Beamer2

I heard Academy was going to start an online store sometime this month. Anyone have any insight to this. That would be great for those of us who don't have a store nearby. Thanks

Does anyone know who makes the netcraft crankbaits? Are they decent? They are fairly cheap, and I was just wondering what they compare too? I am kindof thinking the BPS XPS baits. That is kindof what they look like to me. However, I have heard/seen them compared to LC, but I find that very hard to believe. Anyone have any insight? I called them and they cannot tell me who makes them. Thanks

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_44440____SearchResults Try these. The cheapest and best way, IMHO. They work with any type and size line. Very easy to use and never come off. I just use a black sharpie on the colored ones.

So its sensative like Flouro, Stretches and floats like Mono. The sensativity sounds great but the stretch and floating worries me. Ussually Flouro is used cause it is sensative (good for shakey heads, drop shot, etc.), doesn't stretch (good for ripping through weeds and quick hooksets), sinks (helps with tighter lines in jigs/suspended jerkbaits, etc.) Plus it is abrasive resistant. So as you can see, I am having trouble seeing where to use these type of lines. They seem to act much more like mono, so I can use them in place of Mono but get a line that is more durable and abrasive resistant, but don't really see replacing this with other Flouro's because of stretch and floating characteristics. As you can see I am set in my ways of when to use flouro or mono, so just need a little insight as when to use these new "hybrid" lines. Thanks again. The price is what is very intriguing

Does this stuff have more characterstics of Flouo, or of Mono (ie. does it sink or float, stretch, virtually invisible in water, stuff like that)? It says a "Flouro Copolymer", but everyone compares it to Mono. So do you guys use it when you would normally use Flouro or Mono. Just starting to look at this stuff and for that price I better look really hard at switching to it. And why is it so cheap? That price is crazy. Thanks in advance, especially you RW, I know that this is all that you use, lol, and you are a huge proponent for this stuff.

Yea sorry I was thinking of a few different rods at the time, I meant St.Croix. I saw them in the new BPS catalog. Thanks for the thoughts guys.

I am looking for any thoughts on the new St. Croix Mojo series rods. More specifically, how do they compare to Powell and Carrot sticks? I know that the Mojo's are a little less expensive, but they carry a name that is typically more expensive. Let me here what you think. Thanks in advance.

Bass have two different areas on their bodies that detect sound waves. The first is the lateral line. The lateral line does detect sound waves however only at short distances. The lateral line is mostly used for schooling fish and allows them to stay together as a school. Think about shiners and shads and other popular schooling fish. If you look at their lateral lines, they are very defined and seem much larger than other fish that are not necessarily schooling fish. The other is the otilith. This is known as the inner ear. Located just behind and above their eyes, right in the middle. It is filled with a liquid and is connected (so to speak) with the air bladder. The liquid in the otilith and the air in the air bladder detect different sound waves. They work conjuctiviely together to provide to the brain the general sound and direction of the waves. This is a bass's primary source of "hearing". If you have ever been under water and listened closley, sound waves travel very differently. The bass's otilith and bladder "work together" to maximize the capture of these waves. That is a simple and short overview of how the "hearing" sensory organs of Bass work. Hopefully that is not too confusing. It has been a while since I studied that in school so it might not come out right, from the back of my brain. Keep in mind as well that Bass have chemosensory cells as well. Which is bassically like "smelling" in a general sense. This stuff is amazing and I wish I knew more about it. All I know is that in school, we connected two tanks together with a line that had a valve on it and gravity feed water from the upper tank to the lower tank. We put fathead minnows in the lower tank, then we put pike or bass in the upper tank and opened the valve. You want to see fatheads freak out. it was actually pretty funny but amazing at the same time. I had to document how long they "Freaked out for" and when they calmed down and all. It was pretty cool and very visual as to how the chemosensory cells worked. Hope that didn't put you guys to sleep, ha ha. Just something good to keep in mind when fishing.

No, I really did mean split ring. At least that is what I use. It works well. But I imagine you can use anything that fits snuggly around the worm but still allows you to get a hook underneath it.

I am surprised that I haven't seen anyone post anything about the split ring rig. Basically its a split ring that fits snug around the worm. You slide it to the middle of the worm. Then you put your hook in between the worm and the ring. That way you don't damage your plastic and you can get a few more fish out of them. Works great.

