Kirtley Howe

Back when I could still wade fish local streams and rivers, it was not totally uncommon to have smallmouth bass "attack" (circle, bump, and nip at) my legs when wading during spawning season when I happened to get into a spawning area with several beds. I never deliberately waded into a spawning area, but many of the streams and rivers around here are pretty muddy/stained at that time of year due to rain and it is difficult to see the beds, especially on cloudy days or during other low light conditions. I would not say that being "attacked" by smallmouth was common, but it did happen more than once. They can be an amazingly aggressive fish.

You forgot "Big Game"

Yeah, and I have watched fish of various species blast partway up a waterfall only to crash back down....but I still don't like seeing a fish tossed back into the water when it does not have to happen. I do think it is less harmful to smaller fish--less mass less impact force, or less surface area (body) on the fish equals less harm (think of the difference between doing a belly flop as opposed to a clean dive into the water).

Key word is "can", not "do'. The less time out of the water the better. But sometimes no matter what you do or how carefully you handle a fish, it will not survive. It is difficult to judge how much delayed mortality there is. We do know that catch and release works at least most of the time. If it didn't you would never catch a fish that had hook marks in its' mouth. Try to be careful with the fish and limit its' time out of the water, but don't get in such a hurry to release the fish that you cause it more damage by handing it roughly. One thing that bothers me is when I see fishermen and woman toss a fish back into the water. A lot of pros that I like, and for the most part admire, are guilty of doing that. (Ben Milliken I am looking at you). Please PUT the fish back in the water, not TOSS it back. l have no proof that tossing a fish back will hurt it, but why take the chance? One thing I really like about the MLF (despite all their recent and on-going problems) is the fact they penalize a competitor if they don't reach over the gunnel to release the fish. If they toss the fish back, they sit for 2 minutes. I wish B.A.S.S. would pass a similar rule.

Tried 3 different locations. No luck at any of them.

Decided to go fishing on the river (Susquehanna) today. From everything I have read and heard, it should have been a great day. We have had 3 days straight of a stable high pressure system, with temperatures in the high 60s to mid 70s during the day, and 48-55 at night. Today had the leading edge of a cold front moving in with barometric pressure starting to drop. Air temp started at 48 in the morning and climbed up to 58 at noon, and then gradually started cooling off until it hit 51 at 5:30pm. Skys were mostly cloudy with a few very light scattered showers, and wind pretty steady at 8-10 mph, with a few gusts to 15mph. Water temp was 58 degrees. All of that said to me that fishing should have been great. Well, fishing WAS great, but catching was non-existent. I could not throw any topwater other than frogs and unweighted flukes, as there was a massive amount of leaves floating around, Neither of those baits got any attention. I tried just about everything else in my tackle box (spinnerbaits, crankbaits of all types, jigs, several different jerkbaits of different sizes and depths, swimbaits, weighted fluke baits, carolina and texas rigs with different plastics.).You name it, I tossed it. I tried fishing wood, weeds (though they were dying off...some still green but most not), rocks, shallow, deep, mid depth, slow fast....well you get the idea. All I managed in 4 1/2 hours was one small Walleye on a jerkbait. I have no idea why I could not get any other fish. I am open to suggestions or thoughts from anyone as to what I could or should have done differently. Oh....I forgot to say that I was bank fishing. Anyway, what do you all think?

I agree that the forums don't need more items. It could get pretty silly and cumbersome. Just imagine if there was a johnboat heading, a kayak heading, a bank fishing heading, a canoe heading, a pontoon heading, a plastic boat heading etc......

Cayuga lake is up to 425 ft deep. Bass are often caught just above the thermocline, which can often be anywhere from 60 to 125 ft. I would not call it finesse fishing, as you have to use weights up to 3/4 oz just to get the lure down there in a reasonable amount of time. To me it is incredibly boring fishing, and I don't do it, but know several people who do.

Benn raining all day here. Not hard, but steady. Supposed to rain like this for another 2 days and nights. I am guessing we will get 4-5 inches total. And we did not need it. My back yard has been a swamp all summer. I was hoping to get it mowed at least one more time, but unless we have some very dry and unseasonably warm weather for the next 10 days, I don't think that is going to happen.

