Fish Chris

first, if you haven't already, read Rolos post. No since in me saying the same stuff. Second, I hear a lot of good things about suffix.... and I'm sure it kicks the carp out of any mono on the market, but it is more expensive than TUF-Line XP, which I absolutely love. .....and yes, I'm one of those braid only guys. Been using nothing but braid, for everything from Bluegills, to Sturgeon, for going on 14 years now. Personally speaking, switching to braid was the single, largest, most positive experience I have ever had in my nearly 40 years of fishing. Peace, Fish PS, Switching to braid from mono, is quite a shock for some guys, who just never seem to get used to it. I wouldn't say it was exactly "easy" for me either, but I'm sure glad I used it long enough to get over the hump !

you had said > The next thing you know, they'll be selling perfect electronic shad replicas that have all the movements and sounds of a school of shad without any effort on the part of the angler < So what would you say about the times (and their have been several) when I put on an actual, live Shad, and still couldn't get bit ????? Just curious, Fish PS, I have said this before, but personally speaking, when I fish live bait, I put as much effort and 'work on my part' with it, as I do when I fish an artificial lure (or even more so, when compared to a simple cast and retrieve lure, such as a swimbait)...... and furthermore, I believe that the guys that do not fish live bait this way, will never be as successful with it, as they could be.

Well put Avid. BTW, I never miss the minnows and the birds :-) Peace, Fish

This is an interesting subject, which always ends up with the crowd who think that super-duper fish finders, aqua-view cameras, super-sonic fishing lures (or whatever) are an "unfair" advantage. However, I realized long ago, that there were a whole bunch of guys out there, with all of the latest, greatest, technological fishing devices that money can buy, who almost "never" do any better (if even 'as well') as some of the guys out there with nothing fancy. So anyway, from my personal standpoint, not only are the guys with all of these high tech toys "not" giving themselves an "unfair advantage", but often times, when they get themselves too caught up in all of that techno garbage (instead of just getting a line out there and fishing !) they are actually putting themselves at a definate "disadvantage ! ........but this is always good for a laugh :-) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My goal is to catch the most big fish, and the biggest fish, that I possibly can. If their were some sort of "super fishing orb" that I could set in the middle of my boat, and it would call big fish from every direction, "Heck yes I'd use it" !!! If 10 lb'ers then became too easy, I'd try for 15's. If those became too easy, I'd switch to 20's ! The "only" reason I don't use a bunch of techno garbage, is because I don't see the guys who are using it, doing so much better than me. But if this changes, I'll be the very next one to jump on that wagon ;-) Peace, Fish

I'd use at least 30 lb TUF-Line XP, with a 20 lb Seaguar Fluorocarbon leader...... Or maybe 50 lb with a 25 or 30 lb Fluorocarbon leader. BTW, Power Pro, TUF-Line, and (I believe) Suffix, are all made from the exact same spectra fiber. TUF-Line is just nicely braided, and is the best value. Never used Suffix, so I can't say anything bad about it..... But I do know it is more expensive. And hey Dane, Fusion is not "braid". It is only fused because this makes it cheaper to produce (coming directly from factory insiders) just like Firedline. I know a lot of guys like that stuff, but it just totally reminds me of dental floss. I went to braid to get away from stiff, kinky, coily. With fused lines, just about the time they start to get broke in well, and lose the stiff, kinky, coilyness, its time to replace it, because its coming 'unfused'. But hey, if it works for you. I have to admit, it's probably 5% better than mono, for whatever that's worth. Peace, Fish

