Zel

Please don't blame Muddy for the delay on the shirts. He was only being cautious, and didn't want me ordering the shirts until he received the majority of money up front (I think he didn't want me getting stuck). I have always felt the integrity of the members on this board to be outstanding, and I knew deep down that I wouldn't get stuck holding the bag. I should have just ordered them right away without hesitation my mistake!

This has become the routine at our house on the Fourth Set out the US flag. We mow the lawn in the morning (I get the tractor, wife gets the lawn mower). Clean the pool. Set up bean bags, horseshoes, badminton, and croquet. Get the 2 grills ready for my wife's choices of food that I have to make (this year is hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst, barbecue chicken, corn on the cob, and 25 dozen clams). About 25 - 30 family members show up around 2pm. Towards evening I set off the lame fireworks I get for the kids. Afterwards we set out lawn chairs in the back yard, because the neighbors in back of us set up a cool professional fireworks display (there are large properties in our area at 14 acres each, so its safe), and the kids toast marshmallows. After everybody goes home and we clean up, I finally crash. It's getting to the point that I need to take a personal day from work just to get over the holiday. A lot of work, but it sure makes for great memories all the kids will have.

Fished an open tournament Sunday with my son-in-law. Tough day all around. Concentrated on one particular area that offered a lot of lily pads and outlining weeds. Tried a weedless frog and floating worms over the dense lily pads, but nothing would take the offerings. With about 1 hour to go, I decided to try something different. Took my backwards rigged Fat Ika which I was fishing in the outlying weeds, turned the Fat Ika around, buried the hook to make it weedless, and started working it over the lily pads with an erratic retrieve. That was the ticket! Got about 10 takers in that hour. Hooked a couple but unfortunately lost most, and didn't fair too well in tourney thanks to my shortcomings but we should have. I've got to get better with this technique (maybe trying a different style hook, waiting a litter longer before setting the hook, and especially going more than 12 lb test line duh!). One of the fish I missed was a monster, and would have been a new PB. She crushed the Ika about 20 feet away from the boat in the pads, and we got a look at her when she swirled after I set the hook. She went down into the pads and I just couldn't get her out, and eventually broke the line. The Fat Ika is now going to be my goto lily pad lure.

I took the shirts to the Printer on Thursday, 6/28. The Printer said the shirts will be ready in under two weeks. It's a small one-man custom art/print shop. The guy is a real artist, and as with most artists, he is a bit unique. He has been slammed as of late with special requests from all over the country because of his artistic talent, and has even decided to take down his website (which he just set up), so he can catch up on his work.

I get mine at Dick's Sporting Goods. They don't have a large selection but they always have some at our local store.

I live within 1.5 hours from about 20 fishable lakes that I visit, half of which are electric only. I upgraded from a 14 foot aluminum row boat this year. My choice was not based solely on bass fishing. I got a used Fish & Ski with a 150 for under $4K, so I can also take the family of four out and enjoy the water. I really like it on the electric only lakes because it is more stable, and is much more enjoyable fishing in the wind. Unfortunately I bought one that was listed at 17 feet in the ad (which would just fit in my garage), but it is actually the bigger model at 18.5 feet my mistake.

I have had this happen to me three times over the course of my membership. I had to call them and they fixed it for me, and gave me back my paid months. But each time they explained it away as an oversight. It has happened to almost every member I have spoken to. I no longer subscribe to Bassmaster as a result. I bet if we get a poll together, it has happened to almost every long term member. Just my opinion, but it seems too much of a coincidence for this oversight to happen sooooooooo often. You'd think they would realize that it causes them lost memberships. I sometimes wonder if the extra money they get is worth it?

