Ratherbfishing

Waaaay back when I had a friend who performed exactly zero (0) maintenance on his fishing gear. It was not then and to this day it is not uncommon for him to fish with only half a spool of line. On this day his line was looking mighty shabby. I said too him, "Your line needs to be replaced." Nope. So we're fishing a deep pool on a river. He's using a Rooster Tail (he always uses a Rooster Tail). He hooks into a nice bass. As expected, *POP*. Line breaks. My friend is bumming. I refrain from saying anything. We continue to fish. The fishing begins to slow and I elect to fish the far end of the pool with a night crawler under a bobber. It isn't long before my bobber goes down and I pull in a good bass. One of the better ones I'd caught in my early fishing career. HUGE by our meager standards. Low and Behold! What does it have in its mouth? A rooster tail! I take it out and hand it to him, saying "You want your lure back?" Perhaps it was funnier at the time but back then...it was hilarious!

Poor little Red!

VERY peculiar!

Based on my experience with this material, I cannot fathom fishing in a cold stream/river with neoprene waders. Not without a REALLY solid pair of thermals underneath. My gloves won't accommodate anything underneath them.

You're referring to latex gloves, I think. Neoprene is what (some) chest waders are made from. It's considerably thicker. I'll have to use XXXXXL gloves If i expect them to fit over the Neoprene. I may get some very large mittens to fit over them OR I'll just break down and get some suitable ice fishing mittens.

Ah, yes. I would (I think) have preferred neoprene OVER the regular gloves but they were an impulse buy (a sale) so beggars can't be choosers. I'll have to get very large gloves or mittens If I expect them to fit OVER the neoprene (or I'll just find a new home for them).

Another thread ("Cold Hands") by Oregon Native got me thinking about some Neoprene gloves I bought a few years back. They do, indeed, keep my hands dry but they seem to offer little insulating value (i.e, my hands begin to freeze). I had HOPED they were useful for keeping my hands warm (too) but this doesn't seem to be the case-i wouldn't have bought them if I thought "dry" was all they did. Can I assume I have to wear much larger gloves or mittens over them if I'm going to keep my hands warm as well as dry?

My primary thought with the Pilot is that it IS pretty roomy and the floor lays completely flat-no bumps or awkward pointy things AND, most importantly, I can keep the skeeters and the rain out and run the AC if it gets too hot. I do have an old tent which isn't too difficult to set up. Maybe I'll make it my "dressing room." I just wish people could just leave other peoples stuff ALONE. I'd sleep at the boat ramp parking lot if I thought it was feasible. The "Cujo" Idea that A-Jay put forward seems awfully tempting.

In Southern Illinois I DO plan to do just this (sans the tent). Giant City State Park campgrounds is centrally located around 3 or 3 or 4 respectable lakes. Other places I hope to fish aren't quite so accommodating. : (

Next year I am going to make a concerted effort to do more travelling/fishing and sleeping in the back of my Honda Pilot. I am, however, a bit pensive about leaving my boat/gear "exposed" to the many A-holes out there who would love to reallocate my possessions to their personal collection-even IF I am in the back of my Wagon. Perhaps ESPECIALLY because I'm in the back of my wagon. I've considered training some rattlesnakes to guard my boat but that's tenuous at best. It might be a pipe dream but I'd like to try. Has anyone else travelled 'round the country and/or region and done anything similar? If so, what advice do you have?

That IS funny! I don't know. If I could reliably catch pound and a half redear just by having a bird poop on my shoulder, I'd say "poop away!" Smaller fish, no. (Note: I'd spray my coat with some major Scotch Guard and keep a generous supply of paper towels nearby). Yes, I know. Ice fishermen are a strange breed.

Actually, yeah, you are right. My ice fishing flasher plays a lot like a video game too.

I play Company of Heroes on my PC a lot and used to play World of Warships but that game requires too much patience for me. I'd rush in with my destroyer and get the barnacles blown off of me. I don't have a PS2, 3, or 4.

Just about every 12 year old boy I know has caught at least two or three. I go to the gym. I pick up a 10 lb dumbell. It seems light, really. Super light. I can do arm curls all day with these puppies. But have I ever caught a bass even approximating 10 lbs? Ha! The heaviest bass I've caught might have weighed 7 lbs soaking wet (which it was). I don't mind, though, because if it were relatively easy, anything smaller would seem like a dink. I'm good.

A decent argument, perhaps, for getting a more sensitive rod but I'm not sure if it changes anything for me otherwise. If I don't think I've gotten a hit, I'm not not going to set the hook. There's a lot going on down there in the water and not everything is a bite so I don't want to jerk a bait out of the strike zone prematurely. Short of setting the hook more often (which I'm unlikely to do) the best thing to do is to be better positioned so that when I DO feel a bite, the time required for a proper hookset is minimized. And buy a better rod.

If you go to the Pelican Bass Raider thread, this should satisfy your desire for pics/mods/etc. I really like mine and use it at LEAST as much and probably more than my 17 foot boat. If you can't find a space to on the ample gunwale to place your scent/lures/etc , you are in dire need of corrective glasses. My largest complaint is its very limited number of "hardpoints" for securing cleats, transducers, etc. and that after a long day with my legs crossed, my knees start to kill me. The latter, I think, can be fixed if I raise my seat some. The former is suspect is engineered that way so the company isn't held liable for some of the excessive things people try to do. I've learned to store the boat at a "lean"on the trailer so that water doesn't fill up the inside after a hard rain or, worse still, seep inside the "shell" or "cavity" of the boat. There ARE plugs for draining the water but it takes a long time and you have to tip it on its end ( rather awkward-especially WHEN there is a lot of heavy water in it).

Is this guy like 8 years old or somethin'? Glad you got the truck back and hope you can get the stink of the cigarettes (and him) out.

(Almost) too beautiful to be fished. These belong in a museum.

It MIGHT have an enlarged prostate. Better have it checked out!

I know what you mean. As a kid I destroyed things (fishing gear, lures, toys, you name it) that I wish to heck I hadn't.

Perhaps what I'm suggesting is "old news" for you, and it doesn't really answer your question (sorry for that), but IMO, instead of trying to find a super sensitive rod (for bluegill), invest in one that has an oversized tip guide-one which easily accommodates the foam of a spring bobber. Spring bobbers are great for detecting even the softest bites AND even those "negative" bites where the bluegill lifts up the bait. You won't need to feel the bites because you'll see them instead.

Probably the BEST thing you can do is forgo a direct "fishing job" and, instead, find a decent paying job that affords you the resources, location, and the time to fish frequently. Ironically, the closer you get to the field, the further you will get from it. If you WANT to be a wildlife biologist or fishing guide, etc, these things are perfectly fine but don't expect to see yourself fishing much (if any) during said occupation. And honestly, during your free time, you might find yourself wanting nothing to do with being out-of-doors. That recliner, tv, warm space heater (or cool AC), etc. feels awfully good when you've been out in the elements all...the...time. No. Do something which is congruent with "allowing" you the ability to fish during your off time.

I've no research to back this up but I don't think bowfin pose any significant threat to other fish populations. They have been around "forever" and I've never heard of a lake being overrun by them. One lake I fish has a few bowfin and if any lake could be overrun by a species, this particular lake could. But it isn't. They hit hard, fight harder, and since I personally seldom keep bass to eat, an "inedible" bowfin holds (almost) as much esteem for me as does a bass.

Sweet pattern and color choice.

I'm with ya man! She can be mad but I'd have laughed too! So, offering to clean her car out with it probably won't fly?