Feathers and Fins

Cullin: Here is more food for thought; There is another fishing instrument that when it first came out sent shock waves through the fishing world! The circle hook!! We didn’t have the internet back when it came out but seemed every magazine and news paper were talking about how unfair it was and how many fish it would catch. I and a few others laughed at the articles, we had been using them for years already for Bill Fish, Sharks and other large game fish, not on small ones because the hooks that were available were designed for commercial fishing of the larger fish. We had paid attention to 1 of our tenents taught to us by the “old guard” as we called them which is “Keep the mind of a child” by that it means to keep an eye out on the world you are in and see what is going on all around you not just in front of you. While everyone was crying wolf about these new fish catching hooks we sat there and watched them yank hooks out of the fish and shake their heads trying to figure out what they were doing wrong, It wasn’t until someone started giving the advise that you don’t set the hook but just start reeling in the fish did people start catching fish. But boy was it fun watching the learning curve for us. The circle hook does catch fish and lots of them but it certainly was the end of fisheries that people thought they would be. People came to relies this was a BAIT hook and had a limited use… By the way that is the “Just in front of you view” I use circle hooks on Crank Baits, Jerk Baits,Texas and Carolina rigs and even trolled baits. The “Keep the mind of a child” tenent! And I catch a lot of fish on them. Same principle applies the fish hits it and the hook sets itself. The a-rig is just the newest fish catching tool, it as I have said will be affective in the right situations. But like the circle hook it’s not the fish destroying tool people worry about. Try putting a few circle hooks on your rigs and see what happens to your catching ratio! I was taught the tenents of fishing by men who had no fancy electronics or 500 magazines weekly to tell them how to fish. These men had to catch fish it was their livelihoods.

Al, Ive been able to work with Wolves and Mountain Lion. To add to what you were saying. NO THEY DO NOT. In fact I have actually seen them fear people more in captivity then in the wild. My wolves were very much timid creatures when strangers came around as long as myself or my wife were home they would watch from a distance and not get to close. Now if the kids were outside playing and someone strange came walking down the road it was a diffrent story. Both my male and female would get between the kids and the person and there could be no mistake to waht their intention was if the person came to close to the kids. That was the exception when they were protecting the cubs so to speak. It is the pack mentality. This also was the case when my wife or i were home. we were the Alphas so you could see the true timid yet watchfull nature. Wolves ive worked with in the wild and observed for hours show a very timid tendancy to them and watch more than be seen and if approached will normally retreat back with the acceptions being if the pack is hunting. The cats are in my experiance timid in captivity but still very curious " nature of a cat" I have senn a 500 pound tiger play as gentle as a kitten and loved it but at feeding time he was deadly as they come in defence of food. The cougars seemed in captivity to again relate to pride behavior. The ones in the wild were more solitary but still timid. As I said before I have been stalked but once they know i know they were there it became a diffrent game. I dont think they have lost their fear of humans, I beleive they have become more acustom to humans and as such do not show the fear of us they had at one time. I would love to see the ture stories behind the attacks. Were they female cats with cubs around? were they protecting food? There are more questions then answers in the attacks I use to follow. Im not cat expert, venomous reptiles are my expertise but one thing i learned about wild animals in good health is they dont Kill for no reason and they normally dont attack without provication or cause.

JD, I carry concealed but its due to large amounts of money I can pick up on occassion and on occasion i go into bad areas. Even when not at work i still carry. I also know alot of people who do not pay attention one bit to the signs on business's, as they say ( Better to be judged by 12 then carried by 6 ). CC is unfortunately something im seeing as becomming the new "IN THING". Ive sat in on a few courses recently and they are a joke absolute joke. The people are told how to fill out the paperwork and the firearms part of it is standing 12 feet from a target and shoot it. Safety is not really taught at the. I would love to see anyone buying a gun to be mandated to take a hunters education course. Those are heavy into safety. Im all for gun rights but im also for people at least knowing how to safely handle them. Owning a gun is a right! but with that comes the responsibility to keep you and others safe. I love seeing people with their CC stuck in a waiste of their pants or in a pocket and even sadder is the ones i see chamber a round with no safety on. I swear i dont know how more people dont blow off parts of their bodies. It scares me to see it. But what is funny is I can spot a CCW across a room most have way to big a gun for where they are carrying. Ido agree with you on the Tax issue. but its the country we live in TAX everything but call it a license.. Seriously we have the 2nd ammendment yet we have to have licenses and permits to use it? oh well im getting off the box now.

