OhioFisherman

We fought that battle here in Ohio, for years we heard from the commercial fishermen that they weren`t taking enough Walleye to hurt the population, but it became exceptionally rare for a sport fisherman to catch one outside the spawning areas during the early spring runs. Once the state bought up all the commercial fishing licenses for the Walleye netters Lake Erie was full of them again. Sport fishermen don`t have the ability to trap an entire school, whether they are hungry or not and deplete them? I grew up in the 1950`s and early 60`s fishing Lake Erie, it was a mess on this side that continued to get worse. Fishing areas like Sandusky Bay and East Harbor, 3-4 feet of water and no weeds? We fished the dock areas because it was the only available cover for the fish. With the Zebra mussels came an increase in water clarity, it is now common to see weed grow in those bays in 10 feet of water. Has it affected fishing? Yes, unless you adapted to the new conditions you might not catch fish where you used to. They don`t have to concentrate in the same areas because of lack of cover or lack of cover for their food supply. Massive weed areas can be a challenge for some to fish, but they provide protection for young fish and the food that lives in them gives them more of an opportunity to grow.

Actually Joey somewhat of a mix of the two, not as pointy as the Boston and not as batty as the French. His back legs are longer than his front legs, which gives him an angle. The first one we got after I retired and had time to spend with him, so he knows all the rules. My property is bordered in trees, he will chase a rabbit to them, but rarely goes a step or two beyond them. He will follow me halfway down the drive when I get the mail and stop and wait for me to return. If I am doing something outside, which isn`t much anymore he will park himself under a shade tree and wait to see if I am going to play with him. Bostons and French Bulldogs don`t handle heat real well. Never leave one chained up or confined outside with out shade or water.

Old ones have France or made in France marked on them. I am not positive on dating them, in the mid to late 70`s or perhaps the early 80`s they started making them in Japan. Try here. http://users.skynet.be/mitchell-collectors.org/articles_datingmitchell.html

Joey, I have a Boston, LOL I wonder how authentic the breeders are when it comes to their papers? He looks more like the French Bulldog in the picture, and tipping the scales at 30 pounds makes him very big for a Boston? Mine turns 6 this year, and has always had the massive chest. The 4th er... Boston with papers our family had owned, 2 the traditional black and white with brindle, an all brindled one, and Bandit is white and seal. Bandit and the all brindled one both had big chests, Bandit`s is far larger though, the all brindled one weighed in at 25 pounds, and the black and whites at right around 20 pounds. Great dogs, my kids and grandkids love them.

French Bulldog? It looks more like a Boston Terrier. Mine tried walking across the solar cover on the swimming pool once, needless to say that didn`t go well for him.

I rarely used a swivel snap, but used just snaps often. Swivels snaps are great for lures that may cause line twist, like in line spinner baits. I liked to use snaps that would test out at twice the weight of any fish I was likely to hook. I always used a snap with a crank bait.

I had a friend that managed the fishing section of a Gander Mountain store in my area, when he heard Shimano was discontinuing the old style green reels he bought all their stock of them. Take a look on ebay, a mint used one can go for original cost. A lot of the cost of developing a new reel is acquiring the proper tooling and parts for manufacture, once it is in place the cost of each produced drops. It`s kind of hard to jack up the price on an old design, so they roll out a new and improved one? They are also catching fish? Ya if you can re badge the old ones and only produce one new model? It saves on costs to produce them.

Everywhere I have fished for largemouth on this side of Erie a 6 inch zoom worm or lizard will catch them most of the time, Junebug or watermelon blue fleck. The top water bite on this side of the lake for largemouth generally sucks. Wind direction plays a role on this side, summer winds, usually from the south - southwest pushes water out of the bays dropping the water levels and making the fish move to deeper water. They may hold on any deeper channel with a rip-rap wall. On your side a south - south west wind might help? It is unusual to catch smallies here in the back bays after the middle of May except occasionally at night. A main lake thing after mid may, tubes, drop shot, blade baits, and here you need 20 - 30 pounds of smallies for a chance. If you have`t been there? Pre-fish and try to get an idea of what might work and where to try.

