KyakR

1. This is what I've done through most of my time on the water......learned not to here! So my first point is: learn from those more experienced than you are! Be humble at what you don't know. Be hungry for knowledge 2. Do your research!! Maps, Google Earth, reading about your fishery, asking local fishermen, book a good guide occasionally, etc. Learn from every trip and be on the water as constantly as you can. 3.Practice cast all winter! (4. Be on the water as constantly as you can and don't leave your Yak home.)

We each passionately do defend our views of the world, our understanding of it. Humanity has a long track record of fearing new ideas and perceptions, as you said so well. And this generates everything from little tiffs here to war and bloodshed through the ages. But I think our passion for fishing comes not from an existential terror, but from love. BigBill's posts on BR come to mind! People love better the more we know......love not as sentiment, but as insight. And insight feeds imagination, and the world changes insofar as we re-imagine it! (more and bigger bass )I know that learning from you guys here (enlightenment) means I get bit more! And the more I get bit, the happier I am and the more I want to know! But the less I get bit (terror) the more I want to sleep in and pull the covers over my head Have to admit, though, that fishing gives me joy and being outdoors calms my soul beyond my understanding. Hey, did we leave spotted bass out? Any info on their differences? I've never caught one but am headed cross country after the Roadtrip and want to try!

I think it might be easy for us to forget coryn h.fishowl's age, and all that goes with it. If he was 20 or 30 (or 60 like me!) yeah, guess we could take a few shots if he sounded too big for his britches. But not, in my opinion, bang up a teenager publicly. He's gifted, yes......but that's often a way he doesn't fit in already and can be a burden at that age. Please let's remember one of the important things about this site, that we encourage youngsters in our sport and provide them with guidance and a safe place to speak up. Having said that, I must add that men guide and nurture differently than women, and a father who loved his boy would no doubt use a different way to guide his almost-a-man son than I might. Love this thread....has everything

Arghhhh!

It's true, I think, that fishing the spawn might not really impact the overall health of a lake. But I also think there's a reason big bass get big: they're smart, whether through genetics, experience ( this is also a great topic!) etc. I did try fishing for bedding bass some years ago, but I decided it just wasn't worth it. It felt like fighting a champion with arms tied in back and me with a bow. Instead I greatly enjoy watching them!

Maine is a paradise except for the ice on the lakes.......I'd summer here and winter in Northern CA, or even Canada (Vancouver Is. if they'd let me in!) I love wilderness, but wilderness often comes with harsh winters. As SirSnookalot says, old bones don't like that! But I do remember how mild Tennessee was!

Wish the weather up here were that warm to fish in! Those are some nice fish!

One thing on my bucket list is to get to fish for smallies on Lake Erie! Breathtaking fish! That lighter one has got to be the lightest color smallie I've seen. Against your purple shirt it even looks a bit pink

I also think smallmouth are a beautiful animal! And that one your holding sure is. Maybe it's because their coloring is more subtle than LMB.....? I think there's as much individual variation, it's just harder to see sometimes. Hey, what was the weight on that gal?

Hit it on the head What else would make us live and breathe bass fishing enough to accumulate all this?! What else would make grown-ups cry over hard water in the wintertime?

I meant it's no coincidence that Your and Bill's lives are rebounding again! Thanks, Stitch and Bill! Laurie

X2. I had one years ago. My thoughts go out to you and your wife. I share Sir Snookalot's sentiment......this puts the little things in perspective (hope your flood stuff gets resolved soon, SS!)

Nursing background....true! I've seen many lives saved, much human happiness because Science intervened. I do agree with you here, Brian Our knowledge will always fall short, and will sometimes even take lives or make them worse (H-bomb, bacteria resistant TB, etc.) But it is our place as human beings to understand if that means acquiring widom (**** sapiens means wise ape). Science is only a tool to accomplish this. It's the human heart that really "knows." Nature and people aren't separate either......we are nature too. But, as you imply, if people in science or otherwise ever forget to have humility before the unknowable, to bend a knee and bow a head to the things of the spirit that are in us and in Nature, tragedy often follows! The Greeks called this "hubris" and I often loved the stories of this in dad's mythology books when I was a kid! Anyhow, I do recognize the truth in what you're saying. Even if you mentioned Yakburgers that one time

Stitch, when I come on this thread and read what you and Bill have to say I remember what matters in this world. I don't think it's a coincidence that both of you, with your loving families and gratitude for your lives (I'm sure you had this attitude before. too) have beaten back your illnesses. I love reading your posts! Your descriptions are poetry. Thank you!

Congrats! You must have caught her in Maine! Just curious.....what were you using? How deep was the water? I won't ask you where, but you can tell me if you really want to

Couple of middle-aged women are with their Irish tour guide in Scotland. A flock of sheep begins to cross the road in front of their car, followed by a Scotsman in a kilt running full out behind them. One of the women turns to the guide and says, "I always wondered why Scotsmen wear kilts.......any idea?" "Yep," says the guide. "Sheep can hear a zipper at 500 yards."

HEY!!

But you'd have to give me your beers

It would be mighty fine if you could!

I've always loved freshwater best, even from an early age. MarkH024 is right on as far as I'm concerned......nature will do what it wants. Part of the reason I love fishing is because being in nature awes me and keeps me humble. And somehow it reminds me of things about me that are beyond ancient and beyond thinking......that just are, things that make hunting and fishing and gathering around a campfire so satisfying. But the ocean is a place that's beyond me. I see other kayakers go out off the coast in Harpswell Maine and it gives me the bejeebers. Water 55%? Wind unpredictable? Nope. Water can be cold and wind dangerous on freshwater but somehow it's different. There are huge living things out there. That kayaker probably never imagined any bad thing happening. The holidays will never be the same for his family.

What's a susie? Couldn't find definition on BR or net....

Welcome to the forum ! I know you may not have realized it, but you happened to stumble onto a topic that's a pet peeve for many members who've been on here awhile (I'm still new myself). "Spot-stealing." I understand quite a few fishermen peruse this site hoping to find good spots and that some members have gone to their favorites after mentioning them here and found them......stolen! Never had this happen myself, but then I'm in Maine and lots of us have our cars up on blocks Might be good if you were to tell a little about yourself first!

Hi! Welcome to the forum As a kayak fisherman I'm also fishing more horizontally from the water's surface than I would be from a boat, where height can confer an advantage. To gain distance in my casts I'm careful to choose the right line, especially for lighter lures. Also, if you read anything about the pond that's available it could help. Do you have access to a lot of the shoreline so you can use search baits? I used to think of bank fishing as a "step down" until I read posts from some anglers on BR. I believe there's a forum for bank fisherman here too. If you really need inspiration read some posts from BigBill. He's got a real method and skill. Sorry about your boat!

I remember Funky Cold Medina! Ah!

How hard is the water up there?