Garry2Rs

Thanks for the good wishes; Here some bonus swimbait info ...The Castaic swimbait, in the picture, doesn't use a paddle tail like most of the Storm or the hollow bodies do. There is no lip either, the action comes from the head shape and the segments in the body. It has a very realist "S" shaped swimming action. This Spring I read Bill Siemental's book Big Bass Zone. One thing Bill mentioned, that has helped me, is that a slow steady retrieve, letting the bait do the work, is generally best. Since I stopped trying to "fish" the bait, I've caught several Pike, the small Musky and several oos SMBass in the 5-6 pound range. These were all on 5-6 inch swimbaits, some soft some hard, but all on the slow retrieve. With the season opening Saturday I'm looking forward to actually targeting Bass with these baits. My project this year is to learn as much as I can about these big baits. They are still sort of a California thing. I guess we all find it hard to think of Bass and 8 and 10 inch lures at the same time...But to tell the truth, I now wish I had brought some of those big Southern-Cal baits home with me...GRIN. Good Luck Garry2R's Fishing is my favourite form of loafing

I got out for Musky on my home lake last Saturday. It was the morning after my 65th birthday party, so we didn't launch until noon! We covered all the known hot spots and caught two fish. One good one and one Dink. I also landed a very good SMBass off a rock field of pumpkin size boulders that ran off of a shoal. My bait for both fish was a six inch Castaic Rainbow Trout swimbait. As for the Opening, I will probably be on a lake, just east of here. Obviously I will be trying shoals and rock piles again. Since I will be in the Kawartha Highlands, I will check every place where cliffs have broken up and boulders litter the water, especially if the rock field leads to deep water. Any shallow weedy area should hold LMBass, but in many rocky lakes, like mine, there are deep weed beds where LMBass set up because there aren't many shallow weeds. For bait I'll try Senko's if it's not too windy and tubes if it is. In the wind I might Wacky Worm my Senko's using small jigs...This was a hot technique down south last winter. I will also be throwing my Swimbaits and some crankbaits in the open and plastic toads and Flukes in and around any surface weeds, just because I like them. However, I expect that Senko worms will be the best bait for both LM&SM Bass. I believe that a Reddish Brown/Rootbeer colour is the best around these rocky lakes. When I see them, I try to get worms with some copper fleck because the crayfish up here have Orange highlights. Another plus is they also mimic Rockbass, an important forage fish up here. I use Watermelon with red, black or silver fleck, and a lighter more Chartreuse colour with gold fleck, that Cabela's calls Baby Bass, around weeds. I'm trying to match small Bass and Perch. If you're not sure about the forage, the basic rule-of-thumb is to match the bottom colour. The bait fish will always camouflage themselves to blend into their background... Good Luck! Garry2R's

Either length is fine, but you don't want to be hitting the tip on the water with every jerk. Shorter rods are better for shorter guys and vice-versa. I prefer a casting rod...I feel that baits of 1/4 ounce or less generally cast best on spinning tackle and baits above that weight belong on a casting rod. Medium or Med.Heavy are both excellent choices and will double as Spinnerbait or Swimbait rods etc. For small Jerkbaits like most of the X-Rap series, I often use a 6'6" Crankbait rod, which is quite soft compared to those other two rods. I like the progressive action that the softer rod imparts, but in truth, I doubt that most fish care about this subtlety...grin. I own all of the variations mentioned, so if you want to "try before you buy" PM me Garry2R's

The 60 Series Revo's have low gears, a low profile and a larger line capacity, for trolling etc. In my experience musky prefer to stand and fight where they are, so unlike a salmon reel, a huge line capability isn't an issue.

Never have any trouble with my stinking She-Man-No's...

I have good luck with the gold and the silver/blue Rapala Husky Jerks. Also the gold Live Target Smelt. The main forage in my Pike lake is Rock Bass so I guess that explains the gold. I have sometimes done well on spinnerbaits too. A Musky lure called a Grandma works good in the smaller size. Garry2rs

If you are a right handed person using a right handed reel on a straight overhand cast you will almost naturally place the left side cover of the reel into your left palm during, or at the end of, the cast. Holding the reel in the palm of your weak hand prevents a lot of wear-and-tear on the wrist. Especially with larger baits. When you crank larger baits, the reel wants to torque around on top of the rod axis. Using this palm grip stops this and prevents strain on your wrist. If you are a right handed person with a left handed reel, this is your first lesson in why right handed reels crank from the right side...hahaha. You will need to develop a compromise grip that allows you to cast and reel without changing hands...Good Luck with that. If you're Pitching and Flipping in shallow water, a case can be made for using a left hand reel or learning to cast with your weak hand. However if, like most people, you are changing hands you will naturally place the reel into your left palm as usual. Garry2R's

There is nothing wrong with old school Chris. Garry'2R's

Is ultimate knot strength really needed? If we are talking about line under 6 pound test maybe it is. But, what got me thinking about this, was Crappie fishing. I was using 6# Fluorocarbon as a leader attached via a Triple Surgeons Knot to 10 or 15# braid. When used to connect mono-to-mono, this is a close to 100% strength knot. However it is known to slip with braid. Tying fluoro to braid it might only be 50 or 75% line strength, but it's quick and easy to tie and even with 50% line strength, say three pounds test, I had far more strength than I needed for Crappie or the odd OOS Bass. Over the last couple of years I have watched all of the Knot Wars episodes with great interest. Looking back, what I saw was that all of the better knots break close to or even above the rated strength of the lines. Especially when two turns are taken through the eye. But some of these knots seem to be very complex. I don't know about you, but these days I'm using fluorocarbon leaders on my braid. Since the fluorocarbon is close to invisible I find myself using 10# instead of 8 pound or 15# instead of 12 pound test etc. To get to the point...IMO, if knot "A" is easy to tie but breaks at 13 pounds on a 15 pound leader while knot "B" which requires two Boy Scouts and a diagram to tie properly, get's a full 15 or even 16 pounds...So what! I will go with easy "A" knowing that I am way over gunned anyway. What do you think? Garry2R's