Sounds like a 5000D.

Cool old stuff Merc! I collected reels for a time in the late 80`s and 90`s. It was interesting to see some of the stuff that would turn up at garage sales and flea markets, and dirt cheap. Ebay made it a heck of a lot easier to buy and sell stuff you found, I did business with people all over the world at one time. A lot of my old Abu reels ended up in Japan, it was pretty amazing to me what they would pay for a mint Abu reel at the time. I think the only really old reel I have left is a Langley ( 1950`s ? ), a memory from my youth. The reel in the link was made popular in this area, er... after they went out of production, by a former local bass tournament angler here. They are a great reel for flipping and pitching, the guy won around a half million bucks in tournaments here using them. As I recall he is now retired and guiding and fishing tournaments in Florida. When they stopped making them he would buy up any left over ones in stock, most people viewed them as they did the old Zebco`s here, a reel for beginners, and they were pricey compared to a Zebco and didn`t sell well. Unlike the Zebco though you can put 20 pound test mono on them and pitch or flip a 1/8 ounce lure anywhere.

If you have an interest in older reels watch where the sale price of this one ends. http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOOK-VINTAGE-ABU-507-Mk1-REEL-BOX-AND-ACCESSORIES-BRAND-NEW-CONDITION-/330700390289?pt=UK_SportingGoods_FishingAcces_RL&hash=item4cff477f91

LOL Merc, that setup is so 60's. That reel is usually referred to as having grooved rims, later models with out the grooves on the rims were referred to as beveled rims. Early models of the reel had 4 screws holding the side plates on, later models 3. They were the preferred reel here in the 1960`s, 70`s. If you ever see some very old bassmaster films all the old pros seemed to use them. With good reason, a solid dependable reel. As a very young kid my dad used Langley baitcasters, when he made the upgrade to baitcasters with a drag all were Abu. I had 5000`s myself, but switched to 5001c`s as soon as I saw one, I was just more comfortable with a left hand retrieve even though I am right handed. LOL, if you ever hook a big smallie 20 feet down that is coming up in a hurry? You will understand why a lot of people made a switch to the fast retrieve shimano reels in the late 70`s and early 80`s. Their retrieve rate, fast for the day was like 4.5 to 1, their spool design was different also, they would handle 10# test, which was fine for use on the open waters of Lake Erie with no issues. Abu came out with a different style to compete with them, the Ultra Mag XLT Plus, not a round reel but not as low profile as the shimanos, in the late 70`s, early 80`s? Also very good reels, I still have 3-4 of them around.

They were great reels, and I wouldn`t hesitate to use one today. Is that actually a c model? All the old c models I have seen, which indicated ball bearing over bronze bushing were black. My experience with them was also 12# mono or higher, 10# would get between the spool and the housing causing a jam.

http://www.execulink.com/~environm/Fishing/crappie.html " Black crappie prefer warmer water than many fish, and you'll find their range extending into southern Canada, especially around the great lakes basin, but not into central or northern Canada. Of course, the bulk of the crappie's range is in the US, where the more southerly sun exposure warms the water to a higher degree than in the north. But all those reading this should take note, and be aware that in the water around Georgian Bay, and into the Lake Simcoe area of Ontario (Canada), crappies have been rated as OVER POPULATED in many watersheds, and thus; for those so inclined, these waters can afford excellent fishing opportunity for 'slab' crappie. " http://www.fishwagon.com/Fish_Wagon/Black_Crappie.html " Range Black crappie are native to the eastern half of North America, from southern Manitoba and Ontario in Canada south to Florida, and as far west as Nebraska. Black crappie have been widely introduced to waters throughout North America and their range now includes nearly the entire continent, though they are found in greatest number the upper and lower Midwest, as well as the southeastern United States. "

I thought I read somewhere that quality cork is in short supply? I have a mix, including some of the early 1980`s Shimano fighting rods? It`s a rod action thing for me more than what the handle is made of.

