Neil McCauley

Not a problem if I'm fishing for em, otherwise I don't catch many. They usually aren't around the same weedbeds as the bass and panfish here. Mostly the nuissance is if you're using light tackle and expensive lures, or they get treble hooked deep, can't be landed without a net, flop all over the boat, etc. I don't eat them because of the mercury content, same with larger bass.

Pike suspend at 30' over 100-200' flats for smelt all summer on my lake so despite being an excellent pike fishery they're never much of a problem. I have never caught one while fishing for bass in the summer. Pickerel are another story though... I rarely get bit off, but it's even worse pulling one into a small canoe with it flopping around tangling up line and sliming everything up. Especially when it has taken a crankbait with treble hooks on it. SMB here throw barbed treble hooks routinely but pickerel manage to get them lodged way back in their throats and gills. Have to bring a d**n tool box with side-cutters and extractors and extra trebles.

I have a cheap 20 year old Coleman 75qt cooler that keeps ice for 3+ days too. Took it camping last week with a couple blocks of ice I made in bowls in my freezer plus 1 bag of ice and there was still ice on day #3. This was even with people opening the cooler dozens of times every day in the 80 deg heat. If it was "pre-cooled" and stocked with bigger ice blocks and kept shut the whole time it would probably keep ice for a week too. I prefer the cheaper coolers like the Coleman because they have more internal volume relative to outer volume so there is more storage per space taken up by the cooler itself. And they do just fine keeping things cool despite thinner walls. I do think the Yetis are a bit overrated and definitely overrpriced. There is nothing technologically special about them. They just have thick walls and seal well. That is about it. They're made out of plastic. At $300+ for a plastic tub made in China the profit margin is absurd. If you need ice for a week plus or need to keep something actually frozen, MAYBE the Yeti is worth it.

Nope. Smaller the swivel the less twist it relieves. The bigger the swivel the more it messes up the weight and action of the lure. Most of the time, better off just tying em as well as using multiple rods.

Agreed. Some of my favorite trips are to lakes with no road access within miles, and no shoreline development. It is like getting in a time machine to the 1700s. And the fishing tends to be different too, the fish spook easier and fight harder, they've never been caught before. I've portaged my canoe 6 miles to get to lakes like this and it is grueling but is worth it. I have a few large ponds picked out that would require portages off-trail through woods, which would really be an adventure/ordeal. On the other hand you can find a similar experience on big lakes if you go at the right time- between midnight-7AM, especially on weekdays. It's something else to be alone fishing on a 28,000 acre lake. You can find almost the same silence and solitude on a big lake as on any of the smaller places. Either way, if you make the effort, you can find what you're looking for.

I don't have a depth finder but I do well just knowing the lake and the fish in it. If they aren't in the first few places I'm expecting them then I'll try trolling. The key is to explore a little, try new things. The LMB in my lake hang out very deep, often at the same depths as SMB. I caught two ~5lbers last week suspended about 20ft deep in about 30-40 FOW.

The above is at extreme end of the invasive species spectrum. But I consider carp (both Asian and Common) to be in the same category. They are 1) human introduced, 2) destructive, 3) non-native. Having grown up in the fingerlakes I have seen the damage they do to a fishery. The responsible thing to do then is to NOT release them if caught. And yes they are damaging/harmful, including the Common Carp: http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?speciesID=4 http://www.in.gov/dnr/files/COMMON_CARP.pdf

Bass can have heart attacks/strokes, too.

Yep definitely.

The benefits of using 12-20lb line.

28,000 acre lake...395 islands...hurts my brain to think about.

Whacky rigged Senko.

Zip ties also work.

If you have enough of them you can use them for fish stock. But we're talking 20+ ribcages for it to be worthwhile imo. I don't think they have any other value and definitely wouldn't leave them in a filet. (myself choked on a LMB filet fish bone as kid!) A few times I have taken panfish and dressed them by just scaling them and removing the head and fins then pan-frying them. It's a little less work than fileting but then you're left picking meat out from the bones.

How's it going this year on "The King" ?

I've caught them 30-40 fow in the summer but on my lake I've heard of much deeper. Anyone else?

I have an almost identical setup- C2 Endura 55lb with a custom mount on a 14.5 ft canoe- minus the outrigger and the extra battery which I plan to get soon. If you want a bit extra speed check out Kipawa aftermarket props. http://www.kipawapropellers.com/propellers.htmlStock MK trolling motor props are built with a shallow angle for slowly shifting around full size boats at <1mph not cruising small boats at >4mph at which point they start to drag more than they propel.

Most: fly fishing with a popper, 1-2ft water, around fallen shoreline timber. Least: deep water casting plastics in the weeds.

I've checked out a few like the "Solunar" one, and suggest not bothering. It is entirely based on the lunar cycles. If there is one that takes cold/warm fronts, water temp and clarity, cloud cover, wind speed, and time of year into account then sign me up.

What is the length of the wire? 8ga is only good for 5 feet per MK's owner's manual.

Why is no one saying Senko ?

Never had a swivel break. I also have found that swivels actually do little/nothing to reduce line twist.

Explain this to me. Rods don't exactly wear out. Is it just for the heck of doing it or is it a cost saver or what?

Doesn't a bobber defeat the whole idea behind the Senko? ie to let the bait sink over and over so the fish can "see how it sinks" and somehow the salt impregnation mind%$#!@s them into biting it. Anyway, if it's under a float it's not sinking.