Fish Chris

Buzbait, yes, your missing something.... Look back through this thread to find the shot posted here. It's kind of a funky blue green, with green highlights.... Fish

Yes, absolutely, you could, but you would have a setup that would be very likely to get broken, from such unforseen events as, setting the hook into North America, or making a hard cast, and your line gets wrapped around the tip of your rod, or you thought you had your drag set light enough, but it must have gotten bumped, etc. You know the old saying $#@& happens. I just know these super light, super sensitive rods, are more prone to failure from sudden shocks (more brittle), and IMPO, NOT a good choice when used with braid..... and since I wouldn't even consider using a stretchy arse rubberband (mono) for my fishing line, not a good choice for me. Peace, Fish

Bassin Blvd, stronger is a relative term. Their are LOTS of materials which are extremely strong, yet brittle, and therefor, a lot more fragile under certain circumstances. A slightly heavier rod, with a little less actual breaking strength, could actually be much better at absorbing sudden shock loads. So, you couldn't say it was stronger, but certainly more durable. ^ And these are the types of rods which I much prefer, for fishing with braided line. Cheaper + more durable + (when used in conjunction with braided line) much more sensitive, than one of those ultra-high modulas rods, used in conjuction with mono. Fish

So, just out of curiosity, do they still even make the old Fireline, which was fused ? You know, the stiff, crinkly stuff, that looked and felt exactly like dental floss ? I was told once, by an insider (who worked for Berkeley, no less) that the only reaon they ever made that stuff in the first place, was that it was much easier / faster / cheaper to produce, than actual braided line. And again, I don't doubt that the new braided Fireline, would be just fine. If it's braided spectra, it's going to be pretty good. Leastwise, night and day better than any monofilament.... Peace, Fish

For Largemouth's ? No. I never do a worth a $#%& from Dec. through Feb. I think I've only caught two of my DD's during that time period. For Striper's and Sturgeon ? Heck yea' ! That's when it happens in my area. I still hate it (and usually avoid it) if it's raining, and / or windy. But when we are in between storms, we get some of our calmest days here. And sometimes, great Striper, and Sturgeon fishing. One things for sure > I absolutely DESPISE snow and ice, with ever fiber of my being ! Not only would I not even consider fishing in it, I would not even consider living anywhere I had to deal with it ! I always have to laugh at the people in my area who will drive up to the Sierra's in the Winter, just to get to the snow ! Ha ! You go for it people ! See ya' ! Peace, Fish PS, My favorite time of the year though, for fishing, or anything else, for that matter, is by far Spring

Hey IowaMatt Yea...... It seems like I'm the only Sturgeon fisherman who prefers the 1000 series spinning reels But hey though, that is a really sweet little reel. You got a great deal on it too. I'd probably choose a Steez, over the Shimanos, just because I always preferred Diawa..... But then again, if I were to ever spend some really big $$$ on a reel, I'd probably just order from Daiwa Japan, so I could have a wide range of choices, in the $400 to $800 range. Fish

I don't think that citrus stick is as ugly as the NRX.... but then again, I love the color lime green Heck, a black rod (or natural graphite) with lime green wrap would look sweet ! Fish

I've used about 10 different braided lines, and as long as they are 100% braided spectra, it's really splitting hairs. I prefer TUF-Line XP. I think it's a great value + it's available in white, which I often use for better visibility at my end, and then since I always use a mono leader anyway, I'm not worried about visibility to the fish anyway. BTW, when I hear "Fireline".... I always cringe.... Yes, I know they now make an actual braided Fireline, which might not be too bad, but that old fused garbage was absolutely worthless ! I'd have rather used mono ! (and you guys should already know how I despise mono !) Peace, Fish

Wow ! I love dogs anyway, but he is a really cute one Congrats on the fine catch Fish

Bassthumb, if it feels that light and crisp, it IS going to be more fragile ! So why not use a rod which is a fraction of the cost, MUCH more durable, against those inevitable bumps and bangs a rod takes every now and again, then use braided line with such a rod, and have a rod / line combo that is FAR more sensitive, than this WAY expensive (ugly) super light and crisp rod, used in conjunction with stretchy @$$ monofilament ? Because from what I'm reading, this would be a terrible choice, of a rod to use with virtually zero stretch braid..... Just MPO..... Fish PS, In an earlier thread, somebody asked me what super high modulas rod I used (it felt REALLY light and crispy, too BTW) that I snapped on a hookset, while using it with braided line.... I remembered later on.... It was called a Fenwick Iron Feather. So sure.... It was a REALLY sensitive rod ! Way moreso, than anyone who uses real line (oh, I'm sorry.... braid ) will ever need.