To the best of my knowledge they have always been in the great lakes, a native species. My dad fished for them in the 1930`s as a depression era kid and always had an outsized interest in catching them, they are great eating. His first trip to the Georgian bay area was in 1961, and a family trip, my first in 1964, we caught them there then. It could be like some areas here, they will flood an area to spawn in the spring, but then become very rare to the same area mid summer? They do seem to prefer cooler water than bluegill do, and do seem to eat minnows more. Mid April to early May seems to be prime time here on the bays off of lake Erie for them, once the water warms they can become a rarity to catch in the same waters, just like Northern Pike. LOL, I think the pike all head back to Canadian waters around the end of April. Some inland waters here they are a year round catch, they have no where else to go.

LOL Brian, after years of fishing bass tournaments with a 35 HP motor run and gun wasn`t a good plan for me, it was better to take some time and concentrate on something others may have missed.

Troll into the wind and waves?

At first glance? I also see a splash near the swim platform, a medium running crankbait, something that runs 3-5 feet might find what caused the splash with out disturbing the shoreline areas. A nice sunny day? I want one with some flash in the sun, chrome and black, chrome and blue, a wandering baitfish. No action on that and I probe around the floating dock up a texas rigged tube, just a guess there is at least 6-8 feet of water there, cover provided by the dock and deeper water. The lily pads next, there doesn`t appear to be much weed cover in the rest of the pic, so it`s a definite maybe. It could be the only place in the area where the water depth drops off more slowly from shore. A texas rigged 6 inch lizard with a 1/8 or 3/16 ounce weight, possibly no weight and just a 4/0 - 5/0 hook. I want the bait to slowly fall through the water not crash to the bottom. A single hook and a lizard gives me more chance of a hook up with a strike than a frog or buzzbait. On the far side of the lilies there appears to be a clear area between them and shore, and it also appears to be shaded, that`s my choice for a buzzbait. The land appears to drop of to the water fairly steeply, if the water depth increases at the same rate? I probe the dock ares with a jig and pig - jig and lizard, and the areas away from them that are more open get a cast to shore with a shallow running crankbait if there are few weeds. If weeds they get hit with the jig and lizard. Is it a cove? or river? The back appears to have a point creating a necked down area? I am hitting that also, depending on depth and weeds a crank bait or jig. On the way out I can cast a rattle trap parallel to the shoreline for roaming or spooked fish. I might even cast to the deeper water side to see if there are roaming fish.

They sell a product, I believe it`s called Boat Life caulk? some of it in the hole and a couple of stainless sheet metal screws will work.

Google the Knoxville TN area, there are a number of large lakes in the area that are well known for their bass fishing. It is though a hard 8 hour drive for me to them, and I am in Ohio. The lakes there rarely freeze. Kentucky Lake and Dale Hollow, but also a bit more of a drive from Toronto. http://www.idcide.com/weather/tn/knoxville.htm

I am still waiting for winter here, it has been a very unusual one. The snow we usually get has been mostly rain, and after last years record rainfall it`s not like we needed more. Last winter we got snow right around Christmas, and it never left the ground until March. My Maple trees have buds on them, a severe cold might do some damage? Last year the cities here were scrambling to find more road salt, they still have 50% of their supplies this year.

Have you considered Golf as a past time?

My yard is 200 feet wide, roughly 65 yards? I for one would believe him.

Lunatic, far and away most of my fish came on soft plastics, but I was always prepared and willing to throw other baits. I have caught 10 bass in 10 casts on a crankbait, won a tournament throwing one over a weed flat for two days, but it is not always the way to go. Also had real good days with a buzzbait, but other lures have worked better in the same spots at times.