king fisher

I went fishing for bass and caught. on a square bill

This was a 5.5 pound bass caught on a 2.5 size square bill. The fish was released un harmed, and didn't bleed at all. Sometimes you get lucky and other times you eat bass fillets.

Then you go down the next rabbit whole. Are waters not listed as navigable public or private? Are lakes on the list? If a lake has a public access but surrounded by private property, are they public waters? What if they are on the navigable list? What if they are not? Some times the law is simple, and clear cut, and other times is isn't I wouldn't know how clear cut it is in Virginia, but I would be surprised if there is no grey area for either side to maneuver in.

Gimruis is right. The main point is each state has different laws. Another point is many people in law enforcement and the whole court system for that matter, might not interpret the laws correctly. or correct interpretation, is such a grey area nobody really knows. Also many of the laws especially ones dealing with whether a water is navigable or not are vague, and can be interpreted in many different ways. A person could win in a lower court only to loose at the appellate level. It is best to find out what your local law enforcement's opinion is first. If they believe you are in the right than go for it. A case wont go to court if charges are not brought. If your local authorities say you are trespassing, and you believe you are not, then by all l means let them ticket you and hope your research was correct and enjoy your day in court, but be prepared to go the long haul, and make sure you are able to afford the financial cost of your belief. It make take years with appearances in both criminal and civil court, along with massive lawyer fees, before it's all over, and you could loose. Alaska has the simplest law on this issue. In the State constitution, it says all water belongs to the State, so therefore belongs to all residents of the state equally. You can access a body of water completely surrounded by private land with a float plane, and as long as you stay below high water you are on public land. Other states are more restrictive in public access rights, and the majority of states have laws that can very significantly in the interpretation. Any state that mentions the word navigable in the laws, is open to a very broad interpretation. Traditional colonial law usually defines navigable, as water you can float a canoe in, where other interpretations, are weather you can move cargo on the body of water, while others will argue only rivers and lakes listed as Navigable Federal waters applies. This is the kind of wording in state laws that can make lawyers lots of money. As far as I'm concerned, if I'm floating in my boat or kayak, and traveling across the water, I'm navigating that water, but many a land owner will not see it the same way I do. These kind of cases do not make it to court often, and don't be surprised if you get a different interpretation of the law from every one you talk to including law enforcement, lawyers, and even district attorneys. It all boils down to case law, and you never know, you may be the one with a case that sets a president for the next hundred years in your state. You have to ask yourself if the bass are plentiful, and big enough to make it a worth while fight. In my opinion a bass over 13 pounds would be worth a hefty fine, and possibly a few days in jail, one over 15 pounds I would be willing to spend my life savings for attorney's fees. A bass over 17 pounds would be worth dodging a bullet or two, along with the before mentioned financial penalties, and one over 20 pounds would be worth getting shot, as long as I was still capable of getting a good picture of the bass, to show off at the hospital.

