TOXIC

I am lucky. Water Skiing Hours Water Skiing Lakes Rainbow, Round, Columbia, Long Monday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 10 :00 am -7:00 pm Friday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Saturday, Sunday and Holidays: 10:00 am – 2:30 pm

Your co-worker is sadly mistaken. There's no such thing as a "kids lure". The tried and true Bettlespin is a compact bait that catches a lot of different species and that is why a lot of "kids" use it.

It's a rig that I originally learned from Judy Wong (another Yamamoto prostaffer who fished the LBAA), for fishing a Senko in fast moving water. She used it in the discharge of a water supply. I used it when the wind made our drift too fast for a tube. I have since thrown it and retrieved it just like a jig and it worked well. It's a 1/4 oz Gamakatsu Football head jig with a Senko rigged hook exposed. The football head jig walks on the bottom giving the senko a unique action. Very effective bait.

I don't like the term "weed guard" because none of them really prevent you from picking up weeds or if they do, it's not been noticeable to me. Now possibly they work as a "brush guard" keeping hangups to a minimum in solid cover like wood and reeds. I have used some on my Ned rigs and it was the single strand wire. I saw no benefit in the grass I was fishing and after 2 or 3 smallies, the guard was gone most of the time or I had to bend it back into position enough that it broke. If I want a bait weedless, I will Texas rig it.

I'm a little biased but I know 2 who have designed for Profound. The 2 colors are Cherry Bomb and Uzzle Blue. Both work well. Both colors are on this page... https://profoundoutdoors.com/product/azuma-claud-hopper/

The only problem I've ever had with a Kayaker is my Brother-In-Law!! As I said earlier, I go out when in Wisconsin at sunup and before any other powerboats hit the lakes. The solitude is great!! I was fishing a bank 2 large lakes away from the cottage we rent every year and having some good luck, enjoying the morning and sipping on my Tim Horton's coffee. All of a sudden I hear a literal explosion that sounds like it 2 feet away from me. It actually resonated through my body. To say I jumped is an understatement!! I actually screamed like a little girl and I might have wet myself a little!!! I turned around and there was my BIL sitting in his yak laughing so hard he couldn't breathe!! He snuck up on me and hand slapped my hull which sounded like a sonic boom!! He is a yak fisherman so we both fished on down the bank and we still laugh about it every year.

The chain of lakes I fish in Wisconsin are very heavy recreational lakes (26 lakes in the chain). I get to fish around Yaks (both pleasure and fishing) paddle boards, paddle boats, ski boats, canoes, jet ski's, pontoons (fishing, tubing, cocktail cruising), wakeboard boats, speedboats, rowboats, sailboats, every size fishing boat from small jons to 22ft bassboats and even the big swan peddleboats. There are fools in every style I mentioned. It's wasted energy getting upset or mad. I have a couple of outs. Sking on these lakes is limited to certain times of the day and there are certain lakes that are no-wake. I fish the ski lakes during the no sking hours, then move to the no-wake lakes. Live and let live. Now when we are in Michigan, there are yak tournaments that will put 15-20 yaks out in a specific area for example Metro Beach. If the smallies are up shallow, you have all sorts of boats sharing the water and tempers get short. Last season we even had kite skiers in the same area. I'm in no way dissing the yak fishermen but I will admit, it was funny that if we would hook into a fish, the yaks with their knees pumping, would make a b-line to within about 20 feet of us and start fishing. We chalk it up to "tournament fever". The only time I've seen it get testy is when the big cabin cruisers come trolling through for musky or walleye and even if we are sitting power poles down, they only alter course enough not to hit you and will motor right through where you are fishing.

