OhioFisherman

I wandered across that video, the problems with those species are pretty well publicized in some rivers, I had no idea that they were also in Kentucky and Barkley lakes. 40 tons of carp in two days, two semi loads, it gives a better idea of the scope of the problem they present?

http://www.gophertackle.com/mushroomjig.html These jigheads worked well for me on most plastics and it was nice to have some hook options.

Great Lakes groupers - A.K.A. Sheephead Hoovers - A.K.A. Carp Both can be interesting to catch, but not as much fun when smallies are the target? LOL, dinks to short to measure. I actually had a couple of friends nicknamed dink over the years, I never checked why.

LOL, my recipe for Bean soup is different! At least you got a lot of ham in yours? Glad you are OK Norm! It's a bit early in the season for swimming even here. I recall fishing at East Harbor on day in my boat with a friend, my butt firmly planted in the bow seat. I made a cast and a bass grabbed the lure, when I made the hookset the plastic swivel base snapped right off at the top of the pole. I ended up on my back gazing at the sky! LOL all was good though, my head didn't hit the gunnel on the way down, and I didn't get the pole up my arse!

Most of my fishing for pike with live bait was done using a bobber or slip bobber. Minnows, suckers, perch, got hooked under the dorsal fin. If casting or trolling? thru the lips. Basically the same way I fished with live bait for bass, and I have used minnows bigger than 6 inches for bass. Not sure what the cause of your hookup problems are? I was generally quick on the trigger when I got a hit, bass or pike. A decent size bass has no problem getting a 4 - 6 inch minnow in it's mouth, and a decent sized pike's mouth is much bigger. A lot of the hooks I used came pre-snelled with wire leader and I am not sure of the hook brand? Eagle Claw? but I also snelled my own using Mustad 3407 hooks, both worked well. A pike's mouth has teeth and more hard areas than a bass, don't be afraid to stick the pig. Always thought it was pretty cool to pitch a big chub on a bobber into a pocket in the lilies and watch the bobber sink like a rock, the pike had the bait before the bobber could settle. No problems with hooks, snaps and crimps on leaders? yes, use quality gear. A decent sized hook also, 3/0 - 0/6 should be fine.

Crawl a heavy football jig with a frog trailer along deeper weed edges. Same with slow rolling a heavy spinner bait in deeper water.

It seems a bit early in the year to have to fish deeper than that for walleye. It's been a long time since I fished, and it was restricted mostly to the western basin of Lake Erie for Walleye which supposedly warms faster, but before the 4th of July 30 feet or less was where they were. I would catch them burning a rattle trap or Sonar in 3 - 6 feet of water searching for smallies near rocky shores of the western erie islands.

LOL, my last one had to be 200 pounds, a back breaker to pull off the bottom!

A ten foot jon boat should be fairly light, a ten - 12 pound anchor should be ok. Navy type, river style mushroom and 3/8 anchor line should be fine. The paint can concrete anchors are fine in mud bottoms or places with a lot of rocks to get snagged on, you don't want to be buying a new anchor every trip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlowiV_NVLI It's not a fishing video and I have no idea of it's location in relation to where you will be staying, but catching bass there doesn't seem like it will be a problem.

Is the problem actually with the battery? The wiring? or the trolling motor itself? It seems to me that you have more that one place to look. Can you put the trolling motor into a garbage can of water at home and see how long it lasts off the boat? Did you test the battery when you got home?

Walmart and others used to sell a fitting that screwed on, just a couple of bucks and worth the price. Hit it with a shot of grease every year and no problems. I had my boat for 22 years, it got greased every year.

I did in the past, most of the rods I used for casting crankbaits were 7 foot medium action fast tip, I do have and have used some slow action rods also though. The water I fished dictated the line, on the main waters of Lake Erie there really wasn't a need for more than 10# test line, not many snags unless you got a rock on the bottom. In waters with weeds and more junk 12 -14 # test and original Stren was always my favorite.

The farmers in my area are already complaining that they are 2 weeks behind getting into their fields. It's been colder than normal and wetter than normal. Last year was er... normal, at least until May hit and the rain stopped and the heat was record setting. 2011, Noah was building arks here, it seemed like some farmers didn't catch a dry break to plant until the end of June. Abnormal may be the new normal?

LOL Two, that's discrimination! I can swim, is this a color issue? Cormorants? Like we need more, they enjoy the tropical weather on this side of the lake. Hmmm... for target practice? I am sure the NRA here would support that issue, the gun nuts might run out of morning doves, er... or people. I haven't fished in years now, seasonally it didn't seem to be too hard to find a steelhead or few years ago, even when smallie fishing. I would imagine the stocking would be limited to them, it's more of a warm water fishery here, and judging by their past luck with Salmon they probably won't go there again.

Agency on trout restocking mission in Great LakesPublished: April 20, 2013 4:00PM SANDUSKY, Ohio (AP) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has begun a six-week mission to restock trout in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The agency says 200,000 trout yearlings will be released into the lakes through late May. The restocking began last week in Lake Erie off Sandusky and Fairport Harbor then headed to stops off Erie, Pa., and Dunkirk, N.Y. The Lake Ontario restocking will follow in mid-May. The yearlings are the first raised in the Allegheny National Fish Hatchery in Warren, Pa., since an incurable fish virus was detected there in 2005. The hatchery was decontaminated and received trout brood stock and eggs from other hatcheries.

Hmmm... it was snowing here this morning, now let me think, why didn't I go farther north until June? LOL

They had on the news here on Monday I believe that the water level of Lake Erie off the Vermillion river here in Ohio was down 18 inches from the same time last year. If that is the same for areas like the G/B and French river it could be a problem? You folks have a lot more rock than we do.

There seemed to be a good number of them around Pointe Au Baril, we never intentionally fished for them but they were an incidental catch quite often when using live bait. Never caught one on a lure, never saw a small one, average size seemed to be between 4 - 6 pounds. I netted one for a buddy though that was pushing 20 pounds, a tank, and a good fight.

I went from Bass to Mickey D's fillet of fish, I am not spending nearly as much on tackle and don't need a boat.

Well thanks, but really no sympathy required, it's been for the most part a fun life. 10 years for me now, it hit the year I had planned on retiring, but I did get that out of the way! The younger people that get it and are faced with dealing with trying to earn a living and keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table could use it more?

I am aware, I have it myself, but primary progressive, a constant progression. I believe like 85% or so are diagnosed with relapsing remitting, LOL I had to be one of the lucky ones! Needless to say retirement isn't going the way I had planned? Oh well, stuff happens, I guess it was my turn! LOL

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/08/showbiz/annette-funicello-obit/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 She was in bad shape from MS for a lot of years, Oh No!

I fished in bass tournaments for 30 years, from 10 boats to 150 boats, every one was fun and different. I finished anywhere from first in some smaller tournaments to last, each though was a challenge. I knew the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, JK, and also had a part in one where none of us er... experts caught a legal sized fish! If I couldn't count on the fish? I could usually count on some laughs!