OhioFisherman

LOL GB,green carps? better than them toothy ones that bite the hands that feed them?

I fished waters in 3 states and Ontario some years, different degrees of water clarity. Some waters like the local water supply reservoir were very clear. An above ground mini lake, water is pumped in for storage for later use. Rip-rap banks and not much run off into the lake, 17 feet deep most of the way around it 30 feet off the bank and you can see weeds down there. Really didn`t notice line type making a difference in this lake, I used Stren and vanish, rate of lure fall seems to make more of a difference, too heavy a weight means less strikes. Fished it day and night, not a surface lure lake, day or night. A number of lures work, lizards, worms, tube, small jig and pigs, it does have a lot of crawfish, some baitfish, and a mix of bluegill, and perch of a size bass could eat. You would think a faster falling lure would trigger more strikes? They don`t get as good a look at the lure? not the case. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits? almost a futile effort to use, even in crawfish and baitfish color patterns. Cement company pond, a borrow pit roughly 6 acres, dirt used to build a turnpike overpass. Water also very clear, lures pointless day or night, zero top water bites. Almost weed free, structure? floating truck tire of the cement trucks, and hook a big bass on live bait near one and they will swim thru it. I play it by ear and I am not afraid to work at a solution, clear water usually means downsizing, clear line like vanish and a realistic appearing bait. East Harbor? at times very clear, fish location and if the will bite, experiment with colors, a seemingly minor color change can mean casting or catching. Junebug is usually my color of choice to start with on most waters for soft plastics, but I will go to either end of the spectrum, black or white. Every day is a new start on the water, I know what worked before, I need to know what will work now. What worked in the past, in most places is a decent starting point. Some days you run out of time before you make the right adjustment? Caught largemouth in the slop for days at a time on vacations in Pointe Au Baril, fairly clear water to very clear. Line color didn`t make a difference, a couple days later they are sitting in water 20 feet deep? with the smallies? an abundance of food there? Fish till you run out of time and harder once you find what works.

Garry I have had days when I went through 3 or 4 bags of tubes, worms, lizards just bass fishing. If 2 or 3 pound bass are tearing up soft plastics why would you want to spend big bucks on them? especially in waters with a lot more toothy fish swimming around. LOL no 10-15 pound bass here either, I have fished with big live bait here and in Ontario, but prefer to stick with lures only. Live bait is the only time I have seen a correlation between bait size and fish size. Most of the bigger bass I have caught, 20+ inches weren`t due to bait size, location and luck? Me and them were there at the same time? I have 8 and 10 inch soft plastics, results on them have been poor, and can make a day of searching for big fish with them sort of a job. Fished a local pond for almost 8 years, with friends and family members, a lot of them were very good fishermen, 1 20+ inch bass in 8 years on lures, and it wasn`t that we didn`t try, day or night. A 6-8 inch chub or shiner usually meant at least 1 per trip. Quality can be a good thing at times.

Congrats Spiel, sounds like she is more than a material girl. She got my vote.

Ohio`s record pike Pike, Northern 22 lbs., 6 oz., 43" long. Lyre Lake. By Chris Campbell, Dayton. Oct. 3 1988 There is a chance there might be a bigger pike in the area? also a chance you might get hit by lightning fishing for it? Unusual catches happen, don`t expect them. If you fish waters that have a history of producing big fish your chances are better.

old school, I like metal gears, but I would do some checking first? See if they are available? maybe a speed shop? and will any extra weight call for a different harmonic balancer? Just throwing out ideas, most of my experience is on small block chevys.

Had a cruiser I kept at East Harbor back when I was single, the carp would jump and hit the side of it during the night. up there for the weekend one time with a lady, " what was that?" carp, what`s it doing? same as us, spawning. LOL carp? ya heck of a fight, but like waking up after bar hoping> oh no I didn`t want that?

"Not five minutes later I hooked into a solid walleye. As he saw me unhooking it, he asked "Since you are releasing it anyway, mind if I take that catch for dinner?". don`t know how many times that happened to me? it`s a bass, catch and release? carp and sheep head I give away! LOL dear old dad would get bent sometimes when I took the fish off the hook and slid it back in the water. "why did you do that?" it`s not like I was going to eat it? " I would have!" yes and you are capable of catching your own? us fishing together doesn`t entitle you to two limits?

How are the camshaft bearings? in good shape? proper oiling to them? It would seem to me that there has to be an underlying cause for repeated failures to the gear unless the gears in all the engines have a history of failure? Is the gear belt driven or chain?

Ya carp will come clear out of the water, I usually only saw it during the spawn, some big fish and it is a bit surprising to see how well and far they can come out of the water. I have seen Muskies feeding on walleye a couple of times, they are a good enough predator that they never seem to come all the way out of the water, just a surface roll and the walleye is gone. Seen bass trapping bait fish against the shore and smashing them if they entered water a bit too deep, some times they would clear the surface. Seen smallies, walleye, and steelhead rolling on schools of emerald shiners along the breakwalls on lake erie in the fall. Seen perch and bluegill clear the water in absolute panic, gills flared fins ridged, a big pike had entered the back of a cove they where in to feed. Also seen schools of big crappie and white bass busting surface schools of bait fish. Night time makes it hard to get a good look, I did carry a pair of binoculars in my boat, fish breaking? lets take a look.

