Muddpuppy

I wouldn't get to excited I think they will only give you one issue. :-/ I thought they offered trial subsciption (probably 1 issue) on there but didn't really read it or pay that much attention too at the time. I saw there was a tear out sheet in the mag that I looking through when I read your post that has a check box for a Trial or one for A year subscription. If want to look through the online Yamamoto Inside Line they show some of the past articles on there. http://www.insideline.net/index.html

They will move for more reasons than just shade. You often can have better luck on the side the wind is blowing too because of temp and food. I have seen bass in the sun but I don't think they feed much unless they are around cover or structure.

If you want to fish the worm with a leader or carolina rigged put a swivel in the line after the weight, then tie on the leader and hook. A bullet or worm weight will slide through them easier, it will increase the fall rate, so just use enough weight to go through the weeds. Try to fish the holes and pockets that are in them.

I think he made a repley late on night last week.

I do alot in hot weather especially with bait and when trailering with fish in the livewell. I don't fish tournements but I am sure that I would use one even more if my wealth depended on its health. I have both the D battery areators and a 12 volt water pump types (these will knock scales off especially on small fish) I like the oxygen inducers and the small ones run on 12vlt. and can float or be anchored in the tank. I also have a circulating system on my boat.

I can't help you with rivers, but in lakes try to find a spot close to a depth change. Anouther way to build them that I liked (I haven't tried it) is to build rectangular frames about the size of a pallet or you can use one of those. Then mount some upright pieces of lumber, ceder bows pvc every foot so you have like 4 rows of 4 about 24 in. in height. Since there are not any horizontal pieces they can be fished a little easier. They can also be attatch together to form a reef. You can also put out boxes in an area to attract fish.

Ever since I developed back trouble it has taken all the fun out of self inflickted injuries. It seems like I read some where, years ago that you can balance your rod or adjust the handle length and add weight and maybe it might help. You would be wise to check around a little more before getting a saw. Like I say it has been a while. If the fish are large enough to require fighting the fish like that, I like RW's suggestion about the belt. I would be concerned it could cause some damage over a period of time.

You've got it looking good! Did you ever find out who made it?

We were useing flukes, and even bush hogs fished slow 10 to 14 ft. up to 25 ft. deep last year. Colors like Watermellon, Watermellon Candy, White worked pretty good for use. It was a very warm winter and the lake temp never reached under 50deg. where we mainly were. Most of the lakes were used for power.

Since we fish alot of weedy areas, we use wacky rigs alot to try to pick up fish missed on other baits. I haven't notice wether or not I miss that many because of the rig itself or they are just not really interested. I have also gone to the circle hooks, and finally found some Gamakatsu wide finesse ( looks pretty close to the same thing) in hopes that they are more self setting.

I save mine and repair or modify them with a hot knife. It works good for smaller to mod. tears and holes. They make a worm welder that operates off of batteries. There is a link about one made just a few days ago on here. Once they get to a certain point remelting is the only option.

Low Budget: Your Oscar hasn't out grown it's tank, has it? The guy I got mine from had a huge one, it has been years ago and I don't remember it's weight if he did weigh it. I really don't think he wanted to handle it anymore than absolutly neccesary. He had a 250 or 300 gal. tank made to keep it in. I know he had a vacume system to clean alot of the tanks with. He told me that they will grow to fit their surroundings. He also had a (legaly permitted) genuine meat eatting piranha. It was one of just a very few allowed in the country back then. This was about 1980 and some how he had aquired it before a restriction, a collector or something like. He finally had to open a pet store to support his pet habit. But the Oscar is a really neat fish. We had to feed mostly live fish or red meat since there wasn't alot of high quality foods avaliable around here back then.

Sir Muddpuppy, I like that. Anyway a friend of mine bought I believe a Lowarance X-47 on sale for around $80.00 at BPS. It is a basic unit, I know it had temp. maybe speed. As far as I know he liked it ok. He sold the boat and unit to his cousin and I haven't heard of any problems that he has had.

I have some of those too and once again I haven't used them that much so I really can't say how well they work. I did buy them to target larger fish (but not huge) and not to use all the time. Also to use around stumps and when fish were in deeper water, since they are fairly reasonably priced, looseing them won't be a big concern. I don't think they will work well in weeds, but like I said I haven't really tried yet. If they don't work they do make smaller ones. I am a firm believer in if you don't try you'll never know. I do have a little smaller version of a sunfish and it has a pretty good record catching fish and not just bass. I have been picking up a few baits like RW is talking about (5"+) really big just to try on certain lakes. Swimbaits, snakes, ect. I don't expect to catch many but maybe the one or two will be worth it. At the Wal-Marts here it looks like they are selling alot of the storm baits so they must be working for some body.

