Rick Howard

I must be a wet blanket.... I would be trying to slow down. 67mph is about 27mph beyond my comfort zone lol

Great info thanks.

Thank you fellas. Looks like I will need to 2 bank charger in the near future or this will become a big of a pain in the arse. Yup I bought two new batteries of the same size and make. I was unaware that leaving them for short time uncharged has a negative effect. I figured they were rated on charging cycles so I would be better off leaving it for a few 10 hours. In the future I will keep them charged up. Thanks for the tip.

I bought a new trolling motor. My previous motor was a 12v. I bombed up to a 24v 70lb. It's working very well, however, it's time to charge up the batteries. My only charger is a 12v charger. My question is... Can I use my 12v charger to charge the system or should I charge one battered at a time? If I charge one at a time Do I need to remove the jumper while charging?

I can't advise anyone how to or not to spend their money. I fished with $50 combo setups for years. Never once did a fish complain about my elcheapo rig. Only recently have I spent any extra money on my rod and reel. Yup, things are a bit smoother and they may last longer, however, it has not yielded me any extra fish. I am not discounting those that spend the extra money on rods and reels. I have a rack full of nice equipment now. When I was younger and funds were tighter, I would rather spend my money on the expendables so I could keep fishing.

Yeah be careful your fingers don't go up through he gill and into its teeth. I used a rope for this one. I've been cut enough times when the flop. Ordinarily I would just toss the fish back using the net and would not shove a rope in there but under the circumstance this one got roped. I've had pike species off all take the lure right at the boat. Like a streak of lighting from nowhere. Had a chain pickerel jump right out the water after a spinner bait as it dangled above the water Post retrieve. Darn near landed himself in my boat for me. Every time it happens it still makes me flinch. They are interesting fish. Clearly built for a purpose. Toothy torpedoes.

If you have not looked already or have experience carving, there is lots of into on carving in general on the web. Info on tooling, technique, safety, and sharpening.

What kind of cedar are we talking about? Are you carving them? Most Cedar is not awesome for carving or turning on a lathe. Do able for sure, I often turn cedars, but they can be pain because of their tendency to "tear out" while carving or turning. Very sharp tools and paying attention to grain direction will minimize tear out. Sharpening your tools to the required sharpness and reading grain takes time to learn. Sharp in the carving world is beyond what most people consider sharp. Good stones and using a strop help out the needed edge on. Western Red Cedar (actually a cypress species If I remember correctly) is a good rot resident wood that is not very dense which would make it a good choice, in my opinion. But like I said it's tougher to work. Basswood is a good starting point for learning to carve by hand. It is soft and has tight grain, which take less pressure to carve and has less tear out making it easier to learn on.

I had a pike cut my 40ld braid recently. If I hook them in the side of the mouth it's fine and I can manage to keep them from getting the line crossed their teeth. But some of the fish are big enough to fit the entire lure in their mouth... In which case... It's over before I have a chance. That fish got in the boat using a 6'6" fenwick eagle and a pflueger president spinning gear with 10ld Pline. Ate my swim jig. Hooked the corner of its mouth. I instantly knew what I had on the line. Lucky for me I kept his head from crossing the line. I had to walk around the boat a few times lol.

I was unaware that tie able wire was available. I will get some. My wife is a true city girl. Has no idea what a pike is. So last night I brought one one for her to see. 34-36" roughly. I didn't bother to measure, I just wanted to get him back in the water. Chain Pickerel.... Never saw them here till a few years ago. Now... You can't go a day without hooking at least one. I'm not sure what happened but the last few years they have exploded here. We've always had a healthy northern pike population though. Every now and again some one catches a musky too.

This is latest into the fall as I have ever fished. Despite the occasional hook up I am struggling to find the bass. I am however, finding pike with frequency. Large ones at that. I've lost enough tackle already... Buzz baits, spinner baits, crank baits, swim jigs, flipping jigs. Any tricks on avoiding these toothy monsters? The pike like the same areas as bass. Ive tried all the fall bass techniques I've read about. Finding the bait. Fishing wood and rocks in the cold morning. Finding green weeds. Still pike lol. I assume when a monster pike makes a home it negatively effects that area for bass. I have caught bass then a northern just a yards from that bass but I have never caught a bass within shouting distance of an area after catching a large northern. Anyway I'm sure there are folks that target northern and get sick of catching bass lol.

