desmobob

No... use the whole, big, tasty-looking thing! Tight lines, Bob

I just put the echoMAP 93sv in my boat, and I think it's the best piece of gear I've purchased in a L-O-N-G time! Huge bang for the buck. Very easy to use, too. Tight lines, Bob

I use them most as a jig trailer. They work great for me! Tight lines, Bob

Wind is your friend (to a point...). The area I fish doesn't get rough when it's windy. The big problem for me is boat positioning. I have a 17' aluminum bass boat and it really gets blown around. I get frustrated trying to set the right speed on the trolling motor... it seems like I'm either getting blown backwards by the gusts or shooting ahead like a rocket when the wind subsides for a minute. If I somehow come into some money, I'll get myself a Power Pole. In the meantime, I picked up a Minn Kota Deckhand electric anchor winch on sale last week and installed it in the boat this morning. I'll try it out tomorrow. Maybe it will help me stay in place without too much fussing around. Tight lines, Bob

+1 The Pit Boss is one of my big favorites. Tight lines, Bob

My Daiwai PX Type-R... I love all my reels and it would be unfair to pick a favorite! But since I went way, way over my budget when I bought the PX-R, I feel obligated to pick that one. And it is a pretty darn nice reel! But I'm extremely happy with my two Lew's TPs and two Daiwa Tatulas. Tight lines, Bob

I'd say it's a stocked rainbow. As for slonezp's brown trout comment, I can say that some of the stocked browns I've caught in some Adirondack lakes look incredibly similar to landlocked salmon; they don't show any of the normal brown trout colors. Tight lines, Bob

I change mine in the fall when I put the boat up for the winter. Tight lines, Bob

Thanks guys. The hardest thing about fishing with a new sidescan unit is... remembering to fish! When I go out, I find myself idling along in my favorite spots so I can see what's really down there. It's fascinating and I have to remind myself I'm out fishing, not sonar-watching! If the novelty of the thing doesn't wear off soon, I'll never get a line in the water! Tight lines, Bob

My favorite are has very muddy (clay silt) water and Green Pumpkin is one of the colors I use most. Tight lines, Bob

In "The Bass Professor" Doug Hannon's book on big largemouths, I think he mentions something about the bass in his giant home tank reacting strongly and consistently to the color red. Who knows what "emotion" they react with.... Tight lines, Bob

Only you know what tastes good to you. A fun way to have a fish dinner is to keep several kinds of fish, fillet them, and have a taste test. The tastes of different kinds of fish can be very subtle and comparing them at the same time is a sure way to find out what you prefer. I haven't eaten a bass in years, but I think bluegill are fantastic. I've tried white perch and didn't think they were that good, but it could have been the body of water, time of year, etc. My favorites are walleye, yellow perch, crappie and bluegill. Bon appetit, Bob

My outboard is a fuel injected four-stroke. I fill the fuel tank to the top with a double dose of Startron added and run the engine with the muffs on to make sure the double-treated fuel gets into the engine. After a L-O-N-G Adirondack winter, she fires up with a touch of the key and runs fine on the full tank of five- or six-months-old gasoline. Tight lines, Bob

I've been wanting to upgrade the fish finder on my boat, and I've been intrigued by side imaging. The price has kept me from making the jump. Well, I had some tax return money that I was supposed to spend on some new furniture, but being single, I was able to make the "irresponsible" decision with no repercussions and bought the new sonar instead. What a world of difference. I was startled to see what some of the structure I found with my old Lowrance X-4 Pro really looks like. I used to go over this pretty often, and could never really get any idea what it might be when looking at the old fish finder. Now, I know it's a section of an old bridge that was replaced years ago, sunk a dozen or so yards from where it was removed. I STILL don't know what this is. It looks like the remains of an old wooden canal boat, but I'm not sure at all.... Both these images are a bit distorted as it was very windy when I took the photos and it was hard to keep the boat moving dead-straight along the structure. I also found two old wooden boat wrecks on the bottom. It's spooky to be able to see them so well! Anyway, I'm sure this thing is going to really help my fishing. The lake I fish has about 6"-18" of visibility, depending on the wind and amount of recent rainfall. You can't make out structure by sight, even in very shallow water. But now I can! Tight lines, Bob

Thanks for the tip, Glenn. Does anyone have any success using braid on ultralight spinning set-ups? I tried it after getting frustrated with twisted 4 lb. line, but ended up trading away line twist for wind knots (which I think are as bad, or worse...). I love using ultralight spinning gear on panfish when I stumble onto some good ones or the bass fishing is slow. Line issues can spoil the fun! Tight lines, Bob

I launch my boat solo 90% of the time. In the warmer months, I wear water sandals or water shoes and shorts. I have a 15' dock line on one of the bow cleats. I back in 'till the stern's floating, then wade in, grab the line and push the boat off the trailer and lead it over to the dock and tie it up. To load it, I back the trailer all the way in and lead the boat up onto it with the bow line, wade in hook up the winch strap. I never have to go in past my knees. In the cooler months, I use a longer line on the bow and "walk the plank" down the trailer tongue to push the boat off. To recover it, I drive the boat up on the trailer and either walk the trailer tongue or put the trailer in close enough to the dock so I can just hop out of the boat onto the dock after hooking up the winch strap from inside the boat. Tight lines, Bob

Congratulations and nice fish! First one on a jig is memorable. I don't remember my first topwater, Senko, crank bait, spinnerbait, etc. bass, but I do remember my first bass on a jig. Good stuff! I'm one of those guys who believes jigs tend to catch larger bass. Keep on catching those big ones, Bob

I had the same feeling yesterday: Bass of a lifetime! Then, after it slugged it out on the bottom for a while, I had my doubts. I finally landed the 9lb. 9oz. drum ("sheephead"). Tight lines, Bob

Prayers sent to your brother and your family. Stay strong; your support will help him through it! Tight lines, Bob

^ To me, this is the truth of the matter.... Be safe, Bob

Sometimes the unexpected happens, with terrible consequences. Could have been a one-in-a-million-odds freak thing. Nobody expects to capsize. Nobody expects to need their PFD. Tight lines, Bob

Hootie, I don't know quite how to put this, but maybe you're just too... ...old? I fish in some pretty dirty water (southern end of Lake Champlain) and the wacky-rigged Senko is one of my favorite things. 'Course, I'm young. Really, really, really young. Tight lines, Bob

I had used only one bait casting reel; and old Daiwa PT1500FL with mixed results. Then, I decided to shell out a little more money to try a "good" reel. I bought a Lew's Tournament Pro, and it was all over. Since then, I picked up another Lew's TP, two Daiwa Tatulas, and a Daiwa Pixie. There's no going back. And occasionally, backlashes still happen! Tight lines, Bob

Hmmm.... Is never getting married epic success? How about fishing epic success? I caught my largest-ever fly rod striped bass (42.5") after it hit a Clouser that was dragging along the bottom on Brewster Flats while I was eating a sandwich for lunch. And I finished the last couple of bites before I took the rod in both hands and started fighting the fish! :-) Tight lines, Bob

I just bought a new Mustang M.I.T. 100 Auto about a month ago for $130. I can hardly wait for the arming kit to expire so I can try out the auto-inflate function! Tight lines, Bob