RandySBreth

You're gonna love that E-TEC. Oh, and nice boat! ;D

I think people are confusing Float 'n' Fly with the wacky rig/bobber set up. If you drift a wacky rigged 5" senko under a float, will it only produce small fish? How about a 6" soft jerkbait? I can see how what amounts to a crappie jig doesn't generally produce huge fish, but the bobber/wacky thing included things like drifting a 9" Forktail Dinger through the tops of flooded mesquite trees on El Salto. Sounds like it would work to me.

I was going to say the original, in Springfield. Seriously, Ish, Luke Clausen, Joe Thomas, KVD. Ike used to annoy me with the constant media whoring, but he delivered on the AOY, and has seemed to mellow some, so I have to say after the past year, least liked? Swindle.

Most folks think that spinnerbaits are "reaction baits" and fish don't really shy away from the heavy line. I'm not 100% on that, but in the places I like to use them, I risk losing fish in trees if I don't use pretty stout line. So.. 7' BPS MH "cranking stik" BPS extreme (wide spool) and 40 lb. Stren superbraid. Fish in my avatar was caught on that setup. For river smallies, 6'6" M "cranking stik" Diawa procaster and either the same line as above, sometimes 12 lb. flourocarbon.

I don't know how I missed this thread! I live in Ozark, right by the square and the park on the Finley River. Fish Table Rock, all the smallmouth streams, sometimes Stockton, and go to Beaver in Arkansas quite a bit. Need to fish Bull Shoals more, one of my goals this year.

1st off, what lure are you talking about, I mean exact model? 2nd, try them in a sink full of COLD water, not warm. Water is denser the colder it gets, a bait that sinks in 55 degree water may suspend in 45 degree water. Put some ice in the water, use a thermometer and check the temp. at which the bait suspends perfectly. Most jerkbaits like the X-Rap, Rogue or Husky Jerk float slowly up in 50 degree water, making it easy to add a little weight to tune it. If a bait sinks in 50 degree water I'll do like Road Warrior, and send it back.

"Few jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz " is the shortest sentence to contain all the letters of the alphabet, at least according to some book I read once. I don't know, I'm not young enough to know everything anymore.

I like the looks of that Mini-Me, I'll have to order a couple. I have used the compact Terminator for a while, love it. Pricey, but you can't break them. http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=58603&hvarDept=100&hvarEvent=&hvarClassCode=6&hvarSubCode=1&hvarTarget=browse

I've been using a swimming jig in rivers for smallmouth and the White River lakes for a few years. I use three basic colors, crawdad, sunfish, and shad. On Table Rock, during fall through winter into prespawn a grub is a standard lure, but I started using a white swimming jig someone showed me and did really well. I also like using it where most would use a spinnerbait, using a straight retrieve and letting it fall once it gets past or hits cover, or swam anywhere you would use a grub. I'm out of the craw color, but here are two: Top is 5/16 Booyah, with Yum 4" grub, I call this one Grub-Plus. Great swam through treetops where fish are chasing shad. Usually throw it on a 7' MH spinning outfit using 6/14 Fireline w/12 or 14 lb. flouro leader. Bottom is sunfish color w/ rattles on a 3/8 Eakins-type head, Yum grub colored w/sharpies. This one I use the same rod I use for light spinnerbaits-7'med casting rod w/40lb braid-no leader. If I remember right, the March 05 issue of In-Fisherman had a great full length article about the history, use, and application of swimming a jig.

Hey Replica, if you look at my recent posts in "my fishing trip" you can see I'm not too tiny, about 6' -230 lbs. I was layed up w/a torn achilles tendon for most of the summer, put on about 20 pounds. But anyway, the Old Town Pack is only about 32-34" wide, I don't recommend it for a new paddler. But if you have canoed some, it just rocks. I can't be happier with it. And I can carry my 110 pound chocolate lab in the front and 2 dozen decoys in the back duck hunting, I couldn't even fit the decoys in my Swifty(kayak).

Comparing a solo kayak to a tandem canoe is a mistake most fisherman make. Apple to oranges for sure. A solo canoe is harder to find used to try out, but a lot more versital. I haven't seen a kayak that will hold 4 rigged 7' rods w/ tackle out of the way but easy to access, in a 12' long, 33 lb. package like the Old Town Pack pictured here (with "custom" ;D half faded duck huntin' camo): Note that there are 4 rods, a cooler and tackle bag right where you can get them.(I removed the sit-backer for a better photo from the rear). I know you can lash down rods on both types of kayaks, and I have done that on kayaks I have owned, but I like this set-up better. Protects the part most likely to get broke----the tips. Oh, yeah, my avatar photo, and my recent posts in "My fishing trip" all are fish caught in the past week from this canoe on my local river.

