aero_ball

Hey bud, what kind of hooks do you use mostly? Sometimes thinner-gauge hooks cut open the baits especailly for the more tender-textured senkos. Heavier gauge "superline" hooks might help with the problem somehow. Just an idea based on the heat shink trick. If you're using any kind of offset hooks you might be able to wrap one on the senko right below the hook eye. Haven't tried it yet just something that came to mind.

Don't sell yourself short Chris, "green on 1 side and pink on the other", I can totally see the resemblance with a thirst-quenching piece of fruit!

Tonkpils, wanna clarify on what you mean by "loosing a senko" in more details? Do you mean it comes right off or the bait got torn?

Apparently I'm not the only one using heat shrink tubing for wacky rigging! Good to know! Sometimes I don't shrink the tubing all the way and leave it just a little loose, that way it's possible to slip on a new senko without much effort. Especially good when trying to dial in on color choices. I prefer it over O-Rings (I do use both setups though) because it fishes the wacky worm horizontally when using a weighted hook. Using an O-Ring turns the rig 90 degrees. I don't have stats to back it up but I just feel that it fishes more naturally this way.

Well said. I believe it's all about balance and personal preference. I grew up in the city and I'm glad that I have friends who introduced me to the great outdoors. Can't imagine how much I would have missed out otherwise. So now I try to share the exprience with family, friends, and the next generation whenever I could. That said I've brought friends to go camping (the pooping-in-the-toilet type) which became their first and last experience. To each their own I guess.

I have used glasses with MSRP under $30 and over $200, from my experience you "somewhat" get what you paid for. What I mean is that, first off, the more expensive sunglasses usually have higher markups, so if you're buying a pair at MSRP then it's likely overpriced. However if you get it at a discount the performance enhancement would usally worth the extra money spent. I can't really comment on UV protection but regarding polarizing performance, some (not all) of my budget sunglasses are less than desirable to say the least. I've had ones that the lenses were not cut at the correct polarizing angle so I'll have to tilt my head to one side for maximum glare cut-out. Worse yet I've had budget glasses in which the left and right lenses were cut at different polarizing angles. So not only does it make it impossible to get maximum glare cut-out, I would actaully feel dizzy after wearing it for any prolonged period. Secondly, many of the higher end sunglasses have a more sturdy / quality built. I know when it goes down the drink the $200 ones sinks pretty much just as fast as the $20 ones. However, quality does come into play. For example, many of the screws on the budget glasses were mounted directly onto the plastic frame. Depending on how the users treat their sunglasses and how much "mileage" you put on them, the threads could wear out quickly. I've had to glue some of the budget glasses solid, while the metal threads on the more costly ones work year after year. And if I can't fold a pair of sunglasses and put it in a case it's a matter of when it gets crushed and decomissioned. Regarding optical performance, from personal experience, the clarity of higher end sunglasses are better than budget ones in general. My take is that if you're getting a pair that's $100+ then the quality is usually there. If you're getting a budget pair then you've got to weed out the bad ones. Of course you might find a hidden gem along the way. That said some of the glass lenses that come with more expensive pairs have supreb optical performance. It's heavier and breakable but if you want more clarity then I found that's the way to go. I love my pair of Maui Jim in grey from Costco (around $100). It's got glass lenses and one feature that I really liked personally is the gradation they put on the lenses. The top and bottom parts of the lens were darker and the middle band is lighter. I found it exceptional cuz it cuts out the light from the sky as well as the glare from closest to the boat. At the same time it leaves the area straight ahead more visible with the lighter shade. Color wise I use an amber/copper pair during low light and a grey pair when it's bright. Much like how I use seperate combos for drop shottin' and flippin'. Just my 2 cents.

Great post Mike. I fish for bass mostly but I share the same worry regarding opening for various species. Last thing I want to see is these beauties getting disturbed (or worse yet, taken away) while doing their thing (or when guarding the spawn for that matter). Like Bill said, "too bad common sense isn't all that common". And many times those who complaint about declining fisheries are the ones who trashed them. So Mike, I'm all for "give them a bit of respect this year to 'do the deed'". Maybe going after the (relatively) early spawners who's already left the nest could be an option.

I have a 50lb thrust transom mount Minn Kota which I've used on various 12' to 14' aluminum rentals. I lift the trolling motor whenever I use the outboard, and I lift the outboard whenever I use the trolling motor. I can use the electric with the outboard down but with the extra 1-2 steps I don't need to worry about damamging either motor accidentally. It also reduces the extra drag from the motor that's not in use. Also want to mention that the transom on some rental boats are not of a "double wall" design (approximate thickness of 1.5" to 2"). These "single wall" transoms are too thin to clamp the trolling motor on securely. I always bring along 2"x4" wood block for situations like this. Hope it helps.

