Lund Explorer

Hey, sorry about that jab yesterday and I hope that hangover is gone by now. Look at the bright side, most of us guys from Michigan are done fishing until spring because we winterized our boats Sunday afternoon.... You know where must have just frozen over!

BASSMASTER in the bathroom hasn't been the same since they got rid of Harry & Charlie.

Good Morning & Happy Hangover! Now if you can save this post for the next 23 months......

x2 x3

Hey Andy, you still looking for a fish finder? I'm going to retire my Eagle Fish Mark 240 around the end of October. I need to ship this thing out of here so I've got the excuse to buy my new one, so the price is perfect..... $0. If you are interested in it, send me a pm. If you are already set, I guess I'll put it on the garage sale thread for the same price. LONG LIVE THE BAIT MONKEY!

While you are at it, think about replacing all of the bunks at the same time. And make sure you set them at the correct angles so the entire bunk comes into contact with the bottom of the boat.

As far as I know, all smelt spawn during the spring, either in small creeks or in some places along a rocky shoreline. My guess would be that they are either following or looking for food to forage on. Only lake I fish regularly with a smelt population here in Michigan is Higgins Lake. Some very deep water up to 120' deep, with some sunken islands, steep drop-offs, and expansive flats in the 60'+ range. As far as I know, nobody up there sees or looks for smelt until the lake freezes over in January. By then, you'll see little shanty towns on top of 30' - 50' of water where anglers fish for smelt at night. I'll be up there in a few weeks, so I'll have to ask around.

as they say...you'll catch more bees with honey man...i'd talk to him and sugar coat what ever turd there may be between y'all...so there isn't that possible added stress factor or awkwardness or whatever...clear the air with the old dude & make peace...be better all around... And if its possible, why not take a second pole along. Invite the guy to join you in the fishing. Sounds like you've seen him at his worst, so you may want to see him at his potential best. Nobody ever got hurt making a new friend.

Zoiks, a mental image of Jim Nabors singing "To Dream the Impossible Dream" just popped into my head. I think Gomer has got a better chance of making General!

Lots of advice given on this forum, but Sam just hit it. BINGO!

Okay, so I did my own Googling <is that a word?> and I see what you mean. Being from a state with a long history of these fish, I also checked our DNR website. Here's a link to their report: http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364_18958-45690--,00.html From my own standpoint, I don't normally figure smelt as a baitfish when I'm think of bass. This is probably because our population lives in the depths of the great lakes for most of the year, and only come into the shallows during the spring of the year to spawn. I have seen maybe twice where strong easterly winds have driven near shore water temps down into the 40's in the fall where they have shown up while I was pier fishing for salmon, but it doesn't happen very often. We also have a number of inland lakes that have decent populations of smelt where the bass may get the chance to key in on them from time to time. But still as a forage for bass, I don't really consider them a primary source. These fish live in the deepest and coldest water (remember their preferred temp is 45 degrees), and are normally only active at night. So when I look at the difference of habitat between bass and smelt, they just seem too far apart. I could only think to put the two together would either be in the early spring, or perhaps to the late period after the fall turnover (when water temps from shallow to deep mix equally) just prior to ice up. One last note is that the little critters are fairly tasty!

I couldn't find the smiley that was tossing his cookies, so all you get is this.....

Wow, that title was confusing! Here' I was already to tell a story of the wife fishing for smallies. Instead I guess I'll just say that my two favorites are either the Rattlin Rap or a 5a Bomber..... Both in firetiger. Yeah, both shallow runners for fall fishing.

Not that it always works, but I try to make a game out of a topwater bite to see how long I can wait before the hook set. I found that using a casting bubble and spider for bluegills in the spring makes for great practice. It is amazing how many times a bass will inhale the bubble (with no hook attached). Patience is really the key.