I grew up around guns, its funny my dad always kept them locked up not for my safety but for other kids that might be over, I had a key to the gun cabinet always. Even as a young kid as it was where my pellet gun was at and i liked shooting it. But I knew the rules. #1 no shooting with others around without my dad being present. #2 All guns are always loaded even if broke apart on a cleaning bench. #3 Guns are not toys they are tool no diffrent then a hammer or saw. Being brought up around them and no mystery to them I just had no desire to play with guns. If i wanted to shoot I knew the rule. If we were going hunting I knew the safety rules. I think and this is just me, that parents who hide guns create a mystery that kids just want to solve and know about. I raised my son the same way I was and never had a problem at all.

Thats pretty neat, I was wondering if the big profile would scare them off, guess not. The walleye were a real treat. One of the ones caught actually came up to hit it on the surface so they will pusue it, it appears. Now if all holds well im going to be back in PC thsi weekend trying some other baits on the rig to see what happens. Heck you guys should come out and join, we had our two boats feet apart last night and were having a blast working the same spot togeather and i never mind good company and laughs while having fun on the water. Besides its funny seeing 3 A-rigs hit the water at the same time feet apart.

As a avid hunter Guns in campsites are very common. With kids around I simply keep them locked in a gun case and in the truck locked or in the gun safe if in a lodge. As for a Concealed I keep it on my person at all times, when sleeping it is still next to me. Its not hard to keep a firearm safe. Its the guys who like to play with them i worry about, but have a solution to them. I stick a blank in the gun and when they pull the trigger its a lesson they never forget and breaks them of it very quickly.

Many weekend warriors have put alot of time in to catch fish no diffrent then the "Pro's" so if it helps them so be. As to the salesmen aspect A large part of my job is sales and the only way to stay ahead of the compitition is to constantly improve the ability to make the sale... No diffrent then fishing people are constantly looking to improve the bite. 10 years ago you had to write an estimate take it to the office due the estimate produce a contract take it back to the client and get it signed.. Now I can have a satelite picture of your house in 30minutes with all the measurements. Have a detailed contract written off that and have the job under contract and scheduled to be started before I leave... What use to take 2 to 3 days I can now do in less than an hour on a simple job and 2 to 3 hours max on a complex job. Lures, sonors, lines, reels etc have improved with technology just liek everything else.

Dam so much for a fun smartass thread.... Skeeter I grew up in So Cal. I hunted turkey and quail in the San Bernadino, Los Angelas and Cleavland National forrest. I have been Stalked by a couple of them! But paying attention to your surroundings and you will normally know the cats there and once you locate them and the easy meal scenerio if over they loose interest. Ive seen them often while hunting and as I have said before its a honor and privledge to have seen them. The Media make far more out of the cats then what the truth is. Truth is simple with the amount of human intrusion into their range attacks will happen, no diffrent the Bear attacks and Shark attacks. We are not a viable prey source or there would be far more attacks. When one happens the Media Blows it out of proportion and strikes fear into people. My favorite comparrison to animal attack vs Media is the movie JAWS it instilled a fear of sharks in people and people of the water right after the Movie came out. Alot of sharks died because of that movie and I know people have gone out to kill cats after an attack, not the cat who did the attack but any cat. They have far more to fear from us then we have from them.

Stump, ive been into some large schools of very large whites in PC and Montne / Horshoe Bend. They are very deep for this time of year and I think people are fishing way to shallow for them. Im betting we have a decent run this year. As to how the A-rig will work on them I have wondered that myself. I slaughter them on flies and small jigs, I wonder if the A-rig will actually be to much lure for them? The one thing I keep seeing this year is the massive amounts of shad in the 1/2 to 1 1/2 inch size. I threw my net in Avoca yesterday just to see what I was marking size wise and pulled up well over 500 in one throw of the 3/4'' size ones. If we do not get a die off and there are no signs of it yet we might find catching them harder with the large food supply. Not a bad problem because healthy bait populations means healthy game fish.. Lord I love fishing its always changing and diffrent.

