desmobob

I have two Tatulas and I am very impressed with the quality of the reels for the price you pay (I paid less than $95 for each of them). It may or may not be a legitimate reason, but I guess I'd prefer to buy a reel from a company that manufactures its own product. Tight lines, Bob

Because it's sending out "pings," not constant output? That's my guess, and that's just what it is: a guess. I'll be interested to hear what the correct answer is. Tight lines, Bob

Years ago, I used to do a lot of smallmouth fishing in a very clear lake. When I switched from 10-lb. to 6-lb.test line, it seemed to have a positive effect on my fishing, too. If I was fishing there now, I'd be using 6-lb. fluoro... Tight lines, Bob

I use an inexpensive Kistler Carbon Steel "All Day Power Tool" 7'3" HF rod for frogs. It's nice and light and works well; throws a hollow body frog just fine and has plenty of power to horse them out of the weeds. It's at the lower end of your price range, too. Tight lines, Bob

I had 8-lb. InvisX on my spinning rig for Senkos. I fish braid w/FC leaders on all my other rigs. It worked very well, but I just couldn't come to grips with the stretch of light mono (which I've used all my freshwater fishing life) after using braid so much, so I bought a nice finesse bait casting rig for Senkos and went back to braid and a fluoro leader. :-) Tight lines, Bob

I think the Pumpkinseed sunfish out of a nice, clear lake might be the prettiest fish in fresh water. And they're fighting' little buggers, too. If they got to be four or five pounds... man! Tight lines, Bob

I use the inexpensive Scum Frogs -- I lose too many frogs to pike to use anything more expensive. ;-) Every few casts, I just squeeze out the water. Tight lines, Bob

It doesn't cost much to fill up my 11-gallon tank from empty. I love my Mercury 40HP EFI four-stroke... in an average fishing day (ALL day) I use about five or six bucks worth of gas! My Tracker Pro170 is no speed demon. It cruises at max economy at 23MPH and tops out at about 33MPH. Sometimes, I'd like to be able to go faster, but every time I get home and top off the tank I'm pretty pleased with what I have. I don't even stop at the pumps; I top it off from a gas can at home. Tight lines, Bob

I've had great luck with Havoc's Pit Boss. They come in three sizes and offer a big, bulky target for a big, bulky, hungry largemouth. Tight lines, Bob

I use a Kistler Carbon Steel "All Day Power Tool" 7'3"HF. It was inexpensive and gets the job done! Tight lines, Bob

Learn the Whip Finish. It's one of the staples in fly tying. It's easy and it will come in handy for other things in the future, I bet. Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails works fine as head cement, but any clear nail polish you find around will work OK. Tight lines, Bob

I bought one of the Mustang MIT 100 vests this spring. It's comfortable and easy to wear. The price is right, too! Tight lines, Bob

Best of luck to you in your most noble profession! The classroom looks great! Tight lines, Bob

You guys are lucky... there isn't a BPS or Cabelas within about three hours of where I live; farther for Cabela's. Thank God for the Internet and the USPS! ;-) Tight lines, Bob

My motor is fine; thanks! The lower end of Lake Champlain offers up lots of floating logs, trees, and limbs. You have to be on the look-out all the time, especially after a strong rain or wind storm. I have everyone has a safe boating season! Bob

Same here, but I'm not sure which I dislike more... those big spiders give me the creeps! I was in the basement taking some laundry out of the washer and putting it in the dryer yesterday morning when I looked down and saw a jumbo-sized wolf spider next to my bare foot. I don't think there's many animals with a more sinister look. Tight lines, Bob

My summer was definitely slower than last summer. The water on southern Lake Champlain was higher than normal through the middle of summer and the fish didn't seem to be where they were last season. On days that I had good numbers of fish, I caught a lot of small bass, which wasn't the case last year. Things seemed to have picked up toward the end of August for me though, and I'm looking forward to a good fall (if I can find more time to get on the water!). Tight lines, Bob

+1 !! I had flying squirrels in my attic. They're nocturnal, and would start their squirrel olympic games just about the time I turned out the lights to go to sleep. Their favorite event seemed to be "rolling nuts across the ceiling, under the insulation." I tried all sorts of traps to catch them, but failed. A strobe light is what drove them out. I guess that would wreak havoc on their eyes at night.... Glad you found your cricket quickly. Put it on a size 10 light wire hook tied to your favorite ultralight rig and feed it to a big bluegill! Tight lines, Bob

Even the stuff that is already on sale is 15% off. I just snagged one of those Kistler Magnesium rods for $93. :-) TW got $215 of my business today. They are a great outfit to deal with; I've never had anything but great service from them. Tight lines, Bob

I live at the southern end of Lake Champlain in the Atlantic Flyway... plenty of mighty fine duck hunting here, too. And no, I don't know why someone would raise Mergansers... I hope you aren't planning on keeping it a secret! ;-) Tight lines, Bob

Mergansers are diving ducks and can barely walk on land. And they are known for their disagreeable taste and are avoided by most duck hunters (which I am). Why would anyone raise them? Are you sure you don't mean Muscovy ducks? Tight lines, Bob

I guess that depends on whether or not they're feeding in your favorite trout stream or in a pond or lake. Do you have many trout streams in Florida? How about Ospreys and Kingfishers? You would think their aerial attacks and resulting huge splashes would spook the fish for a while, but it doesn't seem to be the case where I fish. Tight lines, Bob

Mergansers on the farm? I don't think so! No, Cormorants aren't ducks, but like the Mergansers, they chow down a lot of fish. Same with Loons (not a duck, but looks like a duck). Tight lines, Bob

I wish someone would tell that to the Mergansers and Cormorants around here! Tight lines, Bob

The only way it could be better is if there were huge flames and an ear-splitting KA-POW when it was fired. I love it! Tight lines, Bob