Pete Maina

Hi,

Was a great article Andrew and Sandy continues to do a great job - the casting piece is good ... if you can just get past that "cover thing", sure you'll enjoy the issue Andrew.

Pete

Hi,

Yeah, I still can't figure out that whole cover thing. The guy I know over that way never smiles

It truly is a sad state of affairs ... not my fault either, btw ... Dave Olson is our designer - and you all have him to blame

Glad to hear the dogsleds are starting to arrive all over the continent here.

And seriously, some good stuff ... good to see all the OFNER's ... and yeah, great piece Moosebunk!

Pete

Hi,

Well, hopefully I can get back up that way to the show next season ... yeah, got cold here again today. I was getting kinda used to melting.

Weird deal about the cover Whopper ... the guy I know is never happy ...

Ha ha ... yeah, Captain Mark said the Goliath's tend to rid folks of lots of equipment.

Hey Krisco ... glad to hear you're coming on down. I'll be there both days and expect I'll have several seminars ... but I don't know the schedule ... check with the store if you can. Wait, here's a link http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.CFP...storeID=1#19488

Oh, just FYI that the seminar times on the 4th are a bit off (just got a phone call). Sounds like I'll be on at 10 am and then again from noon to 1:30 or so as part of a muskie clinic with Enzo Cerqua.

Pete

Thanks Crazyhook ... yeah, those Goliaths are, well, Goliaths. I was joking around about that fighting belt thing ... told them I'm a muskie guy and didn't need no darn "dress" ... was pretty happy to have the dress on.

Not sure how many days I have to fishing skis ... soon, I hope ... to head south a little this spring.

Thorpe on the cover? We wouldn't do that ... He never smiles

Actually a great point there. First, it's all about your equipment and what you are comfortable with (how you can do the best corners!) ... but also, boatside is where the longer rods really make a difference. The shortest rod I use for casting these days is my 7' 6" heavy action. The 8 foot plus rods really make a difference at boatside. Last year I used 8' 6" and 9 mainly. And we had a bunch of fish hit on eights and O's.

Pete

Hi All,

Hey Keram - thanks for the edit help! (I never know what I'm talking about either - so it's all good )

Good to hear there are some icers out there. Overall it had been slow, with the severe cold here, but had heard a few good reports. As warm as it "HAD" been ... funny to think that in earlier January folks were thinking there would never be any ice on Chequamegon Bay (of Lake Superior) to stand on all winter. Not certain when the open water start is this year. With my level of organization in recent years-this somewhat hinges on my ability to get my (gear) together ... which can be a challenge for me with all the running.

And thanks Roy! And I'll let Teresa know she has to come along. Thanks for the kind words on the magazine guys. They spring issue should be arriving to you Canucks here soon. Gosh, I hate to say this, but gotta warn you: there's one ugly character on the front of it.

Pete

Hi,

To me, either works. Whatever folks are comfortable with. I feel the 8 pattern is a little goofier, which sometimes can help trigger with lures that control well on the eight motion (basically corner well). For some, it's just easier to make big circles. With either, the outside corners are the key. They should be as wide as possible. Sounds silly possibly, but this is where the inside pass of a circle or 8 is very important ... get in as tight to boat as possible, because this simply allows for wider turns. With either pattern, it's been my experiences that the majority of hits occur on that outside corner.

Pete

So what's this about eating worms Dave?

Hi,

Ha ha ... cabin fever eh? I think we all do.

Hi Lew. I figured so ... glad to hear went pretty good ... ha ha ... where the ice fishing spirit? All you guys talking about soft water and all. (I actually went for a few days with Gillespie on Lake Superior for trouts and salmon during the real cold stuff and wind ... to be honest, much of the time was spent inside the Frabill shack. Caught a few, but tough bite really.)

Hey T.J. Glad to see you're kicking. I'll check that out.

Pete

HI,

We have all types of the Knipex at The Next Bite - Esox Angler magazine. They are the best quality cutters out there - and we've carried them since our inception. http://www.esoxangler.bigstep.com/category...l?UCIDs=1319729

Link to different types.

