desmobob

I'm lucky that the lake I fish for bass also has some big walleyes. The two I caught while fishing for bass this season were both within an ounce of seven pounds (6-15 and 7-1). One ate a medium-diving crank bait and other at a jig/craw. And I, in turn, ate both of them (the walleyes, I mean, not the crank bait and jig). Tight lines, Bob

I live at the end of Lake Champlain and growing up, there used to be plenty of houseboats around. When I was a kid, I always thought it would be cool to have one and spend days at a time on the lake fishing. I saw one this summer, and I think it's the first one I've seen in thirty years. I think it would be a piece of cake to build one on a pontoon (or better yet, tritoon) boat, or even just clear the deck of a pontoon boat and pitch a big tent or one of those pop-up ice fishing shelters.... Tight lines, Bob

I was fishing a 1/2 oz jig/craw one summer day and noticed something on the hook after a retrieve. It was a TINY little yellow perch ( about 1" long) that somehow got into the little space between the jig's weed guard and hook point and then somehow became completely impaled on the hook, wacky style. Poor little fella! I can't figure how it was even possible for that big hook to go clean through that tiny little perch. Tight lines, Bob

I have two of Kistler's KLX cranking rods; both in MHMF. I wish I had bought one of them in MMF for those smaller cranks (and probably will in the future). I came VERY close to picking up one of those Kistler Magnesiums you mentioned at Tackle Warehouse's excellent price. Anyway, the point I was going to make was that I, personally, feel the KLX MH cranking rods don't start to really shine until I put a larger or deeper diving crank on them. I can cast a small crank easy enough, but I don't get the really good feedback and sensitivity from those MH rods until I put on something slightly larger/deeper diving. You may want to consider a medium power for smaller/shallow cranks... but this is my rookie opinion and hopefully some of the more experienced guys will weigh in. Tight lines, Bob

The older Tournament Pro is a proven item. I haven't heard much of anything on the "G" version yet. I think anyone who owns a pre-G Tournament Pro would assure you you'll be very happy with it. I don't know about the new ones, but I wouldn't be afraid to try one... Tight lines, Bob

I clean out all the cattail fluff from the late fall fishing that gets stuck in around the guide frames and under the guides, and that's about it. My rods almost all have unpainted blanks, so I wouldn't really consider waxing them. I think darkened cork grips add character and I never considered scrubbing back to looking new. My new MajorCraft Volkey is so pretty I might wax that one.... Tight lines, Bob

I have a bunch of batteries to deal with: boat, motorcycle, car, lawn tractor, etc. I think my two most-used chargers are the decent Craftsman that also offers jump-start capability, and the handful of float chargers I use to keep the seasonal-use batteries healthy in their off seasons. I have a couple of brands of the small float chargers (battery maintainer). They charge at a gentle rate (1.5A) and then apply a very tiny (and that's important) bit of current to keep the battery active and prevent sulfating if it sits unused for a long period -- like my boat batteries and motorcycle battery do during the long Northeast winters. I think they are an important tool to have around. Tight lines, Bob

Anytime! Do you really need anything other than chrome/blue back? Oh yeah... red. Done. (Actually, I have a lot of good luck with a fire tiger/red back pattern in the muddy water I usually fish.) Tight lines, Bob

That is one sweet Charger. I grew up in the era of great muscle cars and had the chance to own a few... '69 Camaro, '68 Camaro convertible, and '71 Chevelle. It's funny that you can walk into most any brand auto dealership these days and buy a 4- or 5- or 6- or even 700+HP muscle car, but I have no desire to. The old ones make my heart race, though! Tight lines, Bob

This thread has me planning a "diversity day" for next season. I want to see how many species of fish I can catch in one day. On southern Lake Champlain, it wouldn't be out of the question to get ten.... Tight lines, Bob

Awesome! I think one of the most relaxing things in the world is to sit in a float tube on a sunny, calm day with a two-weight fly rod and cast yellow foam spiders to sunfish. I can practically hear them sucking it in, just thinking about it. Tight lines, Bob

