BabyHerc

You're not gonna get many bites, Kevin. It's 40 pages, and there are deals to be had; fishermen ARE a secretive bunch, after all.

Lookinforwalleye, you got a one-of-a-kind! Play around with it in the store, Urban. If you like it, by all means buy it. Rusticfisher: What I don't know could fill a warehouse. Ugly sticks in aisle 14, and 3/0 trebles for steelheading. Don't forget the butcher knife.

Urbanangler, the Aggressor Combo is not a good buy... TRUST ME. Save your money.

I just keep them in the bag they come in, and keep the bags in one of the zip up worm binders. No need to buy more sleeves, and there are no tags or grommets to rip. On some manufacturers bags, Berkley's especially, the zip loc can begin to tear from the bag. When that happens, I transfer them to a Glad ZipLoc Freezer Bag, small size.

Get ME a Curado too. You won't regret it

Thanks TJSA for the link. My reels did come with the schematic sheet, but that was about 5 years ago, and they have since been misplaced. So no grease on the drag washers? edit: hmmmmm, dead link. Maybe he shut the site down? I'll keep trying anyway.

Spring is around the corner and, although I've brought them in to be serviced before, I've decided to do it myself this season. My Daiwa spinning reels have stainless steel and felt washers, which are fairly dirty. I'm wondering if a simple cloth wipe-down is fine for the felt, and if felt and stainless drag washers should be greased? Also, to all who do their own servicing, is it a terrible idea to disassemble the reel body to clean the spool shaft within? I unfortunately do not have reel schematics, though I have e-mailed Daiwa for a copy.

Just out of curiosity, how big were they?

Is this gonna be a larger store? The current location is nice and well stocked, but a little on the small side.

Nice bass, Ssauvain... how early was this early season fishing?

What is A Vacuum Cleaner, Alex? I'll take People That Dually Suck, for $500.

If it's a fly-in, jsut put a picture of a roast beef sandwich on the hook. Fish will be jumping in the boat! And yes Bucktail, it is!

Mayflies hatch from April through late-September. If you don't own a fly rod, bring along some small brown hair jigs or plastics, and work them methodically from bottom to surface imitate an emerging nymph. A small spinner worked to bulge the surface might do in a pinch, and small jitterbug topwaters are another great option.

I can't make it in to work; not because of the snow, but because of all these arrows I gotta pull outta my butt. THANKS CUPID!

Take the QEW around the Golden Horseshoe and onto Hwy 401. Exit the 401 at Airport Road, and I head north (I think) on Airport Road. It'll be on the right (east) side.

If it costs 20 or 30 bucks to fix, of course it's worth it. More than that, and I'd just put the money toward another real, possibly even the same one if you want. At least then you'll have a bunch of spare parts for when you do figure out what you're doing (don't worry, I've been in your shoes before). And you will also have a spare spool, which can come in handy.

I disagree with Gerritt. They Browning Six Rivers is a great river rod, and at a price that can't be beat by anybody. For lake fishing, however, a faster rod between 6'6" and 9' long, and rated on the lighter side (1-6 lb line, 1/16 to 3/16 oz lure) is perfect. I enjoy my 6'6", but I have used a friend's 9 footer, and liked it much more. In spring, algae blooms haven't started too heavily yet, so water should be clear. I don't like to go more than 4 lb test. It is possible to still find 'em shallow until late May, so start by searching shorelines with deeper water close by. Five feet is not too shallow this time of year, and twenty feet is not too deep... ya, they could be anywhere if the water temperature is fairly uniform. Pack some silver, gold, and greenish/brownish spinners on the small side for shallower water, as well as some smaller Countdown Rapalas to search deeper. It is advisable to pack along some smaller black, brown, and white twister tails, tubes, or marabou jigs, as well as some nymphs, even if you don't have a fly rod. A nymph can be fished on a spinning rod by tying it to a 6" to 2' length of light mono or flourocarbon, then tying the length to either the bend of a marabou jig being suspended from a float, or by removing a treble on a floating rapala and tying to the open loop. Some better spots to fish the nymphs would be around new weedgrowth, and over muddy flats. And don't forget live bait; a medium-sized dew worm or small minnow drifted across the bottom of shallow bays will produce if trout are in the area. Use a swivel, and fashion a miniature bass-style Carolina rig with the lightest weight tha still maintains bottom contact.

Also known as a Simcoe rig, Simcoe spreader, Perch spreader, and Perch rig.

Heading north on Leslie, make a left on Ravenshoe Road, then make your first right. As you drive along, you'll come to a little fork in the road; keep left, and you'll be right at a few summer parking spots. I don't know the condition in winter, though. If you keep driving north, you'll come to a second parking and boat-launch area.

Search Larry Tople. He's possibly one of the best painters I've come across.

I like to keep the hooks a little closer together than Roy suggested, but it's just personal preference; 4 inches max, but more like 2 or 3 inches apart - this will let me have one in the back under the dorsal fin, and one near the tail. It just depends on the size of the bait used, and the size of the pike in the area... maybe I should start fishing for bigger fish? Also, I like to have the hook-points directed towards the tail of the minnow, since pike will grab the bait head-first on most occasions, this helps avoid deep hooking if you plan to release, or if you don't want to run through rigs like no tomorrow.

The above reel choices are great, and, to reiterate, the Abu is the best bang for the buck. For a cross-over rod, check out the 7'3" St. Croix Avid. It's rated for 3/8-1-1/4 oz, and is telescopic. It makes a great pike rod, and can cross over into light or medium muskie fishing, as well as being a flipping rod for bass. It should be a tad over $200 at most places.

Excellent link, thanks Biteme!

Who buys licenses these days?

Side-sweep works for me on bass and pike. It should work on muskie as well.