OhioFisherman

Sorry Lew, one of the toughest parts of getting old. Condolences, to you and the family.

Like Lew mentioned the cheating can happen, a pretty well known incident to the bass guys here, 2 dudes that live on or near a lake here entered the tournaments of that lake all the time and did well on that lake. On a tournament day one of the other anglers notice a bobber bobbing near a tree in the water and took a look, it was hooked up to a live bag with 5 bass in it. He clipped the fins and reported it to the tournament director, the 2 dudes that lived there weighed the fish in, they would have won if nobody had checked. Like 100 boats in the field, dudes were banned, lost all respect.

Fished in tournaments with the club I was in with reduced limits, I liked them. Instead of a 5 fish limit as the law allows we would knock it back to 3 fish, separate the men from the boys, get rid of the dink keepers. Sort of specific to some bodies of water though. On Lake Erie you can still weight in 12-15 pounds with 3 fish, some of the inland lakes here it can be a tough job with a 5 fish limit.

I have a 17 foot aluminum with a side console and a 35 merc 52-55 motorguide on the bow. Trolled out of mine quite a bit, on Lake Erie for walleye and smallies, on other larger bodies of water, Georgian Bay. Also on a lot of smaller lakes, it can be done with the gas motor, bow mount and at one time I also had a transom mount electric on mine also. Deep water I don`t mind using the gas motor, 15-20 or over, anything shallower I like the electric because of the noise factor. Just can`t see trolling in 6-8 feet of water with the gas motor if I don`t have to. Never thought my 35 used much fuel trolling, never checked, Mine has remote tanks, at one point 2- 6 gallon and then I cut down to 1 6 gallon and if I was going to be on a bigger body of water I would bring a 3 gallon tank. Trolling from the bow has advantages? Your able to see the weed lines up close, before your lure gets to them. Hands free for fighting the fish, and if the area you are fishing has a lot of rocks you can keep yourself out of trouble better. If it`s choppy or rough I prefer the gas motor.

Great pictures! Reminds me of Virginia Beach, my only trip to the deep south. The Pine trees looked different though.

Very nice job!

Guys all good points, a geezer myself, sometimes progress comes in small steps. Look back at the pictures from when the tournaments started, them fish were all hanging on a stringer and no limits. After the tournament fish fry cause they were all dead.

Night guys!

Expand your horizons.

Glen?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaVD76fmfDI...feature=related

and on top of that some states still allow you to fish for them during the spawn! Target the biggest fish, the best gene pool and pull them off the bed and let the bluegill and such eat their eggs. Some of the logic is hard to follow?

Never used the tags always comfortable guessing, never scaled one in the boat if it was legal on the golden rule it went in the livewell, smallest one was kept on one side separate from the bigger ones. Never had one die in the livewell in a tournament.

Quit picking on truck drivers! Sitting in a Perkins pancake house eating dinner with some of my driver buddies one evening before returning to the terminal. The incredible hulk sits down next to me, big dude 6'5' 260# or so, didn`t know him. The next thing I know his hand is on my knee rubbing it, hitting him with a fist didn`t seem like a good plan, no bats or bottles on the tables. Looked at my pals calmly for guidance and they are laughing their butts off, all I said was he was to big to hit. A set up by them. Dude turned out to be one of my best friends! Loved to fish! Single back then and in pretty good shape, could bench 225 five times, but not in the same league as him, he could do 500 without much thought.

Since 1991 Chevy Astros and a GMC Safari, 4.3L v-6 engine, all bought used, never any major problems with them. Engine might be the base engine for the Chevy pickup now? Think they stopped making the Astro-Safari line in 2005. The one I have is 2000. My boat is a 17 foot aluminum, maybe 1500 pounds for boat motor and trailer? Also pull a 6.5x12 tandem axle utility trailer with 2 foot sides that I haul firewood in from the saw mill, holds 1.25 cords, heavy for that van but doable with care, guessing around 5000 pounds, wood and trailer.

First plan should be to have fun, fish or no fish! Not many pike here in Ohio, mostly in Lake Erie tributaries and it seems only early in the season when the water is still cold (spawning areas). Seen pictures and reports from people getting them in the Toronto harbor area early season, you might try there? Nothing fancy to getting them here, we get the on basic bass tackle, small crank baits, spinner baits, just certain areas to expect them and certain areas not to. Just me, but if I am targeting them, steel leader time, just poor success landing pike or skis with out one. They are shallow early spring, caught them in 3 or feet of water near shore. Although I did most of my fishing from a boat an easy cast from shore.

Manns jelly worms? I think, haven`t seen them around for a while. Think I am wrong on that, unless they changed the look?

Gary this storm was a bad one, from the southern plains to the east coast, they are blaming 20 deaths on it. Saw pictures on the news somewhere southwest of here, ice covering trees breaking them, power out, a mess! 10 inches to a foot of snow here from it.

LOL ya waterboatmen, here in Ohio I get them in my swimming pool. My wife won`t let me add fish though.

Don`t quote me Gary but the home office is Springfield Missouri, think that is where they do most of it from?

Hope your feeling better Rick!

Gary any weeds in that lake? Largemouth I have caught in lakes or ponds with little or no weed cover tend to be much lighter than lakes or ponds with a lot of weeds. No idea if it is natural camouflage or perhaps something in the diet of their food supply. I agree on the colors, clean or light colored water, light lure, dark murky water, dark lure.

I have never bought one, but I listen to some of my wife and kids. Queens greatest hits. Super Tramps greatest hits. Wings greatest hits. David Bowie greatest hits. CSNY.

Nice catch Gary! Especially on dancing eel! A lure of a thousand casts for me ,er, and nothing to show for it. Think it`s parked in the barn next to the Doll Top Secrets, a lure so secret the fish didn`t know they could eat them! Except for one dumb pike that hit one at night. Ya just never know?

I read an article years ago in a fishing magazine about extensive testing Berkley had done on scents, for some reason pike prefered Mackeral. You could try stuffing some from a can in to a larger tube?