techo

It is a shame that a tournament director has to try and teach lessons people should have learned from their Mom, Dad or kindergarten teacher. No matter what you do, you are representing something. When I fish out of my Skeeter, I represent Skeeter fishermen. When I fish a tournament I represent tournament fishermen. When I ride my motorcycle........well you get the idea. We had the same issue on Thursday last week of people cutting us off. I saw quite a few boats roar up to a point, fish for a few minutes and roar off to the next point. I am not sure how to fish that way, but it was very popular last week. We didn't do all that well on the points anyway. We also seem to have this post about rude folks every few months. I wish it was against the law to be stoopid or rude. I would probably have a long criminal record though. For stoopid , not rude I hope.

Wow! Nice bag and nice boat.

We put in at Mill Creek. We decided to fish places we had never fished before. It was a tough day of work fishing for us. Our four keepers were mostly around two pounds. We probably caught around twenty fish too. We worked everywhere. Partner caught some on a Wiggle Wart early. Most of our fish came off of the Jewel Pro jig. I caught a few little ones on spinner bait. We put in at 7 AM and pulled out a little after 3 PM. Hope you don't mind me piggy backing off your post instead of starting a new one. I figured it was the same day.

Sweet day! I have a Doc appointment or I would be at a dock right now. Nice looking fish for sure.

Nice motor for sure. You can find some great deals on used boats. Especially right now. The issue with used boats is that sellers follow the NADA more than the supply, demand and market. The boat companies are stressing out right now and you might be able to get a great deal on a new boat with a warranty that would appeal to you almost as much. The good news is that you can usually find someone who just wants to get rid of the boat. A guide or someone who wants their garage back. I think both Don and Eric are trying to sell their boats. If I remember right Erik's Ranger is close to 6000 under book. The challenge is NADA versus market and economy. I would go to bass boat central and do some reading. No one can tell anyone else what is a good boat. I am not a Stratos fan, but almost all boat companies make good boats now days. In general you have to look at resale value and well they hold their value on the money side. On the using side you have to compare fishability versus how it handles rough water and speed. The majority of bass boat hours come from wide open or barely RPMs. If you prefer a fish-able boat (AKA Ranger) or a boat that handles water well (AKA Champion) or a boat that is okay at both (AKA the rest and Skeeter) then you decide which boat you want. Did all of that rambling make any sense at all? I have been waffling on a new boat. I am going to fish at least one circuit next year (probably two) and get weary of being passed in my 90 HP Skeeter. I love the payments and gas mileage though.

Charlie Campbell will tell you about the Red Fins too. The action isn't quite as extreme. but similar and a whole lot easier to work. It might work a bit better on the Zebco 33 reel too.

Im not getting any pop ups either.

Sorry about the wife's diagnosis, but thankful for the great prognosis. My wife is my favorite partner too. She is going to fish a few of the buddy tourneys with me this year. She might as well as she makes the boat payment Best wishes to you and your family.

Welcome! I look forward to the stories.

That is good news. I usually hate to catch a fish on the first cast though. It seems like it jinxes me! I think what a crazy catching day we are going to have, but it turns out to be a fishing day instead! I can't go again until Tuesday now. Work work work.

She is well coached, but funny when she speaks with her own tongue. She is doing well against a seasoned politician.

Eric was jealous of my redneck look! I'm a sissy when it get below 70 too!

kcangler the smallmouth are my favorite to fight for sure. I think the Wiggle Warts are real similar to the little n. I am not sure about the tournament ether. I see the AIA boys and Heartland have one in October and November. I doubt they will mess up fishing to much. The bass seem to be a little harder to find during the tournament for me. Maybe we can all hook up and have our own little tournament of fun. Winner gets coffee!

Man what a day! Yesterday we worked hard for eleven fish. Today we caught lots and a few big ones. It seems the more time you spend on the water....the better chance you have of catching fish! I have one for sure sponsor and two are considering sponsoring me for next year. I never though much about competitive fishing, but it seems fun. You hang with a bunch of like minded people and go out to see how you do. I think as long s you don't take it too seriously and have fun it is a good thing. I really like the people in the tournaments. They are friendly conservation minded folks. I hope I don't let my sponsor or sponsors down!

Oops! Sorry that is higher than I thought. I am going tomorrow, but putting in at Aunt's Creek. I Am not sure if we will head toward Jams River or go the other way yet. If you don't get better informed feed back by then I will post what we find!

Unless something funny happened with this last rain, all of the ramps are back to operating and the lake levels are back to a few feet of normal.

