livin2fish

Required in NC as well. However, haven't noticed any improvement in the "stupid" factor on the water as yet.

Good news! I really enjoy your input on this forum.

I do the other way, tie everything on before I leave the garage. 8 crank setups and 3 spinning setups. Mostly the only time I change (retie) lures on the water is if I snag and have to break off. If the fish don't bite something on those 11 setups, its pull the boat out of the water and go home (5 minutes from the boat ramp). Most will say, but you don't catch many fish. Yup, you are correct. Being 80 years young, my fishing is mostly 3 to 5 hours per outing, depending on temperature.

I've tried using a second lure as the weight for a drop shot. I'm convinced, which one to hit, is too difficult a decision for the fish to make.? Probably cause it hasn't worked for me.

Same with me. I have a choice whether or not I get upset over something I watch, so therefore I do not watch the news nor do I view anything on the internet where one person can attack another person without consequence.

Thanks A.J. for posting the game. Loved it.

Yup, me too^^^. However, I use a loop knot (the one Mark Rose uses). I like the scrounger any time of the year, but particularly late spring through fall. It can be fished any level in the water column, and will sometimes get bit when other presentations don't.

I don't hate fishing slow, but much prefer not. Can't fish slow and drag the bottom because of lingbya, that black stringy nasty smelling stuff that is in the body of waters I fish. Could use a drop shot, but most times find myself reeling it like a deep diving crankbait. Guess biorhythms have something to do with it, or I just like casting. Seems like I'm doing something. Not saying it catches fish, just keeps me busy.

Thanks. Maybe my mind just couldn't believe it. lol I'm believing this^^^^

^^^^Me too. Doubled it is like the knot Jimmy Houston used to call his own, which he used for spinner baits.

I'm betting on the bowfin. By the way, glad to see you are back in the Beaufort County area.

My poor old eyes and mind won't wrap around what they are seeing. Is that a pickup bed cover or a cartop carrier that he is sitting in, or what?

After seeing the picture of the otter feeding on the fish I don't think they are so cute. Those are some teeth!

Topic is getting wider and wider, so I'll ad to it. If you want to get a record white tail buck you go to IA, Illinois, and other midwest states. Farming must do some good for the deer, even without habitat.

This is not meant to be an argumentative question. Do you know that this has happened? I have always thought that they are smart and this wouldn't happen. Probably my naivety. As I do mine, but have no idea to what extent. Strong feeling about my cove though.

And thats when the critters move to the burbs. But this seems like a bit off the original topic which was just, otters effect on a fishery.

"Mastering a technique" for me as a recreational fisherman is impossible. It is far beyond my desire and willingness to put in the effort. Maybe becoming ''reasonably competent" or even partly competent is enough for me. There are just too many factors. To me, if I can place the cast where I want it, that is fine. I'll just try different things from there. I do think about, seasonality, bass habits, and a multitude of other things, but mastering them, I never think of that.

I enjoy seeing the otters, but wish they would move to another cove. The dock that I have access to had numerous fish around it until the otters moved in. That was 2 years ago. I am sure there are other factor as well, so can't blame it all on the otters.

^^^^^This is a suggesting worth considering. Some injuries rehab well, some do not. If this is considered an elective surgery it may not be available until Covid subsides. With regard to fishing, the learning to pitch left handed and cast left handed is probably doable, but what happens when you hook that really large fish and you have to get her into the boat or onto land, and unhook her. You would probably need to use that right arm.

Only have one Quantum product, a baitcast reel, the infamous "Escalade" which was attached to a pistol grip Ugly Stik that I pulled from the bottom of a lake. Cleaned and oiled the reel and it gets use on my A-rig this time of year. Been working for about 12 years.

I even add a dot of chartreuse to my blade baits which are fished in clear or dirty water.

Don't be dragged down to a lower level. Just keep the good stuff coming. Love the thread.

Had an interesting experience, where I was the one asking the question. Grandson (age, about 5 years) and I were preparing to launch when a gentleman about my age walked over and asked my grandson if he wanted to see some fish. So we followed him over to his boat and he lifted my grandson up on the boat and opened the live well. It was full of the prettiest crappies you have ever seen. Of course my first and only question was what did you catch them on? He pointed to about 16 cane poles laying on the deck. He was truthful, but not exactly the answer I had expected. I thanked him for showing his fish and chuckled to myself as we walked back to our boat.

I never worry about someone copying me. They won't learn a thing. I am quick to "try" to help anyone who ask about fishing. Someone crowding me or pulling in close and fishing directly ahead of me does irritate me. As for the crowding, I just pull up and leave. I have a short fuse and the quicker I'm gone, the safer I'll be. As for the cutting in ahead of me, I'll follow them for a while to see if they are missing any fish. If I'm catching and they are not, I'll continue to follow. If they are catching and I am not, I'll pull up and leave. Most all the lakes I fish are large enough for me to find a place to fish.

^^^Can't top this! Did catch a Mallard drake with a spinning rod and a blade bait. Fishing from a neighbor's dock and being rather bored my line passed over a duck just as it swam out from under the dock. Being startled it tried to fly and became tangled in my line. The more it flailed around the more entangled it became. Needless to say it was making a lot of racket. It became so tangled in my line that I was able to drag it to the edge of the dock where I reached down and grabbed it by the neck and hoisted it carefully up. Turns out, the lure wasn't even stuck in the duck. It took a lot of cutting of line to free the duck, but that accomplished, he swam away. As he was swimming away he was calling me a lot of bad things in duck language. Rightfully so. I was just happy he was unhurt.