So I place an order with Siebert. Thanks for all the help folks.

Thank you fellas.

I recently purchased my first bait casting setup. I bought it specifically for pitching and flipping. I tried flipping with a spinning rod and reel. It was okay but I instantly knew a casting setup would lend itself to this style of fishing better, at least for me. I am happy with the rod and reel but I'm having two issues. First, I often get the line caught under the hook keeper. This is extremely frustrating as it prevents my bait from falling straight down. Anyone cut these off? Two, On occasion the line pinches itself on the spool preventing the line from unspooling freely. Also causes the bait to swing instead of free fall. Not really sure why this happens. Once in awhile I get some backlash but I fix it up and go on fishing. It's almost like the line spools on loosely and wraps over itself. I'm using 40 braided line... Maybe to thin? It never seems to fail that these things happen when my pitch lands in a prime spot. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. You pick apart that piece of cover but there is a spot you know has a fish and your just dying to get at it but your being patient being sure not to miss anything and fishing your way to it. Thanks for the help Rick

This sounds a lot like golf clubs lol.

Thank you folks.

Thank you for the welcomes!

Thank you fellas. I have tried a few different head shapes and jigs from a few different vendors. The football head seems to be the least desirable for me. It collects more junk than the more pointed styles. I apologize, I am still new to jig fishing so the types and terms slip me. To be honest I have no clue what separates a flipping jig from a casting jig from a finesse jig. My gut tells me its more about how you want to use it than the name people give it. I know I liked the Missle baits jig that I tried but do not like the price at the rate I lose them lol. So I am looking for a close match to that jig. I have a feeling I will be making these things in the future. I have a habit of making my own stuff. Fish is drinking an off brand cola because he is cheap and my old man thought it would help show the size in the photo. That was my biggest of the summer.

KevO do you have a recommendation on where to get the parts?

Holy Smokes! They have some selection of jigs. Thank you.

I like them. I am a pretty simple fella. I tend to get stuck on a lure and use it exclusively for a few years at a time. I fish that lure in different places according to natural changes. For awhile it was a spinner. Then texas rigged craw. Then buzz bait. Then walking the dog with a stick bait. It took about 30 years but halfway through this summer I decided I would use more variations in tackle and add a jig to my pathetic tackle box. I still have some buzz baits from 20 years ago lol. I have been doing well with the jig and really like it. I am not stuck on it, BUT, it keeps sticking to rocks, logs, or whatever I mistake for fish and set the hook into. Also lost a half dozen to Northern Pike and Pickerel. Those tooth bastages burn me too often. I retrieve a few by working backwards but some still have to stay. I am tired of leaving $10 in the water every day. I am sure as I get better at using the bait I will lose less but.... I have to find an alternative or my wife is gonna leave me. Are there folks out there that sell these bitties cut rate in bulk? I have tried a couple different types but seem to gravitate towards the Missle bait 3/8 and 1/2 oz mini flippin jigs. I am not brand conscious though. We have a lot of grass and moss in this river so something with a sleeker head seems to help. Especially when that moss sinks to the bottom and turns black. I cant get away from that stuff. My desire is to find a less cost prohibitive jig. If I have to buy components and put them together I am okay with that. I a need a source for components if that is the solution. Thanks, Rick

My name is Rick. I am from the Rochester NY area but currently reside north of Syracuse NY. I love to hunt and fish but just about anything outdoors makes me tick. I really enjoy figuring out and learning about the outdoors and my quarry. I first held a fish pole at age 2. I have been hooked ever since. That is 31 years of fishing for me. I suppose only about half those years I can remember... because I was so young of course. I am still a young'un but working on earning my stripes. I keep a pretty busy schedule. Deer in the fall, fox/coyote in winter, turkey in spring, and bass fishing all summer. My wife and I recently moved to my family fishing cottage. It has been my dream, since I was a small child, to live here. We have a lot of work ahead to make this a year round home but it will all be worth it in the long run.