Kirtley Howe

I would not use Fluorocarbon. I think you would want a line that stretches some, to absorb shock to prevent breakoffs. I would also use a moderate action rod rather than a fast action...it is much easier to "load the rod" against the downrigger clip with a slower action rod. I use a 7' 6" Black Beauty rod as my primary downrigger rod. Fishing from a canoe or Kayak you may want to go with a shorter rod for convenience's sake.

Just my opinion. Generally, ..Northern Largemouth fight harder than Southern Largemouth. Smallmouth fight harder than Largemouth. River Smallmouth fight harder than lake Smallmouth. But pound for pound, a King Salmon on its' spawning run will out fight any other freshwater fish I have ever hooked. As a friend of mine observed (QUOTE) If you knew you could only have sex ONE TIME in your life, you would be pretty well motivated, wouldn't you? <G>

Early in my working career, I had a job in a family-owned hardware chain. The manager who was nearing retirement (and he happened to me one of the family-owners) took a shining to me, and was grooming me to become the store manager, and eventually a partner in the business. The company had 8 stores located in NY and PA, so there was some good money to be made. When the manager/owner I worked for retired, a feud broke out between family members and the PA branch of the family won the feud and I was given the "option" to move to PA, and start over with the company (as in become a basic store clerk again). I told them to pound salt, packed two changes of clothes in a bag, withdrew my money from the bank ($350 or so) hopped on my motorcycle (a Yamaha 350 two stroke twin) and rode it from Candor NY to St. Pete FL in 19 hours straight through. I got to St Pete with no job, no place to live, and I knew no one. I found a job, got an apartment and started over. I don't regret a thing. The only reason I ever left Florida was that my mother became ill, and I went back to NY to help care for her. So I started over again. Got a job at Cornel University in Ithaca NY and worked there for 21 years. I had two jobs (careers) after that, but that is another story.

Ever hook into a Manta Ray? You will think you have hooked up with some kind of demon.

At one time (but no longer) a group of Baboons was called a "congress". I think that explains a lot.

I think my 91 Chevy k1500 would currently qualify as "OLD". And I love her,

If you live in a rural area, check out your local sawmill. Around here, I have 3 to choose from, and I can get pine, white cedar, hemlock, locust, oak, hard maple, soft maple, willow, poplar, cherry, and others. Often you can get scraps or "seconds" that are not suitable for sale for building or major craft projects for next to nothing. We also have two companies that dry hardwood for various stores (Lowes, Home Depo and the like), and sometimes they have pieces that either curled badly or split, making them useless for normal resale. You can sometimes buy these pieces for the price of firewood. I don't make wood lures, but my wife does some craft things, and I do a small amount of woodworking to make gifts, so I have picked up pieces of wood this way.

Mostly what is easily available. I would love to have the budget and time to visit a wider variety of waters, but for the most part, it is just now feasible for me. Getting old, tired, and broke really cramps my "style", but it does not keep me from fishing.

It may not qualify as "cranking", but a very overlooked shallow river bait is a good old fashioned in- line spinner. Good examples are small rooster tails, and Swiss Swings and Shyster Spinners. The rooster tails and Shyster spinners have the advantage of being able to be fished deep also. depending on size. The Swiss Swings are not as productive (and are a pain in the A$$) to fish deep. I really like the Swiss Swing (or the almost identical Swedish Swing. And don't forget the classic Mepps spinners. For some reason these spinners have become pretty much a "forgotten" lure, but they are still killers in small streams and shallow rivers.

I used to wade a 12 miles section of river with great regularity. I loved it...you could pick apart any spot and take whatever time was needed. I can't do much wading these days. A car wreck years ago that badly damaged my left foot and knee, then lung cancer surgery a few years ago that took 1/2 of my right lung which really cuts down on my breathing and therefore my stamina, has ruled out anything more than a very short amount of wading, I really miss it.

Sounds to me that you are fishing a top water original Rapala.

I have 3 ugly sticks. A 6' lite action original. I have had that rod for years. Great rod to toss in the truck and use when bank fishing, especially in areas with lots of trees and brush. You can snag a tree on your back cast, and not worry about breaking the rod. A 6'6 medium action GX2. Gift from the wife. Decent for crankbaits and drifting minnows for walleye. A 7'6" heavy action. Use it for catfish and carp. Are they great rods? No. Are they useful rods? Sure. Inexpensive, and as they say, practically indestructible. I often loan them out to kids when I am fishing. Gives the kids a "decent" rod to use, and I don't worry about them breaking them. I have caught fish with much worse rods....and with much better rods. Any rod that you catch fish with is a good rod, especially if you are fiscally challenged.

