fishboy

Nice report and great fish. Guys-those crocs may make you look like a poofter or worse but man they're comfortable for being on your feet all day fishing and who cares if they get wet. Out of curiosity, where'd you launch and how much $ did you have to part with?

cool-thanks for the reassurance!

Would a good quality fine wire leader not have any more effect on lure action than the heavy fluoro some guys use? I have some titanium leaders that are way more flexible than 40# line.

I just heard from my buddy (the guy who's boat got drowned); he took it over to the marina and they "revived" it for $120-all things considered, that sounds like a relatively reasonable investment.

Not to sound too stunned but how loud? The volume I'm getting is enough to make me wonder if it would spook fish.

I like to fire some scent up the inside of the tube-more out of habit/confidence booster than anything else...if it works, keep going with it. I also tend to quite often use 4" tubes rigged Texas style ("Texposed") on a 4/0 hook-no extra weight. This works great for working heavy cover and can also be fished like a jerkbait (I call it a glide bait the way it moves) at weedlines, drop-offs and flats. One place where applying scent does come in handy is if you're going to fish the tube on a jig-the scent inside the tube makes it real easy to slide the jig head in.

great smallies-wow!

I don't know what tune it's trying to play but my downrigger cable makes an audible vibration/humming noise. This is the first time I've used a downrigger & never having been on a boat with one, I wondered if this noise is normal. It's a clamp-on type rigger on an aluminum boat , so I'm thinking I need to put something to dampen the vibration between the rigger and the gunwhale. Any suggestions?

Holy crap-that's brutal. My Suzuki is a 4-stroke and the manual says: remove the plugs and manually turn the flywheel to drain the cylinders check the engine oil for water-if there is drain (I'd do this anyway) drain the fuel line and filters pour 1 tablespoon of engine oil in through each spark plug hole and turn the engine over manually-don't use the electric starter as you might bend a rod if you've got any seizing; if it's there's resistance, get it checked at a marina (I'd probably do this too)

lol but at least I didn't eat it

I wonder how he gets a hat to fit; maybe a cardboard box? He needs to smooth the corners a bit there.

hmmmm... large boats who go by at 1/2 plane with the huge wake when I'm fishing with the kids east winds PWCs those with no ramp etiquette/waste parking spaces people who leave the fish alarm function "on" for their sonar poachers bait shops that actually count to 12 (that place on the 400) when the price is already inflated

I've found the other brands to work just fine-this smallie hit a Yum Dinger last Friday in the middle of a nasty cold front with an east wind.

lol with the weather, I'm not sure they ever moved in; it's like learning to fish new lakes

guess that explains why they make the plastic rats...

It's been brutal.

The only thing lamer (is that a word?) than him eating the thing is thinking it weighed anything over 7.5 lbs-and that's being generous. Obviously the newspaper reporter has never caught a decent smallie.

Steamwhistle and Moosehead are nice beers but the best deal out there now is Brava.

Ouch-hope that doesn't put too much of a cramp in your plans.

some awesome fish there-congrats

Is there a ramp of sorts at the bridge or is it strictly a "carry-in"?

...not sure a fellow wants to hear that about his photos...

Well, the weather was a little tough but I did manage to coax the bass into co-operating-reluctantly though; I had to work hard (if you can use that description in fishing) and move often. The best fish of the morning came on a Yum Dinger rigged weightless over a boulder flat adjacent to deep water (7' transitioning to a quick 20'). A quick pose for the camera (phone hence the low resolution) and she was back to swim again.

Does anyone happen to know what they charge to launch there (beside the Beacon)?

When firing it up the first time in the spring, use an old set of plugs so that you don't foul your new/good set while burning-off the fogging oil. I'd also invest in a hand operated gear oil pump, it's so much easier than trying to squeeze the oil up into the gear case from the bottle.