desmobob

I use my kayak for striper fishing on Cape Cod in the spring. The seal population is skyrocketing there, and the great white sharks have moved in to take advantage of the food source. I felt I should decorate my kayak in an appropriate manner... Tight lines, Bob

I hate to resort to poison, but I have as a final resort. I had a problem with mice in my garage. They were chewing through the weatherstrip on the bottom of the garage door and getting into everything, even chewing the insulation off the electrical wiring where it goes through the ceiling/floor into my kitchen! They were carrying away the D-Con and even chewing up the empty boxes. I switched to those green bait block cubes (at any home store) and they are the bomb! Tight lines, Bob

Thanks for the tip! I know it's risky to hoist a fish vertically by the lower jaw, but it's the only quick and easy way I know of to take a quick photo when I'm by myself. I guess an alternative is to lay the fish down on the deck, but I know that rubbing off some of the fish's slime layer can be a very bad thing, too. Any ideas? Tight lines, Bob

A nice walleye has been the only thing that has made me fill up the live well and keep a fish. I'm a 99.9% catch-and-release guy. Except for nice walleyes! They come home to the frying pan. Tight lines, Bob

Wowser!!! I noticed the guy has camouflaged his float tube with yellow spots. With fish like that one around, I'd be worried that the float tube looked a little too much like a big frog! Tight lines, Bob

I have one Plano 3700 full of drop shot stuff that's never seen water. For some reason, I just can't make myself try it! Tight lines, Bob

Hmmm... where can I buy a scale like that? ;-) Anyway, I LOVE catching pickerel (and pike) and I would no doubt enjoy it more if I was doing it on purpose. If that was the case, I'd be prepared with the proper tackle. As it is now, I usually catch them by accident when bass fishing and they end up eating a lot of lures. It's frustrating, as it seems they usually cut off when you're just about to unhook them. I think I catch the most pickerel when I'm fishing a little Beetle Spin on my ultra-light spinning gear. It's one heck of a fun fight, and it doesn't hurt so bad to lose a $1 lure vs. an expensive bass lure. Tight lines, Bob

Hmmm... I guess I should give Shimano a try. I'm thinking the Curado 201 I or Chronarch 51E. I think the little Chronarch would be a neat fit for the old 5'6" IM6 BPS Tourney Special pistol grip rod I have in the basement. But it will probably be a month before I make a decision. Thanks for the suggestions, Bob

On southern Lake Champlain, it's a regular occurrence. Channel cats, sheepshead, northern pike and pickerel, bowfin... I even caught an unexpected 6 lb. 15 oz. walleye on a crank bait early one morning! My biggest "mistake" was a 14 lb. 4 oz. northern pike. Here's an ugly bowfin that ate a wacky-rigged Senko: Here's a 10 lb. 1 oz. northern caught the same day on a 'trap: (I lost two spinnerbaits to big northerns that morning.) Tight lines, Bob

My first bass casting reel was a Lew's Tournament Pro Speed Spool, which I immediately fell in love with. Right away, I figured I'd be buying more of them. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought I should try some other reels before deciding. Today, I ordered a Daiwa Tatula. I figured it's their lowest price-point reel that has the important features that represent Daiwa's efforts: the T-Wing System, Megaforce Z braking, Air Rotation, and carbon drag. It has an aluminum frame and a strong reputation as a giving exceptional bang for the buck. What reel should I try the next time I have some extra cash to buy one? I'd be aiming for the same price point or sweet spot in a company's line-up... something that is basically representative of their better reels, without breaking the bank. Thanks for any suggestions, Bob

I've doubled on Rock Bass before (kind of embarrassed to mention it). They hit the fore and aft hooks of a gold floating J-7 Rapala. Tight lines, Bob

I just checked in. At age 53, I was surprised to see how few of us "experienced" guys are hanging around here. ;-) Tight lines, Bob

I thought that would be a good idea, too. I tried it with my Lew's Tournament Pro Speed Spool and the brakes squealed loudly when casting. I put a very light application of oil on the brake drum and now it's back to normal. Tight lines, Bob

The Bill Norman cranks are tough as nails. When the wind re-directed a couple of my normally deadly-accurate casts , I slammed the same one off a steel railroad trestle and a big rock one day, and not only did it not shatter, crack or otherwise break, I had to look hard to find a mark on it! Tight lines, Bob

Thanks for the tips! Yesterday's all-day rain must have turned the largemouths back on. I had a good day today, with several largemouths in the 3-4 lb. range, plus a 10 lb. 4 oz. northern pike and a big bowfin that I didn't weigh. I lost my two favorite Rat-L-Traps to big pike... they were on the prowl today! I was using 20 lb. flouro leader on my 30 lb. braid and they still chomped through it easily. I lip-hooked this one and got my lure back (with the pike attached!). Ugly bowfin that took a wacky-rigged Senko! Tight lines, Bob

