Zib

Garyv, FYI, you will find very few bargains at Cabelas. Only sales they usually have are on their own brand stuff. It's a nice store to visit for a few hours because there is a lot of eye candy. Stay out of their bargain cave because there's no bargain in there. Most stuff is returned merchandise or display items that are missing parts. I love Gander Mountain. They have a great selection & don't over crowd their store with their own brand name products like BPS & Cabelas. BTW, you didn't miss much at BPS. I was there this past Saturday & spent about $90, not including the bucktails that I bought from Bob Brunner (OFC member) who was at BPS Sat. & Sun. I was comparing the Michigan BPS ad with the Toronto BPS ad & they pretty much had the same items on sale. When factoring in the exchange rate the Toronto store was still charging a little more.

On another fishing board of mine (Lake St. Clair Network) someone had posted that you won't get a trade-in credit if you are buying a Shimano. BPS told the guy that Shimano is not participating in the program. This is in the US so don't know if that applies to Canada as well.

If you didn't already know, you need to know what size shaft that you need for your boat. A short shaft (15") or long shaft (20").

I've owned 2 F-150's & loved them both. Never had major problems with them. Just the usual maintenance & replaced the brakes & a starter on one that was covered under warranty.

Boycotting gas stations is always great idea that fizzles fast. Not enough cooperation from other people that "didn't get the memo". People need to conserve & demand alternative fuels else things will never change.

When I first started using the Husky Jerks & X-Raps I had limited success myself. I had read articles & watched shows that talked about fishing jerk baits but they were leaving some important stuff out. When I sat in on Kevin Van Dam’s seminar at a local fishing show he let us in on the secret to catching more fish on jerk baits. He said that you need to jerk the bait on a slack line & not a taught line. He said the bait won’t travel much but the action of the bait is so erratic that fish can’t resist. Well I tried it out last year & my catches on jerk baits more than tripled. KVD is The Man! Jerk baits really shine in cold front conditions & early & late in the season. Especially for smallmouth. Try the Hot Pink X-Rap early in the season for smallies. They love the pink baits for some reason early on.

or what? You don't need the good ole days to catch them like that. Go fish Lake St. Clair.

Me so jealous. BTW Irish, it's ZIB NOT Zig. lol

Thanks for the info. I'll keep that in mind if I can convice my wife to divorce me & not want half of everything I own plus alimony.

Awesome pics. Where do you guys find the women that will go fishing with their guy? My wife won't even go camping let alone fish.

No need to change it. Braided line is good for 3 plus years. If it gets too frayed on the end then reverse it on your spool.

Mr. Brunner makes some great bucktails. His member name on here is Robert Brunner Sr. He's in the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame & he's a legendary musky guide on Lake St. Clair. I just bought some bucktails from him this past Saturday at BPS in Michigan. Send him a message on how to buy some from him. Here's a pic of the bucktails (at the top): His lures are also sold on this site http://www.whitecapstackleco.com/Bucktail.html

Presque Isle, MI - Lighthouse My son at the top of the lighthouse. My son on the shore of Lake Huron, lighthouse in background. My son's first smallie.

Buying a license now would be a waste of money because it would expire on March 31st. Michigan licenses are good from April 1st through March 31st of the following year. Free fishing weekends are Feb. 17th & 18th and June 9th & 10th this year.

There is video of that carp being caught on Youtube. I watched the video, same guy but different looking fish.

Chrispy, Be prepared when you buy that Michigan license. They are talking about doubling the cost of fishing licenses for everyone. The Michigan DNR is crying broke again as usual. There will defiantly be a lot of PO'd fisherman, especially the seniors if they do double them. Nice pics Grimace. I was at the Joe Friday night & will be there Wednesday night as well. Too bad it’s not to fish for some walleyes.

Yes, I'm the same guy from the Greatlakes forum. You should also try fishing out in front of Joe Louis if the water isn't too dirty.

I'll be seeing you on the Detroit River CM. Where abouts to you usually fish? I'm usually in the Trenton Channel.

"If it ain't Scottish, it's crap!"

I'll second that. Or should that be third? I have that Mitchell 300X & it is great for the price. It puts the line very evenly on the reel, more so than any of the much more expensive Shimano's or Quantums that I own.

I was going to have the surgery as well but after talking to other people that had it I decided it wasn't worth it. Why have the surgery if it's just going to come back? I have a new job now that has better ergonomic work stations & it has helped a lot.

If you are just looking for jigs these guys do have some ice jigs. http://www.factorydirecttackle.com/

Those little rug rats also make great aligator bait.

I'll gladly trade mail with you.

Me too. Was just too cold today to fish without a shanty.