Diawa J Braid 8

You may have to do some research and you still may not be able to find a definite answer. Many years ago I duck hunted a spot in WA. There was a bridge over a river running into a small lake. For years it wasn't a problem because the owner let me hunt there whenever I wanted. Then he sold the place to a person who would not allow any access for fishing or hunting. I talked to the local sheriff and asked about putting my duck boat in the water at the bridge and floating down to the lake. He said as long as I didn't get out of the boat and touch the land I was OK, nobody owns the water. The hunting was fantastic because no one was allowed there, plus the owner lived 300 miles away and was never there. One day the owner drove across the bridge and saw me hunting. He drove through the pasture and starting yelling and screaming about how I was going to jail. I told him I would talk to him on the bridge. I picked up my decoys rowed to the small river, got out and pulled the boat to the bridge without ever stepping on dry land. When I got to the bridge he called me every name in the book, and even some that weren't in the book. I told him to call the Sheriff and I would wait for him to come. He new the sheriff because of an incident a few years earlier with some kids the owner ran off at gun point who didn't know they couldn't fish there. The Sheriff hated the man so he told me he wasn't going to call her because the local law was crooked, but he would take down my information and his lawyer would be in touch. I told him if he wanted his lawyer to talk to me have him come to the bridge the next Saturday because I would be hunting there again. I went hunting there again the next Saturday, and sure enough his lawyer and him showed up right after I got my limit of ducks and geese. I listened to him yell and scream like a child for a few minuets, then talked to his lawyer for a few more. His lawyer told me the stream was not navigable, and therefore was not public water. He also told me they were going to contact the district attorney and have him force the Sheriff to arrest me. I told both of them both I looked forward to a good fight, so bring it on. Later I called the district attorney who did a little research and basically told me he wasn't sure who was right. He said the case would have to go to court and could go either way. He then said he was to busy to deal with such a case, and as long as the local law enforcement didn't want to press charges neither did he. The Sheriff said there was a possibility of hunter harassment charges against the land owner but best to leave sleeping dogs lie. Hunting season was almost over so I didn't really care. The next year he had constructed a fence across the stream and put more no trespassing sings up than they have at a nuclear facility. During the off season I had done more research and was positive I was not trespassing. I decided to play it safe, and only hunt there in the middle of the week. I new he worked on the other side of the state, and would only be there on a weekend if ever. It was easy to unhook a couple wires get my boat under the fence, and put the wire back as it was when I left. I hunted the whole season without getting caught but was ready to go to court if need be. It ended up I was lucky. About that same time a couple guys did the same thing on a small lake in the next county over from me. The lake had a public maintained access, but was surrounded by private land. The lake was one of the best lakes for duck hunting the whole state, and every duck hunter dreamed of going there. The same group of hunters had leased this lake for many years, and kept a close eye on the lake during the duck season. The state planted trout in the lake, and during the spring and summer many people used the public access to go fishing. The two duck hunters decided if people could fish there, they could hunt there. They were arrested for trespassing, were going to fight it in court, but decided to plead out after failing to raise money for their defense. It was determined by the law enforcement in that county, that because they touched the bottom of the lake with their boat and decoy anchors, they had trespassed on the owners land. The lake was small and I assume the owner of the property paid property taxes on the bottom of the lake. Many places on ranch land are that way. You buy a section of land and they don't subtract from property taxes the acreage that a pond covers. The hunters might have won the case in court but couldn't afford to take it to trial. Twenty years later I went back to my home town and asked a friend if anyone ever had enough nerve to hunt that place. He said the owner leased the hunting to some people that worked for the game department, and they would have anyone arrested that hunted or fished there regardless if they stepped on the land or not. I talked to a guy that worked for the game department and he confirmed that as far as the law was concerned the stream was not navigable and therefore not public water. From my research in WA the law had nothing to do with weather a waterway was navigable, the water belongs to the people of the state period. Because of my history with this issue I am always reading about similar cases in other states. In Montana a few years ago, there was a decision that favored the anglers trying to float down a river through public land. Cases in other states have gone the way of the land owner. In Alaska not only can you be on the water but as long as you are below the high water mark you are OK. and that goes for both state and federal land. When I first contacted the District attorney in my home county he told me some day there may be a case that will determine who was right in my dispute, but it could go either way, and until the case law is decided it is best to go along with the local law enforcements interpretation of the law. Back then I was glad, because the local law enforcement agreed with me, but now they agree with the land owner so I'm not so happy. I would recommend you contact your local law enforcement agency and find out where they stand, before launching your boat. Most likely they wont care, and in most states the water belongs to the public. On federal land there are actually listed navigable rivers, and some people think that if your river is not on the list than it is not public. This is a misconception. The listings are for regulating shipping, commerce, and licensing requirements. A small stream on Federal land can be considered navigable as long as it can float a canoe. This interpretation goes back to colonial times when wealthy land owners tried restrict pioneers access to public land beyond there private in holdings. While it might not hold up in court. The original practice of accessing water in the US has deep roots in the history of the US. All sides in every water access dispute will have valid concerns and every case can go either way. Most likely the person who can last the longest in the fight will win. Go fish the lake and tell us how you do.

Junebug

I'm not sure where I rank. I can snag and loose tackle from all three.

If I ever see an old man gathering up pairs of animals and herding them in to a giant boat, I might quit. Other than that I'm not giving up from rain. I took a break while a thunderstorm went by a couple days ago. My friend in another kayak stayed out. He had a rain jacket and I didn't. He got a 9 and a 7 pound bass while I stood shivering on the shore. He also had the keys to the car. Now I have to listen to him go on and on about how I ran from the rain, and he caught the big ones. I would rather get hit by lightning than hear that noise one more time. Next time I will be fishing.

Here in Mexico, the only finesse technique I use is finessing my wife in to thinking instead of doing chores, I should go fishing for the weekend. In that regards, finesse works way better than any power technique.

Great Video Glenn. Lots of sound advice, but you didn't really confront the elephant in the room. The best and most traditional way to end a slump is to buy more tackle. This has been a reliable answer to slumps since Heddon carved his first lure. The next time I am in a slump I will try and take your advice, but I'm afraid I a will go back to my old ways, and invite the Monkey over for beers.