Here is a link to a past post I think that there were some recomended on it around $100.00. http://bassresource.com/cgi-bin/bass_fish/YaBB.pl?board=boating_ID;action=display;num=1116191116 http://bassresource.com/cgi-bin/bass_fish/YaBB.pl?board=boating_ID;action=display;num=1109223069

They probably are yawning from haveing to get up a 4:00 am due to boat traffic. I am guessing that it helps push water thru their gills especially when they are not moveing. I know I have watched them in aquariams at a local zoo and it seems like they do it at a regular rate. And when they are out of water they open and close their mouths more frequently. I used to have an Oscar it wasn't near as large as yours but one night the power went out, and some how he jumped out of the tank. So I am sitting in the house in the dark with something is going thump thump thump in the same room and I can't find a flashlight. Finally located some matches and put him back in time, but it was kind of creepy.

In the years around 79, 80 I worked for and was friends with a guy that had a small hotel, and charter service in Balize. He invited me down there several times for his birthday. That was when it was still a British Colony and I guess he was good friends with some of the officers there at that time. One of which also had a birthday at the same time. Not only was it supposed to be great fishing, and diveing but a major week long party to boot and the only expense was air fare and personal liquor. Something always seemed to come up and I didn't go. But would try to the next year. Finally his health worsend and the goverment changed. So needless to say I wouldn't make that mistake again.

We were somewhat hopeing to be able to take a trip to Forida and also do some camping in Arkansas. I was planning to try to get guides for some lakes in Florida and Bull Shoals had we been able to have gone. Everything I have ever read and heard about Bull Shoals sounds like can be a puzzel to fish. Not to mention, totaly different than what I am used too. Even Beaver's lake OK. is a complete change from home and it's only 100 or so miles. Even on these lakes around here a guide could be an asset. I wouldn't want one everytrip but I think it would be neat to let somebody else worry why we aren't catching anything. I think that it might make a nice trip. Of course thinking about and acturally unclenching the wad of cash it takes to hire one are two sperate entities in themselves.

I would love to do the Alaska experience. And fish some of the western lakes like Rooservelt. Florida would have some neat sceanery. I would like to also do a river float trip. I don't really know where. The amazon sounds great anytime but summer, and it's hot and humid enough right now for me, here. Raul was describeing some places in Mexico I would really like to see. We go, (I haven't been makeing the trip the last few years) to Kentucky and Alabama fairly regularly but I would like to plan it were I could also fish do some hunting.

In 85 the computers operated on dos and fishing electronics were still in their infency and hadn't evolved from flashers long at least for gen. & public use. I think the fact that he has used it once pretty much speaks for it's self. Even if it does work reasonably well I am not sure that a LCD screen is very durable, it probably uses alot more power to operate than todays models and you probably will never find parts. I would think a collector would give this one a better home than a fisherman.

BassMomma: I run a premanet red marks-a-lot over mine when they wear off. You can carry it with you. Sometimes even black. Even if the shades differ it seems like it would be like camo.

Jagrrich: This is just a thought but could you put down the jack to raise the tounge up a little when you start to load? I don't know if you could raise it up enough to justify the trouble or not. Maybe carry some blocks with you to put under it so there is less cranking. I know I have had to do something like that with farm equipment . Don't forget to raise it back up before pulling out. Also the wheels on the car will have to stay on the ground.

Wal Mart carries some of the female connectors, I believe. I think that they are for a Minn Kota. I don't know if they have them in all stores.

I believe I stated that I figured these off of Fair to Good trips. As far as the figures go they may also be misleading in the fact that I do not always fish constantly through out a day nor do I have to fish under extreame pressure. Sure I get skunked from time to time, and to be honest I meant to put that in. I also said that I couldn't endure 3 casts a minute so I am selective about the casts that I do make. An avg. of one fish an hour out of up to 40 casts or 3-5 fish of any size on a good day on East Texas Lakes isn't boasting. And I did not mean for it to be taken as such. True I did not answer the question as it was put. However I did try to keep the numbers real and explain how I arrived at them, at least to answer an internet question. If you have a problem with them I will be more than happy to deleate my reply. I should have read the post a little closer.

One word (maybe a few more) of caution with useing a stringer off of a boat, #1 stumps and snags can tear off fish and the whole stringer. and #2 turtles they can make a mess out of a nice catch. I have lifted up a stringer and found nothing but heads, and one with a mighty nasty looking turtle attatched, more than once.