Scott F

I can tell you that videos I won’t watch are those that are shot with a chest mounted GoPro. I can’t stand watching somebody’s hands turn a reel handle. The ultra wide angle lens of a GoPro camera bends the horizon and makes every cast look like it went a mile. You can’t see the lure coming back, the only slightly interesting part is seeing the rod bend. If you want to make videos people will watch, have someone else hold the camera or put it on a mount and point it at the person.

I know how bad your heart aches when you lose your best friend. My wife and I lost our 16 year old bichon yesterday.

By far my biggest influence was Al Lindner. In-Fisherman is where I learned to fish. I’ve met Al a few times and he is just the same in person as he is on TV.

With home mortgages running near 7% I’m not surprised at 7%-8% rates being quoted for a boat

I’m in a smallmouth bass club where nearly all the members chase smallmouth on rivers. Around 40% spent at least some of their time using a fly rod. Many of our members are also in a fly tying club. I met many of our fly fishing members and members of the fly tying club. Some of the guys are real purists and follow traditions closely. Some spend multiple thousands of dollars on a rod and reel and only have the finest gear, but I’ve never found any real difference between gear guys and fly guys except for the tools they use and never even got an inkling that anyone considered themselves elite. Because fly gear can cost many times more than casting gear only those with lots of money, the elites of society, can afford, they get a bad reputation from those who can’t afford the expensive and difficult to use gear. But they aren’t any different in many ways than a guy with a stick, a string a hook and a can of worms. We are all just trying to catch a fish.

Why is it that the snorer ALWAYS falls asleep first? My wife is the one who snores in our house. I’m a light sleeper and hate using ear plugs. A few years ago, we started sleeping in separate bedrooms and we both get a good nights sleep now.

One other thought. If you are having trouble feeling the bite and the fish are swallowing your hook, pinch down on the barb. It will make removing the hook 100 times easier and the fish will not be hurt. Keep a tight line and you probably won’t lose many fish. After you get used to seeing the pick up, you won’t get many fish that swallow the bait. You won’t have to pinch down the barb, but you’ll have to decide that for yourself.

The floro leader isn’t usually needed but the floating braid is. Watch the line floating and keep taking up the slack. You’ll see the line “twitch “ when a fish picks it up, or the line will stop moving if something has it.

I find a weightless Senko to be my favorite worm for the river. River fish are looking for food to be drifting downstream with the current. No need to slow it down. You just have to throw it so it drifts into or very close to where a bass is sitting on the edge of the current. The fact that it’s moving quickly also doesn’t give the bass a chance to look it over too closely. He has to make a decision quickly or his meal is gone. Ideally, you are in a position to make several casts to the spot he’s sitting in case you miss the prime spot the first try.

Senior lifetime license here in Indiana is $23. Yearly is only $3. If you last until age 79, you no longer need a license.

Lucky Craft Pointer 65. This has been by far my most productive smallmouth bait in the spring for the last 10 years.

My GPS enabled depth finders show the speed on the display. If you have a smart phone, you can get apps that show speed.

I think this is a very bad idea. Wading boots with good ankle support is very important. Wading in rocky streams, you are going to twist an ankle while walking on uneven rocks. Many times, unless the water is very clear, you can’t even see your feet. With good, solid boots, even if you step on the edge of a rock, they can save you from falling in or going limping home on a swollen ankle.

What kind of waders are you using with the boots?

2019 F150. 6 cyl. Gets 25mpg on the highway, 19 pulling the boat. When I’m fishing but not using my boat, the rods hang from a rack mounted on the ceiling of the cap.

A few years ago, I spoke to a guy at a very famous Musky shop and was asking who was buying those $100 musky baits. He told me that the guy who made them couldn’t keep up with the demand so he kept raising the prices and they still sell out.

I use mostly lighter braids and when the fish is around 3 pounds or so, I always net them. I use a rubber net so my treble hooks don’t get all tangled like they do in regular nets.

I paid for most of the music I listen to many years ago. I’ve copied my lp’s and digitized them so I can listen to only songs I like with no commercials, no monthly subscriptions and no need for Wi-Fi access.

What part of these tubes are neoprene? I’ve used hard plastic rod tubes for decades and never had any breakage. I did however fill the ends with towels to keep the tips from bouncing

In Canada, the Daredevil 5 of Diamonds was the lure that I must have caught 1000 pike on.

The bars, stripes and colorization changes, depending on its surroundings and light. A bass over a sand bar will be very pale in color. In bright sunlight, on a windy day, the same fish over a rocky bottom will show bars. They camouflage themselves to hide from prey more effectively. If you’ve ever put a smallmouth in a live well, after a time, it will look like a different fish than the one you caught.

I’m more of a fan of Gerber multi-tools. I find them more comfortable to use.

More than likely, that fish was pretty old and probably past its prime for producing more smallies. My local DNR releases older, usually the biggest smallmouth from their breeding program when they stop spawning. Because of this, I don’t have any problem with keeping a fish that is likely near the end of its life anyway.

Most guys I know keep their waders in the car all season as long as they aren’t made of rubber. Wet waders will stink up the inside of an SUV. In the trunk shouldn’t be any problem