wnybassman

Good deal!

Out of the back of some guys trunk? lol

I use the soft formula from LC as well as their salt. 4 ounces plastic 2 ounces salt 1 ounce softener If you are remelting old plastic and adding salt you'll just have to wing it I guess. A respirator is a must. I couldn't do it without it.

I spent several hours searching the web last weekend for any quantity larger than 50rds. Finally found some at CTD, package arrived today. Checked today and they are now out, and no longer ship here to NY. Squeaked that one in just in time.

Correct, if any one of the evil features are met on a semi-auto, it will be classified as an AW. List of evil features...................... (A) A SEMIAUTOMATIC RIFLE THAT HAS AN ABILITY TO ACCEPT A DETACHABLE MAGAZINE AND HAS AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS: (I) A FOLDING OR TELESCOPING STOCK; (II) A PISTOL GRIP THAT PROTRUDES CONSPICUOUSLY BENEATH THE ACTION OF THE WEAPON; (III) A THUMBHOLE STOCK; (IV) A SECOND HANDGRIP OR A PROTRUDING GRIP THAT CAN BE HELD BY THE NON-TRIGGER HAND; (V) A BAYONET MOUNT; (VI) A FLASH SUPPRESSOR, MUZZLE BREAK, MUZZLE COMPENSATOR, OR THREADED BARREL DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE A FLASH SUPPRESSOR, MUZZLE BREAK, OR MUZZLE COMPENSATOR; (VII) A GRENADE LAUNCHER

So that tells me they were actually eating it today, instead of just swatting at it. lol

I agree, but the pages are a little rough.

Actually, he said he wanted a dedicated dropshot rod. My dedicated dropshot rod for many years was a 6'6" ML Fast St. Croix Premier even though it wasn't labeled as such. I have five of those rods and used them for everything I used a spinning rod for with success, and believe it or not that included skipping docks and hauling fish out of laydowns and brush. But what that rod excelled for was clear water smallmouth fishing. A couple years ago I got the Legend Tournament ML XF "dropshot rod" and to tell you the truth, I don't see a whole heck of a lot of difference in feel or action to justify the cost difference. It's a nice rod, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't do any more than my Premiers did.

I'm one up on you then. I happened upon a body fishing the Lower Niagara River about 6 or 8 years ago. Funny thing is, I was the third in my club to have this happen to them, on the same body of water at different times. Big, bloated, bleached out and no clothes. I hung around until the Coast Guard arrived to point it out to them, then kept my distance while they went about the recovery.

In a ll honesty this was not caught while fishing for smallies...............it was caught while fishing for crappie......................with 4 pound Vanish ) I kinda knew from the get-go it was NOT a crappie. lol

Dragging a tube...........................on 8 lb Vanish lol

And I was standing six feet from you having no problems feeling bites on 8 lb. Vanish, either.

About 15-20 years ago the "Okie Light" jig became popular for a few years and had quite the following. It was basically a weightless jig that fell slower than a Senko in the water. This was pre-Senko days, and I wasn't conditioned to letting anything fall that slow, so I didn't throw it much. lol I probably could now though. For whatever reason that jig became non-exisitant a few years after it came out, at least around here.

A spud bar is one of the best ways. I always carry one around on early ice to check as I am walking about. Just because it is good in one spot doesn't mean it's good 100 feet away. Give the ice a good hard whack with the bar. Two to three whacks before it goes through is generally safe enough to walk on carefully, but three plus is better. I have been out on "one whack ice" and you don't get a very comfortable feeling being on it. There are several brands of spuds made specifically for ice fishing.

Years ago I had an old Stratos Fish-n-Ski with a hydrofoil that had a porpoising problem, but without the hydrofoil it was a porpoising nightmare. It helped that situation tremendously and gave a little better hole shot as well. It also cut top speed down several miles per hour. I would agree with South FLA though, a 4 blade prop (if you don't already have one) should take care of the problem. They get a lot more bite in the water whether just taking off, or in really rough water. You also lose a few miles per hour off the top speed though, but a good trade-off IMO.

No pike or giant canvas weed mats? You guys are lucky.

All you guys that recommend expensive lures "that will outlast" cheaper baits and thus be cheaper in the long run, must not have too many toothy critters in your waters? lol Not terribly uncommon around here to be bit off a half dozen times in a days outing. That hurts even with cheap stuff!

My first thought was a GFI also. If you can't find one to reset inside, be sure to check any possible outside outlets. Wouldn't be the first one I've seen wired that way.

Another trick I do with the Gulp Alive is to drain out most of the "magic gravy" as soon as I open it. I see no need for a small handful of baits to float around in a pint or quart of solution. I keep just enough in there to cover the baits. Cuts way down on leakage and spillage, that is the main reason I do it. When dropshotting the minnow, I have had better luck nose hooking the bait sideways rather than straight up and down. In other words, I don't come through the chin and up out of the top of the nose, I go in one eye and out the other. I rarely rig it differently.

I throw some lighter T-rigs on it, say 1/4 ounce or less. Also makes a great shallow crank and squarebill rod, and last season it developed into a nice chatterbait rod for me.

I do have a 7' Avid M/fast and I wouldn't tie a jig on that rod unless I broke every other MH I had in the boat. lol

Well over a half of my strikes are on the initial fall and that includes baits up to one ounce, and when you get into lightweight or weightless plastic that number jumps to 80 to 90 percent of strikes are on the initial fall. You are missing bites. Lots of them.

Two years ago I used 14# flouro all season. This past season I used 30 braid, with and without a leader. Going back to 14# flouro next year, it just feels better to me.

I think once you learn to detect those strike on the fall, you'll realize you're missing about 80% of the strikes you get.

I've seen where a glow jig makes a slight difference under the ice while icefishing, but that's when there is snow cover and relatively dark down there.