Ratherbfishing

If it happened just this once, consider it normal and don't give it a second thought. If it happens a lot, your knots are either bad OR you have old or junky line.

If I EXPECTED to catch a personal best any or every time I went out, I'd be setting myself up for disappointment. They usually come when you least expect it. And it would diminish my enjoyment of any other fish I caught. But my advice for you is this: Go where there ARE reasonable numbers of larger fish and hold your fingers crossed. A 4+ lb fish in New Hampshire is probably not something you'll find every day-or even on your birthday. Happy birthday! Wanna trade ages?

Lately, my lawn mower has had the very annoying habit of running for awhile and then inexplicably dying (where I have to wait a long time before it starts again). WHEN the mower is running, it runs strong so I don't think it's the points (do small engines still have these?) and while I can't rule out bad gas, if it WERE bad gas, wouldn't it refuse to start at all? My only thought is that gas tank is not venting properly and a vacuum is forming in the tank and not allowing fuel to get to the carburetor. Is this a reasonable guess?

Have gotten better about this but for years, this was how I kept the bait monkey happy. What say, you?

At first glance, I thought you were suggesting elephants were worse than earthquakes. But like Emily Litella (Gilda Radner, SNL), I stopped, smiled, and said "....oh, never mind!"

On one occasion, a buddy and I discovered that nearly all of the fish we caught (in a flat interspersed with cattails) were after we brought the bait back to the boat and fished them vertically. Most of these fish probably followed the baits back to the boat and took some time before they decided to bite. If we'd lifted our baits up immediately, we'd have caught fewer fish. This is a slightly different scenario BUT sometimes fish do take some time before they decide to bite.

Yeah, and this guys hands are HUGE, too.

It's just a plain ol' creek chub. Not a hybrid.

Technically, it isn't plastic but I've had my best luck with Gulp Minnows (2 inch). Suspended under a bobber, it's a killer.

I like the "standard" yo-zuri hybrid line for my baitcaster (as the principal line or as a leader) and the hybrid ultra-soft on my spinning reel. It can be difficult to find despite its popularity.

My STAPLE colors are almost always silver (do they come in any other color?) My stapler color is candy apple red. Unfortunately, my boss keeps trying to steal it. But seriously, depending upon time of year and water clarity, the predominant colors are white or pearl, chartreuse, orange or red, chrome. It doesn't mean I don't use other colors, though.

Truly I say unto thee: You're making it too complicated. The only suggestion I have is that for ANY bait that provides a lot of resistance, you'll want a lower gear ratio so you don't wear yourself out.

Yes

The last P line I had an issue with was at the baseball stadium. You see, I'd had too many beers and the line to the restroom was all the wayout the door and waaaaaay down the hall.

What he said.

"Inability to keep up with new trends." What does that mean, exactly? Can't teach an old dog new tricks? Judging solely on my own experiences on the water, I'd say the single factor which most inhibits those old veterans is simply their physical deterioration. Getting older is simply no fun. If those old veterans could turn back the hands of time and be as strong and durable as they once were AND retained their amassed knowledge, they'd truly be a force to be reckoned with.

Its when you try to hold a bass HORIZONTALLY (by the jaw and without supporting the body) that injury can occur to the jaw. Holding a bass vertically usually doesn't cause great injury unless it thrashes around a lot and you drop it.

Nice crappie! How did you catch it?

I paddle mine all the time-but just to supplement the trolling motor (when I'm in a hurry to get off the lake before the park gates close). But to rely JUST on paddles? It'll get you someplace but certainly not in a hurry.

For the love of God, PLEASE! No Speedo's! ; )

Some would say ALL my catches are accidental but I beg to differ. Only MOST of them are. Actually, ALL of my 4 musky have been accidental in the sense that all were caught while fishing for bass. But the one that stands out is the musky I caught while fishing for smallmouth in the modest river which, out west, wouldn't be termed anything more than a small stream. I was wading and casting for smallmouth and had tossed a Rebel crawdad in among a fallen trees branches. After a couple of turns of the reel handle, the musky grabbed my bait and PULLED like a diesel-electric. Armed with only a medium action spinning rod and 6 lb mono and having to contend with the current, I thought I'd somehow latched onto a new state-record smallmouth. I was both elated and disappointed when the muskie emerged from the depths. At 30 inches, it wasn't a giant but for me it was one heck of a catch.

Sometimes I'll listen and chat with people when I'm first getting on the lake but I avoid it like the plague when I'm getting off. I don't like having my 4 fish diminished when someone tells me they DESTROYED them on X, Y, or Z. They might have been... (ahem) "embellishing" or they might not but, either way, I don't enjoy having my day altered by comparing myself with some one else. Call it an ego thing but it's the primary reason why I don't fish tournaments.

One species my buddy and I have had caught a goodly number of is Bowfin. On one occasion we caught as many bowfin as bass. I didn't mind because they fight so well (and we don't keep bass anyway) but my buddy was somewhat displeased.

When I was in high school (and some would say even now), I wasn't terribly sophisticated. If I saw a guy fishing a spot and had caught fish (when, most likely, I wasn't) and he left, I would have, probably, shrugged my shoulders and moved in. Wouldn't think much of it, actually. He left, after all. Perhaps it wasn't as innocent as this (I don't know) but in an imperfect world where resources have to be shared, one can't expect to reserve a spot indefinitely. That money is on the line is, to me, irrelevant.

I second that suggestion.