LMAO Art! it can relieve boredom if the smallies aren`t hitting, a much prettier fish than a carp!

Mere babies, the back waters of the Georgian Bay also has them. Although I have never intentionally fished for them they were incidental catches while fishing with live bait, minnows. I got one like 46-47 inches? I didn`t think the fight it gave was equal to it`s size. My ex got one the same day, within minutes, it didn`t have the hook in it`s mouth, just the line tangled around it`s bill and teeth. I actually thought they were a bother, it seemed like target species moved away when they came around and a waste of expensive bait. I have seen them in Sandusky Bay Ohio and Presque Isle Pa, both parts of Lake Erie also. It seems like they tend to favor calm still water areas with lots of bait fish present.

Any one in the wire forming or spring making industry? It seem to me that the easiest form or shape for these would be a straight push in product, like the style used on the Mr. Twister or Mustad keeper hooks, some sort of barbed wire to hold the soft plastic bait and a quick clip on ring to the hook. I have seen and used the screw in style, seen the self centering screw on style, it seems like over complication of a simple idea? any thoughts?

Probably no risk to the dudes lively hood, bass fishing is a much bigger deal here stateside, but most of these guys also have regular jobs of some sort. Nice to show up at work and have your co-workers know you got banned for cheating? It`s not to hard just in Ohio to fish two or three different circuits, prize money for the events and the top dogs get to fish a championship for a bass boat and some cash. Some weekend tournaments may offer a boat as a prize. There are guys that plan the fishing season around the tournament schedule. Plus there are usually open tournaments that have at least a 1000 dollar first place money. Supplemental income?

I used to buy tubes, worms, lizards by the hundred, some tackle MFG`s will sell direct in larger quantities. Places like Jann`s Netcraft, Barlows, and what was Stamina would give volume discounts. Also used to buy jig hooks by the 1000 and split them up with friends. Some of that soft plastic stuff is probably made in one place and just different packaging used. It happens with a lot of products, made to fit the sellers demands.

Well he wanted to be famous? now he is! It`s not if you win or lose? it`s how you play the game?

Great pictures and report, lakes in Ontario all seem to be beautiful. LOL your reel handle is on the wrong side.

Just observations, I have see a number of 20+ smallies from inland lakes and the same with largemouth, Chautauqua Lake in New York is a smallie factory, it can produce them up to 6 or 7 pounds and has been doing that since I was a kid. It`s just one of those lakes with the right mix for them. Water quality, depth, food supply, spawning areas, mix in a closed spawning season? 30 years of fishing bass tournaments and seeing weigh ins, some lakes have a history of being able to produce big fish, 5+ pounds, on others you can almost bet a 3 1/2 pounder or so will be big bass. A lot of lakes will produce numbers, seen a lot of tournaments won on inland lakes with 12-14 pounds for 5 fish. For me it was always more fun to fish lakes that you knew 18-22 was a decent day. South of the border, smallies on inland lakes here aren`t all that rare, but big ones can be.

Glad to hear you had a good time there, it is a pretty place, and a good place for a family vacation, 50% percent of my ex wives liked it.

Scary stuff Phil, glad you are OK! I didn`t know they had fire ants in Ontario, I thought they were a southern pest.

I always changed out a lot of my crank baits to Excaliber rotating trebles in black nickel, fish didn`t seem to be able to throw them as easily. I don`t see the black nickle ones any more, just bronze. Only one issue with the black nickle ones, they seemed a bit brittle.

There was talk here about a Cabela`s near me for 3 or 4 years? A couple of locations were mentioned. It seems though that they were playing the cities involved to see which one would give the biggest tax abatements. How does the line go? cost plus 50% = profits? and if you can bargan enough tax breaks from the city involved? more profits? Maybe they can pass an increase on the sales tax and let the taxpayers pay for the lost revenue from tax abatements? The customers seem to pay the taxes anyway?

I have seen bass cruising a shore line many times, and beat myself up trying to figure out something to trigger a strike, other times I have got fish every cast. There are no guarantees, just probabilities. If you are reasonably certain they are bass? Try jerking a spoon like a hopkins shorty, or Crocidile or blade bait like a vibee or heddon sonar, silver buddie off the bottom and left it flutter back down. A lot of things may or may not work, when you hit the right one you will know? some days there is no right one, you catch the stragglers.

Catch and release, it beats the heck out of catch and kill? Bass tournaments have brought awareness to a section of the people out there fishing. LOL shore lunch? at McDonald`s on the way home!

A difficult question to answer, it depends on the water you are fishing. Open waters of Lake Erie or other open waters? Tubes with a tube jig hook insert, not much junk in the water, drop shot, a gobie type soft plastic is big down here. I have caught smallies on a wide range of lures, soft plastics like grubs, tubes, lizards, worms, I just usually down size from what I use for large mouth. 3 1/2 inch tube, 4 inch worm or lizard. Crank baits, spinnerbaits, surface lures, jig and pig,I like small hair jigs with pork for smallies, roadrunners, it`s just a question of location and what you can present that they will hit. I have also caught them regularly using a jig like a fuzzy grub or foxie jig tipped with a fairly good sized golden or silver shiner. Also on craws, worms, leeches.