Research was conducted over 10 years by chemist and an ex-perfume maker Ken Cross. He claims the best attractant is one made out of heavy, natural fish oils. He stresses the use of something that smells like fish and adheres for hours upon hours on all sorts of plastic or metal baits. Ken Cross came out with KICK-N-BASS. Dr. Keith Jones, director of research at the Berkley Fish Research Center in Spirit Lake, Iowa says chemicals in the water must make physical contact with a bass' receptors for it to smell or taste the compound. So the scent must be dispersed in the water. Since fats and oils rarely get distributed in water as single molecules, instead rising to the surface in globs, the fish never smell them. "To bass, oils and other water-insoluble substances don't exist," says Jones which casts a different light on oil-based scents. I'm so confused hence I have about 5 different scents in my boat Berkley Powerbait for Bass, Kick-N-Bass, Fish Formula, MegaStrike, and my own formula which is a combination of all four plus a sticky garlic fish attractant added to this mixture. Since one common factor seems to be that we all carry a scent through our skin that repels fish. This scent is an amino acid called L-Serene and L-Serene is a very strong fish repellent, and will definitely induce negative responses from fish. Also, there are other smells that are negative to a bass including gas, oil, and sunscreen. Therefore, since all fish attractants seem to mask these negative scents, I guess anything is better than nothing.

Hey Avid what the heck I thought what happens in Mookdom stays in Mookdom. I think Muddy's stand up comedy bit is gonna be a big hit!

I would be leery of fishing a tournament like this. And if I were fishing it, I wouldn't leave the launch area. The launch areas (where weigh-ins are held) usually have a fair share of bass around them. Also that way I could see the boats coming in and when the final payout boat comes in, if it wasn't me, I'd go home. Doesn't sound like too much fun, sorry.

Look at these websites hope it helps. http://www.nybassfed.com/contacts.htm http://www.njbassfed.org/info_section/index_files/Page403.htm http://www.ctbass.com/officers.htm

I started off the day with my 6 and 10 year-old daughters having a McDonald's breakfast. From there we took the boat out and went fishing at a local lake. They caught 11 between them and I got none (too busy making sure they had fun). Got home, cleaned up the pool, and fired up the barbecue. My wife's family and my oldest daughter (who is finally pregnant after her and her husband went through many trials and tribulations to get to this point) came up for our Father's Day picnic. At 9 pm, I finally crashed after an exhausting and wonderful day. It may sound mundane, but as I go through cancer treatments, its days like this that really drive home what is truly important in life. So what I got was the gift of love from my family and children. Oh yeah and a new marine deep cycle battery. Best Father's Day ever!

Are you talking about the Slickfish Lure? http://www.slickfishlure.com/works.php

Don't know what your budget is, but you might want to look into the Tote'N Boat folding canoe. http://www.flywayspecialties.com/totenboat.html

PM and Lake Map sent.

What lake is your tourney on?

When I get a chance, I visit the local tackle shop. I look at the wall of plastics. They are usually organized by brand and size. I look for the lure, size and colors that are all picked out. Then I pick something in my tackle box that closely resembles the color, size and lure. (but I always try to buy something, even if its just a pack of hooks, in order to support the local business).

I have been considering joining Team Bass USA with my son-in-law to fish team tournaments in PA and NJ. Now I see Mike Iaconelli will be competing in the tournament at Raystown Lake on October 21st, and it will be televised by Fox 56 - The Great Outdoors Show. Might be interesting to compete in that tournament, and I see the organization was established to help children. Here is their site if any other PA/NJ anglers are interested. http://teambass-usa.com/

I got this info from another site, thought it might be of interest. > Recreational Boating Act 2007 In September, 2006, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a 34-year-old exemption for recreational boats from an EPA regulation intended to stop ballast water discharge from ocean-going freighters and tankers in U.S. waters. If a higher court or the U.S. Congress does not act, 18 million boats will be required to have special EPA permits that will cost $800 or more. If you own a boat FRESHWATER or SALTWATER that exhaust water or returns water like live well or bilge water back into the waterway you will be paying over $800 annual fees if this new law isn't over turned. This affects you, it's a nation wide law, not just CA. http://www.boattest.com/nmma.aspx HELP STOP THE MADNESS!!!