Strictly speaking.... No, with reservations. The returns you prepare for others would have to be "paper returns" and not be e-filed. You aren't allowed to prepare electronically filed returns unless you have completed the application process for an EFIN (Electronic Filing Identification Number). You will also need to know that if you have a problem with one of the people you are doing returns for, you will be limited in what you can do for them in resolving those issues with IRS. This wasn't always the case as the Form 2848 Power of Attorney allowed for "un-enrolled agents" to discuss and resolve many issues. That isn't the case anymore. So legally, you can do the work within the restrictions. Ethically, means to that you need to understand your limitations as to what you can provide, and to explain these things to your "clients". Here's the link to the IRS website's main preparer's page. Probably would be a good idea to study some of things here. http://www.irs.gov/taxpros/index.html

So, follow the links and find the class that is nearest to you. If is like the area I live in, you'll find out the instructor is the owner of a local office. It wouldn't hurt to discuss your concerns with this person prior to signing up for the classes. Just make sure that you explain to them that you would be willing to work almost any shift aside from your college schedule. And REALLY make sure to volunteer for the evening and/or weekend hours, as this is when most of taxpayers want to come in to take care of this. Taking the classes is going to give you a good basic knowledge on the preparation of simpler 1040 returns which is the basis of their clients. You'll have plenty of time in the future to work on the more complex individual returns, and then into the corporate/partnership arena. At the very worst, you will have spent a few hours of extra study. If H & R Block doesn't hire you, the classes can still give you a leg up on all of those folks looking to hire into one of the many other tax preparation firms out there.

The University of Michigan..... One of the two great football programs in the state, along with Central Michigan!!!!! Poor old "Moo U". Bwaaahahaha!

Like everyone else, I'm sorry to see all you folks going through these floods. When I first saw the news, I wondered how many people wouldn't be posting here for a few days.

Morning Root Beer, Setting aside that last advice I gave to you on that stripper thing for a minute or two, I thought I'd chip in some serious advice here. As a practicing accountant for the last 33 years, I can assure you that the only limitations you'll find in this career are the ones you set on yourself. Hearing you talk about getting into the consultation part of the business is interesting, as I find that my work in this area is actually one of the most satisfying parts of my work. To get to that point though, you're going to have to work your way through many of the more mundane parts of the profession first. A part time job with a tax preparation firm such as H & R Block isn't a bad way to start. An off season internship, while it doesn't really pay, would also add to your resume when you begin to look for a firm to work for while sitting for the exams. Hey, regardless of what you choose, I'll wish you the best of luck. Now about that stripper........ :

You guys are killing me! All this "flatlander" country up here gives our pictures a certain lack of a mountain background. To make matters worse, the wife has a terrible time with my camera. So here's a few I've taken this summer. BTW, what kind of cameras are you guys using. These were taken with a Nikon D40. I've got both a 55mm and 200mm lens along with a few other things with it. Next purchase is going to be a tripod of some sort!

X2! Didn't need the chuckling smiley though, because the guy answered his own question when he said they went wild on dog food. I laid my last dollar on the fact that this pond has either an automatic feeder or the owner hand feeds them. If you want to fish pellet trained fish, you just gotta match the hatch. Try this...... Get some 3" grubs that come close to the color of the feed, break off the tail so only the body remains, and rig it weightless. Open hook or tex-posed doesn't much matter as it should be a short range surface bite. Think Trout Pond!

Sounds more like an algae bloom to me as well. Not really sure on Wisc., but here across the lake in Michigan we have finally seen above normal temps since the first of September. That's probably the cause of the "green" water. Our fall turnover just brings up a lot of dead stuff off the bottom which is brown.

Great Fish A-Jay! Congrats to your wife, but I'm getting off of here before mine looks over my shoulder and sees those pics.

Don't save just two cups...... Save it all! You've got the start of Chix Noddle Soup. I always make an entire batch starting with a full chicken in a big old pot of water. Once you've pulled the chicken out, cook up the celery and carrots in the broth. Remove the veggies when they're cooked, and set them aside. One last thing is to de-bone and cut up the chicken. Once all of that is done, just divide into serving size containers with equal portions of everything, and put into the freezer for later use. All that needs to be added is the noodles (or rice). I can usually get a nice dinner for the wife and I, and about six 2 qt. containers in the freezer. Great for those winter days when a cold is coming on.

X2! Most critters whether they swim, walk, or fly become accustomed to their surroundings. A bass living on a lake with high boat traffic isn't going to be much more affected than the deer that live right on the runways at the Detroit airport.