Rick Howard

I load the 35 Berger for my .204 also. My howa does not shoot heavier than that because the bullets are too long for the slower rifling. The 40 v-max was key holing at 50 yards! my issue with the .204 is that it was designed to shoot light bullets very fast and blow up prairie dogs. We, guys in NY centerfire restrictions areas, want a round that's a little heavier and slower but still under the .22 cal restrictions. I'm not going to build a custom rifle or limit myself to wild cat cartridges though. So the 35 Berger in 204 is the best I'm gonna do.

Thanks for the props. I grew up in Brockport. Moved to buffalo in 2003. Then out to Syracuse last fall. Your in Holley right? That is a haul from there to Lockport. I can comment of gun and cal. I am a fan of howa m1500 rifles. Shooting fox I prefer slow moving rounds . .223 can be a good choice for fox and coyote but I'd prefer slower still for fox. The speed is what ruins pelts. Not that anything is really fur friendly. Your still shooting them so you always stand a chance or making large holes. For coyote killin I like .243. Coyote can be tough so I like the heavier faster bullet. I shot fox with this round too with most being fine pelts. The potential for mangling them is obviously higher though. At any rate I prefer varmint style bullets because of the low angle shots. Varmint bullets will save you some pelts because they won't exit but in reality sometimes they still exit and make a mess and other times they "splash" on entry and make a mess. So the real advantage is that they are less likely to richochet when taking low angle shots.

It's almost all bass for me these days. Not that I don't enjoy other species but I enjoy bass fishing most. So the limited time I have to fish I fish for bass.

Work. Work on house. Fishing. since I moved I have 0 spots near home. I gotta drive 2 hours to get to any place I can hunt now. Gaining access to places to hunt has become difficult in the last several years. The growing popularity of predarotr hunting has lost me more spots than I can count. Folks who use to let ya hunt now hunt themselves or opt to let a family member or friend take your place. Cant blame em. Just one of those things I guess.

Attaboy. I haven't even been out yet this year. It my be January before I go.

Thank you.

Took my boat out today. Parked it where she will sit for winter. Motor won't go down. Doh! Always something. Yes. I flipped the trail lock off. The pump is winding but the motor just stays in place taunting me. Looks like I have a new project. Any suggestions where to start?

Awesome. Gonna be some good learning.

If they don't sink how will they sell you new ones when ya drop them in the water? Seems like they would be bad for business.

Looks like region matters. Like trees, I'm guessing species ID is also aided by region.

Thank you fellas. Anyone have any reccomendations in print?

A recent thread on BR I reminded me. Over the off season I want to learn more about aquatic vegetation. General learning. In specific I would like to be able to identify types of vegetation. Also some general knowledge of those plants would be great. When I hunt I like to ID trees. I like to do the same while fishing but also ID the different aquatic vegetation. Can you folks recommend a good reference guide?

Works fine for me. I use 15lb and 20lb. The 15lb for spinners jerkbaits and light Texas rigs. The 20lb for flipping and pitching.

I recall the bait. In the same time period Berkeley power bait had a black crawfish with chartreuse claws. It had about 3" of worm body then about 2" of crawfish. I love thaose baits.

Golf may be harder to be an accomplished participant than fishing. But deffinatley not more physically demanding. I've spent more than my fair share of time on a golf course. I've also spent many hours int he boat fishing. 18 holes of golf and I still have engh in the tank for 18 more. As a kid I played 36-54 holes a day Monday-Friday. I worked at the golf course on the weekends for free golf and a 3.25 and hour.... And free beers that fellas left in the carts for me to "dispose of". Man those were the days. After work I beat golf ball after golf ball till 2am using the headlights of my 1985 crown Vic to see. After practice I'd meet up with the fellas for a few pops. Drink till dawn. Sleep a few hours. Back to the course by 11 and repeat the day before.

No golf carts but someone else carries the bag! Fishing is more physically demanding than golf if someone else is carrying the bag or your using a cart. If you carry the bag for 18 holes your pretty tired but still less taxing than a day of fishng.

Lol I try to be a tackle junky but... I get things, then never end up using them on. The rare occasion i stray from one of my main stays, it's short lived adventure. You might ***** what baits accumulate 75% of your fishing time. Get rid of the rest. Well I suppose you can substitute ***** for contemplate. Assume has the word ass in it too lol. The filter allows me spell ass but not *****.

They put golf in. Which to me ws a bad idea but that's for a different topic. Golf requires similar physical and mental stamina as fishing. Actually I'd venture that the two sports are very comparable on many levels. I think darts should be in the Olympics! Ever see those fellers across the pond Chuck them things. Impressive.

Get the Lee loading book. Read it before starting. I like loading by volume (not mass) with the Lee dippers and their manual. I do not load a many at one time so I find this method simple, very accurate, and cheap. DO NOT use loads that folks recommend on the Internet. You should use the Lee manual, or other accredited manual, and start at the minimum load. As each gun (even the same make) will be different. Like anything it will take some practice to get use to the tools and become an accurate andconsistent loader. So don't judge the results of your recepie until you have some time into it. Once your hit a good stride for the process you will be able to work up a load.

I share with almost any body, when asked. Almost anybody, though the type of folks I wouldn't share with tend not to ask. Kind of like the fella trifling through your rig.

I'd pick off the fish from a distance with the crank then come back with the jig. To me it's not about aggression but about boat position and catching fish that are close to the cover with less chance of spooking them and those that are in the cover that I might manage to get closer too. I'd venture to guess that the fish that are just closely relating to the cover are more aggressive than the fish buried in it. Those fish may be more likely to chase down the crank bait. Just my thinking.

I used the EWG hooks because I wanted to reduce the weight and that's what I had on hand. these things fee like I tied on a bowling ball lol. I picked up a some 3/0 straight shank hooks that I can rig like a jig head with the hook out the top. Maybe a jig head on bottom to help the rig track? What's your thoughts here?

I lose a dozen spinnerbaits and a few rapala f11 minnows every year. Lost a dozen jigs to them this year. They give you fits sometimes. 20 lb floor or 80lb braid is no match for a 40" pike. I will admit it's pretty cool when you see that mouth coming at you lure beside the boat.

Thank you. I'm using 20lb florocarbon. I use the jig heads that came with the flash mob jr. for grubs. Also used some berkely pre-rigged swim baits and 3/0 EWG with no weights on some swim baits. I have yet to hook a fish with the 3/0 EWG rigged up. Maybe I'm pulling too hard too. I don't feel as though I am but I probably just need more time learning this bait.

i was talked into using this thing. I see the appeal and I like it. I have thrown 2 versions... One small and one larger.I bought the small one because I was having issues with keeping fish hooked on the larger... Same issue with the small version. The rod is 7'6" MHF. I tried the small a rig on a 7' MHF also and have the same issue. The bass shake right off. Side note.... The pickerel come back to the boat with all the hooks in them. How in the heck are you fellas keeping them bass fishes on long enough to get them into the boat?