I had a great day on the water today, with several good bass on a 1/2 oz. jig with a 4" Pit Boss trailer. I always use a big trailer. Tight lines, Bob

I have four and they all have split rings on the line tie loop. Can't remember when I bought them though.... Walking the dog is fun (for awhile). Catching bass on surface lures is fun (all the time!). Tight lines, Bob

+1 (but I'm a little older) I started using my first good bait caster (Lew's TP and St. Croix Premier rod) this summer, along with a handful of spinning outfits. I can't wait to buy another good BC rig or two. Or three. Tight lines, Bob

That could very well be the case with mine, too. I might have done something wrong on that one long cast I tried with the reel set up the same as it had been. I'll find out Sunday. And I'm anxious! Tight lines, Bob

I think, like most people, I wouldn't pick up a total stranger at the launch if they asked to go with me. But I would at least consider taking someone who posted regularly on a forum, joined a club I was in, etc. I think that's the way to find your boat ride. Tight lines, Bob

...and now I know what the other three centrifugal brakes I wasn't using are for! ;-) The Lew's TP already casted like a dream... I was amazed at how far I was throwing 'traps this morning. I wasn't really sure what to expect from the new bearings. I found a noticeable difference in casting. Now, it's even better. Before I put the new bearings in, I threw a jig in the back yard a few times (spool tension set for a steady drop, one centrifugal brake engaged, magnetic brake set on "4"). Then I put in the ABEC 7 ceramic hybrid bearings from Boca. No lube was added; I left them dry. I went back out in the yard and made some easy pitches and it felt great. Then I tried a longer cast and got a pretty darn respectable backlash. I decided the smarter thing to do was to start with all four brakes engaged and work my way down. Even with all four brakes engaged, it casted plenty well. I can't wait to get back on the water on Sunday and wring her out! Heck, a set of those bearings costs more than a quarter of the price of the reel, which already casts really well. I really don't know why I did it; curiosity, I guess. My curiosity is satisfied. Tight lines, Bob

I bought a small bass boat this summer and started fishing for largemouths on the southern part of L. Champlain (South Bay to Ticonderoga). Up until a few days ago, I thought I had things figured out and was catching some nice fish almost every time out (best so far being 6 lbs. 1 oz.). But this fall weather change has me stumped. The last two days, I've only caught one or two largemouths, but I've been catching big smallmouths where I used to catch the bigmouths! I grew up fishing for smallies on Lake George. I used to love how aggressive the big ones got in the fall. I guess the Champlain smallies get aggressive too, but do they move into different areas? This morning, I caught a couple of nice ones on the deep edge of a big flat, with no rock or structure anywhere around (just some small, isolated clumps of water chestnut). I was very surprised to catch them there. On the boat ride home, I saw a couple of very nice ones coming clear out of the water in the same kind of areas. Can anyone give me some tips on where the largemouths might be found? The water is very low, and that always throws me off a bit. Today I caught smallmouths, pike, pickerel, yellow perch, white perch, and even a small sheepshead on 'traps, spinnerbaits, and a T-rigged Senko, but I never put a hook in a largemouth. I love catching big smallies, but they were sparse. I want to catch up with the bigmouths again! Tight lines, Bob

I've had great luck with the original Power Pro. I just put some 30lb. Suffix 832 on my Lew's TP and it seems like my casting distance has reduced a bit. I think the 832 has a little more "body" and doesn't wind-knot like the PP sometimes does. Braid really spoiled me... when I fish a rod using mono, it feels like I'm using a long rubber band for line! ;-) Tight lines, Bob

Of the crank baits I've tried so far, I'm fondest of the Bill Norman Little N and Big N. After using the Little N and Bomber Square A back to back, I found the Little N deflects off the weeds much better. I was constantly having to pull weeds off the Square A. I love throwing crank baits but the weed issue can get frustrating. Does adding Triple Grip hooks reduce the amount of weed hooking? And speaking of crank baits, I bought a couple of Strike King's Bitsy Pond Minnows (1/8 oz., 1 1/4" long) throw on the ultra-light spinning rig I always carry when bass fishing . I tried them yesterday and the yellow and white perch absolutely loved them! But... with the lure being so small with two tiny trebles, it was necessary to use hemostats to unhook almost every fish. I need to get a photo of one of them alongside one of the very large Norman Big N's. Quite a contrast! Tight lines, Bob

I'm thinking I might buy a pair of 36-inchers. That would give me more flexibility for drift speed, orientation, various wind conditions, etc. Thanks again for the information, Bob