Well...Not a bad year for Ben. 9th in the Angler of the Year, secured a birth in the Elites. Won a tournament so he is fishing the classic. Guess this guy is for real.

In my area of New York State, all grades of gas (regular 87, midgrade 89, premium 93) contain "up to" 10% ethanol. Some stations even sell the e85 fuel for flex fuel vehicles. Unless the pump says ETHANOL FREE, the gas will have ethanol in it. The only problem I have had with ethanol gas is that it can collect water from the air if it sits for an extended period of time. Adding a fuel stabilizer does seem to help with that. For the most part the only time I have to worry about that is during winter storage.

I was down on the Susquehanna River today for about 4 hours of shore fishing. The ONLY thing I could buy a bite on was a 1/4 oz ball head jig with a 3 inch Mr. Twister Sassy Shade in Orange/Black color. I did not catch anything to write home about, but I did get 5 smallmouth in the 1 lb. range, and a bonus 2 walleye...one was 12 inches and the other was 14 inches. Sometimes you just cannot beat a sassy shad on a ball head jig. As was said, it will catch anything that swims.

Dicks just opened the largest (at this time) Dicks' House of Sports near me. This is a huge, 2 story store. I went to the grand opening with high expectations, but while the store is huge, the fishing department is very small. To give you an idea...my house is 1100 sq feet of living space. The ENTIRE fishing department would fit in the area of my living room and kitchen, and I have a very small kitchen. The had an OK selection of reels, a moderate selection of lures, and a pretty small selection of rods. I was very disappointed. I did score a Diawa AvidX rod for $31.00 during their grand opening but that was the only real deal. And as I said, the overall selection of fishing tackle and lures was pretty pathetic. It is very sad to see what Dicks has become. They were founded in Binghamton NY which is 22 miles from where I live, and started out as a fishing tackle store. For years, they had a great selection of fishing gear and tackle, and a decent hunting section. They also had excellent camping gear. Now they should be called "Dicks clothing, shoes, golf, and "oh yeah, we have some fishing stuff" store". For me, it is very depressing. I guess the economics have forced them to carry the much higher profit stuff (for example sneakers are usually over a 100% mark up, most clothing items are 70% mark up, and golf equipment is also a huge mark up). Fishing tackle and equipment is a very competitive market, and margins are often very slender. I understand the reality of it, but it sure is disappointing to me. I do have one of their off-shoot Field and Stream stores about 30 miles from where I live. That has more fishing tackle and lures, but even that is not nearly as good as Dicks used to be. Oh well, time marches on and things change and not always for the better.

Ok Darren.

The battery switch/circuit breaker is already installed on the boat. It was there when I got it. The boat was given to me by a friend. He inherited it when his uncle died. My friend does not fish or boat, so he told me I could have it if I came and got it. It came with the boat, trailer, motor, and trolling motor. It also has the deep cycle marine starting battery that was only 6 months old. While the boat was in storage pending settling the estate, someone stole the trolling motor battery(s), the seats, and the electronics. Why they didn't steal the main motor and trolling motor and starting battery is anyone's guess......I replaced the tires on the trailer as they were 8 years old, and though they looked good, I did not trust them. I have not had the boat in the water yet, and won't until early next year. I did run the main motor (it has a hose hook up for service and test runs), and it started and ran fine. I will be doing a service (oil, gear oil, plugs etc) before actually using it. The fuel tank has been drained and flushed, so that is ready to go. It is a 20 gallon plastic tank, so no rust problems to deal with. I got a new fuel line and primer bulb which will go on it when I am ready to put it in the water.

My local Walmart has a pretty good selection of basic stuff, and a few better rods and reels. They often have some lures and rods on clearance....but they are NOT in the Fishing aisles. They are in the clearance section near the front of the store. In my local store that is located near the garden supply area, and before you get to paint and hardware. I always check out that aisle first.

