Ratherbfishing

Tippet versus leader: It could be perceived that they are two separate entities but, in the beginning (at least), they are one piece of material. The tippet is basically the skinny end of the leader which you tie your fly to. When you first purchase them, most (if not all) leaders taper down and "consummate" in a skinny tippet. As time and ties/reties add up, your leader/tippet will become shorter and shorter and, unless you want to replace the entire leader/tippet, you can tie on new tippet material to extend the length and the life of the leader. If you fish around a LOT of vegetation and algae, however, any knots between the fly and the line will tend to grab onto pieces of algae and plant life (which can be really annoying) so I personally don't like that extra knot. Even if you DO use replacement tippet material, after awhile even THAT will shorten the length of the leader (after enough reties) and EVENTUALLY you'll need to replace the whole leader. But it's all for the sake of the game. Bass and, especially, bluegill are not all that sophisticated and each will USUALLY take fairly simple offerings-with bass just requiring (sometimes) larger versions than the other. For bluegill, I like spider flies and poppers a lot. For bass-i like larger poppers and grasshopper imitators. I mostly fish the top surface film so I'm less qualified to speak on subsurface offerings but there are subsurface flies (such as wolly buggers) which will work for that. One of the blessings of these two fish is that they do not seem to mind when a fly or popper makes a loud "splat" on the surface-in fact, sometimes the fish seem to WANT some noise. I'd avoid it with the line itself but with the fly, it is isn't critical. This is especially convenient for beginning fly fishermen. For the MOST part, the reel is mostly to hold line. The majority of the time, you will take in and feed out line through your fingers. A larger fish may necessitate and/or "allow" you to use the reel in a manner more customary with other types of fishing but don't think you HAVE to reel from the reel (if that makes sense). Having a LOT of extra line in front of you or in loops can be a pain but you will get a knack for knowing how much line to strip out and take in. ENTIRE volumes have been written on the subject but these are some thoughts.

That leaves it WIDE open-which may mean a lot of responses or none at all. Do you have some specific questions?

I'm a little surprised that they discontinued the Flat Rap altogether (i kinda liked them) but I'm always psyched to see the new things they have to offer.

I suggest you drug her and then drag her out onto the boat with you. If she later complains, tell her "You got to sleep in, didn't you?" (Note: drugging anyone is against the law and I do NOT endorse or condone such behavior. This is intended for entertainment purposes only).

Very nice. If that were Illinois, I'd say you'd have depleted the entire county. I miss the days when pheasant were more common. Beautiful birds!

It IS very true what they say: "If something seems to be too good to be true, it probably is" and also, "Be sure to read the fine print." Silly old stupid me! I bought what I thought/hoped was a side scan unit for my boat but it turns out, after sorting through the owners manual, that the side scan transducer is EXTRA and over half again as much as the "base unit". I was like "What?!!! Wait a minute!!!!" I already HAVE a sonar and a separate gps. I don't need another. I considered just swallowing my pride and buying the extra transducer but the experience left such a bad taste in my mouth that I returned the #$%&@ thing to the store and got my money back. I have a combined sense of embarrassment (because I probably should have known better and done more research) and anger because it really did seem like the company is subtly misleading-to the point where I feel duped. Proper decorum prevents me from revealing the company but I am strongly compelled to caution those of you who, like me, don't want to throw your money away, to research very carefully before you buy and especially BEFORE you install something on your boat. If you are like me, you can read glossy fish finder advertisements until the cows come home and not know much more than I did before. ("Ah, yes, CHIRP! Very nice!"). So ask, ask, and ask again! And ask the right people. Don't trust the salesman who might be inclined to guess or tell you whatever they think you want to hear. And be extra careful to discern what it is you think you understand. I am so glad it is winter and I hadn't dove into a quick installation job before perusing the manual. (I just realized this needs to go in the electronics section but I don't know how to move it- Can someone move this for me?)

Most of the time a 30 would be sufficient HOWEVER if it is windy and/or it's a trolling motor only lake, a 55 will get you around a lot faster.

My one buddy and I simply take turns. He uses his boat and truck one time and I use mine the next. While it IS true that his boat and truck consume more petrol than either of mine, no one twisted his arm to get what he got.

With the exception of the bait used and the time of year, this story is almost identical to one of my last times out (mid October). I was using a spinner bait and had more or less zeroed out until about dusk. It was as if a light switch had flipped and suddenly nearly every fish in the lake wanted on my line. I caught about 35 bass in 45 minutes. A man who was watching out his kitchen window (this was a neighborhood pond) came out to watch and ask what I was using. Like in your story, when it got dark the bite quit. But what a glorious 45 minutes!

I bought a gun case. Now I'm thinking of buying a gun to go with it. Just giving you a ribbing! Whatever it takes to get you started, right?! For bluegill and trout I think a 5 or even a 4-weight rod might be a better choice however, as A-Jay said, if you ever expect to move up, a 6 or 7 weight would be better. How far will you be casting? Is there a lot of wind?

"...but geeze." It's easy to be a sideline quarterback. I think the pros are aware of the Ned.

every fish is a good fish but those are pretty nice chain pickerel and perch!

Yes, they aren't.

Ditto

Unless I have a specific location and/or technique in mind and/or unless the weather dictates otherwise, I usually begin by fishing fast and then slowing down.

Whatever you choose, be sure to add a desiccant (or two). Dressed Aglias that aren't sufficiently dry will rust out their hooks rather quickly. I've lost more Mepps baits over the years through rusty hooks than through snags.

Good Housekeeping

Someday, if I find I have more time than money, I might pay attention to this stuff-though my brain can only handle so much before it blows its 2.5 amp fuse. Until then, I fish when I can. Only exception-i seldom bother to fish after a major cold front.

If you don't know the location of weed edges, drop offs, brush piles, etc. spread tip ups out in a pattern and place the bait at a few different depths (though near the bottom is usually a good starting point, i think). Lively minnows will attract and catch fish but grubs are good too. Until you find active fish, live bait is usually best. Once you find concentrations of fish, you can switch to fishing individual holes.

Biggest rattletrap I have EVER thrown? Up at Lake of the Woods, Canada we've caught smallmouth (yes, SMALL mouths) using 1 1/2 ounce rattletraps. And not just a few. Sometimes that's the size they wanted.

I call those "moon shots"

soft plastics. 5 years ago or so. Don't ask me why cause I don't know.

My mom, who is now 88 was ACTUALLY perusing through a B.A.S.S. periodical she found on a table in the facility where she now lives (I could tell she was REALLY bored). Anyway, after a few minutes she put it down and proclaimed, "Fishing is a rich man's sport." I wasn't completely surprised by her "I lived through the depression" attitude but I couldn't argue her point either-based on the various advertisements and depictions of high dollar boats, gear, and the like- so I just said, "If you were rich before, you won't be afterwards." On the other hand, if I didn't have fishing to spend my money on, I can't imagine what trouble I might be getting into. Am not sure where I'm going with this except, with a few exceptions, I feel like I've done a pretty good job of keeping my wants and "needs" within reasonable bounds. How do you all feel about your spending habits?

Boat control. One of my fishing buddies must think I've lost my mind. One time (on a trolling motor only lake) I spent a good 5 minutes "repositioning" the boat (and anchoring) on a spot we wanted to fish more thoroughly and from different angles-only to have the boat wind up in almost the same identical place. I think he hurt himself trying not to laugh.

If you had spelled it the way many other posters have in the past ("stripper"), I would have said a big wad of 1 dollar bills. Can I still say that?