KYbasser.... As a biologist of nearly 18 years, I can say be willing to move around. Try not to get hung up on living in the same area you are.... I got my BS from Colorado State and my MS from Texas A&M I have worked for Colorado, Texas and now MN. If you are willing to relocate (before getting hitched) It really helps.... There are several good schools around the country, Clemson, Auburn, Miss State, Colorado State, South Dakota State, Uconn, U Minnesota, U Maine... to name a few.... Look around a bit and decide whether you want to spend your career inland or on the ocean... Then think about what you really want to do and get all the experience you can... As other have suggested.... a Masters is a good start... the competition is fierce with dwindling budgets.... If you have experience and education...... you will be more of a commodity than the average Joe... I would suggest volunteering for your local fisheries office at some point to get a feel for not just the fun stuff but all the particular job entails.... Good luck!! 8-) Yea, thats a good one, go Black Bears, lol.

I have heard of them, my recolection is they are a pretty decent firm. If we ever need wetlands deliniation I will let you know, lol. Don't do much though. Thanks

Cujo - What Firm are you with? I know a few up here in upstate NY.

Wow, this is turning out to be a pretty good post. Many stuff being said is very true. I forgot who said what so forgive me. There are minimal jobs in this field, and with state budget cuts guess who is going first. Whith that being said however, there are positions out there. My recomendations are the private sector. Better pay but not better benefits. The one thing to consider that many state employees, at least here in NY, are baby boomers getting ready to retire. So many spots will be reopening if they don't cut them first. It was an excellent course of study and I still use some of it with my current job. Because I was unable to find a fisheries job, and was unwilling to relocate (another must to find a fisheries job) I took a job in environmental consulting/engineering. I am now in Environmental Construction and love it. I do miss fisheries work and being around it. But that is why I still fish a lot and fish competitively. I am the new conservation director for our club so I will use some skills there as well. My advise would be to pursue your dream education and job. But consider post graduate work, and while doing undergraduate studies, take meaningful electives (extra Math, Physics, other Environmental courses) not gym or underwater basketweaving, lol. It will make your workload harder but it will definitely help in the long run. I could go on and on, so if you want to chat please feel free to send me or any one else who has offered a pm. One other quick thought, if you are going to seek a fisheries education, take a real close look at field and lab time at the particular schools you look at. I went to a techinical school first and got a lot of hands on work, before I went to a bigger university (go Black Bears). At the university, my field time was very minimal, thank god I had the field work before, it put me way ahead of my colleages. Also on your summers do work for PHD candidates, you can learn a ton and have a great time. One summer I did radio tracking of american eels to determine foraging habitat. Was fun and learned a lot, even though I can't stand those little suckers. Alright well I have rambled on enough. Like I said Pm me if you want to continue this. Thanks Beamer

Kybasser1 - Well, I went to school to become a Fish Biologist, however since graduation I have not worked in the fisheries field at all but I'm still in the environmental field. I can help you a little bit with studies and schools. I got an AAS in Fisheries and Wildlife, and a BS in Natural Resources with a Freshwater Fisheries concentration. PM me or email me if you are interested in chatting a little. Email - sabeamer2@yahoo.com Thanks Steve

I use a spinnerbait binder from BPS. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_53043_100011010_100000000_100011000_100-11-10 I love it and it fits nicely in the top of my Extreme 370 Qualifier bag above the boxes but I am still able to zip it up. I have 2 worm binders as well and they fit in the bag pockets. That way for tourney's everything is confined to one bag and is very easy to carry around. I then carry my buzzbaits in my topwater box in the bag.

Rooster - Sent you a PM

Now I'm ticked. I just bought 2 of these on sale for $40.00 ea, which I thought was good. I really like the extreme BC reels and the rods seem pretty good so I thought that these would be decent. They felt good in the store. Oh well, I wonder if BPS will take them back if I haven't used them yet.

RW - Great post thanks for that. Hopefully that illustration will give some confidence to those who need it when taking deep hooks out. Keep in mind fish do heal just like us. However, with that being said, you still need to be careful. Keep in mind the gullet and gills when dehooking. If you damage the gullet the fish can't eat, if you damage the gills it can't breath. The gills are fragile, not as fragile as are often portrayed, but you don't want to be messing with them. I hate seeing guys gill a fish and then put it back. They are basically like the Aveoli in our lungs and you know how sensative they are, and they take oxygen out of air, much harder in water. Also regarding the hook passing without any issues. He probably ment that the hook has a good chance of becoming dislodged and fall out of its mouth at some point. The hook will never pass through without damaging it in some way, especially considering how small its anus is, ouch. The tecnique RW posted will work just don't be afraid to use a little force. You will get the hang of it. Bass are very resilient and will overcome more than you think. How many times have you seen bass that are pretty beat up, especially the hogs. Just my $.02.