Bill Shearer

It's interesting to me that age and experience, more than any other factors, have tempered my reponses to the many news related events in past years.

For me, the 'gray areas' have become larger. I'm much more amenable to different opinions. My instant reaction to what used to be 'black and white' is much slower, and tempered.

I guess that's why judges of the law, are for the most part over 60? It takes time to see both sides to any event, and in the end, able to weigh the evidence with impartiality.

According to one forum I'm on;

The Seniors new licence fee is a done deal, we had no chance for input. AND the Bull about a discounted fee for Seniors is apparently Bull as well. An owner of a tackle shop who also sells fishing licences has told me in no uncertain terms that I was wasting my time, the deal is done, they have already set the Seniors Licence up in their system and there is NO discount!!! And we will see it NEXT YEAR.

All the time, effort and expense of the report etc. was just the government blowing smoke up a certain orifice to make us feel like we had important input to add. They don't give a fiddlers **** about what we say or think. If I am wrong I will apologise, but the tackle shop owner was firm in his remarks, If any other Licence sellers are out there please comment and let me know, RIGHT or WRONG.

Typical of the way the present government did things

That's great!

Bearings are better pressed out than tapped or driven. Damage is a good bet.

If you are looking for a rod that will fill your needs and be easily packed for carry-on, you will need to get a 4 pc, Spey conversion blank, custom built . There are many good options on the market.

I have done a couple. Although not inexpensive, they are quality blanks, that befit your quality reel.

Choose either a Sage ONE 6126, or Sage ONE 7136 blank, and get someone like Spiel on this forum to build it for you. He can provide some photos of each as well as prices. As always there will be other opinions on blanks and builds. What you decide to do is up to you.

I always had mine tilted to the stern more, so that I could watch the down riggers , and the fish that were attracted to the baits. Turbulance created by this 'negative' tilt was an issue at speed. I could get depth but not fish.

If you don't need to see that, then the thing to consider the most is not if the bottom of the transducer is square to the transom, or parallel to the bottom of the boat, but parallel to the bottom of the lake when the boat is at rest. If you can stand in shallow water with a level on the bottom of the transducer, you can get it bang on.

davey buoy hit the nail direct!

I always ran electronics direct. It eliminated any interference on the graph, radio, etc.

Princess Auto has these pretty cheap and a step above the s hooks.

http://www.princessauto.com/pal/Pins-locks-chains/1-4-in-x-4-ft-Trailer-Safety-Chain/8109597.p

Many years ago,(1977) I was trailering a 14' tinny, empty. It was a very windy day, and only got worse as the day went on. So bad that a gust of wind actually flipped the boat and trailer upside down! I pulled over on #6 north, righted what was left. (trailer damaged and twisted, boat bent and scraped), and limped into a motel nearby.

I don't know how the 'S' hooks held, but they did. Caribiners would have been much better, and are cheap. I never ever thought that the trailer would actually flip, but it did. Anything that you can do to keep your towed vehicle from entering an oncoming lane is paramount.

Congrats on your day!

Take your pick from this Canadian writer, Roderick Haig-Brown. Easy and interesting reading. Available at most libraries.

Starbuck Valley winter was my favorite, from many years ago.

Books[edit]

^ echo the above. A great skill to know, and easy to learn.

Well done Edwin!

Great idea Ralph!

Sooner or later we all develop ways to land and protect the fish, and our equipment.

Sorry, I took this

"I also wet my hand for comfort from getting skin burn."

to mean that heat, caused by friction from trying to slow a fishes run,

or 'putting the brakes on', was why you wet your hand.

Obviously I was mistaken.

Cabelas and BassPro also offer decent covers. I second to stay away from the cheap plastic covers.

Misfish brought up a good point, about drag on the reel.

The size of your hands, the way your reel was designed, and how you hold the rod, all play a big part in landing the fish.

