shiloh

Thank you for your service!!! And...welcome home...here's to "tight lines" (plagiarized from ReelMech)

PMFJI... I wanted to get in on the BPS Rewards program, and as far as I could tell, I had to get a MBNA Visa (with the BPS fish on it). If you go to the BPS Rewards FAQ page, there is something about the "old" Rewards card, which would seem to be the non-VISA card option -- and it doesn't seem to be available. I decided to get the BPS VISA -- and retired my other VISA -- and all my gas credit cards. I use the BPS VISA for all credit card purchases, and get points for all my purchases -- the gas purchases really add up these days! And after CHristmas shopping, I have accumulated a bunch of points. And my points did not go away at the end of the year. But (as they say on TV...) wait -- there's more... You get an instant $10 coupon for use in-store, and an additional $25 gift card as soon as you use the VISA card for anything. I don't see a downside in getting the VISA card if you are already using a credit card -- and, as y'all know the points are multiplied if the card is used at BPS and multiplied even more if you buy BPS branded stuff. I figure with all the accumulated points from Christmas, gas, etc., together with the $25 gift card I still have, plus any gift cards I get for upcoming birthday (broad hints have been dropped...worked for me last year!), I will have a good chunk of bait monkey food to start gearing up in the spring. (not to mention timing my shopping to coincide with BPS sale events). My $0.02...

Raul: Thanks for the info! I won't even ask what the sinking rate is for a 3/8 oz lure... Geez...do I need to take a calculator (or a slide rule...anyone remember them??...) out in the boat? I don't think there is room in my tackle bag... ;D Seriously...good info...THANKS!

Interesting... Does that mean a 1/4 oz llipless crankbait would sink at a rate of 1 ft/2sec (6 inches/sec)??

Presumably, the guy can read...so he knows he's violating the posted restriction. So, whatever happens (if he's caught, whether or not you -- or someone else -- turns him in), the trouble is of his own making. Assuming he's not a psychotic, I like the idea of approaching him and offering to show him a better place -- and methods -- of catching fish. Share the sport... My $0.02...

FlyRod: I had the same sort of glasses and found suitably sized/shaped polarized clip on/flip ups at LensCrafters...of course that was a while ago...and I'm sure they don't carry them any more... :-/ HTH...

ernel, Thanks!! Lots of good information there...advice to take us through the fall until it's too cold to sit in a boat ;D

Well, it's Labor Day weekend, so summer is almost over...even hear the katydids warning about the first frost. :-/ So.... I wanted to start a thread about the change to "fall fishing" During the hot days, we all fish deeper and slower, with C-rigs and other tools and techniques discussed hereabouts. As the weather cools, what should we start doing differently? And what should we expect to see as far as change in bass behavior (hoping for another excelllent post from Dr. Raul...)? What should we be watching for? Let's hear it!

I don't know about risking lightning... :-/ But...I am curious about why a drop in barometric pressure put the fish into a feeding frenzy? Does that also mean that a rise in barometric pressure puts the bass in a funk? Or is just the change in pressure that does it? (I'm also surprised that bass can feel a change in air pressure if they are 20 feet underwater...) Interesting stuff...

I recently was using a lipless crank, and after I cast, I got a tangle, and didn't retrieve for some time (a minute at least), so the lure surely went to the bottom (abt 20 ft I believe) and sat there for a bit. Cleared the tangle, 2-3 cranks, and slam! Clearly not a "standard" retrieve, but it was a nice fish 8)

Raul: Very interesting! This place is like going to school! Except...the homework is much more enjoyable! Thanks!!

Raul: AWESOME post!! Who needs Bassmaster U? This forum rocks! What great information... Thanks!!