Well thank you guys. Like I have said, I'm not a "great" photographer..... But if you snap that shutter enough, your bound to get a few good ones :-) .....just like, "if you make enough casts ...... :-) Funny story to that shot though; I had pulled into a gravel parking lot, with my window down, and camera beside me. I noticed the Egret, but wasn't so impressed. Then I see this Red Wing Blackbird swooping in on it, and pecking at it, and I thought, "Wow... That would be cool if I could get a shot with the Blackbird, right next to, or actually pecking at it". So, I take one shot. Too dark. Adjust the exposure. The Red Wing jumps in again... second shot. A bit too bright. Adjust again..... Third shot... Perfect exposure.... but, the Red Wing was nowhere in the frame. Now I'm thinking, "The camera is set perfectly.... Just give me one more chance". So, while I'm looking back at my camera for just a split second, from my periphreal vision, I see the Egret take off..... So, I just did the hail Mary, swing the camera, and click. When I viewed the shot, I was pretty thrilled that I got all of the egret, in a great in-flight pose..... However, I had the exposure turned down so low (to keep from over exposing the bright white Egret) that I didn't have any idea that I got the Red Wing in the shot too...... Let alone, right at the exact moment it was nipping the tail !!! So, when I got home and started my photo editing, then used the fill-in flash feature, I just about flipped out ! :-) Absolutey pure luck ! But as a matter of fact, I did get Photo of the Day, on 3 different photo websites, and one actually chose it for Photo of the Month. Darn.... Had I got Photo of the year, I would have got a free camera ! Oh well. Peace, Fish

Hey Bream Master, did you say, "Fired Line" ? :-) LOL I hated that stuff too. Anyway, I have used Gorilla Braid (total garbage... but still better than mono.... This is what I cut my "braided line" teeth on) Fenwick Iron Thread. Spider Wire (good but too expensive... ya' gotta know your paying for all of their advertising) Cabelas Rip Cord (braided dyneema.... interesting..... okay stuff I guess.... but expensive. Knots seemed to slip easier than with braided Spectra) Power Pro (guess I got a bad spool). Which brings me to TUF-Line XP. The only line I use now (besides some of my older backstock of TUF-Plus) for everything from 2/10 lb, to 130 lb. Now, in all honesty, yes, I love my TUF-Line, and I do believe it is the best overall value in braided line today. However, the difference between most 'true braided spectra lines' is pretty slim. On the other hand, the worst braided spectra I know of, is night and day better than the best stretchofilament... err... I meant coilofilament .....uhhh, I'm trying to say..... kinkofilament... Ahh forget it ;-) Peace, Fish

I think Blue Herrons are really cool birds. I don't doubt that they might eat hatchery trout somewhere..... but for all the thousands of hours I have spent, on trout planted waters, often with Blue Herrons nearby, I have certainly never seen it. On the other hand, I have seen Cormorants eat Trout (by the ton) Bass, Crappie, even Catfish... spines and all ! Here's a Blue Herron shot I took a couple years ago at one of our trophy bass ponds. They are normally much more skittish..... But for whatever reason, this one let me get so close, I had to back off on the zoom to fit the whole bird in the frame :-) Oh.... ever seen a Night Herron ? And.... Ta Da ! Probably the luckiest shot of my life.... A Great Egret, with a Red Tail Black Bird hot on its tail :-) Peace, Fish Oh, hey LBH, those are nice shots of yours too ! I have tried several times to get a good in-flight shot of a Blue Herron...... But all I ever get is there rear end as they are flying away !

Hello Bream Master. Sure, a fish can see braid in the water, easier than it can see mono..... Just like you can. But the important question should be, does this matter ? In my personal experiences, using braid, tied straight to my lure or bait, made no apparent difference with my number of bites. I did finally go to a fluorocarbon leader, mainly because it is more abrasion resistent around rocks, and bass teeth, plus it gives me a bit of a shock absorber, used in conjuction with my non-stretch braid. So now this is a moot question for me anyway. If your concerned, try a fluorocarbon leader, and see if it makes a difference. Of course you may, or may not decide to stick with it. Peace, Fish

even for those of you who want to lift weighed objects, or use a scale to set your drag, you should try to get a "good feel" for the drag setting, which these methods help you to decide upon, and here's why..... Even the best drag systems will change throughout the day. Temperature has a lot to do with it. A warm drag will ususally slip easier than a cold one. Also, no matter how good of a "ratchet system" drag your reel has, I have never seen one that could not be accidentaly bumped. And finally, it's up to you.... and you don't have to do this.... But I sure like the idea of purposely lightening my drag way up, when I have finally gotten a big one to the side of the boat, to protect against those last second surges. How many times have you heard (but hopefully not experienced firsthand) "And finally, I had this monster right up to the boat... Then, when I reached down to grab it... Whoosh ! It took off and snapped my 20 mono like thread" ! :-( Don't let this be you ! Peace, Fish

