more accurate than the other. YOU will be more accurate with what you use and practice with the most. With that being said, each set-up has specific techniques that can be easier to do making each technique more accurate and that may vary greatly by individual. IE....I can skip a bait more accurately (and effectively) with a spin set-up. I am more proficient and accurate when flipping and pitching when using a casting set-up. Those are just examples

Lyman Run.......Now there are some words that haven't passed through my lips for years! When I was a kid, like 8-15 years old, every year we made a trip to Lyman for the first weekend of trout. There would be like 15 total guys and we would stay at a motel just outside Coudersport. My dad and just about everyone else would fish the lake out of canoes or small row boats. I would head to the dam and stream outflow, that was my cup of tea. Your camp, is it on that nasty windy road that leads into the park/lake? I remember that road being really bad when it had snow on it. Thanks for sharing

I wish everyone a good time again this year. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend again, this was gonna be my year :-/. Reason-------I made the 2009 TBF/FLW Mid-Atlantic Divisional tournament which is a week long with practice and tourney days. I had to burn an extra week of vacation for this tournament, the week I could have used for the trip. Maybe next year

I'm buying a Ranger when I find the one that fits what I'm looking for and I'm not really interested in another brand. I have varying reasons for wanting a Ranger. One significant reason is all the Ranger contingency money that is offered for Ranger owners in the ciructs I fish. I have hidden in several Ranger models, Z-19, Z-20, 520, 195 (2), R-91, R-93, 364V. They all did fine for me. Just have never been in 518 which is why I asked my original question.

scbassin, thanks.... cart, I'm not necessarily looking for a boat that will always be used in rough water. I do fish Erie pretty often and of course on some days it can be rough. Generally, that will be as bad as it gets around here. Just looking for input as to the 518's abilities.....

I'm taking a serious look at a 1999 Ranger 518 vs with a 1999 Johnson 175 hp. Boat and motor appear to be in good shape and the price is reasonable for this model and year. My question, can anyone give insight as to how this boat rides on rough water? Anything else about this model anyone can provide would be helpful, thanks!

I'm kinda out of the loop here, what day in February was chosen?

We own a Tempur Pedic memory foam bed that cost just under $2000. When we bought it my wife was having minor back problems from lifting patients (she's an RN). I loved it for about 2 months......now I really hate it. I've been having lower back pain and I'm fairly confident that this bed is not right for me and is a contributing factor to my pain. I can sleep in my recliner and have no issue, sleep in the bed and wake up aching. Like already mentioned, expensive does not mean good for you personally. I'd really like to try out a "sleep number" bed.

Said this every year for the past 4-5. I'd really like to finally see Gary Klein get it done.

If you do a search of this forum using Presque Isle as keywords you find quite a bit info. Your question is very open ended. I would suggest doing the search and if you have any specific questions, come on back and fire away!

Ya'll Southerners stink! Bassn Blvd, dude, you need a haircut Sidenote-cabin fever makes Northern peoples do and say odd things out of jealousy. No ice was harmed in the making of this statement.

Wierd timing for this thread, here's why: In the off season I fish Lake Erie tribs for steelhead. We either bait or fly fish depending on our mood. It gets pretty technical with the fly stuff, bait stuff is usually tossing egg sacks, emerald shiners, single eggs, jigs and maggots..... Just last week a buddy and I decided to go old school. We went with nothing other than nightcrawlers and fished them under Drennan floats. Man did we have a ball...We actually had other anglers come up us and ask what we were using. You should have seen the looks we got when we told them nightcrawlers! Guess the fish just hadn't seen many

Although I don't do it much, I do occasionally fish for perch and walleye on Lake Erie. In the summer months, it's not uncommon to catch perch from depths of 50+ feet. When you reel them up you can visibly see their swim bladder protruding from their throat. PA actually changed the minimum size limit because of this. There used to be a minimum size you could keep (7" if I recall correctly) but alot of dead fish were being found on the surface with distended swim bladders. Now during the summer months there is no minimum size limit which encourages anglers to keep all the perch they catch from the depths. They just weren't making it back down because of the swim bladder issues. As far as Lake Erie smallmouth, they too exhibit the same signs but not as drastic. A smallie caught out of say 25 fow will swim back down if immediately released. One placed into a livewell for weighing will swim on it's side or upside down. Some never make it to weigh in alive, others do live but cannot swim or dive when released after weigh in. I've personally been fizzing smallies through the throat w/ the use of a hypodermic needle. You can see an immediate change in the fish. Once fizzed it will swim upright and look fine. I've tried to find studies about the lingering effects of fizzing but they are hard to come by. Sorry to go off topic here, just answering fourbizz's question. Agree, good topic.....

Thanks for the responses. Feelin a little better the last 24 hours or so. Like Bassn Blvd mentions, I really think that wearing a gun belt and body armor, plus riding around for 6-8 hours at a time with it on, is taking a toll. For now, Advil helps, stretching helps, I have started to sleep with a pillow between my legs, I stopped getting lap dances, so we'll give this a whirl for awhile and if it does not get significantly better it will be time to see a Dr or chiropractor.