Neil McCauley

I found this video below really helpful. But it's short I am looking for any similar ones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4T0Tuv6RvY There are a lot of videos online that basically consist of "this patch here looks like baitfish" and "this right here is a brush pile." These are really unhelpful imo because they don't really explain anything about how the signals bouncing back and the movement of the transducer actually get transformed into a 2D display on a screen. That is what is important and hard to get. We can all figure out what a fish or brush pile looks like but I want to know where it is in relation to the boat, what direction it's going, whether it is moving, what size it is, species, etc. I am sure a $2000 fishfinder helps but knowing the fundamental concepts really well you can probably get the same out of a cheap one. Obviously the companies making new fancier fishfinders every year have no incentive to help with this. As someone in medicine I'd compare it to learning EKGs. Anyone can memorize what a heart attack looks like but very very few- even most doctors aside from maybe cardiologists- can understand and clearly explain exactly what the waveforms represent. And that is the key to learning them, they all knew it at some point in med school. They didn't memorize it. If you just memorize "what looks like what" then you will always be getting tricked and making mistakes (like confusing heart attacks with a case of pericarditis or a bundle branch block all due to not really understanding exactly what is being seen on the screen and what it represents. Trial and error and experience can help but without learning the fundamentals correctly from the start I do not feel it is possible to master using it. I want to learn the fundamentals not what shape a fish is. Anyway, rant over, any good videos or even books?

Thanks for your help. Do you know if the tm-mounted transducer method have a drawback in terms of accuracy/function of the sonar? And what is usually the issue that gets a transducer broken, hitting rocks/objects in the water?

I wear thin Mechanix gloves when actively fishing, anything else is too clumsy for me. They are better than nothing. Then big Black Diamond mittens for trolling or moving the boat place to place.

What species and types of water are you planning to fish? I started out much the way you did, wandered into the BPS fly shop. The guys in there, at where I was, are pretty knowledgeable and know how to help a beginner out. Some of the better advice I got were 1) Don't be afraid of a longer rod, 2) Go cheap on the reel, but get a quality rod, it does make a difference. I know you already bought what you have but you may want to exchange, it's worth it.

The youtube videos on this are horrible. Really. And everything kayak-based, anyway. Googling only leads me to humminbird's site, which is not helpful. Anyone familiar with this very basic fishfinder and how it could be set up on a canoe? Pretty sure it is going to have to be custom but I am not even sure how to approach this. Ideally I'd like to have the transducer on the trolling motor on my canoe, or on a side mount attached to the gunwall of the canoe.

Strange question because I'd never really consider fishing "good" if it was very close to a major town or city. As far from high population densities as possible, please.

Grass carp fishing set-up:

A major lake I fish (LG) has frozen over 98 of the last 100 winters, this year might not be one of them. Wondering what effect (if any) this might have on a fishery the next season because of any changes in weed growth, forage fish, fishing pressure, etc? When it freezes it's usually for 3 months. Sometimes 24+ inches thick. The lake in question is oligotrophic- deep, clear, rocky, has good cold + warm-water fish species.

I like the Rapala Super Shad rap in yellow perch pattern. Basically any big shallow running lure with lots of action, flash, vibration, etc.

They're just keeping us safe!

The two times I had to remove a big 1/0 hook from my thumb, I used a sharp blade to cut a path for the barb to come out through when it backs out. Better than a jagged wound.

These big box stores always seem to collapse from within the bigger they get. Bass Pro used to not only be the best tackle store in terms of availability and variety, it also had the best website in the late 90s. But now they seem more focused on selling 10 thousand different varieties of scented candles and beef jerky seasonings. They have an art gallery for crissake. There is not enough profit margin for selling quality items. Selling junk assembled by 7 year olds in China to idiotic impulse buyers- soccer moms, kids, gift shoppers, people who've never fished or stepped foot outdoors in their lives- is far easier and more lucrative. Still the best places to buy tackle are the small father/son tackle shops. The prices aren't always bargains but I almost always find lures and tackle I'm looking for. Size 14 snap swivels, oversized 8" crankbaits, whatever. They cater to a different crowd.