Wanna take the fun outta fishing? Make it a "Job" or make it your only source of income. Sure there are a lot of careers that will put you outside and offer time for fishing but I got a rude awakening when I decided to keep a full time job and guide as well. There are many angles to fishing, fun fishing, tournament fishing, guiding and professional fishing. Those are the ones I can think of that put you on the water fishing, not just working in a related field. Look at it this way, how many college athletes go on to be professionals in their given sport? Football to the NFL, Baseball to the big leagues (not farm teams), Basketball to the NBA? I personally know athletes in all of these disciplines who are or were professionals. I don't know about the actual #'s or % of fishermen and women who started out with professional fishing as a career goal and made it. I would assume the success rate is just as small as the other sports I mentioned given that the participation rate is really high in the other sports I mentioned. That's not to say you shouldn't pursue it, just make sure you have plan B, C and D.

Easy way to remember is that in baseball the pitcher throws the ball (more distance) thus, pitching is for farther away targets.

As A-Jay points out so eloquently Smallies will take a lot of different lures. By limiting yourself to a favorite you might just be missing the bait they want that day. I can tell you that it seems like every year we go to St Clair (smallie heaven for me) there is one bait that will outproduce the others. The only way to find out what that bait might be is to rotate through the arsenal until one starts outproducing the rest. Here is my "Arsenal" for St Clair every year. In no particular order: Senko Weighted Senko (Wong Rig) Lipless (SPRO Aruku Shad) Dropshot Ned Rig DShad (Yamamoto Fluke style bait) Jerkbait Tube In-line spinner Spinnerbait Crankbait (SPRO Little John in different depth ranges) Dropshot So, as you can see no simple answer, no single favorite. Dang I love smallmouth

Keep working on your fundamentals and the distance will come. As far as Pitching vs Flipping, the old school definition is that Pitching you disengage the spool just like a cast and use a pitching motion (normally underhanded) to get your bait to the target. Flipping, you leave out the amount of line you want to use and leave the reel engaged. You get the bait to the target by pulling the line out just beyond your reel and flipping it to your target. Flipping works best if you are working very close structure and it maximizes the number of presentations you can make as you fish since you are not disengaging the reel, casting the bait, engaging the reel and reeling in.

This debate has been going on for as long as there have been "big ticket" items. House, Car, Boat, etc., while having the latest and greatest, biggest and fastest, newest and most expensive have always been appealing, you have to know and understand your limitations. It's when we exceed those limitations, we get in trouble. Low interest rates and extended payments make satisfying that desire for big ticket items more reachable but it doesn't make you any less responsible for how you handle your money. People have been getting into financial trouble for as long as loans have existed. Far be it for me to tell any man how to spend his money, I can only control how I spend mine. I certainly am not bitter about it nor should anyone else be. If you are serious and smart, there are ways to get big ticket items while not jeopardizing your finances.

A LOT of the salt water fishermen on big boats prefer a hand control TM. You can get extensions to raise the handle up, extend and at the right angle to fish standing up.

I'm convinced it's primal. It triggers that part of our reptilian brain with predator vs prey. We interpret it as fun.

As has been said, techniques and lures mean nothing if you can't find the fish. Learn to find the fish. Learn how to use and interpret your electronics. They are a major part of the game now. Gary Kline once told me that if he can find the fish there are no less than 5 lures he can catch them on no matter where he goes. Words of wisdom.

Maybe it's just me but I am a more than a little apprehensive to modding an outboard with todays tight tolerances. Super chargers, reflashing ECM's, lightening flywheels, etc strikes me as risky. It just seems like any minute problem whether it be with fuel delivery, filters, injectors, etc., will cause a major failure. "Pushing" these motors for more performance usually comes at a cost whether it be longevity or durability. I guess if I had the $$ to drop another motor on if I torched the one on my boat now, it wouldn't be as much of a concern.

I fish from a buddy's boat a lot and I also use my own boat. What I have done is to set up a "travel" bag with the 3700's that I'll be using the most depending on where we are going. To help with the rust issue I spray any bait with metal on it with WD40 while it is in my box, especially my terminal tackle. I also put some chunks of sidewalk chalk in my boxes. In the travel bag I do open the individual boxes to let them air out. My boat is a bigger problem since I carry waaaaay more baits and after a day opening the boxes in the rain, pretty much everything I used gets wet. I also get some condensation in the compartments of the boat and occasionally during the summer will pull all the 3700's and open them on the deck to air out. All of those in my boat get the WD40 treatment as well.