The lever action ones are not as strong (cutting power, but same quality) - but do offer a little better reach. The strongest are the cobolt ones that Lew recommended. Most folks like the one thats spring-loaded, but they come both ways. I carry both in the boat, using the cobolts the majority of the time.

I can't encourage folks enuf to make certain have quality cutters like these - and to just snip away any hooks that are in critical areas or just buried and tough to get out. Simply not worth the extra time required and potential (probable in many cases) additional damage to the fish.

Quicker is better.

Pete

Agreed! Here here ...

Pete

Hi there folks,

Hadn't been here in a while and wanted to stop in - say HI - see how winter is treating you all. I'm hoping you've survived the cold snap well. For the first time in many weeks, I've seen the temp go above freezing. Pretty exciting stuff after days of nasty temps. At one point went 4 days without getting warmer than - 10 (Farenheit). Pretty interesting phenomenon ... while hearing about global warming on the news constantly. At least we have plenty of ice now.

Did the spring fishing show in Toronto go down already, or is that this coming weekend? Any news I should know of Lew, Roy ...?

Best wishes for wintering-well folks!

Pete

HI,

Several folks mentioned the Bass Pro rods/combos. Before the price allows you to assume the quality is so-so, you should check out the Bass Pro line (especially if near a store) ... as some extra "lure" money will be available. If you're looking for a longer rod, I'd suggest the 8' 6" two-piece. Great all-purpose caster and doubles as a great troller.

Pete

Don't know on that one, but sure something to check.

Love the squirrel!

Pete

I believe rules are just developing on this. New stuff stateside too - that kinda came about towards end of open water season. Dead bait should, technically be safe ... but the way things are, for anglers trying to stay legal and for fisheries health, the best (certainly simplest) is to not transport bait at all and buy it at the nearest place to your destination.

Pete

Now that's a biggin ... expect been eating corn.

Congrats Carp.

Yeah, you should take your shot at the 'skies ... you'll likely get a monster eye.

Pete

Hi All,

Poking my nose in here a day late, but just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Thanks TJ, Monique, moderators ... ALL. Great group here and have much appreciated the correspondence.

Great group! Believe me, if life weren't so hectic I'd be here more.

Best to all in '07 (And Happy Birthday to my buddy Thorpe)

Pete

Fishergirl ... sounds fine, as long as I'm not dancin' with the other guy.

HI,

Well, I got PM from Crazyhook ... now I "get it".

(Lew, I know what I'm gonna try to get you to do next time I see you )

It's OK Fishergirl ... hmmm, guess that means you been reading ... you didn't think any of those outfits were funny at all ... right.

Thumbs up for Moosebunk!

Great pic Crazyhook ... now I need an explanation on this one.

C'mon Thorpe ... where ya hidin'

I wanna hear about the fancy dance ... gosh we look great in elf suits eh?

Thanks for clarifying that Joey

In a nutshell, this issue really has to do with changing times - and is directly related to population. (We simply can't, as individuals, harvest like we used to - or fisheries will suffer.)

The good news is - fish are still good

It's simply a matter of trying to do it as smart as possible - and not be hawgish. (As others have said, the only time I feel bad is when I have a problem with a fish I intended to release in a healthy state.)

A little knowledge of the population densities and size structures of particular species helps us to harvest smarter.

Here, for instance, we have many lakes with predominately small pike (due to past mistakes of harvesting only the bigger ones). As many of you know, pike are great eating and easy to fillet the bones out of. When I'm looking for some fish to eat, I don't feel bad at all about targeting 2 to 3 pound pike on these types of fisheries.

And they're yummy.

Pete

Hi woodro,

I don't have experience with the 250, but I have a 500 a they're a wonderful unit. Besides being able to plug destinations in - or simply find on the map and it tells you every turn ... tons of other info like lodging, gas, restaurants ... kinda neat, especially when you travel alone a lot like I do.

Pete