desmobob

The best concert of any genre I ever saw was David Sanborn at a small venue in upstate NY. The man can play the sax... sort of "popularized jazz' I guess, but I still call it jazz. I like Sanborn, Al Di Meola, Chick Corea, Dave Brubeck, Stanley Turrentine, Miles Davis, Spyro Gyra, etc.; classic jazz, jazz fusion, popular jazz. I guess my musical taste isn't sophisticated enough to enjoy hard-core freestyle jazz, though. :-) (The worst concert I've seen? Aerosmith in Indianapolis in the mid-'80s. They walked --retreated-- off the stage after the fans started throwing things at them after Steven Tyler spit into the crowd at a heckler.) Tight lines, Bob

When I was a young boy, my family was camped out on one of the islands on Lake George, NY. One morning, we realized we were out of toothpaste so my dad let me take the boat, by myself, to town on the other side of the lake to get some. He gave me a five-dollar bill and told me not to dilly-dally. On the way across the lake, I saw a huge bass make a couple of good leaps. I couldn't help but stop and try a few casts. In my haste to get a shot at the big fish, I dropped the fiver over the side and before I could grab it, a good bass came up and swallowed it! I sat there for a long time, wondering what to do, and wondering how much trouble I was going to be in when I got back to camp. I couldn't think of any good story or excuse, so I figured I'd fish for a while and think some more. Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by a jarring strike, almost pulling the rod out of my hands. I pulled in a nice bass, and to my astonishment, he spit out... ... a tube of Crest and three dollars change. Honest. ;-) Tight lines, Bob

I could never leave my rods/reels in the boat's rod locker all winter. I'm 53 years old, going on 12. At some point during the winter, I'm going to want to get my toys out and play with them and daydream about spring fishing. :-) Tight lines, Bob

Fish-gripper for the pike and pickerel, a Berkley electronic scale, a pair of needle nose pliers/line scissors that I really like a lot, a camera, a pair of good compact binoculars, and a hand-held GPS. My fish-finder gives me the surface temp, or I would also be bringing a stream thermometer. Tight lines, Bob

Thanks. I experienced some of that red hot fishing on Friday, only to have engine trouble on Saturday. I just received an order from Tackle Warehouse today, too. Talk about torture... I may end up having to go out fishing in the kayak this weekend, but how the heck can I fish for bass without a half-dozen rigged rods laid out on the deck and two big tackle boxes on the floor? ;-) Tight lines, Bob

The next couple of days here around L. Champlain are supposed to be very warm. The water temperature in the southern part of the lake was around 56* on Saturday. I just dropped off my boat at the shop and I have my fingers crossed hoping nothing serious is wrong and I'll have it back by Saturday. I want to fish! The fall colors are still looking good. A little sunshine will make for some pleasant fall fishing. Tight lines, Bob

Dr. Slick Tight lines, Bob

I wasn't planning on stopping until ice-up, but my boat motor (2014 Mercury 40HP four-stroke) took me out of the game yesterday. I'm hoping it's a minor issue and I'll be back on the water soon! I have the week before Thanksgiving week off as my usual rifle deer hunting vacation. I've been having so much fun bass fishing, I just spent my bow hunting and duck hunting vacation doing it. I'll probably be fishing instead of hunting next month too! Tight lines, Bob

I have the HMX in 7' MXF and it's a great general purpose rod. It even gets used in the spring for inshore striped bass fishing on Cape Cod when it's too windy to fly fish and has whipped fish up to 30 lbs.. It is a nice blank with quality components and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one. I think the Fast action vs. Extra Fast action would be an even more versatile rod. I have a small Daiwa Tournament SS reel on it and it's a very light combo. Tight lines, Bob

I tried 10lb. Power Pro on an ultralight spinning reel (Shimano Sedona 500FD) this year and I like it, but I get some nasty wind knots on breezy days. On some of my other baitcasting and spinning rods, I've left the Power Pro on as backing and added Suffix 832 as the working line. It seems to wind knot a lot less than regular Power Pro. I'll eventually try 832 on my ultralight spinning reel. Tight lines, Bob

I have both reels. The Lew's TP seems a bit more refined and nicer looking. It's smaller and lighter. Some folks might prefer its combination of centrifugal and magnetic brakes and broad range of adjustment. It casts wonderfully with a wide range of lure weights. The Daiwa Tatula is solid... not heavy or bulky, but has that solid "built like tank" feel. The brake uses centrifugal force to make in-cast changes to the magnetic braking so, although it has only a magnetic brake, it is "centrifugally enhanced." :-) It feels very smooth and casts very well. The brake is easy to adjust and effective... no need to take off the side plate to make any adjustments. It adjusts in very fine increments. I prefer the Tournament Pro, but considering the costs of the Tatula (I got mine for $93), I'd call it even. I'm extremely happy with both of these reels! Tight lines, Bob

I always wondered about that saying, myself. Where I live in upstate NY, pretty much the only time the wind blows from the east is when we're about to get a storm. I'm a mailman, I'm outside all day, and I keep a good eye on the weather. When I feel the wind blowing from the east, I figure I'm about to start having a bad day... ;-) Tight lines, Bob