Lots don't comprehend the physical and emotional toll fishing at his level takes out of you. This is evidenced by those that have dropped out much younger and the reasons why. Physical ailments in arms, legs and back are pretty common. He is the exception to the rule and deserves all the credit. A true legend.

For those asking when the Yamamoto formula changed, I'm not exactly sure. It was a "quiet" change. On a Senko, you can tell because the baits poured with the new formula have lettering on the "egg sack" of the Senko. The old ones do not. If you are ever at a garage sale or flea market where these are sold, nab them up!! The other way to tell is that the old packaging is much different than the new glossy packs. The old packages were thicker plastic with green box style lettering that usually wears off. Anything packaged in Yellow bags was initially meant for the overseas market and are pretty rare to find.

If you’ve got older Yamamoto baits prior to the formula change, they are like gold. ?

Boat length and motor size are going to be your most limiting factors. You don’t see a lot of dealer inventory with that setup because it is prey unique to most bodies of water. Most who run that type of setup are on restricted lakes and never meant to be out on bigger water. I do know that you could go into a bass pro shops and order the hull you want and they normally display a few motors they have available in the store. Your hull comes in and they will rig it for you. Unless you want brand new, your best bet is to buy one already rigged used. The 9.9 is going to be sketchy in any bigger river with current after you add the weight of fuel, batteries for a trolling motor and gear.

Welcome to my world of advanced senko fishing.? Line watching on a weightless Texas rigged senko is a must. First, throw a line you can see. When line watching, I first look at where the line enters the water at the end of the cast closest to the senko. Normally I don’t cast so far that I can’t see this point. As your senko falls, it will be pulling the line down from this point. If it speeds up, stops or moves to the side you have a bite. The second place to watch your line is where it comes out of the water directly below your rod tip if you are truly letting it sink on a slack line. That is where your line will jump if you get a good bite. There is a lot of distance between where your senko is pulling the line down and where your line exits the water below your rod tip. It can be the entire length of your cast. I try to keep both of these points in my field of vision but will alternate as conditions warrant. Line watching is totally different if you have a weighted bait. Sounds pretty simple to line watch but there is a lot,of technique involved.

My 2005 is falling into that year boat. When I was looking, the main things I checked were, in order, transom, big motor, hull and trailer. Transom.....lift up and down on the motor while trimmed up and check for flex or cracks. Check the motor mounting bolts for sealant and if it is a wood core transom, any brown streaks from the holes. Big motor.....try to get the hours and maintenance records. Always have it checked out by a mechanic on your own dime if you don’t buy. Rebuilt lower unit is normally due to some sort of impact and you just need to know who did the rebuild and why. Check the transom extra close on those with a rebuilt lower and the underneath side of the hull. Replaced,power head or rebuilt power head requires more info. Who rebuilt and why. Did the reason for the upper to blow get rectified or identified? I have a Yamaha 250 HPDI on my boat and I will tell you that Yamahas need to be serviced regularly. There are a lot,of fuel filters. They got a bad rap for blowing but mine has 500 hours and runs well. I do keep up on the maintenance. Trailer.....make sure all the lights work and if it has brakes that they have been maintained. As for the axles, if they are leaking grease or oil then you will have to address. Maintenance history on the bearings would be nice. Finally, water test the boat and not on the hose. Make sure everything works as stated, pumps, lights, gauges, etc. and if the motor performs well. Check for stress cracks in the gel. While usually cosmetic, some are problematic and may indicate a bad stringer system. It took me 2 years of looking to find my boat and I had to be flexible when I found it because it was full of mold from sitting under a bad cover for a couple of years. It has taken a lot of work but it is a great boat that I got a good deal on. I have towed it all over the country.

No set answer. The fish will tell you how long to pause, you just need to pay attention to what you were doing. It also depends on what type of jerkbait you are throwing, floating, suspending or sinking.

And remember...an inflatable has to be worn to count as a pfd. If all you have in the boat are inflatables, you will get a ticket.