Okay, Canal, Fat-G, and anyone interested..... First thing is, I've spent a TON of time on the camera forums, and one of the first things you will find out, is that most of the experienced photographers, will actually talk nothing but garbage, about point and shoot cameras with super high mega pixel counts. Their reason being, that by trying to pack too many mega pixels onto such a small sensor (the sensors in nearly all point and shoots is tiny compared to that of pretty much all DSLR's) you lose a lot of photo quality... mostly because of a big increase in digital noise, especially when shooting in less than bright sunlight. That said, 8 or 10 mp is MORE than enough to do really nice, detailed shots.... even for printing modest sizes up to say 8" x 10"s. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now, Canal, you said you are not worried about self taken shots. This is VERY important to me, but because it's not important to you, this will make it about 100 X's easier to get a good camera for your purposes. But for anyone who does want to take your own shots, when by yourself, here's the catch > You put your camera on a little tripod. You set it to full auto. You set the timer for 10 seconds. Pick up the fish in one hand, and reach up and hit the shutter button with the other..... Bam ! You now have a problem And that problem is, that as you hit the shutter button, and it beeped to tell you the timer has started, it also focused, right then, and there FAIL ! ....on what ? Your forearm, which was 8" in front of the camera ? Doh ! Now you set back 2 1/2 to 3 feet from the camera, but it won't focus again It will stay misfocused until it actually fires 10 seconds later My work around for this {and probably why everyone is always surprised at how good my self taken shots come out} is that I use Canon A 6XX series cameras, which have a "C" (custom) mode. I then set my focus distance manually at like 1 yard, for Largemouths, and other smaller fish, or 2+ yards for larger fish, like Sturgeon, etc. I also set my shutter speed, my ISO, my flash brightness, exactly how long I want the timer, and even how many consecutive shots it will take after the timer counts down..... basically, I preset the camera for anything I want it to do... then hit "save functions". Bam ! The next time I turn the camera on, it remembers everything and is instantly good to go ! What's really cool, is that even if I'm shaking with adrenalin, my camera is just as calm and cool and READY as it can be Their is only one lame catch Canon quit making the A6XX series cameras :( Too much camera, for too little dollars I suppose. I paid like $125, for my A630, $175, for my A640, and $200 for my A650is. Right before these were all sold out (and with nothing coming up behind them, to really replace them, the prices had spiked to twice as much, or more ! Thank God I have 3 of them ! If you can find a used one in good condition, for a decent deal, snag that sucker fast !!! Otherwise, you can spend like $400, or more, on a G10, or G11, which do have the custom function.... but what I don't like about them {besides the price}, is that they use proprietary batteries and NOT AA's And you know what this means > You can try, and try, and try, to always have a good charge in your battery..... But the one time you slip up and don't charge it for a while, will be the time you catch the biggest bass of your life, and your camera will die on you ! Freaking Murphy's law, right ? That can't happen to me. As my cameras use AA's. So sure, I use rechargeable AA's... Why not ? Way more cost effective. But I also ALWAYS have a brand new set of old school AA alkalines with me (12 year shelf life) so I know I'll NEVER be caught without juice ! Obviously, this battery thing pertains to you, the fisherman, whether or not you take your own photos or not ! Now, of course you can buy a spare proprietary battery for whatever camera you have, but 1) they are expensive, and 2) if the proprietary battery in your camera has gone dead from just sitting too long, whether it was ever used or not, then their is a very strong chance your back up battery will also be dead Which is just all bad right ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DSLR's for fish photography. Okay, if you are a pro photographer... or even just an avid hobbyist like myself, and you have a nice lens or two > and plan to take photos of somebody else holding your fish, well sure then, by all means, get a DSLR ! But the problem with a DSLR, is that it is about 100 X's more picky, about light, and especially about focus ! In a nutshell, while it is hard to take a really bad, (read: unusable) photo with a point and shoot, it is very easy to take a completely blurry, out of focus shot with a DSLR ! And self taken shots with a DSLR ? Yea ! Good luck ! You might just be way better than me..... But personally speaking, I wouldn't even risk missing good shots of a prized catch, with my DSLR...... and even if I thought I might try it, it would require a remote shutter release that I could press with one foot > as a DSLR also has that same, lame premature focusing issue I mentioned earlier, which plagues most point and shoots > the only difference is, DSLR's are just so much more critical with focus distance in the first place ! Just some stuff every fisherman should know about cameras for fish photography. Hope this helps, Peace, Fish

CanalStalkin, I have some good camera advice for you..... But what I really need to know first is > Do you ever plan to take photos of yourself holding a fish, when by yourself ? Their is some very critical info you neeed to know about this.... and I'm late for work. But answer this, and I'll come back this evening to tell you what I'm talking about..... Peace, Fish PS, I hope you can wait for me.... because many / most cameras out there, are not suitable for doing self taken fish shots.... PPS, For fish photos, in most cases, DSLR's are a big mistake. I love my DSLR.... but NEVER for fish photos.

Wow ! For myself, that would be practically impossible. Two rods, no problem at all. 1 heavy action, 7 1/2ft spinning rod for my swimbaits, and 1 micro-light, for nearly everything else. I just use my medium weight rods so rarely.... except maybe for Spring sight fishing. Peace, Fish PS, Like I always say, an angler can land any fish, on any gear.... The reason for different weights of gear, is to properly handle / present, different baits / lures.

