Fish Chris

I figured it was the Hemi's that gave Dodge the reputation for poor mileage. I agree about the looks of the Dakotas. Now.... I just have to break away from this darn PC ! :-) Check back later. Peace, Fish

Like I always say, if I wanted a shot of the birds, and the trees, and the mountains, and the lake, I'd put the fish in the live well, and get the heck out of the way of the camera ;-) But if its a fish photo, put that darn thing up to the lens ! Lets see it right here ! :-) Peace, Fish

Yea', the Smallies in that lake tend to be long and really tall, but kind of flat, from side to side. Makes for nice photographs, but they don't end up as heavy as you might guess on the scale. Again, that's why I thought surely when this one first jumped, that it was going to be 9 plus lbs ! And BTW, if a fish which you believe is a 9 plus Smallie, jumping, doesn't lodge your heart in your throat, I don't know what will :-) LOL Peace, Fish

Okay. I'll consider this too. Of course I think that the most popular, and talked about Dodges by far, are the ones with the Hemi's, and I already knew those got terrible mileage. Which is why I'm really going to heavily research real-world mileage of V6 and non-Hemi V8 Dodges, and full sized Chevy's (I do like Chevy's too) and I'm still not beyond a Toyota..... although, like I said, all of the paint options on those suck. Thank you ***, for speaking up among the Dodge lovers :-) Peace, Fish

As I was saying (in the other thread) their are other reasons to use photoshop, other than to hide your favorite fishing lakes / spots. Here's a good example; Had a guy in another boat, take this photo of this beautiful 7.60 Smallie... Of course straightening out the horizon is "one click" easy. Problem is, then you end up with a photo like this... So, if you know what your doing, and with a little practice, you can clone in the blank area, and end up with a nice photo. Same thing is you have some jellous idiot in the back ground giving you the finger ;-) You can just just make him disapear..... No ugly scribbling, or blurring neccessary. Of course I always keep an original copy (of my biggest, most important catches) in my PC, just in case anyone should ever question any of my catches..... But the point is, corrections in photoshop are not that hard, and can usually be done in a way that doesn't distract from the photo. Peace, Fish

that is GREAT news ! I have my maintenance, and oil changes done religiously, by a "certfied mechanic" friend of mine, who gives me a reciept, and saves all of the servicing records in his own PC as well. The aftermarket exhaust cat back is good news as well. I have another certified mechanic friend, of which that is his specialty :-) (great thing to have friends like these, huh ? :-) I didn't realize that the 4.7 "wasn't a Hemi"..... The same mileage ??? Then why do they make a 3.7 V6 ? Hmmm. I could see it being close.... but the same ? Anyway, I'm going to go look at the big Dodges today. I won't discuss $$$ with them though. I just want to see if they have a truck that suits my needs. Then, I go on the internet, find out exactly what that vehicle, with my options, is going for "out the door".... take a few hundred off of that price, walk in and tell them, "I'll give you this much... Take it or leave it..... In fact, "I've already written the check. Do you want this check or what ? You have exactly 10 minutes to decide, at which point I will walk out of that door, and won't come back". There are just too many Dodge dealers out there to let any one of them jack me around. Dealers hate me, because they make very little profit off of me. I just play total hard ball with them. Peace, Fish

My job "is just a little thing I do on the side"....... Fishing is my life :-) As a matter of fact, I have collected a few checks from I-F.... a couple for articles, and 1 for fish photos :-) Peace, Fish

