Scott F

I don't think St Croix sells any rods for the price he is willing to pay.

I do better with topwaters on smallies too.

This one always makes laugh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8N2SftkPmQ

Leaving the hook in a fishes throat is a death sentence. The hook blocks the throat and prevent the fish from swallowing food. Several article have been published showing hooks do not rust away as previously thought.

St Croix had some Legend Tournament rods with the 2 piece reel seat that had a narrow opening in the reels seat. Any reel with a large foot can't be mounted on the rod unless you shortened the foot. I bought one from the outlet store at the factory in Park Falls WI that was marked as a "second" and half price, and did not realize the problem until I got home. I called the store and they would have taken the rod back but I wasn't driving 300 miles back to return it.

I was fishing on a remote fly-in lake in Manitoba Canada when a huge wind kicked up. We were a couple of miles from the cabin in a 14 foot tin boat with a 9.9. We were sure the wind and waves were going to swamp the boat any time so we made for the sheltered shore of an island. The island had been hit by fire some time ago and all the pine trees were now dead and just tall sticks. While we were waiting out the wind on the bank, these big dead trees started falling over from the wind. Some were not far from where we sat. We were deciding which way we wanted to die, from drowning or from being hit by a falling tree. Luckily, neither happened but it was a tense hour or so while we waited it out.

Most people don't understand how the fishing shows get on the air. Anyone here can put a show on TV. All you have to do is buy the half hour from the cable network. You produce the show and figure out how to pay for everything. All production costs, salaries, travel costs, equipment and the air time. You have get all your own sponsorships. The cable networks don't pay for any of it. You start out on your own and if you draw enough viewers, you might get picked up by a bigger network like NBC Sports who might pay you for the show. By the way, the "old man" with Bobber Annie was Fishing Hall of Fame member, Dan Gapen. There was also a fishing show called Outdoor Adventures hosted by Debra Johannsen and Kevin Geary. They fished in Canada for big pike. She'd hand land 25 pound pike like they were blue gills.

I'm curious as to what evidence Bill Murphy presents in his book to support his theory about bass being line shy.

I've been using nothing but superlines for 10 to 12 years and have never used "clear" leaders. I use 8lb Fireline, 20-50lb Power Pro and 20lb Suffix 832. I fish clear Northern lakes and have also caught thousands of smallmouth, largemouth and northerns. Never saw any reason to even try a leader. The biggest thing that spooks bass I fish for is me and my boat.

I don't know how anyone could say it's the line that made a fish avoid a bait. How could you know that? I have no doubt that fish may be able to see the line, I just question whether they can determine that something is wrong because they see it. There are many other factors in a bait that are un-natural. There are hooks, metal blades, wood, plastic, why is it the line that would make the bass turn away? If they are smart enough to figure out line is bad, how come they aren't smart enough to figure out the bait is not real food?

If you are in pike waters and don't want to lose your baits, invest in some steel leaders with quality snaps and swivels. Even small pike can do a lot of damage to baits, line, and terminal tackle. Be very careful of their teeth!. Get a set of jaw spreaders and a long handle needle nose pliers. A net is a good idea and a cut proof glove is another wise investment. I don't like the gloves myself but I've caught a lot of pike and have a lot of experience handling them. The best way to hold them is by the back of the head. With larger fish, you can slip your fingers in under the gill cover, but not too far. It's like razors if your fingers hit their gills. I love catching pike. You just have to be ready for them.

Yes, NOW, you can. Previous models of the 4 series offered DSI or traditional sonar not both.

In every picture your family has of you, you're holding a fish.

I use the black (smoke) Fireline.

Still think winter is pretty much over?

I'm just the opposite I had the DSI only unit, didn't like it, and took it back to get the conventional sonar instead. I did not like the lack of colors. It is hard to see fish on, and you have to be moving. The lakes I fish don't have a lot of items on the bottom that I need to see details. The new Lowrances Elite 4s have both DSI and traditional sonar. That combination is much better. When there is something you want details on, you can switch to DSI and back to regular sonar when you want to see fish better .

When I was a kid, I was always the biggest guy in the class. I seldom got into any fights, but nobody ever messed with me. That was until one day when I was in the 8th grade I got into it with a guy half my size. I thought I was going whip him good. He beat me up so bad, I was humiliated. Last time I ever fought anybody. He taught me a lesson I never forgot.

Depends on what you are looking for. Guys who throw the big baits are looking for big trophy size muskies not numbers of fish. if you prefer numbers of small fish like what you were getting, stick to the small baits.

I don't do well at all in water colder than 50. I'm sure guys who target deep water bass will catch them with colder water but for me, the smallmouth fishing really takes off once the water temp hits 50 degrees and is fast and furious until they lock onto the beds when they stop feeding and get serious about spawning. At 50 degrees they come up shallow and feed heavily near the areas where they will spawn.Where I fish for them, this period lasts 2 to 4 weeks depending on the weather. I don't fish for bedding fish, so I stop smallie fishing at this time until after the post spawn.

It sure looks like a mourning dove to me, at least from the coloration.

Brussels sprouts are just one of the many reasons I could never be a vegetarian.

You still have to set the hook, but it's a short, firm hook set. The long, hard, cross their eyes hook set just isn't necessary. That's when you rip the hooks out. Because you are often working the bait with the rod pointed down, it isn't hard to get a good hook set with a short movement of the rod like it might be with stretchy line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZg0KSwIPVQ#t=0

I fish jerkbaits on 8lb Fireline on my spinning rods. I use all 7' rods to give me maximum casting distance. The light line also helps with casting distance. I'm convinced that no stretch braid makes working the jerkbait much easier. All the action I impart goes right to the bait and not absorbed by the line stretching. Leaders in open water are of no help at all. I do a 2 week spring trip for pre-spawn smallmouth in very clear water and use jerkbaits most of the time. I've never seen the need for a leader. The fish are not spooked by the line, they do get spooked by the boat sometimes. Jerkbaits don't get into the rocks, so abrasion resistance is not an issue. I learned long ago how to set the hook when using braid so tearing the hooks out of a fish because the line doesn't stretch just isn't an issue . My only problems come from wearing out the hooks from pulling them out of so many fish.

I think it's a Rapala Skitter Walk. A Sub Walk has an extra small fin that sticks out on each side of the bait just ahead of the rear treble. I can't see a fin in the picture.