Great articles! I had looked at them a while back, but my sieve-like memory had forgotten a lot. Geez, life was simpler when there were fewer choices/variables... 8) I'm still a litttle puzzled ...to quote one of the articles: "...Strength: This is measured in pounds of force required to break the line. Most lines break at a much higher "pound test" than their labels state." In my example, YZH 8# test has a rated breaking strength of 12#... So if I wanted to have a "real" 8# line, I could "downsize" to 4# YZH, which has a breaking strength of 8.5#...yes? no? Is this 50% "cushion" typical, or just for YZH? Thanks...I do appreciate your patience -- and the education.

OK...so the rating on a rod relates to the diameter of the line...that makes sense But how do you know that 65# braid has a line diameter of 16# mono? Is there some sort of rule of thumb or standard. To further confuse (me, anyway...), if I look at the charts published Yo Zuri Hybrid, it says that 8# test line has a diameter of .011 in -- and a breaking strength of 12#. So..."test" is not "breaking strength"...?? Trilene XL is listed at .010 in -- I don't know what it's "breaking strength" is. So is .010 (or .011) the line diamter standard for 8# mono? If I really want an 8# line, Yo Zuri Hybrid would presumably allow me to go to a 4# test line, which is supposed to have a breaking strength of 8.5# The 4# YZH has a diameter of .009 -- which should be a bit different for handling, capacity, etc. Yep...I am confused...

ReelMech: Can you clarify that? "line diameter" vs "line strength" ? Thanks!

I can't get the picture of that good ole braid out of my head...by comparison to the mono I used on my spin gear back in the Bronze Age, the braid of that era looked like clothesline. Today...how does the "look and feel" (diameter, limpness, memory, etc) compare for for the same "strength" (lb test) of mono and braid. And (another silly question...) is the braid actually composed of (very small) braided mono?

OK...I'm going to throw myself on the mercy of the forum... Be gentle (note my "newbie" rating...) please... Back when I started fishin (just after they stopped using curved whalebone for hooks....just kidding !! > mono line was for spinning gear, and braid was for baitcasters (I have no memory of what the material of the casting braid was...cotton? dacron? horsehair? In any event, it looked like little rope, was opaque and really tough-looking. Not like the soft, wispy beauty of my mono... 8) Today, mono (and braid...) is used for baitcasters, so the obvious (newbie, remember...) question is: can you use braid for spinning gear? I've never even considered it, under the assumption that it would be too heavy/rope-like. But it seems that some (a lot?) of you are doing that, so braid must be very different today... Thanks for helping me learn something new every day!! ;D This forum is awesome!!

Found this (thanks to Google): "Men will go fishing their entire lives without knowing it is not fish they are after." --- Henry David Thoreau

Actually I DO want to get off the water when lightning is near!! ;D (I may be crazy, but not stupid... : ) Avid, I would say you were rolling the dice parking between the trees and the buildings... But I also agree that violent weather is pretty cheap -- and spectaculat -- entertainment. I remember sitting on my front porch (when I was a mere wisp of a child...) and watching the t-storms roll in toward our house. I sat in a metal chair...drove my grandmother nuts!! :-X

Good site! Thanks!

Ah....yes that would do it for me!!! I think you dodged a (very big and nasty) bullet ....and lived to fish again!!

Just wondering... If you are out in the middle of a lake when a thunderstorm hits, what's the best thing to do? I know...keep your casts low...sidearm preferred... ;D I see the lake as a big flat area, and fishers in a boat are a bit of a raised "point" -- like a lightning rod...not a safe thing, IMO. And if the lightning would hit anywhere on the lake, it would seem that being in a (metal...) boat isn't such a good thing either. Do you head for shore? But wait..there are trees there, and they also attract the lightning, no? So...what's the advice? (staying home is NOT an option... 8)

Would seem that the humidity bothers the fishers more than the fish...the latter have to deal with high humidity almost all the time (except when being gently lifted from the water by the fisher...) 8) Cooler weather is just around the corner...so is Christmas...make sure "Loomis" or "St. Croix" is on the wish list!! ;D

$1200 will go a long way toward feeding the baitmonkey!! ;D

some days, I believe I could only catch a fish if it was blind,and I dragged the hook across his lips by accident... :-/