I have some buddies who were afraid of increasing the pressure on our trophy Smallmouth Lk..... But whether they think so or not, I believe they are pretty much done spawning now anyway... at least the bigger ones. Didn't get a new PB this year, but got some darn nice Smallies :-) I got my first good Smallie this year, a beautful 6.2 lb'er on a Huddlebug, pre-spawn, just blind fishing an area that I know to be good. All the rest were sight fished.... But not like "easy to see, sitting right on top, fishing in an aquarium" sight fishing..... More like... find em' when its calm, and they spook away... mark the bed (or use land marks) come back later when its breezy and choppy (which it almost always is) and blind fish the bed fish, which you hope is still there.... with your boat swinging all over the place, and your anchor rope breaking free.... Urgggg. Pretty frustrating really.... but when you stick Smallies like these, it makes it all worth it :-) Interestingly, all of the Northern Strain Largemouth's were caught on the Hud. They are almost impossible to sight fish in this lake ? But what the heck. You guys know me.... I don't care if I sight fish em', catch em' on a swimbait, or fricking nightcrawler ! As long as I get em' in the boat for photos and weighing, and then the release, it's all good :-) Anyway, this was a beautiful 7.50 lb'er.... which might have been a male..... I still haven't found much info on the male / female size comparisons of Smallies, but I think they might be much closer than with Largemouths {BTW, this fish might have been the mate of my 8.50 PB from last year.... same spot.... plus, I hate to report, but I also hooked a HUGE, fat Smallie on this spot, fought it for like 3 solid minutes, and 4 big runs, when it simply came unbuttoned :-( :-( :-( Their goes my 9 plus Smallie :-( This was sure a nicely built 7.60 lb'er :-) Not very thick across the back, but so tall, and long (for a Smallie) When it jumped, it had 9 lbs written all over it ! Still, I guess a 7.60 Smallie is a good one anywhere in the country :-) And this one "WAS" 9 lbs+.......... the week before I caught her :-( She had a huge frame..... bigger than my 8.5 PB from last year for sure.... unfortunately, she was spawned completly out. Her belly was hollow, and narrow, plus her vent was slightly swollen and reddish. Anyway, even spawned out, she went 8.1 lbs. And hey, I know this is the Smallie sections, but I caught these nice Northern Strain Bass on the same trips I caught the Smallies.... 8.6 lbs..... Not a bad fish for the first cast of the trip :-) 9.0.... Not a bad way to end a great trip, with the last cast :-) BTW, this thing had a "wide" fat belly, it was just so firm, it didn't really sag. And I caught my new my PB Northern this year :-).... 10.4 lbs. I swear this isn't a replica ! :-) Is she just almost too perfect to be real ? Not a scale missing. Not the tiniest split in her fins. And I'm telling you guys, she was 3/4's as wide as she was tall ! Looked like she was on steroids ! And she fought like it too ! Blasted a Hud, then did a complete summersault on the first jump ! Whooo Hooo ! :-) So anyway, even besides my 17.10 lb'er, it's been a pretty great vacation :-) Took my last day off to rest.... and to go look at new trucks :-) Great fishing to you guys, Peace, Fish PS, I think all of these fish were caught on 3 consequtive trips. I made a few more trips, but just caught ho-hum 5 lb Smallies ;-)

My truck is a 97'..... but I don't think it has any frame rot. In fact, the frame and body have all held up very well. It's the mechanical stuff that has worn out..... And it's not that I think the Toyota was not a good truck... I just have a way of driving the wheels off of vehicles. Put it this way, by rough calculations, I'm coming up on 1 million miles of driving, in only 25 years. While a lot of people get tired of a car, after having it for 10 years, and sell it used, for something newer, I often end up getting $50 for them, from the wrecking yard ! :-) Resale value means practically nothing to me. Peace, Fish

I'm certainly leaning towards the full size wagon...... At this point, it really comes down to the mileage question. With the V6, and cruise control set at 59mph, and better, aftermarket exhaust (if it doesn't void the warranty).... and heck, I'd even go for an aftermarket PC chip (which could always be swapped back, in case it has to go back to the dealer.... Is 20mpg possible ? Or a hopeless dream..... I think Dodge tells you 19mpg on the freeway.... but I know those numbers are always over inflated + that's not when pulling a light boat...... Hmmmm, Fish

I am buying it brand new... cash. I just happen to have a nice chunk of change to play with. But generally speaking, and in the long run, mileage is still very important too. Hey FishingBuds, if you don't mind, and if your buddy has ever figured it, can you try to find out what his actual, real-world mileage is, with his V6 Dodge Ram, pulling his boat ? {I'm assuming his boat is bigger and heavier than mine though... maybe a lot} I could probably live with 17mpg. I don't think my worn out old Toyota gets much better than that..... Also, I have a friend / mechanic that can put on an aftermarket exhaust, which he tells me will not only give me a few more HP's, but will also give me a couple more MPG's.... and sounds tougher too ;-) ....if that wouldn't void my warranty. And also, I am getting the optional cruise control, and will tow at like 59 MPH, religiously. That should add 1 or 2 MPG's as well. The bottom line is, the closer I can get to 20mpg, when towing my light aluminum, the better. Would like to hear more from as many people as possible though.... Fish