I fish a lake where the locals including the guides all fish small paddle tail swimbaits, finesse spinnerbaits, and weightless 5 inch Senkos. These lures work well for them, and I have seen times when the only way to catch a bass there is to downsize. The baitfish are small so many times a small profile is what gets bit. I went there one day and the wind was blowing, big waves, the water clarity was under a foot, and the bass were in scattered weeds and reads. I thought the conditions screamed big spinnerbaits, and chatterbaits. The guy I was with said those don't work here, that I should fish small baits. I had been with him before and knew he might be right, but wanted to try some power fishing first. He was shocked to find out bass love 3/4 0Z spinnerbaits in those conditions. I didn't try any chaterbaits, becasue I didn't want to risk loosing a Jack Hammer to a gill net, but I'm sure they would have worked. I'm convinced there are no lures that will not work under all conditions in any lake. Some lakes have certain lures that work most of the time, and people start believing nothing else works. Especially when it comes to finesse presentations. A person doesn't get bit one day so they downsize line and baits. They start getting bit every cast. Do they try to upsize and see if that will work later or the next day, No they keep using the finesse tactics. The next time they don't get bit they downsize more, this goes on until they are convinced larger power fishing lures don't work ever. Bass are bass no matter where you find them. I start off fishing the conditions, and will change to the local favorite if that fails. Sometimes I get a told you so, and other times I get told I can't believe what just happened I must be very lucky. I rarely get told that what I tried makes sense. Like most things in life, logic will take a back seat to beliefs every time.

The impossible to screw up a Senko Rig.

No, but I'm going to.

I used up one pack of worms last weekend, so I replaced what I lost, and somehow ended up getting enough for free shipping. What a deal.

I'm on and off the Bait Monkey wagon, faster than a rock star checks in and out of rehab. One day I'm only going to replace a few baits I lost, and the next day I'm looking at custom glide baits. Right now I am in recovery, but it only takes one You Tube video, and I'm right back to spending like a politician with a surplus in the budget.

I fish a lake in the middle of the mountains in the state of Jalisco. On a busy weekend, there could be 5 sport fishing boats. There will be about 10 commercial fisherman in small boats 15 horse motors, commercial fishing on most weekdays. The commercial fisherman are gone by 10:00 AM. and some days I can have the lake all to myself. The last time I went there I was launching my kayak and a kid came up to me and said there was a fee of $10 a day for my kayak, and another $10 a night for camping. I don't know who gets the money or how much they pay the kid to sit there all day, but I'm sure most days he collects less than $30 and many days he wont see a dime. The commercial fisherman don't pay a fee, and I think the money goes to them. The launch is not maintained and wouldn't even be considered a launch in the US. I don't mind paying and would still go if they charged $100 a day, It was just seemed odd to get charged anything on a remote lake in the middle of Mexico. The next time I go, I will give the kid an extra $10 tip. It never hurts to get on the good side of a local resident.

Don't do it. The Bait Monkey moved to Japan and is living the good life. He gets an angler to buy one Zillion then you are hooked. I was so happy with my less expensive reels, then I bought a Zillion, and now I check the price on Digikita daily. I cast just as far with my other reels, I catch as many fish with my other reels, I am now obsessed with smoothness, which doesn't help my fishing in the least, but gives me a warm feeling all over. Warm feelings don't catch bass.

It will also improve your backlash removal skills.

The answer is very simple. The skinny one on the left is a male, the other two are females. You left them in the same tray and nature took over. Keep them in separate trays and you wont have a problem.

Every year, right before the king salmon run started on the Nushagak River, the Native corporation which owned the land along the river would have all the guides get together for a meeting and a barbecue. One year I drove myself and three other guide to the meeting. There was some water in the bottom of my boat, so as usual I pulled the plug to drain the water while making the run up river to the meeting. Normally I would hold the plug in my right hand while running in order to not forget to place it back in the boat before coming off of step. For some reason I didn't abide my my safety rule, and set the plug down on the bench seat while I motored to the meeting. We pulled the boat up on the bank through the anchor and jumped out to say hi to everyone, and get a burger and hotdog. About half way through the meeting one of the guides from a different lodge yelled hey Tim you need to get your boat. The boat was completely full of water, and the tide had come up. The current was strong, and the anchor couldn't hold with the boat full of water. I got to the boat before it washed to far out in to the river, and had to bucket gallons of water out of the boat while all of the guides on the river, laughed and ate hotdogs. Of all the times to make that mistake, I picked the very worst. Every year after that, I always had someone ask if my plug was in my boat. Everyone but me always got a big laugh out of that. That was the first and only time I ever made that mistake. After that I always held the plug in my hand while running the water out.

I don't fish soft stick baits often, but when I do it's a Senko

I would weigh it on a questionable scale, take only one lousy blurry picture, make sure no one else gets a good look at the bass, then eat it. That way anglers can argue about it for a few decades.

I have seen the pictures of your tackle. I hate to be the one to tell you, but you have more than a few.