A lion took my son captive one time. After numerous phone calls we came to an arrangement. I would allow him to return the boy in exchange for constant updates of where the quail coveys were. I understand the Lion Whisper spent years after trying to help the lion get over the trauma my boy caused him.

Yupper,, you need to lol

Im sure there has never been a case where a person with a self defence weapon hasnt saved themselve or others. Really Mr Honey Badger are you serious. There are Thousands of those reports. Possibly not in the Ozarks but enough from around the country to know it can happen here very easily. Not sure what your getting at but Ill continue to carry and pray i never need to use it.

Why don’t BASS tournaments allow live bait? My opinion on that is simple. NO SPONSOR MONEY! Big tournament anglers are nothing more than paid spokesmen for those who sponsor them. These are not the average angler they have made a career out of a sport that is supposed to be fun. Seems they cry loudest as well when a new product comes out that force them to use it over their sponsor’s product to put up the wins. Let’s face reality if one lure comes out that force them to use it to win and it’s not one they are sponsored by it hurts their sponsor and hurt sponsor means less money to them. I throw the A-rig now on a 7’9’’ medium action rod with 12lb mono line, I haven’t lost a bait yet on it since I switched, not saying I won’t but I haven’t yet, its forcing me to stay more to open water and pay more attention to where I throw it, and that is increasing my catches because im doing rule#1 more! Reading the water!!! This lure has certainly made the tackle industry wake up and I’m sure we will see many more new lures come out designed for the rig. It has also gained a lot of attention to fishing in a slow time which is good, and its catching fish which will hopefully bring more people back to the sport which is always a good thing. Tournament’s pay out. Now this I’m a little lost on. When I use to tournament fish club level and opens if you were not in the top 5 there was NO PAYOUT so I’m confused to how an angler gets 75% payback please explain that. This rig/lure/ bait however anyone wants to call it has done one thing I see, It has evened the playing field out and put everyone on the same level. Now some might argue this is unfair as it takes away from the elite’s ability to out fish the average guy. But I will contend that if they are truly so elite and fish catching gods then they should still be able to out fish JOE. They are not the elite gods people think IMO they are IMO guys who have sponsors and can do it more often than most people. Give me 5 to 7 days of pre-fishing on any lake and ill put up good weigh in counts as will most people who can read the water and conditions. I’ve fished this bait now enough to know its definitely got its uses and limitations. It will be a good bait on open water fish (no surprise as its origin was designed open water fish) It will not be a good bait in any kind of cover ( might work but you will be buying new ones often). Most the complaints are about the multiple bait part of the rig. The rig still needs to be thrown where there are fish and they still have to bite the rig. Also if the baits on it are not what they after ( size color ) they won’t bite it. Bottom line the way I see it and from using it is simple. It has its place and time for use. For the average angler it seems to boost confidence so more are being bought and used of course more fish are being caught and caught on them. For the pro-s they are crying IMO because it’s a sponsorship issue, as well as they don’t like the fact JOE can beat them with it because it gives him confidence and he will stick with it. 90% of fishing is mental and if a lure comes along that gives people the mental drive to believe in it removes the edge the pro’s have in sticking to something knowing it will work.

Top water might slow down but im betting they keep up the bite just in deeper water. They key in was smaller bait schools. Stay clear of the massive size scools and look for the tight balls.

Add: Walleye, Hybrids, White and Stripers to the list of things it is deadly to... But im very curious to how affective it will be when the fish start going in shallow in thick cover!

They are on the way home... Been at it for about 3 days now...