Okay, my poor old Toyota is just about flat worn out. It's only a 97'.... but it has 216,000 "extremely hard" miles on it. (I'd say it has the equivalent of 300 to 400K on it) It's never seen an easy mile. I used to deliver pizzas in it, and I was on the gas and brakes so hard all day long, that I had to replace the brakes every 2 to 3 months ! Then, on my days off (3 a week) I'd hook up the boat, and take in on 2 or 3 trips that involved flooring it through the mountains. Already replaced the tranny 2 years ago, and the rest of the truck isn't worth a new motor... which has to be coming soon. Geez, you should hear the motor.... Sounds like shaking marbles around in a steel can ! Burning some oil too. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So anyway, here's my situation..... I'd love to have a new Toyota, or Nissan, which has to be a 4 cyl, as mileage is VERY important to me. My 14ft alminum is pretty light, so I'm good there. But dang these freaking 2008 Toyotas are outrageous expensive ! {oh, and they don't make any of them in a color I like.... or should I say, which would look good pulling my Camo boat} Now here's the dilemma; I can get a full sized Dodge Ram with a V6, which is actually rated only a couple MPG's less than a Toyota.... Plus I'm thinking, it might not work quite as hard to pull the little boat, meaning the mileage might not drop quite as much, as it would with the Toyota. But the kicker is, with the full sized Dodge Ram, they are offering a HUGE cash back incentive, of $5500 ! ....making the full sized Dodge "cheaper" than the little Toyota ! Plus, Dodge trucks now have the lifetime guarantee on the drivetrain..... and for a guy like myself, that can take a brand new vehicle, and flat wear it out in 10 years, that could be VERY important. Oh.... and it's available in Desert Sand.... which would look great with a Mossy Oaks Shadow Grass kick panel, seat covers, and windshield visor tint ;-) Still worried about the actual, real world mileage of the V6 Dodge though........ Your thoughts ? Thank you, Fish PS, This truck will be rarely used for anything but pulling my boat, and in fact, will stay permanently attached to it.... Unless I need to go get the oil changed or something.

you must make LOTS more money, and / or fish a lot closer to home than I do ! Heck, I can barely afford the gas for a 4 cyl Toyota and my 25hp outboard, (for my 120 to 140 full days of fishing, a year) as it is. One of those big high-per bass boats, and a full size V-8 truck to pull it, would cut my fishing down by at least 3/4's...... which would be a HUGE detriment to my fishing, and is completely unacceptable. But anyway, sure ! If I win one, I'll be glad to hook you up :-) Peace, Fish

photoshopping is certainly because of guys wanting to keep down the pressure.... Most especially in California, where you have tens of thousands of guys surfing the net, looking for the next great place to fish.... and that place might be a little bitty pond, in which only a handful of additional bass fishermen, can drastically reduce your own odds at even getting to fish the areas of that pond that you want to, let alone, catching another good fish from it. That said, all a guy has to do is back himself up close to any steep section of bank, bushes, trees, etc, and this makes it almost impossible to tell the pond / lake, or the individual spot on it. Secondly, if a guy is going to go through the trouble to photoshop his photos, why not just use the cloning feature to erase distinguishing features, in a way which is basically undetectable...... rather than scribbling all over the photo, or blurring it into obscurity ? I don't know about the guys that do this, but to me, I want to show off a good looking photo, as well as a good looking fish. Finally, personally speaking, their are things I don't like to have in my fish photos, which don't have anything to do with giving away my spot. This might sound weird, but I hate to have anything man made in the back ground of my spots. Light poles, buildings..... heck, I've even been known to erase passing boats. In fact, I feel even more strongly about man made garbage getting into my "non-fish" photography. If I couldn't erase a light pole, I wouldn't use that photo. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oh hey, and here's another reason for knowing how to use photoshop..... Oh wait.... you guys haven't seen that fish photo yet ;-) Coming soon, Peace, Fish

neither do I :-) I'm fishing out of my dreamboat right now.... Peace, Fish PS, Not only do I believe that those 50K glitter rockets are not much help, but in many cases, they are actually a hendrance, to sticking big bass. If you gave me one today, I'd sell it half off, just to get rid of it fast.

