Kirtley Howe

In almost all places, SMB are NOT considered to be an INVASIVE species. They are considered to be an EXOTIC species. An invasive species is bad because they out-compete native species for resources (food, spawning areas, etc), and/or destroy the habitat. An Exotic species is one that is not native to an area, but its' introduction to the area is not detrimental, as they don't directly compete for the same resources in a manner that will hurt local species, and they do not destroy the habitat.

No one I currently know would use WD40 as a line conditioner. Many "old timers" did. I personally would never use it for that purpose, but I was curious if anyone on the forum had ever done so, and what the general consensus is as to that use.

I have an acquaintance who scuba dives. He has done some exploring in the Susquehanna River from the Binghamton NY area to the Owego NY area. He stated that there are catfish in these areas that would easily go 50 lbs. The largest I have ever seen in this area was 20+ lbs....I guess that they got to the 50lb size by NOT getting caught.

I don't know about that. I have never caught a fish dragging a swimbait on top of the ice.

Way to go. You make me proud just by association with you. Fantastic catch.

Hard to believe that having a 25 lbs bag would not be in the top 10, yet several anglers went home today with 25+ bags. Can't wait to see what happens tomorrow.

I agree with the part about them being easier to catch on a bed....but as a general rule, I do not think they are easier to catch than largemouth. However, my experience with Florida Strain largemouth is pretty limited, so I can only compare smallmouth to Northern Strain largemouth.

Good one. Wish I had thought of that. I guess you could say that he is hard to get to know.

I discovered what happens to braid when it encounters zebra mussels on Cayuga also. I wasn't paying attention and lost a couple of fish due to the braid failing. I was completely perplexed at first.

The miracle of careful camera work. They are not going to show you the 45 min that the guy spent chucking that worm to the fish when it didn't bite.

I have been looking at their whole line of lures. When I am ready (make that able) I will be trying some of them. They look great, and the prices are really good.

A lipless crankbait is one of the most versatile lures you can use. They can be fished fast in cold water to get a reaction strike. They can be fished with a yo-yo retrieve if fish want a different look. They can be fished slow and deep, kind of like slow-rolling a spinner bait. They can be fished over/thru weeds...when they get hung up, ripping them free can trigger a massive strike. They excel at being bounced off wood and rocks. Since they come in sinking, suspending and floating models, and in many sizes and weights, it is easy to find one that will work in almost any situation. You can find them in any price range you are comfortable with from 99 cents to big dollar amounts....and they ALL work.

Well, now THAT image is burned into my brain. Thanks a lot. The single thing that irritates me the most, is people who litter. There is absolutely NO reason not to deposit trash in a garbage can or take it home with you and put it in your own garbage can. Littering REALLY frosts my 'nads.

I agree with Glenn about using cheap lures. I almost always use the least expensive lure in a category that I can find.....with a few exceptions. I have found that Rapala Husky Jerks work better than any other lure in the style regardless of price. I have also found that the really cheap large swimbaits do not work well. You don't have to spend $200 to get a good one, but I don't think the $6 ones work at all. I do realize that this is controversial topic and some people have strong feelings about certain lures. That is fine, as we are all entitled to our own opinions. But as usual Glenn has done a great video.

Who is this guy Ed you are talking about? Never heard of him.

Well don't keep me in suspense....did the werewolf formula work?????

Yes that was the rumor. But there is no fish oil in WD40, and there never has been.

Yeah....I went out yesterday and hung up the bird feeders and cleaned up dog poop from the yard. That took about 15 min. By the time I got back into the house I had to sit down and try to catch my breath. Today, same activity, and no problem. The air is definitely better today. Right now it is raining (which we needed badly) and the air is very clear.

Mine would sometimes start back up almost immediately. Other time it would take 5-10 mins. or longer before it would restart. "Intermittently" would be use for a day or two, and then sit for 2 or 3 weeks before it would be used again. Also I should point out that the older 2 stroke motors used a much heavier oil mix (25 to 1 in my case) than more modern motors. Intermittently would be use for a day or two, than sit for a week or two. I should mention that the older 2 stroke motor took a much heavier oil mix than more modern ones. In my case the motor called for 25 to one ratio.

I've had several old-timers tell me that they always use WD40 to condition their monofilament line. They claim it will remove memory and make the like cast better without weakening it or damaging it in any way. I am hesitant to try it. What are your thoughts on this?

Years ago I had a 19ft StarCraft bow rider with a 115hp Johnson 2 Stroke outboard. The motor ran great on muffs or in a tub. Take it out on the lake and it would flat out quit or run really badly. I had it into several shops. No one could figure out what was wrong. I was about to sell the boat because I was so frustrated. One day a shade tree mechanic I knew was talking to me and I explained my problem. He came over to the house and in 45 min came in and said it was fixed. He charged me $20. The next day I took it out to the lake, and it ran perfectly. I ran it around all day with no problems. The next day I asked him what he had done. He explained that it was a somewhat common problem on older 2 stroke motors, especially larger displacement ones (I don't know if that is true or not...it is just what he said). It seems that the float bowls in the carbs would get a "skin" built up from using 2 stroke oil. It is (according to him) especially common when the motor is used intermittently or stored for long periods such as over the winter. When the motor was run on muffs or in a tub, the skin stayed in place and did not interfere with the way the motor ran. But when the motor was run out on the lake, the constant bouncing and wave action would make the "skin" move around to the point it would block the fuel from getting up through the carbs. which would of course, stall out the engine. After boat sat for a while the skin would settle back down, and the motor would start and run fine again. Sometimes I could run all day with no problem, but other days I was lucky to be able to run for 20 mins. at a time. After his repair, which consisted of taking the float bowls off the carbs and carefully removing the skin that had built up, I never had another problem. Please understand I am not any kind of expert on this matter, and am just passing along what I was told, and my experience.

60 years ago, when many tournaments were still catch and kill type tournaments, they were going to ruin everything. Thanks to Ray Scott and other pioneers in the sport who advocated catch and release and/or selective harvest, that threat did not materialize around here. We really owe a large debt to those people.

From my experience, beavers improve quality. I have caught some excellent bass in beaver ponds. Also, many of the local small streams that have beaver dams seem to be loaded with native brook trout as well as some quality bass, which would seem to indicate good water quality and good spawning success. It is a shame that I can no longer do the hiking necessary to access those streams. A lot of them were small enough to jump across, some small enough to STEP across, until you got to the dam area. Most were pretty isolated, so perhaps that played a big role in the quality also.

Because of all the hills around here, the air quality varies by huge amounts only a few miles (sometime only a few hundred feet!) apart. At my house, the air quality was pushing 430. One mile away it was 125...and in the other direction it was 250. Downtown (6 miles from my house) It was 175. Very weird.

Modeling? So when will we see you in the Swim Suit issue of Sports Illustrated? Oh...not THAT type of modeling, sorry.