Daniel My Brother

It's just impossible to guess the weight from a photo. I'm done trying. That's a nice bass regardless.

We catch gar all the time on live and cut bait (mostly shad and silver carp), but they are hard to hook. A nylon rope rig will get fewer bites, but you'll catch more of the fish that do bite. It's basically just a piece of frayed nylon rope. You can make your own or buy one. The teeth of the gar get tangled in the nylon. Do not set the hook when they bite, just start reeling. I've been thinking that a killer rig would be a nylon rope rig like those below, combined with a baitholder hook to attach a small piece of cut bait.

I guess I remember this episode differently. I thought Jordan positioned the boat so that Duckett couldn't get a cast at the hump/dropoff...which would support what Catt's saying. But it's been a couple of years since I saw this episode...

Great fish and picture. I'm guessing that being a 'horrible' bank fisherman has more to do with the lakes your fishing. I know a couple of farm ponds that could turn you into an outstanding bank fisherman in a heartbeat.

Cedar Lake has been steady bass fishing all summer in Southern Illinois. If you like catfishing, now's the time to catch 'em.

And yet I can't stop watching...

The more Kayak pictures that I see, the more I want a kayak. Nice outing.

That's a monster bass for PA! Congrats to you and your buddy.

Your new gear is probably jinxed.

Sounds like a good trip, but terrible news about that woman in the airboat. Was she one of the people you talked to?

Yikes! I love your reports, but you really need to start bringing a camera...we don't get to see many gators here in Missouri.

Holy carp! That's a ton of cats! Those ol' boys look like they know their way around a fillet knife.

More standing than sitting...but still plenty of sitting.

How's the motor run, does the boat leak, how old is the trolling motor? What condition are the seats in? Is there a trailer included? What condition is the trailer? This is an older boat and you need to look at it with a critical eye. It may be worth $1,300 or more...or it may be a piece of junk. Hard to tell from 3 sentences on a website.

You might be right about C being a red ear. I struggle to tell the difference between a female bluegill and a red ear. Especially on the smaller ones.

I used a size 4 baitholder hook. The first grass carp was caught on a mepps spinner. We caught 2 more grass carp on crawlers, but the spinner caught me by surprise. I've never known grass carp to hit crawlers, but apparently the little ones like 'em.

Paul's got 'em all except the last one...it's a small silver carp. The water is absolutely thick with them. They won't take bait, but eventually you will snag one.

Went fishing on Sunday in a channel off of the Mississippi river. We were targeting big cats with live shad and cut bait and failing miserably. The water just was not moving. So we pulled out the nightcrawlers and decided to see how many different species we could catch in one afternoon. We managed 11, though nothing of any size. How many can you name?

I've got one of these, although the handle on mine is more of a hard rubber. It was my Grandpa's and he used it with an old Southbend baitcaster. It doesn't have much monetary value, but then again I'm not looking to sell.

Thanks for a great, informative post. I think I may have to try going barbless.

Congratulations Dad! Best of luck to you and your new family!

Don't let your pride get in the way of doing what's best for your girlfriend and child. Call your local United Way today, explain your situation, and they will put you in touch with someone who can help.

I'm guilty of this. But I'm a mile or so, off shore, on Lake Ontario. I drop the buoy, then drop a waypoint. Then I drift to where the I'm a 100 yards or so away, and drop another buoy and waypoint. I might have 4 or five buoys out there. Its never been an issue. When you are out in a vast expanse of nothing, the markers give you real, visual conformation of what you are seeing on your GPS. My buoys all have my name and cell# on them. I would imagine the unwritten rules on Ontario are a little different than the 4 mile long lake I fish on. I have no doubt you are courteous on the water.

Sorry, no reservations allowed. If I see a buoy at a spot I want to fish, but don't see a boat anywhere in sight, I would leave the buoy but go ahead and fish the spot. If somebody is marking a 3/4 mile stretch and blocking a navigation channel they are in the wrong and asking for trouble. I would not try to hit their buoy, but I would also not put myself or my boat in danger to avoid one. What is more common is the marker buoy 200+ yards from it's likely owner. This irritates me. Normally I'll let the guy have that stretch of water, but it seems a bit rude.

The 3 best strips from the 80's: 1. Far Side 2. Calvin and Hobbes 3. Bloom County All classics, but the Far Side was the best.