Hey are you willing to share which crank bait you are throwing? Making it hit bottom or running in middle of water? THanks for the report. I think nine year olds have special fishing rules where if you see the fish at the boat, then it counts as a catch. Called a quick catch and release for the health and benefit of the fish!

You probably already know ......BUT go north on 173 from Cape Fair. Just before the bridge is a eating place. Take that driveway and it leads to a ramp. They rent kayaks and canoes. I know you don't need one, but that is the sign where you turn. If you put in at the ramp and paddle across the lake, there is a stump. You will recognize on sight as the place to cast. There are some docks to the right as you face the bank. On the right side of the dock there is a big old bass hiding. Tell him I said hello and I luv him. If you head back down lake (under the bridge) there is an old bridge under the water. They are a bit smaller, but they love the jig! If you head back up lake around the point, there are some small mouth wanting to meet you! I hear a spinner works well there.

Pretty brave to fish out of a canoe up there. There is usually some fish right at the bridge if you put in there. You could paddle up and fish the right side of the bank thee too. I haven't been fishing that bank or docks for a while. I would think the waves of the boats wold make it less than comfortable fishing there. You might want to head up to the 173 bridge, put in there and fish Flat Creek. It is a bit shallower until you go around the point. I would rather do that in a canoe than Cape Fair.

One of my friends makes his own. He uses copper wire to tie on the rubber skirt instead of a rubber band. He prefers it because it helps keep the skirt from sliding and is more durable. Lead is hard to be real accurate on. I spend a great deal of the winter months in the gym. Molds are hard to keep clean and accurate. The 45 pound plates in the gym can be off as much as 2 pounds. I always try to grab the light ones on max days! It is messy stuff. I use the weight of the jig as a starting point. It doesn't matter to me if it is off a small amount. The type and size of line is going to affect the fall and action of the jig more than that minute amount. The size and hardness of the trailer will also affect the fall and action of the jig more than the small amount it is off. I am more concerned about the coloro of the trailer than I am of the jig. As long as the jig is close black/blue, brown. green, then I put the color of trailer on that matches the crawdad color. I do like the red eyes though. It hard to argue with the tournament success Jerry and Sonny had this year with Chompers. They have an awesome product. The Eakins boys haven't had such a hard time on the trail either. Still good info to know.

Better safe than sorry on the Doc thing. f it starts turning black, then it is a brown recluse.

Dang! I couldn't go today. I work until Tuesday. Hope it holds. Good fishing!

Chief, I am guessing the people wrote the letters. Kilkenny is a common name there. So is Frost. I think Jackie S is an APD officer,who resides in Wasilla. If it is her... she has climbed Denali and almost summited. She would be against Palin as she is LEO. It would be hard to verify. There are a great deal of rumors and innuendo going through little Alaska right now. I have to tell you I am a bit biased toward Palin. Not perfect, but she is Alaskan. I do not know her or Todd on a first name basis. I did go through Wasilla many times to fish Sheep Creek, Little Willow (awesome grayling), and the Montana. I also stopped by their Wal-Mart. It sells more duct tape than any other Wal-Mart in America. Chris Watchus was in my academy and is a Wasilla officer. He happened to be with Wooten when he allegedly poached the moose. She is the closest we will ever get to a regular person being near the White house. Anyone else has to be rich to get the votes. Todd runs the Tesoro Iron Dog 2000. He won it four times. My best friend (next to dog and wife) runs the same race. His name is Jack Carson. It is a tough race. You have to put duct tape on your face to keep from losing too much skin. I assume they purchased the duct tape at the Wasilla Wal-Mart. One thing Alaskans and Ozarks have in common is their love and respect of nature. I think that is why I love both places. I do ramble!

I keep trying to stay out of all of this, BUT as far as Obama's group invading Alaska and doing a little dirt digging.....My friends in Alaska said the media flowed into town the day of the announcement. One reporter went to Palin's church and was asking the congregation if she was really a member and really attended church. No one knows much about her down here and she is interesting. She is news. The media was digging for dirt right away. I am not aware of anyone claiming to be Obama supporters digging for dirt up there. I am sure it happens. It is America and you get to vote for who you want to. I wish we could just get accurate info about the candidates, their plan for the country, and how they stand on certain issues. Except for some media twists, you get what you see with Palin. She was on the PTA when the mayor of Wasilla used city funds to pave his own driveway. This made her angry and she ran for mayor. She barely won the first term and won by a landslide the second term. Most everyone knows she ran for Governor when she was unhappy with then Governor Murkowski and some of his actions. She now enjoys a great approval rating (not with law enforcement though). Gosh I forgot my point. I started rambling. Oh yeah......I have some good informants in Anchorage and Wasilla. I know of no one claiming to be Obama supporters doing the dirt digging.