Ratherbfishing

Am not an expert on rope but you'll want to avoid "too thin" rope that digs into intself OR becomes coily and unmanageable. You may find yourself spending more time fighting with unruly rope than you are fishing. Also, the thinner the rope, the more likely it will be to cut into your hands or give you rope burn when you pull on it.

My boat has the opposite problem. Any more algae, and sludge on it and it will completely blend into the surroundings. As already posted, continued use will quickly remove any unwanted shine. Until then, take solace in knowing every speed boat pilot within a 30 mile radius (that isn't a complete idiot) will see and steer clear of your boat.

I managed to "lasso" a bat this way one night. Having been forced to crash land into the water, he was not a happy camper but fortunately for him (and me), I managed to cut the line and slip it through his flailing wings.

I'm being lazy here but since you guys seem to know your business, what's the PRIMARY difference between Lakemaster and Lakemaster Plus? I don't need my gps to communicate with my trolling motor, if that is a big part of it.

While yes, you CAN fish them in open water and can SOMETIMES catch a fish this way, there are other baits with better action that can/will serve this purpose better. Hollow body frogs are primarily designed to fish in slop/moss/weeds where NO other bait can be fished effectively.

Growing up, one of our small town grocery stores had a display rack very much like this (minus the crankbaits). Viewing this is a lot like stepping into a time machine! I like how you have displayed things and I especially love those cardboard cards with the Ringworms. Some collections just require money (sometimes lots of it) but yours is a collection I especially appreciate.

This is an utter oversimplification but I fish a hard bait when one of two situations occur: Either the fish are aggressive or are on a "reaction bite." Okay, there is a third option: When I need a search bait to fish water more quickly. Soft baits are a "probing" bait. This doesn't mean, of course, that the fish have to be inactive for them to work but that is one definite application. Soft baits excel when the bass are in a negative or neutral mood and refuse to chase something. You can fish a specific spot very thoroughly with soft bait whereas (most) hard baits fall more into the category of "Now you see them, now you don't." Jerkbaits are outstanding baits and Rapala's (especially, in my humble opinion, Shadow Raps) are, arguably, among the best. They are (or can be) the best of both worlds because you can fish them more quickly while at the same time, pause them and give the bass a moment to think about it (if they are in a contemplative mood). Jerkbaits are a good early springtime bait BUT they are good all season long.

I work at a major University and, paradoxically, I believe a good percentage of students here either don't belong here OR belong in a different field. I'm kind of the "Ron Swanson" of academia. Every year they seem to tack on more worthless Gen Eds and seem to raise tuition costs exponentially. Fortunately, I work in a discipline where the curriculum actually LEADS to a specific career so I can, at least, live with myself. Somewhere along the way our culture has convinced everyone that a college degree is the be all/end all of life and without it, we will all be unsuccessful. Applied Science degrees are generally looked upon as the red-headed step child for those who can't "make the grade." Colleges and universities in particular, have grown to become a monster that feeds on itself. I think the message was actually somewhat the converse of this.

I reaches deep down into their gullets and pulls 'em inside out.

Glad you weren't hurt. Boats and gear can be replaced. People (you) can't. Was out for the first (and only) time with a friend and my girlfriend at night. We had running lights on and were idling back up into the bay where the ramp/dock was to call it a night. There was a VERY bright light on a restroom facility near the ramp parking lot and, apparently, it "masked" my night vision for other lights because as we approached, another idling boat had to swerve to miss us. Also, my friend (a rather big fella) who was in the front must have blocked its running lights from my view. It would have been nothing more than an embarassing bump but that was enough to rattle me. Earlier on I had asked my friend to help spot for me and afterwards I asked him if he had seen the boat beforehand. He said yes. I asked him why he didn't tell me. He said he HAD. He must have whispered it because I hadn't the least clue until the other boat swerved. He's a very soft spoken person but THEN was NOT the time to be soft spoken. YELL IT OUT, MAN, YELL IT OUT!!!! Anyway, it wasn't his fault (the fault always goes to to the operator) but the whole experience reinforced the idea/belief that one has to be VERY careful in the dark-and at all times.