Some reels like the Islander, have the spool very close to the reel foot. Others like the Anspec can have quite a gap between the spool and the reel foot. So if small handed person used an Anspec, he might use a longer finger to provide the drag. Conversely, a large handed person with an Islander might have difficulty applying drag with the larger fingers. I use a Kingpin,(which has a gap between the spool and the reel foot that is similar to the Anspec,) and apply drag with my little finger, and on larger fish pair it up with the ring finger. Works for my small hands.

It all comes down to what you are comfortable with. Personally the index and second finger are the strongest on my hand, and using either of them for drag, leaves me holding the rod with less strength than using the little finger and ring finger. Some flows and some fish would test the limit for sure.

I have developed what works for me over 30 years of pinning. It may not work for you at all. Get out and play with some carp, channel cats, bass- whatever. Now is the time to learn. And you don't have to worry about cold hands!

Misfish mentioned that he wets his hand to stop from getting friction burns, when putting on the brakes of a hot fish. Works for him, and for me it spells disaster. My point is that you can read all kinds of pointers and opinions, but until you start doing it yourself, too much information is no help at all.

I also do what Ralph says, but go one further. I always have my pouch on my wading belt, if it's not on the reel. After the fish is beached, netted or tailed, I always put the pouch on. Takes 10 seconds at most, and stops crud, ice, snow from getting into the clearances on the reel. This is especially good if fishing sandy areas.

Lots of different ways to utilize the backing.
I tape the end of the backing to the bare spool with masking tape. Then wind on the Dacron till there is a little less than 1/4" of room on the spool. Then I tape down the end again. No need to tie the backing to the mono, since you will never get to it while fishing. This eliminates trying to cover knots, and it keeps the bed of the spool smooth. Then you just tie on the mono with an arbor knot, and wind on 250-300 yds of mono. I've been doing it this way for a few years. Works well for me and others I've mentioned it to.
I should add that I use 50lb kite string as backing. I bought a 3000 ft spool for $20 a few years ago. I've done many reels, and still have enough left for a few more. The 50 lb fills up the spool faster, and is easy to keep level when winding on.
Price is up from three years ago.
Try here;
https://goodwinds.com/line-winders/braided-dacron.html

Politics and religion.

There's a reason why they are topics that are better never discussed among friends.

^ Very valid points made by bfd!

Balance is one of the keys to comfort.

I might add that how you hold the rod also makes a huge difference as well. If your wrist is sore, you need to let the portion of the rod behind the reel rest under and against your forearm. Trying to hold all that weight with your wrist will result in severe tendonitis/ carpal tunnel issues. I might add that when it comes time to be setting hooks, or lifting the rod for retrieval of line after every drift, sore shoulders and elbows can be a result. I'm speaking from experience here. (I've had several cortisone shots over the years)

Golfers and Tennis players have similar issues when they try and overcome technique or equipment issues with their bodies. I'd recommend that you talk to, and observe CP anglers while fishing.

I once sat back and watched a guy so long on the stream that he became concerned for his well being! lol.

I then divulged my reasons for watching him, and he was very helpful; thanks!

When you spend the time to learn any skill, (doesn't matter if its casting a CP, or a spinning reel or tying a new knot) repetition and paying attention to the small details, all help.

I don't know one person that learned how to cast a Centerpin in a single outing.

So enjoy the journey.

Backing saves you money, at the end of the day. I prefer dacron, since it is lighter than old mono, and does not absorb water like mono. It saves money because you put as much dacron on the spool as you need, then only add 200 yds/meters of mono to take it within 1/8" of the lip of the spool. EVERY TIME YOU CHANGE LINE.

If you usually reel with your right, it means that you are a left handed person to me. Why change? you probably will cast more accurately and further than you would with your right arm. Ergonomics.

Welcome to the fold!

Excuse me!

Dont want the Leafs!

Rather have a team that might win the cup.....

However the beer price discount? You got my vote!

one bag does 5000 sq ft. (50X 100) get two bags. It keeps well;))