You can do a little of both.... I installed a Minn-Kota "Alternator" in my Tracker Pro 170. It connects to the cranking and trolling batteries, and automatically directs the current from the outboard's alternator to the trolling motor battery as soon as the cranking battery is fully charged (which is usually a minute or two after running the boat). And I can not imagine NOT having a decent battery charger in the garage at home. I have a couple of small trickle/float chargers, plus a larger portable charger than also has a jump-start setting. I don't think it takes me more than 30 seconds more to carry a charger out to the boat and hook it to the trolling motor battery than it would if I had an on-board charger and just had to pull the lead cord out there. Tight lines, Bob

I guess the only challenging part for me is having time off and reasonable weather at the same time. As far as the fishing goes, I don't want to feel challenged. I'm out there to have fun, relax and enjoy the outdoors. I like to learn, and I think of the fishing more as an education than a challenge... a fun, unstructured education where there are no tests, no grades, no deadlines, and I can put in as much or as little effort as my mood dictates. If the bass are being tight-lipped, I can concentrate and work hard at solving the problem or I can just get out the ultralight and play with the panfish or maybe watch the birds, look for driftwood or just go for a boat ride. The fun and exciting parts to me are when a really big fish catches me off guard, or I get some kind of large and surprising bi-catch, or see something rare or unusual in nature, or have one of those days where it seems like you catch a decent fish on every other cast no matter what you're throwing. Fishing is like pizza or sex... it's all good, sometimes it's really good. Tight lines, Bob

A nice surprise! I'm a catch-and-release guy but I usually make an exception for walleye. Delicious! Tight lines, Bob

An old school improved clinch knot works fine for me. Tight lines, Bob

What are you... some kind of nut case? Tight lines, Bob

Great first post... very helpful to the OP, I'm sure. Welcome aboard! Tight lines, Bob

I love the stuff. I use the 8 lb. for small topwater and small cranks. It's just shy of 12 lb. in actual breaking strength. It makes casting light baits easier and handles like a dream. Tight lines, Bob

I took advantage of the unusually warm weather here in the Northeast and took my Alphas SV105 out in the yard to mess around. I was throwing a swinghead/hula grub combo that weighed a little under 1/4 oz. The reel is spooled with 8 lb. Yo-Zuri Hybrid. It casted well, but it seemed there was some kind of slight drag or braking effect that was choking only the long cast attempts. Again, attempts at reducing spool tension caused some major league over-runs and reduced brake settings started causing problems as well. The reel is a bit particular about settings... once you get to a certain point in reducing spool tension or braking, even small additional reductions suddenly cause big over-runs. But it does cast light baits nicely at what I would consider normal fishing distances. I plan on putting in some Hawgtech bearings over the winter and doing a clean/re-lube. In any event, I'm pleased with the reel, just not overly impressed. It has been used very little and may improve on its own with a little more break-in time. Tight lines, Bob

Fill it up to the bottom of the bevel on the spool (which also happens to be about 1/8" from the top of the spool). Tight lines, Bob

I don't know too many latin names, but I sometimes use some of Yosemite Sam's names... "You shovel-nosed mackerel!" "You hammerhead halibut!" "You buck-toothed barnacle!" "You fin-flappin' flounder!" "You bushwhackin' barracuda!" "You shark-toothed salmon!" etc., etc. And sometimes I call fish names I learned in the Navy... Tight lines, Bob

Yes sir. Bob

Check the big auction site... you can get a Tournament Pro for five dollars more. Tight lines, Bob

I whole-heartedly agree with this! ^ I just picked up another one (the old style; not the new "G" version) from Cabelas on sale for $119. I have four of them and really like them a lot. Tight lines, Bob

Yes. I have the "macro" guides on most of my rods; slightly larger than micros, but still pretty small. The FG knot goes through effortlessly, the Alberto goes through pretty well. Tight lines, Bob