KyakR

I went from bank to my yak. I think a pinned thread on bank fishing would be great. Not just for info. As bigbill shows, bank fishing is as much a craft as boat fishing is........might be nice for bank fishermen to have some support, as sometimes they're looked down upon. boostr, I have have this terrific Humminbird portable fishfinder for my yak! Worth every penny! Piranha 165. There's even a better one, also portable. I don't know as much as the guys on the "boats" forum here....they could really steer you right.

Found this fascinating article about how environmental pressure from human beings is changing the behavior of bass: "Although a great deal of effort has been expended to try to understand the consequences of fishing-induced selection by commercial fisheries, relatively little effort has been put into trying to understand the selective effects of recreational angling. We conducted a long-term selection experiment to assess the heritability of vulnerability to angling in largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides. Three successive generations of artificially selected largemouth bass were produced from a single experimental study population. Within each generation, individual adult largemouth bass were identified as having either high or low vulnerability to angling through a series of controlled catch-and-release angling trials. Individuals of each vulnerability group (high and low) were then selected from that population for breeding to produce the next generation. The response to selection for vulnerability to angling increased with each generation; that is, the magnitude of the difference between the high- and low-vulnerability groups of fish increased with each successive generation. Realized heritability was calculated as 0.146 (r 2 = 0.995), indicating that the vulnerability of largemouth bass to angling is indeed a heritable trait. Our results indicate that recreational angling has the potential to alter the gene pool of wild fish populations, which may indirectly affect population characteristics such as survival, growth rate, and reproductive output as well as directly affecting angling success rates." Wow!

BUTT HURT rods........does Delaware Tackle make those? Hmmmm.......

I'm so happy I found this forum ! It blows me away to read so much by way of experience and knowledge. I consider myself a novice here, and this is like being in a terrific fishing club. I've never had the wonderful experience of being in one. Wish I could cast a few with a lot of you and learn big time! While I'm being grateful, I gotta say I'm also blown away by coryn h. fishowl. 17 and in high school. His contributions are full of insight and factual knowledge, as well as good humor. Get him to the Roadtrip! Oorah!

X2!

Hey let's not get personal 'cause the topic will be locked like the other one was

No. The weight of a name is not as large as we permit it to be. It's not something abstract and contained by our "permission." Language is the most powerful tool we have to shape our perceptions. Language frames thought. Different languages alter perceptions according to cultural influences. Language and it's influence is to us as water is to fish......so pervasive, so omnipresent we sometimes don't even notice it. My objection isn't to "racy" language, and certainly not to sex. It's to the use of language to foster cruelty and exclusion. Naming women's body parts is the specific thing that I mean. It doesn't matter whether I "see" smut everywhere (which I don't, also funny!) It doesn't matter that the original intent of the manufacturer wasn't to bash anybody. Language has tremendous power all it's own once it gets out there. This is an objective matter. It has nothing to do with any of our personalities. I'm talking about language, not sex! I think that was the topic, wasn't it? Hey, it stung when one of you that I so respect implied I see sexual reference everywhere (therefore there is no real issue, only one in my prudish mind). Wow! Don't kill the messenger One thing I am sorry about is that I may have ruined the light-hearted tone of this thread. But I had to say something. We have many different ethnicities, minorities here who understand all too well how language is used. I plead guilty to being a bit heavy on this topic. Please understand.

And....to be fair, the original Zara Spook was wooden (first wooden lures!)....when Heddon changed over to plastic they had a transparent appearance, hence the name. My favorite name is on the contraption I just bought to bone trout: It's the Spineless Wunder Boner

I have this amazing thermometer I got at LL Bean's.........it not only measures temp at the surface but also at different depths ( measures depth also). You can tie it on your line and cast it. I use it a lot, especially when I'm trying to pinpoint turnover, spawn, etc. I'm guessing other places have them also

This is probably one of the most important lessons I learned. Before I learned it I was afraid to lose lures. Nicely written!

My guess is that black and female BR members who happened upon this thread perused it and moved on.....not because they were angry or insulted or unresponsive to the thoughtful comments about race or the affectionate humor toward women here (I laughed out loud at coryn h. fishowl's skewering the lure biz!), but because they were sad to be reminded that the more tasteless and cruel terms lures go by are still causing only mild discomfort among many fishermen. The lure companies only want to market their products,and they'll take it as far as they can to be remembered. My personal yardstick to use in deciding what's acceptable is to ask myself whether I'd want a 14 year old boy or girl to see it. As most men love women, it's not surprising there are many happy and banter-like names and descriptions! This goes back hundreds of thousands of years ( Fishermen created mermaid myths after all). Of course, most women love men, but the lure companies won't be offering Fighting Butt rods anytime soon ( Sorry Mike, he)! It's when they go over a clear line that I'd like to see some backlash. Or a right hook in the jaw.

I went out a couple days ago.....put a warming pad in my yak. After turnover up here the fish go deep and begin to inch into their winter patterns (stacking up on drop-offs, slowing metabolism, etc) for me. I fished slow all day on Thompson lake (BIG smallie waters) and caught nada even though I did fish slow. Tomorrow I'm headed north to try Little Togus Pond, which is small and has a 25' depth max. Hope the sun's out! I'm in denial about the dwindling bite up here

Amir, good for you for having the love of the sport sufficient to get you on here to open up and ask Here's the article from BR's extensive library about this: http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/reel_selection.html

Unanimous!

I've never worn sunglasses at all because they mess with the color of things and that drives me crazy for some reason. Now I'll try a pair so thanks all! Are there any out there that don't obscure color as much?

Oops. I meant post-spawn

I'd ask myself: when are the baitfish/forage scarcer (less competition for my lure)? When does temperature sunlight and hormone level force fish into the shallows where I can catch them most easily? And most of all the answer to the question "when are they easier to catch?" has to do with the expertise of the angler in finding them, knowing what to throw etc. For me, fall's best. But that doesn't mean the fish aren't feeding most!

X2 on Falcon Lake

Penobscot River is one of the premier smallie waters in the state! *** you! It was once polluted pretty badly, but now it's a terrific place to catch not only numbers but also some to brag about. I'm not familiar with the exact spots up there for shore fishing, but I bet the front desk at your hotel or a local bait shop would know. Any chance you could throw a crankbait or two? I don't have personal experience with other places you mentioned, but if you go online to the Hook and Bullet website they have some good reports on Maine waters. Good luck, and post some pics!

They've applied for statehood

I've benefited enormously too! The advice is so detailed that every time I go out I think hard about what everyone says here. I've slowed down and tried new things....it's almost like going out with a guide. That bass is nice

Appreciate that! But places like Virginia and Florida are looking better and better.......!

Thanks! Actually, a wet-suit makes fishing from a yak feasible until the water gets a little crinkly......but I generally try to stay off rivers. If I go out a ways cause the fish are pretty deep it's always daytime and always in view of something like a road just in case I go in. The up side is that there are fewer waves and less chance of being swamped. It's kind of like ice-fishing without the ice .... I stow my yak when it wont move well

Followed the link and read about stuff that made me remember being back in the Navy around sonabuoys (radar! night vision!). I entered their prize-drawing for a free unit. Amazing what's available. Now I need somebody to give me a Nitro boat.....please?

I'm in Freeport, near the coast,and it's about what NEjitterbugger said, except maybe 5% or so less. Shirtsleeve weather for us Mainers....