Mswen

Have you you thought about sinking jerkbaits? Generally, in rivers, it's easier to let the current and gravity get your bait in front of fish. That way, it's getting down to the strike zone instead of being pulled past before they even get deep enough. Rapala alone has 5 different Countdown minnows now (Countdown, CD Magnum, CD Elite, Scatter Rap CD, & X-Rap CD), plus other sinking jerkbaits like the Shadow Rap & Subwalk. The shorter, deeper diving versions of the Shadow Rap Shad and the Ripstop (it Suspends, the SRS floats), are both 3½" long (#9). As for the Countdowns- obv the Magnum doesn't have anything that size. The rest all have something available around 3". The Elite is available at exactly 3" because, for some reason, it uses a different size than most of these. It comes in 2¼" & 3". Like the CD Elite, the X-Rap CD has wide, flat sides that put out plenty of vibration and flash. The X-Rap CD comes in 2 sizes, (#5 & #7) while the Scatter Rap is only available in #7, but regular Countdown minnows are available from sizes 1-11. That said, I've always done well on Duel/YZ products, and I know they make a lot of little minnowbaits for trout and panfish, including sinking versions like the Pins Minnow, Crystal Minnow, or Snap Bean. I've had mixed results with Lucky Craft, They can knock it out of the park, or completely whiff.

Anything left here? Can't afford the whole lot, but I'm somewhat interested in the spoons, a hudd or 2, maybe the Evergreen?.

For those who are interested, I can actually remember this being covered in a Linguistics class in college. It's a bit like how the letter "c" can form a "k" sound or an "s" sound, or "g" can sound like "g" or "j". In Korean and Japanese, one letter represents the "r" and "l" sounds, and it varies by context. That's a simplified explanation, but (a) it was a long time ago and I've forgotten most of the details, and (b) this is a fishing forum and you're not that interested. It took me awhile, but I always assumed the name was because it had rings.

I buy snaps and swivels separately and attach them together if I'm going to use both, which is rare. Even inexpensive crane swivels and duo-lock snaps are almost always better quality than most snap/swivel combos. I rarely use swivels except with spoons and in-line spinners, because they collect weeds. I will occasionally use snaps with crankbaits, especially if I know I'll be changing baits often. When I have to use a wire leader, which has both a swivel and a snap, I notice a few problems. First of all, the extra weight pulls the nose down on lures, affecting the action of topwaters, especially poppers. Suspending baits tend to sink. And the line or leader tends to get caught on the hook, because they allow the lure to tumble more during the cast. Another issue is that many people who use snap swivels don't bother to re-tie often enough and don't change out snap-swivels until they lose them or they break or rust. Tying directly at least forces you to re-tie every time you change lures. But that's not the snap-swivel's fault.

But did you land the fish? My boat is only 12' long. Between the lack of extra space and the wind easily re-positioning me, I find myself making a lot of awkward casts. More than once I've tried to throw something a bit too hard and almost sent myself over the side. About a month ago I had a close call where I dropped my rod in the lake. Luckily I found out it floats.

I'm looking for a new cranking rod, or two. Currently I've been throwing them on my spinning and jig rods, but have been losing a lot of fish. Looking for some basic advice on length, brands, models, etc. First of all, I'm thinking two rods because I like to throw big crankbaits/swimbaits, and I also fish for musky, which big baits and a heavier rod can easily serve double duty for either big bass or musky. I'm bit short (5'6"), and I'm thinking accuracy would be my main concern with small squarebills, jerkbaits, poppers, etc., so I was wondering if a shorter M-action rod (6'0"-6'6") might suit me a little better. Then I could use a 7'0"-8'0" MH or H for big squarebills, deep divers, large topwaters, and most swimbaits. I'm also going to need to pick up at least one new casting reel at some point, though not necessarily soon. I might consider a combo, but only if I was certain that both rod and reel were quality. I would like to get a reel with a gear ratio of 7.0:1, or higher. Looking to spend $50-100 per rod. Maybe $120 for the reel. Might go a little higher for good quality. Any input would be appreciated.

At a family reunion in Oregon, my brother-in-law and I went kayak fishing on the Pacific. We had actually gone over our alloted time, but since everyone was having fun, our guide wasn't rushing us back. He had showed us that we could grab kelp bulbs and slip them under our ropes to hold us on a certain spot. I was reaching for a bulb that was just a little too far when I suddenly realized that it was too far, and tried to lean back, but it was too late. The whole thing flipped over. Everything important or valuable was either attached by bungee cords, floated, or in the guide's boat, so that wasn't an issue. But the water was cold, and even with the wet suit I was ready to get out immediately. With a little help I flipped the kayak over, held on, kicked my feet, and finally pulled myself out of the water and onto the kayak, which then rolled over and dumped me face first off the other side! Eventually I did get on, and stay on, and that was pretty much the end of the day. Luckily we were only about 200 yd from the beach.