The best way I have found to get electroshocking surveys, radio implant telemetry studies, (the things I think you are loking for) is to contact individual state Game and Fisheries management personel by letter or email. I live in Missouri, where you can pick copies of these up at regional offices. I'm not sure about other states, but it would be similar. Also try the state university biologists, they often do field studies on watersheds, some may also do sport fish species.

I get follows from fish when something is close, but needs to be "tweeked" just a little. Maybe a smaller swimbait than the Hud? Whatever works for numbers where I am (Ozarks) usually works for pigs, it often isn't the "big fish big lure" theory that works here, just the monsters are in slightly different spots, usually deeper. I catch my biggest smallmouths every year on things like small hair jigs (float and fly) 4"-5" suspending jerkbaits, and same size soft jerk baits, lots of fish on small 1/4 oz. or so finesse jigs and hula grubs.

We are in a similar situation here in the Ozarks, lots of smallmouth streams. Some guys are going w/kayaks, some like me have gone with solo canoes. It depends on whether you can sit with your legs out all the time(Kayak) or need to carry more gear where it is easily accessible (Canoe.)Like so many things, it's a personal preference thing. I think you need to look around at some float trip outfitters in your area and rent as many different models as you can. Small stream fishing for smallmouths is about as fun as it gets.

Definately shows the ups and downs - should be required viewing for aspiring pros.

If you constantly snag-use a lighter sinker, easy to change out size as needed with dropshot. As for telling the difference between a rock and a smallie, it just takes time on the water.

800 pounds? Here's the weight of a Triton 186, according to the website: Approximate Hull weight - 1440 lbs Tracker Avalanche, again, according to the website: Weight (approx.) 1505 Lbs. I do know some aluminum rigs are lighter, I don't think this is one. Here some 18' models specifications, including the Avalanche. http://www.tritonboats.com/frames2.asp?cat=1&bid=128 http://trackerboats.com/boat/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.specs&boat=1977 http://nitroboats.com/boat/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.specs&boat=1950 http://www.rangerboats.com/flash/specification.cfm?mid=4968&series=vs

Spots have a "tongue patch" a small area of rough surface on the tongue just past halfway back. Largemouths have a smooth tongue. Easiest way I know. They just don't look the same when they get above 12" or so, but it takes a while to get it down.

I've always heard good things about those motors. Looks like a good deal on a first big boat. Probably did it right by having smaller boats first. I know of a couple of guys w/more money than brains, fished with me once or twice, got the itch and bought a new boat, it sat there, they made payments, didn't fish as much as they thought they would, eventually someone else got a deal on a barely used boat. You and everyone here knows you're going to get that boat out everytime you can. Cool ;D

The worst is already here, cialis. Nothing like standing on the front deck at the weigh-in waving at the misses from the boat advertising "richard" medicine. Oh, well, just grin like smilin' Bob....... Seriously, dream sponsor, my wealthy brother-in-law. He's a doctor, his wife is too. The silent sponsor w/the big bankroll.... sounds like a cheap T.V series, " The Travelin' Bassman" like Magnum P.I. where his rich friend let's him drive the Ferrari and stay in the guest house! ;D

The one or two bass articles in one issue of In-Fisherman is generally better than a whole issue of say, Bassmaster. The new bass edition of FLW is pretty good, Al Linder is on board, you might check it out muddy man.

Flyfish for smallmouth with 6,7, and 8 wt. Depends on the river (or lake) I'm fishing in. Fish for largemouths mostly w/ topwater, using the same 8wt. Sometimes screw around with Beaver Lake stripers w/ my 9 wt. Some of my stuff is pretty high end (Sage, Ross) but most is mid level. Favorite all around is 9' 7 wt St. Croix Imperial w/ a White River classic (BassPro) reel. Not expensive at all. It takes a while to get good, but it's not impossible. Stream smallmouth and small pond largemouths were made for flyfishing.

If you hold it waaay out toward the camera it'll look like a five-pounder. I learned that watchin' Jimmy Houston. ;D

There are some small spring fed, cool water ponds here in the Ozarks where people have stocked both smallmouth and rainbow trout. That would be an awesome backyard pond- Smallmouths for fun, and smoked trout right out of your own pond. Found this-http://www.sepond.com/SMB.html

I wasn't responding to your post at all, it was about Fly guys that I know. It's hard to understand when it is all type and no tone. No foul intended, and none taken.