Have been using 55lb for the past few years for pitching and flipping. Pretty soft and strong, and it doesn't discolor (I use green) or fray as quickly as Power Pro from my experience. On the other hand because of the softness of the line I've experienced a little more wind knots when casting. I've never used any lighter pound test for long casting though so I can't comment on that.

Thanks for sharing Chris. Glad that you've had a great weekend!

That's a hulk! What a great way to be proven wrong on father's day! Cheers bud!

Way to go Ryan! Great fishing report! Can't wait to bring my 2-years-old out this season for his first fishing trip!

Rapala Carbide Pro Pliers - up until it jumped overboard on me last year. Now I'm considering a set of P Line Adaro. Haven't decided whether to go with the Sparrowhawk or regular straight model though.

Senko for largies and drop-shotting for smallies.

Owner 1/0 Mosquito hooks for me. Liked the needle point hook point as well as the relatively thick wire hook in case I need to get the bait and fish out of structure quickly. Owner 2/0 Down Shot is my second choice. Sharp cutting point hook point with minimal effort to set the hook. Not as strong fishing around thicker vegetation though. I always use a paloma knot and fish a cylindrical sinker 95% of the time. The sinker shape give me good bottom contact and is relatively snag-free the way I work the drop-shot.

Thank you so much for the heads up bud! Grab myself a pair of the grey one yesterday and it's a steal! Looks like it's $319.95 USD original at Sunglass Hut http://www.sunglasshut.com/us/603429017583 For those in the area who are interested I was at the Markham Costco on Woodbine. I asked the lady and there were 2 more sets of grey left when I left at around noon yesterday. Too bad I can't test drive it this weekend due to the groomy weather... my low light amber/brown set is taking the front seat. That said I was so close to pulling the trigger on upgrading my amber set too... Great find! Thanks again for sharing!

Awesome post and great pics! I Surely warms my heart! Can't wait for my turn to bring my son out (he just turned 2) to fish for the first time this summer. Enjoy the trips to come and take lots of pics! My wife's comment: "such a cutie!" Keep it coming bud! : )

I've been there once a few years back and the lake does hold smallmouth bass as well. If I remember correctly, despite being a deep lake it has some nice shoreline features too. There's a public boat ramp (soil/mud) when I visited which was a bit shallow but worked with a 16' V-hull. There's minimal boat traffic so I'd say it's pretty kid friendly if they want to get into some panfish action. A quite lake for canoeing or paddle boating as well. We spent a day at a nearby lake (either Kennesis or Redstone but I can't remember) for some smallie fishing, which was just a short drive away.

I've had winter tires installed on various mid size sedans (all front wheel drive, most have traction or stability control features) for the past 15 years (except for 2 winters which I had new all-season tires on when the cars were bought new). Most of the driving was done within the Greater Toronto Area but I have lived in other cities in the south eastern Ontario region. I have made road trips to Quebec and up north (within 6 hours drive 1-way) from time to time as well. On average I drive about 2000 km per month. From my personal experience the winter tires (price ranging from $80 - $200 per tire) do make a hugh difference when driving in the snow or on ice. It has given me the traction and stability that blows all season tires I have driven on (price ranging from $100 - $250 per tire). One of the cases was 5 years ago, after the all season tire on my then one-year-old car got me stucked multiple times in moderate snow, I put on an 8-years-old set of winter from my old car, and I was good for the rest of that winter and the next 3 to come. In mild conditions (and hopefully on level, nicely plowed ground) driving slowly with all season tires might work, which could be the case 99% of the time in the winter (just me daydreaming...) but it's when the weather is less than perfect that counts. Being able to drive the car with reasonable speed that the traffic allows, and stopping at a red light or before hitting the car (or pedestrian) ahead are what matters to me. Aside from the price there is also the hassle of moving / storing / installing them but from the many personal experiences I find it well worth the money and efforts. Even though I can choose to stay home should there be a snowstorm, not everyone has the same option, and not all storms happen overnight. Winter throws things at you when you least expected it and before long one might get stuck after all the snow fall in the middle of the day. Now you're out and it's the difference between making it home or not. Or for some, whether you can go pick up your kids from school and get them home safely. Even if the major road were plowed the side streets might not. And at times one might need to get out of an unplowed parking lot to get onto plowed roads. Like another member mentioned I could not forgive myself if something happens to my wife and kid because winter tires were not installed. Be it an accident or if they got stranded somewhere and had to wait hours in the snow for a tow, it is just unacceptable for me. As some other members mentioned it prolongs the life of the set of all season tires too and I will be happy to continue using winter tires. It might be different for all-wheel-drive sedans (or better yet, all-wheel-drive SUV's) but I don't have the experience to comment on that. Afterall, I belive that a worm on a hook and sinker under 8 lb mono doesn't work all year for all species of fish. Just my 2-cents.