Ratherbfishing

LOL! I'd forgotten about this commercial! Yes, I agree that this training would cut down on said violations. HOWEVER, like most universities, mine is a "touchy feely" sort of place where enabling is the norm and children aren't really encouraged to grow up.

I'm walking down a sidewalk on the campus where I work. Coming directly at me is a "man-child" on a skate board. The REASON he is coming straight at me is because he is texting (or otherwise engaged) on his smart phone and is not paying any attention to where he is going. I wait to see if he is going to change course and when he does not I shout at him to get out of the way. Startled, he finally changes course but only misses me by inches. After he passes I make reference to his not so intelligent gluteus maximus. It's AMAZING to me how these "kids" (if not in age, at least in emotional maturity) can receive high scores on their ACT, pass upper-level math and physics courses, etc, and yet think they can text while on their bikes or skateboards, walk out onto the street without looking, burst out into crosswalks whilst riding their bikes, and so forth and so on. What makes it worse is that the "powers that be" on this campus have created an environment where self-accountability (for said behavior) is next to zero and it truly is a wonder more of them aren't killed. Certainly it makes the commute to and from work a stress-filled event. Sorry for the rant but I had to get it out!

If you have many places to try...heck, I'd go for it. You can always fall back on the old faithful ones when you need some validation. Or not. It's completely up to you.

I HAVE had a few cheapo knockoffs that swam through the water like soggy cigars. THOSE will NEVER be golden BB'S.

I have put my finger on why I make so many fishing purchases. Sure, like most everyone else, I'm looking for that golden BB miracle lure that catches fish when nothing else will BUT, in actuality, just about every purchase I make carries with it the hope/desire to take it on another fishing outing. Having done a little bit of calculating, if this were REALLY possible, my box represents about 5,000 years worth of trips (with some time in between) and as long as my money held out, I could live nearly forever. I know-good luck with that.

Even a broken clock works twice a day so I'm guessing it is less about you and more the lake. Does it get hit hard by bucket fishermen? Is it a dumping ground for toxic waste? Some lakes are more fragile and/or less fertile so that might have some bearing on things. Are your buddies catching fish on this particular lake? If so, do you watch them and try to emulate them? In business, they say the three most important factors are location, location, location and so it also is with fishing. Don't concern yourself so much with the lures you are using or even the techniques (except how they pertain to location and/or depth) and concern yourself MORE with location. Seek out cover, vegetation, changes in structure, etc. Pay attention to the time of day and time of year. I could go on and on but maybe this is a good start.

If you want, I can take them off your hands for you. It would be a shame to have them taking up space in your tackle box. ; )

That's just cruel! True but cruel nevertheless. ; )

Don't know if this is just a local sale but Field & Stream has clearance items where if you buy 5, you get 5 (of the same or lesser value) free. I "snagged" 10 Shadow Raps (one of my very favorite baits) for about 3 buck a piece. What I don't use, I'll give as gifts. They'll thank me later.

Sometimes you will find a bait or method where you have to ask "Where have you been all my life?". You have "stumbled" upon a technique that has, apparently, placed your lure in a location and time when the fish are there and desire it. In 6 months (or maybe tomorrow) it may not be the case. Last spring I was fishing with a buddy. We usually do pretty good methodically/slowly fishing a soft plastic and although we were were picking up a FEW fish they were exactly that-few and far between. I surmised, luckily, that the fish were "off" a bit and decided the best thing to do would appeal to their gut instinct to bite something before it got away and switched to a jerk bait-something they might have to chase-but not very far. It was as though a light bulb went on and the bite was on again. Moral of this story: Don't discard, sell, or give away your other baits yet. The time may (probably WILL) come when your drop shot technique may dry up-only to be replaced with something else.

lighter line will get you increased casting distance and greater depth (if that is a goal).

was he IN the picture? Doubt it.

Perhaps they could ask Toby Keith to host as well. Does Beyonce have an arch nemesis? If so, they could ALSO host.

If, by hard bait, you mean "crank bait", it almost definitely would have been a small original floating Rapala as that was about the only crankbait i had for a long time. Otherwise, I'm sure it was a small Mepps Aglia spinner. Ah, those were the days! (or so my selective memory chooses to believe).

My experience was very similar to yours this past Monday. Caught a bunch of bass on a small Rapala but few were very large. My fish didn't want an erratic retrieve either. Small hooks have a smaller gap and, thus, less holding ability-particularly on larger fish. That may be one reason why most of your CAUGHT fish were small. HOWEVER, in terms of size, it could just be that only the smaller fish were in a biting mood. Upscaling the lure may or may not increase the fish size. It's worth trying, however, and you won't regret having some larger Rapala's anyway.

A couple of winters ago I was out fishing on the ice (safe enough for me but was not super thick) when a large group of curious Asian people (clearly students from from the nearby University) came out onto the ice to investigate. Nothing happened (fortunately) and they were a nice bunch but I did caution them that they needed to be careful as the ice could not support TOO many people standing in one spot. I don't really know if they understood me or, if they did, they might have thought I was just a "stick in the mud" but the ice is NOT something to treat lightly.

What a kick in the pants! I always wonder which is worse-a long battle with something or not having the chance to say goodbye. Both are terrible! My prayers go out to you (and the cubs)!

Wow, that's rough. I always feel like saying sorry isn't sufficient but that's all I've got. : (

I have always heard "shallow in early and late season and deeper during mid-season but since I generally only ice fish smaller bodies of water, I haven't really practiced this and can't verify its truth. Weedy flats in around 5 to 7 feet of water always seem to work best for me. If there is a submerged brush pile or other cover, all the better. Tip ups using live bait is somewhat of a numbers game where you spread out "lots" of tip ups (check your state regulations to see how many are allowed). The other method is to use a flasher to "pin point" a good spot (or spots). Some people do both tip ups and using a flasher. I prefer the latter (only) as I'm not very good at multi tasking and, really, I don't stay on a hole very long if it's not producing anyway. I was apprehensive about buying a flasher as the cost seemed prohibitive but it really does provide"real time" information about what is happening under the ice and if the location is worth bothering with at all. AND it it easy to see where your lure/bait/jig is in relation to the bottom and in relation to the fish. Once thing I've noticed is that if you are marking and/or catching smaller fish (such as sunfish or crappie) and it suddenly "dries up", don't move right away as sometimes a larger predator fish (such as a bass, catfish, or pike) has moved into the area and has frightened off the smaller fish. It isn't always the case but I've seen it enough to know not to leave immediately.

Have you tried speeding up the retrieve when you get a follow? There is a tendency (if just unconsciously) to slow down at least a hair and that will usually turn fish off but speeding up can (sometimes) kick in a basses instinct to grab before it is too late.

This question assumes you don't already have so many baits you couldn't possibly fish them all but, strict collection items notwithstanding, how long after purchase of a bait do you wait until it goes into your tackle box? Assuming I don't NEED it/them right away, I like to keep them on my desk for a few weeks so I can ogle over them sufficiently. As an added "bonus", I've noticed that the longer I keep them on my desk, the less likely I am to pursue another bait purchase.

I think I speak for many of us when I say (tongue in cheek): "cry me a river!"

The press would have you believe we are in huge turmoil but, compared to much of the world (at least), we are the very model of a modern major...republic.

I HAVE a fly tying vice and never thought to use it for this application. Derrrr!!!!!!! This is why I only finished 3rd grade!

An optimist says the spool is half full while a pessimist says it is half empty.