Whatever

There was a commercial white water guide service in Seattle. They were floating on a local river one spring, with about 40 clients. They had collected all the vehicle keys and put them in a dry box, to be sure the clients could access their car at the end of the trip. That raft flipped, the box sunk, and 20 some sets of keys disappeared. They had to call several local locksmiths, and foot the bill for cutting new keys for every vehicle. It was quite expensive.

Most fly tiers / fly anglers will attest to the magical ability of Marabou, Rabbit fur and peacock herl to attract fish. With peacock it is the iridescence, with Marabou and rabbit they just seem to quiver in the water, simulating a living organism. Combine any of these with a weighted jig head and they will generally produce fish.

So what are the better options?

Can someone recommend a good weedless treble hook to replace the standard hooks on my topwater and diving crankbaits? I am looking for something to minimize interference when fishing heavy weed cover, both surface and subsurface.

I went from a kayak to a canoe, just so I could take my dog out. I really preferred the yak, as it moves easier, and has less wind resistance. But I was limited in how far out I could fish, and not have to paddle for an hour or two to get back to the launch. Now I have a 14' johnboat, so I can run 5 or 10 miles down the reservoir, and get back in a hurry when it gets dark. I still use the canoe, as some lakes lack boat ramps. With the dog gone now, I am wanting another kayak. And next year I will probably be buying a 16 -18 foot boat, to fish the bigger lakes. A friend has 8 various boats and float devices. He uses them all. But a yak is always a good start. Even if you move up, it will serve a purpose.

The majority of lakes and reservoir's I fish are a deep silt bottom. It might be 12" to 18" thick. There are a very few areas with rocky bottoms, usually where the wave action blows the silt off the bottom. But generally, if I drop a weighted jig on the bottom, it disappears into the silt. It just occurred to me to me to try a "Carolina rig" to get my plastics off the bottom? Maybe this "puff" of silt signals fish into paying attention, suspecting a possible meal? I am unsure on this. Water clarity in the lakes is rarely less than 10 feet of visibility. I have had good luck targeting the areas around Beaver houses. The largemouth seem to hang out around them. The bigger houses might be 20' diameter, but I don't find them like I used to. I am working on getting on getting a fishfinder, to expand horizons. I am definitely handicapped without one.

Guys, I don't have electronics. (yeah, I know) I am working on that. Mostly, I use flies (floating hopper and frog patterns), or heavy streamers (5") and big nymphs (3") along the edges of the cover, trying to entice the fish into coming out. It works sometimes. When I fish the weeds, I use spinning gear with 1/4 oz jigheads and a variety of plastics. I just got my first baitcaster, and spooled it w/ 50# braid. I read that braids "cuts ' the weeds better, and I can go to 1/2 oz or 5/8 oz jig heads. I am leaving in a few days to try it out. We have almost nothing for minnow forage, almost exclusively punkinseeds and yellow perch. The bass love the local trout. The trout resent this, and keep their distance. The lakes have crawdads, but not an overabundance. We get leeches as well, and some frogs. We have unlimited painted turtles. I have to assume the fish will take the smaller ones. For the last two years my best pattern has been a 3" Bunny leech (rabbit strips tied on a weighted hook). But it won't work in heavy weeds. And I can only fish the top 15 - 20 feet or water. I get some decent fish, but am usually shut down in the middle of the day. In the spring and early, the weeds are not so bad. By now, they have 4 months growth. In oct they will start to die off again for winter.

I am seeking some general advise on fishing dense weed beds. In northern waters, the weed beds frequently extend vertically from about 15' depth to the surface. In places, it is near impossible to get your bait beyond the surface flotsam to access the deeper water below, where fish are moving. When I attempt this with heavy jigs or worms, I usually give up after 15 minutes because of snags, tangles, and constantly puling weeds off my hook and line. In low light (am,pm) I fish on the surface w/ weedless surface baits, but during the day the fish (smallmouth, largemouth and pike) go deeper, and I cannot get to them because the weeds are constantly fouling my gear. They are thick enough I cannot run my boat through because the propeller loads up with weeds, and frequently cover 5 - 10 acres of water. Any suggestions?

You shouldn't terrorize the wee little coyotes like that, mate! But I absolutely share your sentiments. We have a vast, fascinating world. You have a good day, Sir! Dee

After the local dealer quoted $10200 for a new engine w/ install, I started looking at new boats. I can get a deep v Crestliner w/ 40hp Merc for $14000 - $15000. It is looking like a better deal. It won't be until next year though.

Well, I don't have anything fancy. It is not a bass boat, per se. I just need something in the 16' range, with no deck, and capable of handling a 2 - 3 foot chop. A 50hp would be fine, I don't need a lot of speed. I see them in the $15 - $20000 range, for a basic boat. If I refit a new engine to the old boat, I have no idea on whether everything will line-up, fit- and function.