The trolling motor is a Great White saltwater trolling motor made by Motorguide. I was told it is a 60 lbs thrust. I will have to check the actual motor for the thrust ratings and voltage. It appears that the Great White series of motors has been discontinued. The only one I can find listed is shown as back ordered with no known restock date. I have been trying to find more info on the motor, but have not had much success. The one listed as out of stock is a 109lb thrust, 36V unit. The one I have is an older unit and I don't think it is in that range. I have never actually used the trolling motor, but it does spin freely when hooked up to a 12v battery, and seems to spin pretty quickly, but of course I cannot tell if it has much real thrust by just running it for a minute in open air. If it what I think it is after some research, it is a 55 lbs thrush, 12v saltwater rated trolling motor....not a 60 lbs thrust. It appears that Motorguide only made a 55lbs thrust 12v, a 75lbs thrust 24v, and a 109 lbs thrust 36v. But as I said, I will need to do more research and actually examine the motor more. Thank you for the responses on this.

When you really think about it, what are the options? Not do the work to get better, and be crippled up for the rest of your life? Give up and just die? Those are not acceptable options, at least for me. I had one rehab person tell me I was "very brave"....I told her she was dead wrong about that. I was scared Shi#tless by the idea of not being able to walk or use my arm....and fear is one hell of a motivator. As anyone who has had to go thru it knows, physical rehab sucks.....but it sure beats the alternatives.

Be prepared to lose some lures........river fishing from shore is a lot of fun, but it is not as easy to unsnag a lure from shore than it is from a boat....and rivers tend to have a lot more snags than lakes.

The boat is a 15ft. Boston Whaler with a 60hp bigfoot motor and 60lb thrust Great White trolling motor. Listed weight with 1/2 tank gas is right around 1000lbs. Figure 400 lbs in fishermen, and 400 lbs in gear/tackle/batteries, etc.. Total weight should be under 2000 lbs. total. I have been given a $100 Walmart Gift Certificate. I need a trolling motor battery. (I have a good deep cycle marine starting battery already for starting the outboard motor). Looking on Walmart's website I see they have a group 27DC deep cycle marine battery for around $95.00, that is rated for around 100 amp hours (which seems a bit optimistic to me....I would believe maybe 75 amp hrs. at best) . It is also rated for 750 mca. That confuses me. Nowhere on the battery does it say "Marine Starting Battery", so I would assume that it is a trolling motor/accessory battery, not really a cranking battery. Am I correct about that? And would that battery be sufficient to power the trolling motor for 4 hours or so at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle? The only other draw would be an old depth finder/fish finder that would be used for depth only. The bilge pumps and lights will all be on the starting battery. Also, if someone has experience with the EverStart Walmart batteries, I would like your opinion. I have used their car batteries with no problems but have never used their marine batteries.

As others said, be sure to check local regulations, but assuming it is legal, the best baits in my opinion are: 1) Hellgrammites 2) Minnows 3) Leaches 4) Worms (nightcrawlers) 5) Crayfish (crawfish)

Well, I don't feel amazing. I just feel lucky. I was blessed with good genes for healing and blessed/cursed with a large stubborn streak. My father used to say I was too stupid to give up (he was kidding about the stupid part, I think) and to stubborn to die. But thank you very much for the compliment.

Thanks Kate....but to quote the musical "Don't cry for me Argentina". I consider myself to be very lucky, and in many ways blessed.

