Scott F

I see you are only 14. I would not spend that kind of money on a rain suit I'd outgrow in the next year or two. As other guys posted, those suits will last many years. By the time you are 16, you'll need to buy another rain gear that fits. Hold off on the expensive stuff.

What is the reason you want to try center pinning.

If you already have a good set of summer rain wear, either would be fine. If you don't have a good lighter weight, don't buy the lined set. Get a good Gore-Tex suit and wear layers underneath. That way, you have a good set you can use all year long.

If you want to get more action (bites) with muskies, don't use the biggest baits. The big baits will catch bigger fish, but they will wear out you and your gear pretty quickly. Smaller baits especially when you are new to musky fishing will get you more hits and keep your interest up longer.

I was lousy at penmanship growing up. In 1970, when I was a sophomore in high school, I started printing everything and everybody could suddenly read my writing. Today, except for my own name, I have forgotten how to write in cursive.

Sharp hooks. Muskies have tough mouths and your hooks must be as sharp as they can be or you will lose fish. You don't get a lot of bites so you want to be sure when you get one you have a good chance of landing him. Even with good sharp hooks you still won't land them all, but you will up your odds.

I think the long term effects of barbless hooks is not from the size of the hole the hook makes, but by making it easier to remove the hook, there is less chance of hurting the fish permanently.

In case you aren't aware, all mounts, skin or replica are painted by the taxidermist. In choosing an artist to do your mount, notice I said artist because getting the mount looking great takes an artist, look for someone who enters and WINS taxidermy competitions. These guys are judged by other taxidermists on the quality of their work. The guy who did my smallmouth replica 10 years ago had won several of these competitions. When I saw one of his mounts up close, I knew I had to have him make mine. I've forgotten years ago how much I paid, but I see a great looking smallmouth every day. I would not judge the quality of someone's work from a photograph. There is no way a even a good photo can show the detail of the work done on my mount. The paint he used has gold flecks in it that is exactly the way a live smallie looks. It has never been possible for me to show that in a photo. If at all possible, visit the taxidermist and look at his work in person.

The St. Croix store in Park Falls, WI had a basket full of new Avid baitcast rods with minor cosmetic blemishes for $60 each last week.

Water temps in the lake I was fishing for the past were creeping toward 50 but slow was the last thing they wanted. I was burning lipless crankbaits as fast as I could over the top of the weeds. Fishing slow was NOT productive.

Did you check the oil level again after cycling it a few times? After raising the motor all the way and see it it is still full. You may have to do it a few times.

I really like the Dr. Slick locking scissor clamps. Besides a locking hemostat, they have built in scissors that easily cut braid. They also have a flat blade screwdriver and a pin point that removes paint from the eye of jigs. They come on different lengths or with curved tips. Don't get the black ones, they are painted and the layer of paint interferes with they way they open. I clamp them to my shirt pocket when not using them so they are always right where I need them. Having the scissors means they multi task, one tool to do two important functions.

As far as I know, the foot pedals between the newer V2 models and the older Powerdrive models are not interchangeable. I wanted to try and upgrade my PD foot pedal when it went bad, as they all do eventually, but I had to stick with the same style.

All superlines have a coating that provides the color of the line. They all eventually wear off. Some comes off as you spool it on the reel. I use the 8lb smoke (black) Fireline on my spinning reels. I like the line better as the coating wears off. The lesson here is that you don't have to set the hook really hard. No stretch means the hook will go in with less effort.

Though not too popular here, on spinning rods, I like Fireline.

I had that happen with my Lowrance and it was a defective unit. I swapped it with my other Lowrance that had the same power plug and the problem moved with the unit. I had also taken voltage readings at the plug and found good power. Mine would shut off for hours then would work for a day then not work for 2 days. Because it was new, I took it back and exchanged it where I bought it.

I'm in Northern Wisconsin right now and the largemouth are biting like crazy (have been for several days) IF you have an orange craw color Red Eye Shad. I'm fishing large weedy flats in 4 to 7 feet of water on a natural lake and the water temps are in the mid to low 50's. I've tried several different rattle baits, swim jigs, and spinner baits but the Red Eye shad has out fished them all by a wide margin.

My wife used to get mad when she caught something she wasn't fishing for. Happens all the time. Here is a drum I got down on Pickwick and a walleye in Wisconsin.

This past spring the prespawn fish were schooled up and I did it 3 times in the same day! None of the fish were huge, but here is one of the pairs.

It happens frequently with me. It's not necessarily that ONLY one bait will work, but if I find a bait that's working, I don't take it off.

No, if there is thunder or lightning. I won't start when it's raining hard, but I won't quit if it starts raining while I'm out.

3 mountain climbers who were also rabid football fans argued all the way up the mountain about which team had the best fans. When they got to the top, the Cowboys fan said "I'll prove that Dallas fans were the best and most devoted" and he jumped off the mountain. The Chicago fan said he could prove Bears fans were the best so he pushed the Packer fan off the mountain.

The makers of FC lines made all kinds of claims about low stretch when it first came out that proved to be false. Once it is released to the public, we'll see if the claims are true.

The Humminbird 398ci SI can be had for less than $500. It's got side/down imaging and GPS. It doesn't look like it has 2D sonar and the screen is 3.5 inches. I have no idea how long it's going to last. There are almost no currently sold units that have been out more than a year so who can tell how long it will work.

Pike and pickerel are going to slice through light (under 60 lb) test line like butter. Doesn't matter if its FC, mono or braid. Buy some steel leaders.