I'm planning a trip to Wisconsin in September. I have a Humminbird HELIX 7 SI and I am investigating buying a "map chip" for said product and for said purpose. Quite frankly, I'm a little overwhelmed. Some chips, apparently, are only available for certain states and/or regions and some chips, apparently, offer more features than others. I have read disclaimers that the chips cannot be returned once opened and since the chips are rather pricey, I'd rather avoid that costly fiasco. Are there any "walk-through's" on youtube or otherwise that will help me pick the right chip for my needs? Or any other pointers?

I don't care much about impressing others and I do believe in the law of diminishing returns but I upgraded a long time ago for a reason. Several reasons, actually.

1) The water clarity, 2) how bright the sky is, and 3) how pressured the fish are. These are the 3 things that influence my decision to use (or not use) a leader. But truthfully, most of the time I have a leader tied on anyway. This is for soft plastics. For crank baits, spinnerbaits, etc. I generally use straight braid. Certain baits fish better with mono and in those instances I usually use my spinning rod (with mono).

I think next time I'm out on the lake, I'll follow the tournament guys (with co anglers) around. Free baits for me!!!!! : )

I'm a broken record when I say this but color doesn't matter at all-until it does.

This truly is NOT to minimize things but they say that we are ALL going to..."shuffle off this mortal coil" someday. Some just have a clearer picture of WHEN. I hope your dad draws in every moment that this life has to offer!!!! Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I hadn't seen the later update. I am sorry for your loss. Hope you get another chance to fish with him again someday!!!!

A half an hour before sunrise seems about right to me.

You guys have all been a great help! Assuming I can find the proper kit (the motor isn't super old so this shouldn't be a problem), I think this one might be doable myself. Worse case scenario: If I get stuck, I guess I can still take it to the shop. I'm sure this isn't the FIRST time that has happened. I'll take lots of pics during the "tear down."

Yes, I too think the impeller IS the water pump. I hear the tricky part in the job is getting the shifting connector rod off (and reconnecting it later). Although it is killing me, me thinks this first time I'll let a professional do it. Do you suppose he (or she) would let me watch? I'd like to learn.

There are contractual obligations between sponsors and sponsor"ees" so "jumping ship" isn't always as easy as it seems. Besides, who's to say he doesn't already have about the sweetest deal going?

Have not ran anything in the weep hole yet. I will try that. The impellor has not been changed since I've owned the motor (6 years). Can't say prior to that. I read (this morning) that some manufacturers recommend changing the impeller out every year but that seems rather excessive for us "mechanically challenged" folks- especially since I put fewer than 30 or 40 hours of use on the motor each year. Last year I used the motor, I think, three times.

I have an Evinrude motor that USUALLY spins like a top. Lately, however, it hasn't always wanted to start and sometimes sputters/coughs (every few hundred rpm)-especially on idle. I had it out in the driveway with earmuffs on it and water running through it. Water ran out out the "pee hole" and other orifices at a steady/consistent rate (I never ran the motor very high). The motor coughed and quit so I took the opportunity to run and get fresh gas (guessing the problem might be bad gas). I came back, hooked up, and started the motor again. It ran but THIS time no water came out of the pee hole. Thinking maybe the earmuffs weren't secure enough (there is always some water that leaks), I immediately shut it off and put the motor in a barrel (where a water supply was assured) and STILL no circulation. It seems rather odd to me the timing of the impeller quitting. I don't believe in coincidences. A couple of questions: 1) Are earmuffs not sufficient for providing water to the engine and 2) Is there any way to diagnose an impeller problem without tearing down the engine/lower unit? Thanks for any input you can provide!

Neighborhood lakes and pods can often be the EASIEST to fish because considerably less time needs to be spent finding the fish. But while there may not be any well defined "structure", the fish will still generally hold at a certain depths or along weed edges. Personally, when there are a lot of weeds but they are not super thick, a weightless Superfluke or Sluggo is a great choice. Actually, even when they are thick (providing there are open pockets), the fluke/sluggo works well. If you only had ten dollars to spend on bait (and hooks), that's probably what I'd spend it on.

It's not a "frog" per se BUT in terms of the percentage of successful hookups and it's ability to glide over moss, my vote goes to the modest little Snagproof Moss Mouse.

If we're touting specific name brand lures, the two that have outshined all others this year have been the diminutive Havoc Speed Shad and the Rapala Shadow Shad Rap (specifically in orange/copper). It's difficult to know how well substitutions might have performed BUT they have done a bang up job.