tonyb

Try replacing the hooks with Gamakatsu, Mustad Ultra-Point or Owner treble hooks. I have used all 3 brands of these hooks and give them my personal seal of approval! You can take the hook off the lure and bring it with you when you go shopping so you can match the size of the hook appropriately. Off the top of my head I think a Little Cleo in the 3.4 oz size would require a size 2 Gamakatsu Round Bend treble hook. I replace the hooks on all lures as soon as they come out of the package, unless they already come equipped with quality hooks. Some manufacturers are doing this now...Spro=Gamakatsu, Rapala=VMC The starting point to catching more fish is sharp hooks, everything else follows after that...Quality ball-bearing swivels (eg. Stringease Tackle, Spro) Quality fishing line (P-Line, Berkly XL/XT - PowerPro, TufLine XP in the braid category) Quality rod and reel matched to the type of fishing you are doing... Add these all up and you'll find your wallet is MUCH lighter...but I gaurantee you'll be landing more fish! Tony

Thanks to motv8r for holding the fundraiser auction for Tyler this past february because I won that auction for the weekend at Lakair! I actually extended the weekend by 3 days since I have heard so many good things about the place. That should also give me enough time to hopefully catch a Lakair grand slam (Smallmouth & Largemouth Bass, Pike, Musky and Pickerel) My wife is also hoping to catch her first Pike and/or Musky, the trick will be getting her to hold one for a photo Anyway, keep your eyes peeled for a report sometime next week and wish us luck! Tony

Try varying your speed of retrieve, depth of retreive, cadence of retrieve (erratic, pause, speed up then slow down, etc), also try to change things up. If the glow spoons aren't triggering strikes try covering up a portion of the glow spoon so you only get a thin strip glowing, or don't charge it at all. Try rattling lures, suspending lures, just keep changing things until something works. As someone else mentioned, they tend to turn into zombies after a while if they can't get upstream because of no rain, and start their mating cycle. Try to target the areas closest to open lake, like the tips of piers and breakwalls. Guys who are 'catching' fish on marshmallows of floating roe bags are most likely lining fish as they cruise around in the dark with their mouths open. Someone will always argue that they were slamming ear plugs dipped in Dr. Juice, but you'd do just as well with a piece of stryofoam or any other floating object that elevates your line to a nice 'checkmark' profile ideal for lining Keep at 'er, your results are somewhat typical for this type of fishing, it's not double-digit fishing by any means unless you hit the jackpot when conditions are perfect and a fresh pod of angry fish moves to within casting distance. Have fun! Tony

123 Trebles Man, that tackle box looks like mine, way to many lures jammed in each compartment Tony

Unless we get a ton of rain between now and then, leave the rod at home and enjoy your hike. The fish haven't run in any major quantity yet. Tony

Wow, scary stuff! It just goes to show how quicky stuff can hit the fan. Now the big question, were you guys wearing life jackets when all this went down? Tony

Change those gawd awful hooks Tony

http://www.in-fisherman.com/magazine/exclu...12_QuickStrike/ Substitute one of the treble hooks for a single to be law-abiding (4 hook points) Or add some beads and a spinner blade and now it's a lure and the hook point thing doesn't apply Tony

"vomit, food, feces, and other stuff I do not want to discuss." Welcome to parenthood

Our thoughts and wishes of well-being are with you and your friend. Enjoy your weekend, being outside and especially fishing has a way to soothe the soul. Tony

A woman that can tie a double-snell...now THAT is sexy! Tony

Big bass, Bat Pr0n!, and he's wearing a life jacket!!! Tony

Snap Weights, keel weights, 3-way rigs, etc are a cheap solution.

Makes sense, but completely unrealistic. Imagine the wait times on any given weekend in the summer, the goal is to attract visitors, not deter them. I think disinfection should be handled when exiting the ramps from infected lakes. The Government should be responsible for the costs of these disinfection stations, after all it is their blatant disregard for the health of the Great Lakes watershed that has got us to this point. Gold Bar$ vs. The Whole planet..... (If you've seen 'An Inconvenient Truth' you'll understand what I mean) Tony

Any of the new electrics, Walker, Cannon, Scotty, Vector, etc are going to work well.