So I was thinking, "Come on, how bad can the color scheme be" ? ......so I went and took a look at them. "Oh.... Okay. That bad" ! Those look like those K-Mart Ocean Masters, or whatever generic stuff they carry.... Can't believe G-Loomis would put their name on those. Anyway, I'm just not that particular about rods. Give me a ho-hum middle of the line rod, and I'll use it for 20 years until the guides are falling off, and the cork handle is disintegrating Peace, Fish

Wouldn't that be the dream job ? Fish

Hunt for Big Fish, with Larry Dahlberg, Fishing City Limits, with Ike. And anything done by the Lindners, or In-Fisherman. The only shows I really won't watch, are any to do with tournament fishing. Those just put me to sleep. Peace, Fish

Hey Alpster, not at all. Whatever works. To be honest, I should probably try something like that tool myself sometime. It seems like I've been screwing up more knots than ever, lately. Granted, those bad ones never touch the water, but still, it can be frustrating / time consuming to tie 2 or 3 failures in a row ! Granted, that usually only happens when my hands are too cold to function properly And to be honest, as long as it's properly tied, I think their are a whole bunch of different knots that will all work just fine. Peace

Hey I know I already replied, but I bought another $200 worth of great stuff from Wal-Mart last night ! Everything from a fat grocery list, to some shower stuff, couple new pairs of pants, etc ! Man, I just love Wal-Mart Hey BTW, did you guys know that Wal-Mart: *sends all kinds of money out of the US *treats their employees like garbage *puts mom and pops stores out of business *supports slave labor in third world nations *and LOTS more hideous stuff too All for my benefit ! GO WAL-MART !!! If I had some more money, I'd go shopping there again right now ! Oh, and did I mention, I just love that place Peace, Fish

An ugly knot ??? That would just go against my whole philosphy on knots. I'd tie it like 20 X's. trying to make it look clean, and pretty, and if I couldn't manage that, I'd eventually just give up and tie a different knot. So, if this is an inherantly ugly knot, how do you know when you have tied it correctly ? Just curious. But actually, when it comes to knots, I use the improved clinch, the palomar, and the blood knot > and they never fail (as long as they cinch down clean, and pretty, and if not, I retie them until they do). So why change anything ? Peace, Fish

8" Huddleston Deluxe trout swimbait Peace, Fish

Hey Alpster, I don't doubt that the opposing nail knots are a fine knot.... But even with that tool, and a lot of practice, "I bet I could still find a way to screw one up every now and again" ......but again, if I did screw it up, I could tell this by looking at it, and I'd just try again.... and again.... and again... if neccessary Peace, Fish

I freaking despise wind > > > > However, this is mostly because of my own comfort. As far as the fish are concerned, I think a little chop on the water is probably a +..... most of the time. One thing I will say though, in our area, the prevailing winds are from the West. This is what's "normal" for our area. Normal wqind / weather = normal fish feeding activity. However, any time we have some weird, oddball East, Or North wind blow through, it flat shuts the fish down in a heart beat ! I heard an old timers saying that says, "Wind from the West, fish bite the best, Wind from the East, fish bite the least". And I have to believe their is a lot of truyth to that saying. Peace, Fish PS, With sight fishing, a 1 mph hour breeze is the most hideous thing on the planet ! ....okay, well 2 mph is twice as bad ! ....and so on

Those last couple are fantastic ! Only thing that would look better, would be the same shot with a Hud Peace, Fish

I dunno.... For all the years I used mono, I thought I had plenty of enough "feel" of what was going on at the other end of my line. But I can still remember how everything changed when I switched to braid ! Their was SOOO much sensitivity, it was almost unnerving ! I remember that every time a fish kicked, or the line popped over its tail, while fighting it, I thought I had lost it ! Freaked me out for a while, until I got used to it. On the other hand, going way back, to the time I went to my first graphite rod, switching away from fiberglass, I don't remember anywhere close to such a difference. Peace, Fish

Hey owasco, the advice given here for different knots is alkl fine. Their are several knots that will work well. I've gotten very used to tying a blood knot, and since I always use a mono leader, and braided mainline, I tie a BUNCH of them Only thing I want to make clear, fluorocarbon "IS" a mono-filament. So any knot which ties mono to mono, will still only be tying mono to mono. Oh, and I really should just add this whole thing to my signature here: I feel compelled to say this any time I speak of knots > I tie plenty of crappy knots.... but what I'm great at, is knowing when I've tied a crappy knot, and retying it as many X's as I have to, until it's perfect ! This is why I NEVER break off fish. Look at the knot as it cinches. It should be easy to cinch down fully, and the knot should be clean, and symetrical.... regardless of what knot your tying, or what line your tying them with. If it doesn't cinch down clean and pretty, chop that sucker, and try again ! ....or maybe lose the biggest fish of your life !!! It's your choice. If you never read anything else I post again, this is probably the most important piece of advice I will ever give. Peace, Fish