totally..... that, and that the size of the lure or bait you have to throw. The only reason I ever use a big, heavy action rod, with 50 lb braid, is for the big, 5 ounce swimbait I have to throw with it. Otherwise, in most situations, I could land the biggest bass in Nor Cal.... Heck, even the biggest Striped bass in Nor Cal, on a micro-light. Medium light gear gives you a little more feel of the fish though. Peace, Fish

First off, Butch Brown is the man ! Definately one of my big bass idols. Very huge, very cool fish, caught on tape..... But they cut it off too soon. I'd like to see more angles and closeups of the fish after he caught it. I'd have probably lost this one, as I can't believe how soon he was reaching for the net. Maybe when it first surfaced, he noticed how it was barely hooked.... Either way, he says > "Did you see what just happened" ? ......and I was expecting him to say, "It came unbuttoned at the same instant it was going in the net" {which is, in fact, what happened} but instead, he told me something I already knew.... That he caught it on a Hud.... Uhhh... well yes. What else would he be throwing ? But I have to give him some slack on this, I know from personal / recent experience, that it's really hard to think straight, when your adrenalin level is through the roof :-) This is Butch's biggest bass on video.... but not his best video of a big bass catch. I think some of those "little ol' 15 and 16 lb'ers he has taped are a bit better. Oh well, the photos of my 18.4 lb PB are not my best photos of a big bass, either. BTW, what's up with the blotchy, pixelated video quality ? Is it something to do with the way it's posted online ? I have a short video of the release of my recent big one, which is much better quality..... but maybe by the time it was posted, and viewed on the internet, it wouldn't be any better. I don't know much about internet video. Anyway, what a fish. I will get one in Nor Cal someday, that is that big. Big congrats to Butch Brown, Fish

Now I have figured it out..... you said "it was electroshocked" ! :-) LOL Seriously though, a Striper that size is believable I guess. The photo just struck me funny, with the fish looking completely stiff, and all its fins straight out..... Peace, Fish

I've never thrown a Mission Fish. As I've told you guys before, I just don't find a need for a lot of different lures. If the bait monkey depended on me, he'd starve to death. Give me a couple Huds, and a 9" MSslammer, and if I can't stick them on those, I honestly don't believe I'd have caught them on anything else either. Peace, Fish

Did you just skip right past my post ? Do you not believe that a 102 lb Sailfish was caught on 2 lb mono, either ? .....and that one edged out a 101 lb'er. I'm not trying to force feed you guys anything here..... But your talking about "how things seem". I'm telling you how I know things to be, concerning micro-light fishing for big fish, from actual experience. Super light gear, for big fish, is just not as big a deal as a lot of people believe it is. Oh and hey Lavrakos, you could not lift a 50 lb block of concrete off of the bottom with 2 lb test, no. However, a mid-water swimming fish, such as a Striper, is just about perfectly equal in buoyancy. Meaning, you can gently lead a (dead, or close to it) 50 lb fish to the boat with 2 ounces of pressure, if you were extremely gentle about it...... in the same way that you can close a 2 ton bank vault door with one finger, or push a 70 foot, 20 ton boat away from the dock with one hand. Simple physics. Peace, Fish

No, sorry. I think I did a search for "huge bass".... or something of that nature. Peace, Fish

I fish from the bank all the time at one of my favorite trophy bass lakes. Granted, my boat is always beached within 100ft of me. I just use it to get me to the right area, but when given the option, I believe its MUCH easier to sneak up on a giant bass by way of our own element (land) than by the fishes element (water). I caught both of these two bass fishing from the shore last year: 14.40 15.60 Peace, Fish

Well I've caught a few.... But as I often remind people, even here in Cali, where double digit bass are supposedly just jumping into peoples boats, it took me 30 years to catch my first one ! ......and if I had kept fishing the way I had up until that point, it might have taken me 30 more to get the second one. Peace, Fish

Jessica Alba for a wife.... Raven Riley for a girl friend :-) Fish PS, Angelina can adopt me next if she's looking for another one ;-)

but like I always say, if you fish a lot, specifically targeting big fish, in places that have a good number of big fish, you can't help but catch a big one every now and again :-) Peace, Fish PS, Hey Matt, I feel your pain. I wish I had more time for photography.... and also, I always wished I could have gotten into scuba diving, and underwater photography..... but theirs just not enough time in a lifetime..... Especially for guys like us that want to go all out with whatever we choose to do.