*Commence rant* I have now been told more than a few times by our beloved NYS DEC Rangers to register my little 14 foot canoe because I have an electric trolling motor on it. Check out a small sample of the giant pile of buII$#!t this would entail: Since I purchased this boat privately off craigslist 6 years ago without ever planning on putting a motor on it I have about zero chance of ever getting a "bill of sale" from that person who sold it to me. I will have to look up the ID# on the hull on the company's website and track down the dealer who sold it new and work my way back somehow. I never paid taxes on it, so I guess now even if I do find the person I'll get that leveraged out of me by the State as well. Hypothetically, what if I actually built the canoe though? It is really disturbing feeling to have the government intervene in private affairs to such an extent that I can't even buy a stinking $400 canoe from someone without getting investigated and threatened, registered and taxed. (btw, serious question, is there any difference between this and extortion? Robbery? Essentially, men with guns [DEC] came up to my boat while I'm out in the wilderness minding my own business and told me to go do XYZ (register boat, pay the tax, etc) and if I don't at some point they'll kidnap me and toss me in jail. ) In any case, I will find a way to register it somehow. And under the registration number on the hull I will stick one of these: Do people in other states put up with this sort of stuff too? Anyone register a boat they bought anonymously in private tax-free? What is next-- registering guns? Oh wait, yes. Yes, that probably is next. Where can I move to avoid this sort of BS? /here ends the rant.

Well done. Keep in mind it's best to release larger ones >30" to spawn. They contain the most mercury anyway.

Some of my best catches have been on lures like the Strike King 10XD and a 7.5" Kinchou Pike/Musky plug. Retail stores and tackle manufacturers fill the shelves with mostly small lures because they cost less to make, package, transport for their price and take up less space. A dozen 3/8oz shad raps for $6.99 each is more profitable than a single 3 oz musky plug for $15.

Cheapskate car-topper here. I don't even have a rack!

Only sickness sign I noticed is the first fish looks skinny as heck.

In July this year I hooked two 18-19" smallmouth on a crankbait. Felt strange hauling in something that heavy and fighting so awkwardly. One broke free next to the boat so I only landed one. Sometimes I'll see them chase a hooked fish right up to the boat. The double catches I think probably aren't from the 2 fish hitting a lure simultaneously, but more often one gets hooked and then the other tries to steal from its mouth. Aggressive little bastids.

It's tough to find spinnerbaits and inline spinners in stores big enough. For spinners I might just get a Musky Double Cowgirl off amazon, I think it does have a trailer. I'll have to check out the mister twister. Anyone know of a X-large spinnerbait recommended for pike? I use pretty light tackle...medium power 6'6" spinning with 14lb fluoro and a 30lb steel leader. Just my heaviest bass rod.

Bluegill are delicious. I actually think it's a waste to use them in a taco where they get lost in the other ingredients. I dip mine in buttermilk/egg white mix and then a lightly salt/peppered flour/breadcrumbe dredge. Panfry in a cast iron pan with 1/2" of 360 deg F oil for 1 min on each side and transfer to a rack in the oven to keep warm. Key is hot oil and ice cold ingredients and they won't get soggy or oily. My favorite in tacos is catfish... which actually yes are one of the few fish that is healthier to eat farm raised and tastes better too. Just make sure they are American grown not imported.

Water levels are dropping that's for sure. I can barely get my canoe out from my hand-launch site. I miss May.

Kayak fishing on anything but small/medium ponds is stupid. There, I said it. And kayak fishing on the Great Lakes- Lake Michigan in particular- is a whole other order of stupidity.

Any favorite techniques or tips for catching big Northerns this time of year?

Water quality is exceptional on the lake I took the smallmouth from. I think they were just big crusty old bass. Maybe more like 18+ inches now that I look back and probably way over 10+ years old. I never really measured them but they were good size. I did throw back a 20" from that day and am glad I did. Anyways... I've learned- stick to small fish now. Perch, rock bass and pumpkinseed.. And even with those.... may want to toss back the big ones. This big pumpkinseed (below) for example. On the plate was not terrible, but definitely not as good as the perch or an average size rock bass. Smaller fish are just tastier I guess.

I never fish live bait, but it's tempting. I expect lots of rock bass and perch though if at the slightly wrong depth.