jbmaine

I was out fishing a 200 acre pond today for LM & SM. I was pulling a ned rig up off a drop off when the line went heavy. Didn't feel like a very big fish but when I got him up it was quite a surprise. Turned out to be a land locked salmon! Every one says ned rigs catch a lot of fish but I didn't expect this. It was pretty thin but went 18" long. Not the best pic but I didn't intend to keep him so I handled him rather gently.

I would drop a dime on him in a heartbeat, however I don't work with him. If you turn him in how would that affect you at work? I've worked at places that can be kind of cliquey. I've seen guys that have got on the wrong side ( in my case the union ) and had a long miserable day at work. Only you can be the best judge of what to do in this case.

Here in southern Maine early fall had started. It's been cooler at night and the water temps have started to fall. however, starting yesterday and for the next couple of days summer is back. It's supposed to hit the mid 90's today and tomorrow. I was out in the yard last night and heard the peeper frogs in full chorus. That's only supposed to happen in the Spring. Poor little buggers won't know what hit them when the temps drop back down.

thanks for the input everyone. I'll give split grips another look.

I'm thinking of picking up a new spinning rod and it seems most rods now are split grip. I've tried them and don't really like them. They just don't feel right to me. However it seems the selection of full cork rods is kinda slim. So I'm wondering, do you get used to split grips? Or is it just more of a love hate thing. Thanks Jim

This helps for days like that?

How much play does your draw bar have? I was surprised how much play mine had. It makes for a lot of noise.

Sounds like the Stradic is worth it.

Ya, hard to believe we have temps heading for the 90's again this week

I know A-Jay, I'm just trying to get a feel of what you find and relate it to this body of water. This pond has a ton of SM in it. I see hundreds during the spawn. But trying to relate to bottom contour, structure, the rest of the year is tough. I have mapped most of the place with my Garmin, but when I applied depth shading it lit up like an abstract mosaic. You just color in say 16-20 ft and hundreds of spots light up. So My goal is to take info from what others are seeing ( largest flats for example) and find similar areas here. Obviously no guarantees for success but it gives me a place to start. Thanks Again Jim

Thanks A-Jay, When you say largest flats, how deep are these. Are these single fish just cruising along or are they concentrating to eat?

Hi all, All my spinning reels have been Shimano Symetre's ( bought the last one 10 yr's ago ) and really liked them. However As 10-15 yr. old reels they are not as smooth as they once were ( yes, I do maintain them ). This spring I replaced one of them with a Shimano Nasci and it's a great reel so far. I'm ready to pick up another one but it was suggested a Stradic FK would be a better choice ( for double the price I would hope so). So yesterday I looked at both of them side by side. I closed my eyes, picked both of them up and cranked them. Except for a different knob on the handle I honestly didn't feel much difference. What am I missing? Spending an extra $100 for a Stradic is real money to me ( no pun intended) but I'll spend it if I can justify it. What is it that I'm not seeing that makes A Stradic that much better of a reel? Thanks Jim

Thanks to all the great advise I received from the generous members here I had consistent luck with deep water smallies this summer. I never got high numbers but rarely got skunked. I am looking forward to an even better summer next year. But here in southern Maine early fall is starting to appear. The nights are starting to cool off and the water temp has dropped 5 degrees in the last couple of weeks. My last two trips showed nothing from the summer spots I fish. So if the smallies are moving, where are they moving to? Where would you recommend I look? The lake I most fish is rocky with a bottom that changes like a yoyo. Shallower?, how shallow?, points? Any advise you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Jim

Thanks for the effort.

I've been using Yo-Zuri hybrid ultra soft 6 lb. on my spinning reels for years, and will continue to do so until I finally run out.

I've tried keeping the range to 40-50 ft. and every other adjustment I can think of.

Thanks

Better than long arming??

Not to minimize your pain, but one of my wisdom teeth grew down instead of up until it started pushing against the root of the next tooth. They had to remove both teeth and almost took all of that section of jaw doing so. I was on happy pills for a couple of weeks and a liquid diet for three months. sounds like you got off lucky.

Hi all, I have a Garmin echomap SV 73 plus. The 2D sonar and CV are ( to my eye ) sharp and crisp. The side view not so much. If I go past a rock pile on the bottom I can see that there is something there but I can't really pick out rocks. If I go past a cement block on the bottom I don't really see it, same with uprights on docks. I have tried numerous adjustments but don't see a big difference. The transducer in on the transom, I thought maybe motor interference so I raised the motor and moved along with just the TM, no real difference. Before I call Garmin I was wondering, Is there a particular setting that you finds works better, and how much detail should I expect to see using SV? Thanks Jim

Welcome in advance to Maine. We have them here too.

It's a pikerel?

Glad the boats doing well and you are out on the water. Yes, we use the buttons and really like them. You adjust them where you want them and tighten them down. The fender strap clips on them. They make it really easy to take the fenders on and off. Like anything with the " Lund " name they are kind of pricy, but to us they are worth it.

Try calling your Lund Dealer. That's where we got ours. They do fit into the track. How's the new boat?

Thanks Glenn, I always have a paddle tail on. They have been so good to me I call them old faithful.