Well at least you remembered to put the plug in. Guess what I forgot to do two trips ago? : I had to get wet in order to get that thing in while on the lake. :-/

They're real easy to catch during the spawn, afterward real tough. George W is right night fishing is the ticket there after the spawn. There is a rule of thumb at Round Valley (because of the extreme clarity) if you can see them you can't catch them. 6 lb & 8 lb fluorocarbon and long casts are the ticket. When I go during the daytime after the spawn I break the day into two: Early Morning and then Everything Else. I always target areas that have rocks near the shoreline out into 10-15 feet, and with weeds out from them into the depths. In the early morning I target the shallows near the rocks with topwaters, jerkbaits, finesse fish, inline spinners, 4 split shot powerworms, and grubs. When the sun comes up I target the edges of the rocks in the 10-15 ft range and the outlying weeds from the rocks with 4 and 5 weightless Senkos, and 4 split shot rigged Powerworms. You can see the weeds way down in the depths and it doesn't look like any fish are there but they are down in there. Deadsticking with long casts is my key when the sun comes up. Several of the small cove areas (and especially the points associated with them around into the main part of the lake) were they meet the main lake, and the area around the south tower are my spots. My favorite plastic colors are purple, junebug, black with blue tail, and watermelon with red flake. I always try to have some red in my lure at all times, whether it's in the lure, the weight or the hook having red in the lure seems to help (this was once told to me by an old timer there, and I live by it at Round Valley). So remember LONG CASTS DON'T LET THEM SEE YOU. Also remember to tape the extra copy of your NJ Fishing License to the inside of your back window if you have a trailer & vehicle in the parking lot while you're fishing, or you my get a nice fine. Here is a small copy of a contour map of RV for you. http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i282/zelmonster/RoundValley.jpg One final tip where you can almost always pick up a quality bass. As you leave the launch, on the right there is a pipe in the water - you can see the end of the pipe but its somewhat deep. I think it feeds that area split off from the main lake by the walkway. Throw to the pipe and just keep working it. Always seems to be a good one there.

Creme Lures makes some nice small critter imitations, including Helgramites. Look here. http://www.cremelure.com/store/store_sub.cfm?Category_ID=5

Only got out for about 4 hours Saturday morning, and only spent about an hour at the lily pads. Threw the Yum Buzz Frog intermittently with a Senko. Had about 4 hits on the Frog running it over the pads, but was unable to hookup. I even waited about two seconds before setting the hook... FRUSTRATING!... so the lure worked... the angler didn't.

I know Memorial Day is over, but I just read a piece by Scott Ott at scrappleface.com that I wanted to share. I think he is one of the best satirists on the internet. No Substitute Yet Found for U.S. Troop Blood by Scott Ott (2007-05-27) As the United States marks Memorial Day, recognizing those who sacrificed their lives in service to the country, scientists worldwide admit they are likely years away from discovering a fertilizer for freedom as effective as the blood of American troops. Where liberty has sprouted around the world, said one unnamed scientist, we usually find American blood at its roots. Studies show that the rich soil of Europe, Japan, South Korea, hundreds of Pacific Islands and thousands of square miles of other foreign territory have been saturated with what one scientist called that costly catalyst of human rights, that priceless antidote to tyranny, that precious reagent of democratic revolution. Try as we might, we scientists can find no synthetic substitute for American blood, he said. Where diplomacy falters, and negotiations fail, where evil reigns, and fear makes men's arms hang limp, yet hope rises and moves in measure with the beating of American hearts. The soil of barren lands seems to cry out for this peerless nutrient. And we continue to marvel that volunteers still step forward to pledge their own blood for a cause whose accomplishment might await their last drop of devotion.

There is an official area for member challenges at the top of General Bass Fishing, but I like this method better where I get to choose the lure I want to use. So okely dokely my lovely wife has got a list of things for me to do, but If I get the chance to sneak away this weekend, I'll take you up on the challenge. I've been hearing a lot about the newer type of plastic frogs, so I just picked up a pack of black Yum Buzz Frogs. I'll be trying the frogs for the first time and will be targeting lily pads. And if I get out, I'll report back on Monday.