1991 Chevy Siverado, 350TBI. Extended cab, 8' box with soft bed cover. Oh, and This

I have experimented with waits as long a 1 min (timed on a watch...believe me it will seem like a LOT longer). I have found that for Smallmouth in cold (under 40F to as low as 33F) gin clear water the long wait can really pay off, if I can stand to do it.* Most times I just can't stand to wait that long. In warmer or dirtier water, a shorter pause is often more effective for me. *Also very effective for Rainbow Trout and Landlocked Salmon.

Got out with the new rod today. Air temperature 35-41 F, water temperature 36 F. River was up, but fairly clear. Mostly cloudy, with winds from calm to about 9 mph. Caught 1 bass about 1 1/2 lbs on a 1/2 oz generic hair jig with a craw style trailer working it through boulders and chunk rock on a flat near deep water. Also caught several small walleye on Rapala jerkbaits. Overall impression of the rod: It is, as I thought, much closer to a medium than medium heavy in feel. I would describe the action as extra fast rather than fast. I cast lures from 3/16th to one 1 oz. The rod does not work well with 3/16th. A 1/4 oz is about as light as is practical, and even that is pushing it. 3/8 oz and up to 3/4 oz are the best weights. The rod can handle up to 1 oz, but I didn't feel very comfortable at that weight. Could be just me, but I really felt like the rod just was not up to the task. The rod worked fine for just about everything I threw. It was better than expected on light to medium crankbaits though I would prefer a slower action rod for them. I was happy with it for fishing jigs, and wacky rigs. It worked fine for T-rigs and carolina rigs up to 3/4 oz. It is usable with spinnerbaits but is a bit fast in the tip for them in my opinion. I did not throw any topwater baits. The rod is not the BEST at anything I tried today, but it is a very useful "all around rod". I may find that it excels at one or more techniques when I use it more and become more accustomed to it. For $30.00, I think I scored a major deal. Even at the regular price of $60.00 it is a good deal on a very useful rod.

If you were looking to replace the guides on your best rod, what type guide/tiptop would you use? There are so many different brands, with so many different inserts that I am very confused. I would want guides that could withstand braid, but I also want the lightest guides I could get. Suggestions? For what it is worth I would want micro guides for a casting rod.

Change the treble hooks for single hooks. You may need to add some wire around the shaft of the hooks to maintain the proper balance on the lure

I have not owed or carried a pistol since I left St. Pete FL back in the 70s. Back then I carried a 44 magnum. Only reason I had it was because I often had to make late night cash deposits for the company I worked for--ABC Liquors, which back then only took cash. Part of my job was, around Holidays (Christmas, New Yeas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July) to go around to all the local stores and pick up the days deposits and take them to the bank. I could easily be carrying $10,000 or more. I would park near the bank, get out with the deposit bag in one hand, and the gun in the other, held in plain sight. It was loaded, and the safety was off. I was never bothered, even when I was working in the Tampa area. Now days, I only own 1 gun. A lever action .444 cal. saddle gun. It is kept loaded, and unsecured in my bedroom. We have no children at home. I don't advertise that I have the gun in the house, and visitors would never know it was there. The reason I keep it as I do, is that we live in a very rural area, and are somewhat secluded. If someone was to try to break in, or even if someone was prowling around outside, it would take the local law enforcement at least 20 min, and maybe up to 45 min. to get to us. Not much help if there was a "problem". I have taught my wife how to use the gun, and how to take care of it. If there were kids in the house, things would be different. Right now, if someone comes to the house that has a child, the gun is unloaded, and secured with a trigger lock, and put in a gun safe-usually befor they get here, and until they leave. I am not careless or stupid.

Welcome aboard. You will love it here.

I would expand that and say "Don't go on the internet when on pain meds or after over indulging alcohol." I "adopted" a kangaroo one time..... Yeah, alcohol was involved, and no, I don't drink anymore.

Well, when it is below 0 degrees F, with 20mph or higher winds, for me it is not a question....I will WATCH fishing since I can't (or won't---I don't ice fish) go fishing. Wish I had the budget to go south for the winter,,,but wifey would not go even if we could afford it,