Had some time to get out this afternoon from about 1:30 to 7:30 ( would have been longer but the battery was dieing and sleet in the forecast ) Anyway. 12 Large Mouth bass, 2 small mouth, 12 striper, 2 walleye 1 keeper walleye even. ALL WERE ON THE A-RIG in Prairie Creek. I was joined about 4pm by two friends from work in one of their boats and the Totals went up. I beleive they had 6 stripers 1 bass and 1 walleye keeper and their battery wasnt low and they are still out there. Top-water bite started at about 4 and was still going when i left the lake. What a day I had a lot of short strikes to go with the totals. Anyway whats a good day without pictures. I think there are still a few stripers in Prairie Creek. This one got a mouth full of A-RIG Used this rod for measurement the handle is 12'' real seat is 5'' and the front grip is 3.5'' I called this a nice bass any day. And this shall be dinner for awhile.. Note the striper above the Walleye is 34 5/8 inches

lol...I grew up in SoCal and when they stocked trout every big bass and striper fisherman was there. The DFG were not the smartest they stocked every week at the same place and the big fish quickly keyed in on it and so did the fishermen. I wonder if the stripers in Beaver have learned to key in on PC after a big rain? And if so I just wonder how many trout might actually be swimming in Beaver and how big they are ?

Yes you can actually rig it up that way I do it on occassion when running multiple lines... Take a barrel swivel and put it on the line before the weight or hook. Tie another small piece of line to the other end of the swivel and tie a snap swivel to it. clip the snap on the balloon and then clip the clothes pin to the line. When the striper hits it the balloon will pop free but still slide on the line. Yes there are still a few stripers in the white below the dam I get a few a year when trying for walleye, I keep a pencil popper loaded and ready and a 8'' swim bait and cast them toward shore in likely looking spots while im looking for walleye. These isnt alot of them and i will probably catch flack for this but I release them all.. They are in there eating trout and the average weight is 30lbs plus. Its not what i call a viable fishery but one that is there and when you hook up its a true trophy. I know ive caught the same fish 8 times, it has a clipped dorsal fin and a nasty scar on its side. Last time we played she was easily 40lbs. As to seeing your lines its more the eco its giving off in the water then actually seeing the line. Took me a lot of time learning how to read the side scan and you get alot of clutter near other boats running there units. But after awhile you will learn what your seeing. Striper marks are unforgettable as are catfish... Dont expect to see them on side scan though, what your looking for with the cats is not the marks but more the holes in the bluffs they hide in.

Jeb I was throwing a white bead woolly bugger for the bass i saw up there saturday and ended up very suprised but not the firt one i caught this week i did get one saturday as well. There is a ton of bait in the area so im not suprised by fish being there but trout lol.

Ok so the day was to good to pass up and I had a little time to kill between jobs.. 3 trout in 1.5 hours in the back of PC.. And I saw at least another 10 making a run for the border when several big stripers came in. These were 40lbs class stripers if they were a ounce. A 4 weight fly rod is no match for them but I sure had fun on one for about 10 minutes till the 4pnd test leader went POP... Guess the walleye this weekend might have to wait for another week my bloods pumping still. Thats alot of trout for washing over the spillway unless someone is helping them out but the ones i caught had no sores on them so im just curious how they got there.. Oh and I put them back nice and safe.

Deffinately Light wire hooks.. Keep the drag loos and you can land monsterous fish on them. I use to use Terror Eyez for tarpon and landed many 50 to 80 pound class fish on them. the fight takes longer so it does stress the fish more so more attention to the release was needed but I never had a Poon die on me except for when a Bull shark felt he was easy prey.

Stripers this winter are spread out bad.. there is so much bait this season. I havent seen sign one of a die-off of shad which is going to really open up some spring fishing. Im betting top-water off points and in pockets come March is going to be insanity. Im about to switch over to walleye in the White River behind the dam for about the next 4 weeks UNLESS the weather does a instant warm up then ill be back to stripers. A little bird texted me a picture this morning of some walleye he caught in TR about 2 miles from Holiday Island this tells me they are starting to stage on the flasts and should start the move up... Plus this is when ive caught some monster stripers in the white.

My favorite tactic for cats year round is to find cliff banks or boulder piles that go from the bottom to surface. Get some chubs or suckers and pin them on the hook via the nose. Cast them to the side of the rocks and let them swim down. You wont catch alot of small fish but the ones you get will be large. and occasionaly you get rewarded with other species.

My goal is the same as it is always... To get a bite anything more than that is a fantastic day.