IMO the Palomar is great for hooks, jigs, and flies but a royal pain when you have to maneuver the loop over a lure. For lures I like the Uni tied by going through the line-tie or eye twice. This version is AKA the Fishing Fool. It is a very strong knot which even beat the Palomar on TV... I don't like terminal tackle so seldom use swivels or snaps. However, when I do I use these items I use the same two knots. On heavy leaders, like 50 or 100 pound test, these knots are too bulky. I use the Homer Rhodes Knot. It's only 50% to 70% line strength, but I'm using that line for it's diameter, as bite-off insurance. As far as knot strength goes, even a 50 pound fish can pull anywhere near 50 pounds... Garry2R's

Big Pike do go deep when the water gets above about 65. However there are always smaller fish in-shore looking for food. The nice thing about Pike up to about ten pounds/38 inches is they are always hungry! If the forage is Crayfish, try jigs or Rattle Trap type lures. If the forage is minnows try spoons or Shad Rap type lures. Spinnerbaits also catch lots of Pike. As you mentioned, live bait will work too. You can make a rig using a treble and a single hook or two trebles with blades that can be trolled or cast. The same rig without blades can be still fished...Google "Quick Strike rig." Garry2R's

You know where he lives and what he likes to eat, now you match the hatch. If you have a heavy rod, how about a walleye pattern Sledge? I've caught a ton of Musky on them and you already know your Pike likes Walleye...If you're more into live/dead bait, google "Quick Strike Rig" and cast a big sucker or other large minnow. I have seen big minnows rigged this way fished under large bobbers too. Garry2R's

It looks like the stretch from Dunville down to Port Maitland.

You might already know this, but the side with the little boxes is for "dry" flies, and the side with the felt is for "wet" flies. I have a similar box that I bought in the 70's. The fly you show is pretty gaudy...It looks like a Salmon fly, as Dave has already suggested.

As far as I can tell there is no difference between a Swimbait rod and a Musky rod except that Bass guys "feel better" knowing it's for Swimbaits not Musky baits...HAHAHA!

St.Croix's are nice, but your Rapala 7"MH should make a great Spinnerbait rod and you already own it! The bonus is if you pop a line guide insert etc. you know who is going to fix it.

I love my North Kawartha area, so it will be surface LMBass in the AM then maybe some SMBass on Senko's or Crank's later in the day. Of coarse if the Smallies want to eat my poppers or toads, they are more than welcome too.

The Detroit River and Lakes Erie and St.Clair have a lot of Smallmouth, these aggressive fish are a bonus for the guy on the back! If the guy on the front finds a tube bite, get on it too. If the front ender finds a school on a flat, rig up the hot bait, and start casting...there are lots of fish for you too. With more isolated fish don't try to compete head-on-head with the guy on the front of the boat! It's usually smarter to throw something a little different. Look for alternatives, often if you throw something either smaller or lighter than the other guy you will do okay. A slightly different approach might be to use a floating worm or soft jerkbait like a Fluke or soft swimbait behind a guy fishing a Husky Jerk etc. When things are tougher, think "down-size" If the front man has a Senko, you go Finesse worm...Watch the depth finder...If you see a blip, drop a shaky-head straight down and work it. Your looking for the fish he isn't fishing for. Look for the reverse angles...If your guy is flipping or casting dock for instance, the opposite side of docks, from your direction of travel, might be unfished water. You can also cast to "non-targets." This would be the water between the obvious spots that the front guy will be fishing. Unless the guy on the front is using one, a Carolina Rig can be deadly from the rear seat. It casts far and sinks fast.

If you are going to spend $100.00 on a baitcaster, why not put it toward a better reel? These are plastic semi-toys, meant for beginners or once a year fishermen. A used Curado would cost about the same and last you a lifetime. Garry2R's

Bad Partners Cast past you from the back of the boat. Whip their lure past your ears by casting directly behind or in front of the boat. And have a fit if they see, or hear about you being, on the same Kawartha Lake you first fished with them. Good Partners make sure they leave you some fresh water to cast to. IE. The left side of the docks etc. when you're on the rear deck. Point out known "hot spots" etc. when you are on one of "their" lakes. They are willing to share bait, tackle and ideas. Most of all, they have a positive attitude. Garry2R's

In the fall, when I was up early to go duck hunting, I have seen them as far south as Hamilton.

Save yourself the headache and forget about flashing side markers. Garry2rs

Great stuff. I also own that rod, it's my go-to Senko rod. Garry2rs

Hi Wask; I live on #28 about 5K south of Apsley. PM me if you want to hook-up on Monday. I know there are lots of Perch/Sunfish and Crappie around the launch on Stoney Lake at Mt. Julian/Viamead and across the lake at McCrackin's Landing. Jack's has Perch and Crappie, but I have never fished for them there. Perch are everywhere, but there are no Crappie, that I know of, north of Jack's. Garry2R's

PM me. I have extra line and leader material. I also have all the tools needed and can give you a list of suppliers. Garry2R's