Before I ever used one, I wondered why anyone would pay so much for a rubber worm. And the first time I ever saw a wacky-rigged worm hanging from a fisherman's rod, I figured he must have been some sort of clueless newb. :-) Now, I know better. The darn things are effective and wacky-rigging really gets the bass. Thanks... it was either my best or second-best big fish day and I sure had a lot of fun. As for the tournaments... not for me: 1) I fish to relax and have no desire to add performance pressure, time constraints, etc. ...and maybe more importantly, 2) I went out to the same area today; same weather conditions, time of day, etc., and caught just two dinks. :-) I'm just a greenhorn at this bass fishing business. I guess even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while... Tight lines, Bob

I'm using a TFO signature edition 6'6" MLF rod and a Shimano Aero Symetre (older reel) spooled with 8 lb. flouro as my spinning rig to toss wacky-rigged Senkos. The rod has just the right amount of tip action to let me plop them right where they need to be. I can't imagine another rig feeling as accurate for me. Tight lines, Bob

I picked up a new Tatula this week and have been using it for the last couple of days. I'm really impressed with it, not even considering the fact I paid less than $93 for it. I've been using it alongside my Lew's Tournament Po Speed Spool. They both are lefties and both 7-something-to one retrieve ratio. The Tatula's Magforce Z braking is easy to adjust and very effective! If it weren't for the size and weight difference (the Tatula is a little big bigger and heavier), I don't think I could tell them apart if blindfolded. They are both smooth as silk and cast like crazy. For half the money, the Tatula is one heck of a bargain! I would not hesitate to buy another one. Tight lines, Bob

...and by the way, welcome to the forums! This is a really good place to hang out! Tight lines, Bob

...things turned around! I had a fantastic big fish day today. The water temperature in southern Lake Champlain slowly dropped from 68* to 65* the week before last. This week, it went from 64* on Wednesday to 60* on Thursday! The weeds are dying off and the water is very low. For the last few days, I was having a heck of a time figuring out the bass. I think I only caught one on Thursday and two on Friday. The water temperature was 58-59* today. I finally "broke the code" and found lots of willing fish. I had 12 fish between 3 lbs. 4 oz. and 5 lbs. 1 oz. along with just two dinks and several smallmouths. I started the day by having a big northern pike eat one of my jigs, but only caught one more small one and two small pickerel the rest of the day. I was happy to have not lost $10 or more of hardware to the toothy critters, as is what usually happens on a long day of fishing. I got most of the fish on a wacky-rigged Senko fished up tight to rock and ledge near deep water. The rest came on a jig fished around some pilings from an old railroad trestle. It wasn't a whole lot of fish, but almost every one was a nice one! And most of them were on the light spinning rod/light line. I was happy, especially after suffering through a couple of really slow days. I can't wait to try it again tomorrow (and Sunday. And Monday). :-) Tight lines, Bob

The first reel I ever put regular Power Pro on is a Daiwa Tournament SS spinning reel. The noise was disturbing; it made the reel sound like it was rubbing or scraping. I took off some of the Power Pro and put on some Suffix 832. It's less noisy, but still sounds like the reel is a piece of junk. On my other spinning and bait casting reels, the noise is not bad enough to be bothersome. Must be something about the line roller on that Daiwa spinning reel. What reel(s) are you experiencing the noise with? Tight lines, Bob

I have a Tournament Pro Speed Spool I bought early this summer. It's been functioning perfectly and I really like it. I also keep two brakes on, and have not had the other brakes self-engage. Maybe they got some lube/oil on them and they slip on too easily? I think I would try giving them a blast of brake cleaner or degreaser to see it that might help... Tight lines, Bob

I don't have one, but a buddy of mine bought one to use on the small 13' Whaler SS he keeps on Cape Cod for spring striper fishing trips. He says it's great (and he's used to better electronics on his bigger boat at home). I was thinking of buying one to use with my float tubes, canoes and kayak. I was skeptical about battery life, but he said they last a LONG time, as RSM789 also mentioned in his post above. I once bought a portable kit for a Humminbird unit I had in my old boat so I could use it ice fishing and on rental boats on trips. It used two six-volt lantern batteries and chewed through them in a hurry. I hated it; that's why I was unsure abut the Fishin' Buddy. No worries. Tight lines, Bob

I used to use snaps almost all the time, until I lost a monster bass when one opened. Since then, I tried the Mustad "Fastach" device. Not really a clip or snap; more like a fancy loop. I've been using them for over a month now and have just ordered more. I like them. I don't notice any difference in fish catching. Some lures benefit from having the nice, round loop to swing, shake, wiggle and swim from... it doesn't cramp their action at all, and offers more freedom of movement than even loop knots. Tight lines, Bob

That's pretty funny! I have a 55-gal. aquarium in my house with Lake Malawi cichlids in it. I had a Melanochromis auratus for a while, till it got beat up by some bigger, meaner mbuna. I always joke that I cold fish in my aquarium if I got really desperate. I guess I wouldn't be the first one to catch an African cichlid! Tight lines, Bob

That's the way it feels to me... especially on short pitches. I can keep the end of the rod and my target in my vision, even when pitching side-arm. The longer rods feel sort of cumbersome when trying to make short, accurate casts. Tight lines, Bob

Excellent! Looks like some serious time spent on that! When the great whites at the Cape started becoming a news item and subject of conversation, I looked for a giant treble hook to mount on the back of my kayak so it would look like a giant jerk bait on top of the car. Something about kayaks is good fun. Tight lines, Bob

There are two protected fish that I know of in Lake Champlain: the Mooneye and Lake Sturgeon. So far, I haven't caught one of either. Tight lines, Bob