Not a fishing story, but a similar experience. Back in college I used to deliver for a sandwich shop. One night my manager sent me to the downtown store to pick up more French Onion soup. I set the 5-gallon bucket in the back of my hatchback and headed back. Being 20 years old, with a small, quick car, of course I drove like an idiot. I was making a hard stop at a stop sign when I heard a muffled "THUNK!" behind me. The bucket had fallen over, knocking the lid off, and dumping 5 gallons of onion soup into my trunk. The next day my friend rode 1/2 a mile with his head hanging out the passenger window, because the smell was so strong. Two separate professional cleanings and about 4 gallons of Febreze made absolutely no difference. Finally I had to rip out every last bit of carpet from my trunk and backseat. And even then I could still smell onions whenever it was humid or rainy.

Last summer I heard something about pinching down the barbs on your hooks. I didn't give it a whole lot of thought until last Wednesday evening, when I was fishing at a golf course pond. I was trying to unhook a feisty little bass and it flopped free. The struggle eventually ended with one treble hook in the soft tissue between my left thumb and forefinger. Meanwhile the rear treble had found it's way down by the belly and underneath the gill plates, hooking both gills with all three points. I had my right hand around it's midsection, trying to keep it from struggling and pulling the hook deeper. Thankfully my dad was there, or I would have had a hell of a time getting at least one of us unhooked. Long story short: After that experience, barbless hooks seem a bit more appealing. The basic argument that I heard was that barbs were originally intended for preventing live bait from escaping or being cast off, rather than for keeping fish on the line. The guy that was talking about it said that he might lose a fish here and there, but overall it didn't seem to make much difference. It seems to me that there are other factors that are more important- keeping the line tight, anticipating jumps, the right rod. Just wondering what others' thoughts were? Have you tried pinching down your barbs? If so, what did you think? If not, would you consider it, if not required? Would you fish a tournament that required barbless hooks?

I am going through and changing hooks, split rings, line, etc., and I just had a few questions as to how other people do some of these, and which brands offer quality and affordability. I'll start with lures. I have approx. 250-300 hard baits with treble hooks. Most are typical bass sized lures between 2"-5", using mostly #6, #4, #2 treble hooks, but there are panfish/trout/finesse baits that use #10 or possibly even #12s, and musky cranks with trebles up to #4/0. I would like to replace as many of these as possible. Can someone recommend a good quality, and affordable, treble hook that I can buy in bulk? I can sharpen some of these, especially the larger ones, but there are simply too many to hand sharpen them all, plus many have hooks that simply need replacing. What about split rings and possibly oval rings? Can someone recommend a decent pair of split-ring pliers for smaller sizes? I have a pair that works just fine for large split rings, but not for the sizes typically used on bass lures. What's a good rule of thumb for changing braided line? I've been told that you can use it twice by cranking it onto another reel, so that you use both ends. Can you do something like one season per end (depending on how often you fish), or is it better to go by when it loses its color? Do you simply cut off the faded section and respool when it looks like it's too low? One more question: What is a good, easy-handling fluorocarbon to put on a spinning reel? It would be a small spinning reel like a light action or ultra-light, and it may be used part-time by a novice. Or would I be better off using braid w/fluoro leader, or a copolymer like Yo-Zuri Hybrid?

I seem to have a talent for releasing fish at boatside, but somehow the "dinks" are never as cooperative as the "pigs".

Don't mean to change the subject, but I have a question I have to ask. I heard about the first one (soft plastics), and I understand the reasoning behind that and the second (barbless hooks), but what was the the third supposed to accomplish, besides preventing a lot of people from fishing, and forcing duck hunters into a boat? It would make fishing virtually all rivers/streams impossible, and prevent anglers from accessing most fish in larger waters. Was that the intention?

Honestly, if the bass are seriously threatening native species, I would probably be in favor of trying to protect those species. If someone decides that they enjoy fishing for Snakeheads on the East Coast, at the cost of destroying bass fisheries, would you defend their decision the same way you're defending anyone who doesn't like this law? What about anyone who thinks Asian Carp might actually improve the Great Lakes? If the bass are gone, I could always fish for a native species. (Not that I live anywhere near the CA Delta) That said, trying to force people to do what you think is right often triggers a lot more resentment than compliance. Rather than forcing people to kill every bass, which is never going to happen, it would be easier and smarter to just get rid of size and possession limits, or even allow commercial fishing of bass and bluegill.

Birds? Moles? Where? Maine is a hell of a place to be a rodent. Seems like mice have more to fear from your fish than from my cat.

Electrofishing isn't effective for larger fish. You would have to turn the voltage up so high that it would kill smaller fish. That's why they use Fyke nets to sample walleyes and muskies up north. With electrofishing, you might get the occasional big fish in the wrong place at the wrong time, but the way it's done actually helps them to escape. The boat moves along slowly, with electrodes in the water and typically two people up front netting fish as they float to the top. Bigger bass, along with big carp, catfish, and other fish with a high resistance, feel the electrodes start to tingle and take off. There aren't other commonly used ways to capture giant bass, because Conservation Depts. are loathe to unnecessarily stress them, and because anglers are perfectly willing to self-report. Anyone who wants to sell themselves as an expert, with over 30 years of research and fishing, should know this. After all, they don't call them "Florida-strain" bass for nothing.