I just got an email from a local dealer. $7000 for an engine, and an additional $3200 for installation and shipping. Total = $10200, for a 35 year old boat I paid $2500 for. I am thinking a new boat might be a better deal.

I just ran into a friend who fished this same lake the day after I was there. He caught "lots of small pike" using a boat. I fished the bank and caught nothing. There's a lesson here. I dug the canoe out of the weeds behind the barn and cleaned it up this afternoon. It was my first skunk this year.

WRB, from what I have seen they both run approx $7500, 4 stroke or 2 stroke. Am I missing something here? I have just started looking, and am unsure of what to get. Which is your preference? Which brand? I have been running outboards all my life, and have purchased exactly one. Thanks, Dee ========================================================

WRB, I understand they are quieter. I know the new Merc 20hp I put on my skiff last year is. As I am already almost completely deaf, I am trying to not accelerate the loss of my remaining hearing. I understand that 4 strokes are required in some areas. i keep dreaming about going south one of these winters, to someplace where you don't have to" walk on the water" to fish. I really hate ice fishing, which is required 4 months a year up here Can you recommend a good, reliable 2 stroke in 90 hp?

Scott, You have good advise, and I think you are probably right. I can afford the bigger engine, I am just being cheap. It works fine with the 90, so I will probably just replace it in that size. Dee

I have an older (circa 1980's) Marlin fiberglass boat, w/ a 90HP Evinrude (2 stroke, carbureted on it. It was built as a ski boat, so I pulled the seats out and replaced them with pedestal's for fishing. I am needing a new engine. I am wondering if I shouldn't get a 75 HP to replace the 90. I do not ski, and have no great need for maximum speed. And the 75 will save me about $600 over the 90 horse. The 90 pushes me along at about 30 mph, which is more than enough. 20 or 25 mph would be fine by me. I am thinking the 75 will still bring it up on plane quickly, and probably be better for trolling on the few big lakes I fish. I almost always fish alone, and have minimal weight in the boat. In addition, I am going to 4 stroke EFI. I use a 14' alum skiff for the smaller lakes, or a canoe. The majority of lakes I fish are 40 - 600 acres. We have very few or the vast reservoir's a lot of you guys fish, so I rarely run more than 30 minutes to a fishing spot. Do any of you guys have some insight into this?

Thank you, Sir! I am really enjoying the company and wisdom of all of you esteemed gentlemen! Dee

And I thought it was safe to go back in the water!

I just went on-line looking for a camp-site for anywhere/anything in an area about 90 miles south of me (good fishing). I set the filters to include basically anything, as I would camp in a WalMart lot if they had one down there.--The earliest campsite in that area would not be available until the 7th of September! This might require a guerilla stealth trip.

For a casting bubble, I prefer the "torpedo" tapered shape, with an eye hook at either end. Get the sturdy ones, as the cheap ones the hook will pull out, losing your gear and fish. Yes, a traditional bobber will work, but the tapered ones cause minimal disturbance on the retrieve, and you will be fishing a taut line, For sight fishing, seeing the fish roll, a flash of belly, or mouth, or a turn of the head indicates a "take", and you set the hook. Putting a crankbait in the terminal set up is an old idea, and does work. Fishing several flies in tandem is popular as well, as it increases versatility, like using a weighted nymph behind a foam hopper pattern. I have never used a chatter bait, but they have been putting prop blades, willow leafs and Colorado blades on flies forever. Sometimes it helps, sometimes not, depending on water clarity and target species. I sent you a PM, let me know, and we can work out the terminology. Tight Lines! Dee

I use spinning gear as well for fishing flies, especially nymphs or hoppers. The high mountain lakes usually have a 2' deep shelf which extends about 20 or 30 yards from the bank and is far too cold to wade. You can see the big fish cruising right at the drop off. If I cannot cast effectively that far with a fly rod, I put the fly on a 5' leader and attach a casting bubble, than use my spinning rod to shoot it out there. Has always worked for trout, and it works for bass as well, using larger nymphs. And live hoppers are irresistible to bass.

In the deep water ship channel, leading into the lagoon on Midway Is, there is a 4' hand spear (Hawaiian Sling) sitting on the bottom in 40' of water. I laid it down while hauling a big bag of Spiny Lobsters back to the boat, and could never locate it again. 45 years it has been waiting.

We can only assume you were fishing a "stick" bait? (aspen?)

I fished a local lake last evening. I hadn't been in there for a few years, and the road is still rough as a cob. But I watched a cow and calf moose in the adjacent marsh on the drive in, and there was a loon crying at the foot of the lake while I fished. Even with my degraded hearing, I can hear them when they are close, and it is the most incredible call. For me, Wolf and loon are the signature calls of the Northern Wilderness. Two kayakers at the far end , a mile distant, and the peace and quiet was like a heavy blanket. I got home at 3 am, caught nothing, and still had a great trip.