Hello Nboucher. Rolo is right. Add in the fact that because of the non-stretch nature of braid, I typically run a lighter drag setting with 30 lb braid, than I would with 10 lb mono.... Certainly no more than.... Along the same lines, people are often surprised to hear about huge fish, caught on light line.... but again, its all about the drag setting. A 1000 lb Marlin can only put 5 lbs of pressure on a reel with a 5 lb drag setting (until he gets to the ends of your string, then things will change very quickly :-) Peace, Fish PS, I hear you guys about the experience aspect. Nothing wrong with the ideas mentioned above, for guys who are not sure.

Hud. Fish

Darnit Dabluz ! Now you tell me ! I've been carrying a net the whole time, and have only caught 73 DD bass :-( I just knew I should have had 200 by now ! So that's it. I need to quit carrying that d**n net ! Just wish I would have read this sooner.... Fish

Sure, a trout patterned swimbait will work in lakes without trout. I have caught several bass up to 12.5 lbs from Clear Lk. Cal, which is a large, natural lake with no trout. However, in non-trout lakes, it just falls back to the big bait, big fish principle. In other words, while they will still work, I don't believe they would "hold a monopoly" over the big bass in that lake, the way that they, do in trout-fed lakes. Peace, Fish

Don't know why I didn't reply to this earlier, but yes, I do actually have two "ritualistic" things I do, which I believe results in more big fish..... A) I always pick up trash which clueless idiots have thrown onto, and around the water..... Kind of an apeasement to the fishing gods :-) I always try to give somebody, at the ramp, or on the water, at least a few little pieces of helpful advice. What goes around, comes around. Peace, Fish

Oh deer ! Fish

Ya' know Steve-O, it's a funny thing.... First off, I consider myself pretty much of a type-A person (I'm one of the only fat ones I know of :-) Heck, I don't even own a couch, and if I did, I'd have no time to use it. And, I'm the worst with waiting on some idiot at the conveniance store, buying lottery tickets, like 3 of those, and 1 of those, and 4 of those... URGGG ! And when you pull up to a stop light, even if you don't want to turn right, PLEASE stay far enough to the left, that the guy behind you can ! Don't make him (me) wait on your stinking light too ! So, you get my point, right ??? But for whatever reason, I can sit for hour, after hour, after hour, just watching a rod tip, and typically, feel very comfortable, and relaxed the whole time, "as long as I know I am doing, what I need to be doing, to stick a big fish". Interestingly, if I were to get out doing something that was not likely to produce a monster.... Like last week when I did some trolling for Stripers, "even though I am physically busy", I will likely become much more ancy, and start feeling like I'm wasting my time. Oh, and even as much as I love music when I'm off of the water, I don't want to hear it when I'm fishing.... nor ANY other man made sounds for that matter. Pretty strange, huh ? When I pass, my brain should probably be studied by ichthiologists :-) Peace, Fish

Hello Jacktrevally. First off, I'm not much of a baitcasting kind of guy..... But I needed something I could put a lot of micro-braided line on, and fight big Sturgeon for possibly a VERY long time (like maybe 6 hours on one fish) without introducing twists in my line. So, I have been using an Okuma V-200, and having a great time :-) I've only managed a 47.6 lb'er on it so far, but even that took 40 minutes of chasing / battling :-) Yeeehaaa ! .......and going to be out there chasing those dino-fish, with this same gear tomorrow ! :-) Peace, Fish

