JackstrawIII

Haha, I love that show!

My wife would argue that this is an oxymoron… but I’m happy for you haha. I’m sure you be feeling and looking good ??

That’s funny, we have a fountain in our pond and I hardly ever catch anything near the fountain. Maybe I’m fishing it wrong… but we always do much better around the edges of the pond. I’ll have to try throwing some t-rigs out there again though, because you guys said so haha.

We drove right by there, but unfortunately it was thunder storming and my kids were freaking out so we didn’t bend up fishing. Just some quick sight seeing around Boldt castle and we headed home. Hoping to get back up there soon!! Ps. I did happen to notice a ton of fish on the graph while driving around Heart island.

Haha true, but in my defense, when you click the “Download bill text PDF” on the top of that page, the downloadable PDF does NOT include fishing in the list of exceptions to the rule. That’s what I read. I’ve read it now like 4 times and fishing is not allowable in that version. Seems strange that they should be different, but it’s true. Either way, hopefully nothing to be concerned about.

Same here. Not sure if anyone else has had this problem, but their website has been incredibly glitchy for me lately. I used to buy everything shooting/hunting related from them, but their website has become almost unusable due to crashes, glitches, freezing, etc. Am I the only one? It's a great company and it's a shame not to be able to use them lately.

I'd go with the Speed Spool LFS. A great reel that can be found for the lower end of your budget. If you want to step up, go with a Tatula SV on sale. They're great.

Braid to leader is on 100% of my spinning setups, but I don't love it on a casting rod. Not sure why, it just feels wrong. For casting, I mostly use YZ hybrid line, but I also use some InvisX fluoro and 832 braid for certain techniques when their attributes (like sinking for the fluoro or grass management with the braid) are especially needed.

Oh man, I must have missed that part. I remember reading about how it doesn’t include deer, turkey, or bear hunting contests and I got distracted thinking, “I’ve never even heard about anyone ever having a contest to hunt any of those species.” Glad fishing is safe, for now ????

Hey guys, I just heard about a new bill (link below) being discussed in the NY state legislature that would outlaw any sort of competition, tournament, or derby involving the “taking of wildlife”. The law is written somewhat obtusely, so it’s not readily clear whether non-kill events (such as bass fishing tournaments) will be included in this law. Wondering if anyone has more info on this. Considering how many major fishing tournaments are held here, this would affect all the major fishing leagues. Wild. Anyone have more information on this? Ps. Here’s the link: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/S4099

If you're never been to the Finger Lakes, then you absolutely have to see Skaneateles. Cayuga is better known for it's fishing, but for natural beauty (and some nice fish too), check out Skaneateles.

Haha I opened this thread hoping for some good stories. Come on guys, let's hear 'em!

I just got back from Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was a great trip... no rabies, malaria, covid, etc. I hope you choose to take the trip, and enjoy it!

I'm headed up to the Alex Bay area with my fam this afternoon actually. This will be our first time bringing our new boat up there. Hoping to find a couple spots to fish in that area. Any tips? Iroquois Dam is a bit too far of a run up the river.

I use Senkos, because I think they’re a bit better and I want to use whatever gives me the best chance for a fish. The cost is literally the last thing on my mind. I do not consider myself wealthy and enjoy saving money as much as anyone, but the cost of a $6 pack of Senkos compared to the rest of the money I spend on fishing is so small, it’s essentially negligible. Compared to: boat, rods, reels, lures, etc… a bag of Senkos is not really a significant factor in my fishing budget. It’s a lot like hunters that complain about the cost of bullets they use to shoot their deer. Hunting is an expensive hobby, but it’s not because of the the $2 bullet you shoot at a deer.

Well, I called a tackle shop near me that I’ve never been to before and he says he can fix it, no problem. So, I’ll give him a shot. Thanks for the tip.

Haha, I very much doubt that, but thank you. It has been a very enjoyable year of fishing.

Hey, I recently purchased a couple Tatula spinning rods via FB marketplace. The rods are in excellent shape, except that there’s a large chip missing from the carbide guide on the rod tip. I noticed when my braid was making an audible and tactile scraping when retrieving line. Shame on me for not checking more closely when I bought them. The seller is fighting me and won’t take it back. He says I broke it, which is highly unlikely. Anyways, that’s not the point. Here’s the question, can I replace just the carbide ring in the guide? Or does the whole tip guide need to be replaced? And if so, any good resources out there to help me do it correctly? I’m pretty handy, but never attempted a fishing pole repair. Thanks.

Love it. For the record, I also tried flipping a Texas rig into shallow cover… not a sniff. Threw a paddle tail around docks… nada. I even skipped the Ned rig under the docks… not even that worked. When even the Ned fails… you know it’s not your day.

Haha this sounds like the secret I need to learn!!

I’ve had an incredible fishing season this year. I’ve been catching nice fish on every trip, have successfully introduced a lot of new people to fishing, have helped my wife catch some fish and she’s really enjoying it. I’ve been feeling wonderful. Then today happened. Went out by myself this morning for a little “me time” fishing. Yeah the weather was windy and the chop was high on the bay. Yeah we had a storm yesterday and the barometer was going crazy. So what, I’ve been having a great year. I’ll just bust out the dropshot and clean house… right? Wrong. I struggled big time this morning. Fished for 4.5 hours and caught 1 bass. I know everyone has days like this, and I was fighting the odds, but I gotta say, today was a massive slice of humble pie. On a related note, how do you guys catch suspended fish when the bite is off? They were suspended about 15 feet down over 25 feet of water. Tried everything I could think of, no dice.

Yeah, I hear a lot of YouTube guys talking about TVA lakes and had no idea what they were talking about. After reading up on it, seems like the way you guys fish vs. the fishing up north is pretty different. My lakes are shaped very differently and very different contours compared to yours. Fortunately, for the sake of simplicity, my rivers are not tidal. Not even this part of the St. Lawerence (the biggest river around) is tidal. Thanks everyone for all the other comments. It seems like the main lessons are: 1. Fish the bottom. 2. Look for breaks in current and shoreline. 3. Structure. A couple follow up questions: 1. Do fish generally always relate to the bottom of the river, or will they occasionally suspend? 2. When do you target shoreline vs deeper water structure? What indicators are you looking for that influence your approach? Thanks!

Always used a simple clinch knot with no issues.

Hey everyone, I’ve been fishing for several years now and and just bought my first boat this spring. I’m really starting to get the hang of finding bass in ponds, lakes, and bays (Lake Ontario). With that said, I am relatively clueless about bass fishing in rivers & streams. I’ve done some trolling for walleye and caught plenty of catfish and such casting worms on a dropshot off of dams on the canal… but never a largemouth or smallmouth out of a river or stream. I live in western central NY up between the Finger Lakes and the Great Lakes. The lake fishing is great, but we also have the Erie Canal, Seneca River, and a bunch of small streams and such. I really want to learn how to catch bass on the rivers and streams around here. How similar to lake fishing is river fishing? Are you still looking for lay-downs and weed edges? Do they prefer main channel or offshoots? Deep current or shallow breaks? I feel like it’s a totally different animal, and any education would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

My home was robbed when I was a child and we were away on vacation. It was fairly traumatic and my answer since then will always be ABSOLUTELY NOT. But, I realize I’m paranoid and most professionals are totally trustworthy, especially if they come recommended. I just don’t think I could trust someone, personally.