Glad to hear everyone is safe. This is just another example of why it pays to have all of the safety equipment necessary and then some.

Do you use downriggers in mid-summer? (Braid collects Spiny water fleas like no other!) Do you float fish with a centre-pin for Steelhead or Salmon in tributaries? (Mono helps absorb the shock of dancing steelhead, and keeps tension to the hook when a fish runs at you and you struggle to pick up line on a 1:1 gear ratio reel) Have you ever tried using a Dipsy Diver on Mono? (At time it out-produces a wire diver, and a braid diver set-up) It has been a very successful presentation for Chinook Salmon on Lake ontario in mid-summer, winning a tournament for at least 1 angler I know. So you see, monofilament still has a place on store shelves and on your reels for certain applications. Tony P.S. I'd suggest Medium action if you are going to be using it for bass, panfish, trout. Medium-Heavy for Pike, Salmon,etc

Tons of great advice here, not just on the rod, but catching big fish on light gear too!

Nice! That roe does look like candy! I love the looks you are getting in that one pic, like 'what is he doing that we aren't?' hehehe Won't be long now for the Trouts! Tony

It's just not for everyone Nate. 10% of fisherman catch 90% of fish, I truly believe that, and I also believe it applies to gear. 10% of anglers will demand only the best, regardless of cost, the rest won't care so much, as long as they can get a combo for under $60. Tony

Win some, lose some...you'll get into 'em sooner or later.

Yikes, I am surprised at the lack of customer service these days, in all areas of business. Hopefully you can get things sorted out, your experience is mind boggling, do your best to keep your sanity bud. I think we as a society accept things for what they are too often, instead of standing up for our rights as consumers. Personally, If I had a dollar for everytime my Tim Hortons coffee was burnt, or incorrectly mixed (Eg. milk instead of cream) I'd have enough to buy a Lund But, I am guilty of not walking back in and returning it, as I am sure many others do as well. If we all went back in and carped everytime maybe they would get it right (or just start spitting in our coffee ) Tony

I'll add a something that wasn't mentioned in regards to rod length, but I feel is important. I think we all know, fish can be caught with 'All-around' type gear. However, there are certain applications where a longer rod will improve your odds. Float fishing in tributaries is an example of an application where a longer rod will help your presentation appear more natural. Let me explain... When you are float fishing, you typically cast upstream on about a 45 degree angle, and then drift downstream a good distance. The key to catching fish in moving water (when float/drift fishing), is to present your bait as naturally as possible, to make it look like it is just a tasty morsel of food tumbling along bottom with the same speed of the current at depth. When you use a shorter rod, you are not able to keep the line up off the water between the top of your float and the tip of your rod. As a result, there is DRAG caused by the surface of the water between you and your float (usually slack water or an eddy where the current is moving upstream) and your bait will appear to move slower or faster through the water in an un-natural manner. With a longer rod, you are able to keep your tip high, and more of your line off the surface of the water, greatly reducing that drag and in turn presenting your bait more naturally. With that being said, bottom-bouncing, casting spinners or other artificials, or ledger fishing do NOT require long rods as you do not need to be concerned with the drag imposed on your float by the surface of the water. Sheesh, I'm giving away all my secrets I think you'll be fine with that rod as a start, but you may decide to go with something a bit longer when you get more experienced. (Or shorter! as the case with some other avid trib fisherman like Spiel, it really comes down to how comfortable you are and what works for you personally) Tony

There are still certain applications where mono is a better fit compared to braid. I think stores don't push it on newcomers because of the additional knowledge required when using it (eg. safety, knots, less forgiving, more difficult to untangle than mono...) I'd agree with whoever said to spool one of the Stradic spools with 10lb mono and the other with 20lb PowerPro and you can switch between them to see what you prefer. Tony

Don't forget to compare prices with Cabelas http://www.cabelas.com You'll save a ton of money on rods, reels, and lures compared to shopping in Canada. With the Canadian $ so strong now, and our local tackle shops not lowering their prices, you'll see a big difference. Tony P.S. I'd love to support the local guys, but only if their pricing is competitive, and currently it is not.