Couple thoughts come to mind. First off, I am a "drag setting fanatic" !!! I litterally check my drag every other cast (if I'm doing repeated casting of lures) and maybe 2 or 3 or even more times between each cast, if I am baitfishing where I might make one cast, then wait for several hours. Sure, I have read the stuff about using a scale to check your drag setting pressure, and while this might be interesting for you or me to know, I certainly would NEVER base my drag setting on numbers. For myself, drag setting pressure is all about feel, based on experience. Hey Nboucher, when you said > It's no good using heavy line if your rod can't take it < Hmmmmm.... When you said "heavy line" I assume you are meaning, line of a high breaking test..... But remember that although my braided spectra has a very high breaking test, it is 'anything but heavy' ! That said, I typically use 2 lb diameter, 10 lb test braid, on a rod designed for 1 to 4 lb test mono. Works great ! And after tons of huge fish caught on it, I have never broke one of those rods. Next, I use 8 lb diameter, 30 lb braid, on rods designed for 8 to 12 lb mono. Again, I feel its perfect combo. And so on, with larger rods, and even higher lb tests braids. Funny thing is, it is possible to break 30 lb braid, with a rod designed to be used with 8 to 12 lb line...... But a guy would have get pretty carried away with his hook sets, and / or have his drag way too tight..... and yes, of course he could easily break the rod too.... Or straighten, or tear out a hook, etc,etc. My best advice is to check the drag often, in case it should change from being bumped, humidity, or temp changes, etc. If after you have hooked a fish, you determine it is too loose, or too tight, you should be able to quickly bump it up or down, and then never have to mess with it again, with the exception of, often when I get a BIG one to the side of the boat, I will loosen the drag, to protect against any of those "surprise" last second runs ! Peace, Fish

Okay NorCalDave...... But first, here is the 10K question; Do you have a tachometer ? If not, stop right here. You probably can't go any farther until you figure out what you are spinning at right now. There are cheap little external tachometer / hour meters available from most marine stores, BPS, Cabelas, etc, which are very effective, and very easy to install. If you do have a tachometer, what RPM's are you turning at the present (even when you do finally get the boat on plane) ? Next, check with the motor manufacturer to find out what the "peak performance RPM's" are for your motor. If you are not getting anywhere close, you might have to go down two or even more pitches on your prop. You can talk to the prop people with the RPM's you are presently turning, the RPM's you wish to acheive, and what motor and boat combo you are dealing with, and they can give you a very good idea about what prop to choose. Anyway, read this twice.... No five times: "The correct prop and pitching makes ALL the difference in the world" ! Hope this helps, Fish

Hey Thomas, iBoats.com has tons of props, both aluminum, and stainless. I have a Michigan Wheel Vortex aluminum on my Yamaha, and I love it. Peace, Fish

I have had my Fishin' buddy 1200 for more than two years and I absolutely LOVE this little thing. In fact, this thing works so well, I have a hard time understanding how a $1200 model could possibly be 10 X's as good as mine ??? I have graphed all of my favorite spots... ledges... humps... FISH ! And, I have even graphed Sturgeon in 40 or 50 ft of water, dropped my bait down to them, and immediately stuck them ! How cool is that, to "see" a fish, in 50ft of muddy water, and put them into the boat like I was sight fishing or something ? :-) Anyway, whenever this thing breaks, I plan to go straight home and order the 4200 the same day ! ......only negative about the 1200 is that it uses expensive, funky, size C batteries... 3 of them.... and of course they come in a 4 pack. Pretty goofy. But I see where the 4200 uses AA's.... Which I have all kinds of rechargeable AA's already, anyway, for my digital cameras. Peace, Fish

Just to reiterate.... I worked at a fish farm in Southern Arkansas, where we took care of hundreds of acres worth, of small, 1/2 to 2 acre ponds. We fed a few of these ponds.... sometimes. But we "fertilized all of them" on a set schedule ! And believe me, on a fish farm, nothing is more important that maximum growth. Fish

White Sturgeon have been estimated to live to 125 years old. However, 50 to 75 years is much more typical. Fish

But ya' gotta' admit NBR, it beats the heck out of having no PFD at all ! But hey Thomas, the regular suspender type of auto-inflating PFD's are a lot better, and will even help to keep your head above water, should you end up in the water, unconscious. Just some food for thought, Peace, Fish