Having good balance at any age is important. Having good balance when older is critical to being able to do the things we enjoy (like fishing). I have been an avid motorcycle rider for my entire adult life, and I really believe that has helped with my metal awareness, reaction time, judgement, physical endurance, and most of all my balance. It is funny how one form of recreation can have such an impact on another. I have to work around a number of "limitations" as I age. Back in 1980 (08/16/80 to be exact), I was in a very bad car wreck. I was driving my MG midget convertible to work. As I was cresting a hill I saw a 15 passenger Dodge van coming the other way, and drifting into my lane. I moved over...and kept moving over, until I was driving down the ditch at the side of the road, and coming to a complete stop. The van keep coming, and ran into the left front of my car. That turned my car sideways, which had the van collide with and climb up the driver side door, up over the windshield, and then stop parked on my head. The frame of my cars windshield was forced down thru my shoulder. The drivers side door was shoved into my left side. The clutch pedal was pushed thu my left food. The total damages were: Left foot partially amputated, and turned around backwards. Left ankle was totally separated/broken. Left knee was broken, and the kneecap was broken in half. There was considerable nerve and muscle/tendon damage to lower left leg. Left hip was broken. Pelvis was broken. Six ribs on my left side were broken and my left lung was punctured. The windshield frame sliced through my left shoulder, and the impact broke my left shoulder and forced the shoulder joint several inches outside the skin. The tendons in the shoulder were severed, and the upper arm muscles were badly cut and damaged. (Note: I am left-handed). My jaw was broken in two places, and a bunch of teeth were broken and knocked out. My left ear was partially cut off. The orbital bones around the eyes were broken. My nose was broken. My skull was fractured in 3 places. I had three badly damaged vertebrae. 3 ribs on my right side were broken. The muscle sheath on the left side of my back was torn off the bone. And I had a face full of broken glass. When they got me to the hospital the first two doctors to attended to me wanted to amputate what was left of my left foot. I refused to let them. They called in an orthopedic doctor (Cornell University's sports medicine doctor who also consulted with several pro football teams) He said he could put the foot/ankle back together and could reconstruct the shoulder, but he did not think I would be able to use my left hand again (due to the nerve damage) and would only have partial use of my left arm due to the bone, tendon, and muscle damage. He also told me that I may not walk again due to the damage to my back, and the damage to my ankle and foot, and if I did manage to walk it would most likely be with a canes or a walker for the rest of my life. I was told by the physical therapy people that I would be in rehab for at least 6 months to a year, and would most likely never be able to return to my work again, and would be disabled for the rest of my life. I left the hospital after 2 weeks. I had to learn to walk all over again. I had to learn how to use my left arm and hand again. I ended up with a bone marrow infection that had me on intravenous antibiotics every 6 hours for 3 months. I had a heplock installed and was doing the IVs at home. One of the things I did for rehab was to go fishing. A friend of mine would take me out in his 14 ft. boat. I got a kick out of some of the looks we got when I would tie an IV bag to an oar, and he would hold the oar straight up while the IV ran into my arm. Good times. I returned to work in 5 months (with a walker, and only weighing 127 lbs. instead of my normal 185lbs.). It took 3 years and several more surgeries, but after all that I was pretty much "normal" again. I do have some weakness in my left shoulder and it gets tired/sore faster than I would like. I have trauma induced arthritis in my left ankle, shoulder, and back that gives me some grief, but for the most part I can deal with it. I do limp a bit by the end of the day. I think that fishing and motorcycling really aided in my recovery. Both were good exercise, and doing those things keep my mental state from becoming very depressed and bleak. I honestly thing fishing helped save my life. Twelve years ago I got lung cancer. I ended up having a third of my right lung removed. Not fun, and to do the surgery they make a large incision in your back. Great....nothing like having the muscles in the right side of the back hacked up to go along with the already damaged left side....oh, well, back to rehab. It took 2 years to get the full strength and range of motion to return to my back. The only long term problem I have from that is shortness of breath and loss of some stamina from missing a chunk of lung. Again, fishing helped preserve my sanity and aided in the physical recovery. Motorcycling helped a lot also. I will keep fishing until I am either dead or totally bed ridden. Being old(er), and having a busted up body does slow me down, and keeps me from doing some of the things I would like to do, I would love to fish like Kate does, but I am just physically unable to. I had to give up days of wade fishing a river...the body just can't do it anymore. But I still get out there and fish with fair regularity, and will continue to do so until it is impossible for me. Some days it is hard to get motivated to do things....and when the weather is cold and damp, it is very difficult to be motivated to go fishing....but then I remember when I could not even really move, and I thank my lucky stars that the possibility to go fishing even exists for me, and I suck it up and get out there. It is always worth it, and it helps keep me sane, and mobile. For those who say it it hard to get motivated to go fishing when old/sore/tired......just think about those people who would kill just to be able to go fishing for a few minutes, but are completely unable to. And then thank your lucky stars that you can. I know I do.

In the Susquehanna River in my area, I catch Walleye and Smallmouth in the same area with great regularity....often on successive casts. It is more common in spring and fall but happens all summer too. I think river fish are different than lake/reservoir fish.