bfishn

Just the third day of the 2013 gator season, and already 2 new records; http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/03/record-alligators-killed-in-mississippi/ Worth the click if only for the 2 pictures. "Em's som' beeg lee zards... 2 things left unanswered, what kind of arrows were they shooting the first one with, and what records were broken..?

Off-flavor is a real big deal for catfish farmers, and lot's of research has been invested to lick it. Their policy is to sample the fish, if it eats well, it goes to market. If not, Sorry Charley. https://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm/event/getFactSheet/whichfactsheet/33/ There's just some fish from some places at some times that aren't fit to eat. Anything other than white can be trimmed, which can make a lot of difference. Yellow "shoulders" are fatty and should be trimmed as well. If the yellow is from a gland sac ruptured while cleaning, you can't fix that. Acidic soaks have been reported to help, but they also dissolve tissue and get mushy. Cooking's simple. Peanut oil at 380 degrees. Enough fire to keep it there when you drop fish. Some frozen fries to drop the temp if you get over 400. When it floats and the bubbles go from tiny to big it's done. Remove each piece when done, rather than waiting on one piece to dump the basket. Never lift it from the oil until it's done. Thicknesses from 3/4 to 1" cook best. Cut big fillets down if needed.

Thanks for the refresher, I hadn't noticed the hardware/stop/gap/hook detail before. I've caught too many 'eyes on the back hook of a 3 hook (2/4/6) rig to go with a single right behind the blade, but the delayed single sure makes sense. Do you have to reset the stop often? I think the closest I've ever come to your rig is a single #2 with a #6 treble stinger about 6" out, which I still use for open water. It'll even grab a tiny shad if you bust a school, baiting itself at just the right time.

Tomorrow's your big day, I feel it in me bones. Big fish right off the bat. Ready the net.

You can turn your own eyes with some needlenose easy enough.

rps, ever the selfless educator; Image modified

I lose at least a couple most trips, have for years. That said, you can ensure your rigs don't have any weak spots. If you're snelling multiple hooks, use hooks with a turned-down eye for that purpose. If you have a magnifier, take a close look at the clevises you bought. If there's evidence of any burrs, find a different source.

Rapala still states it as truth on their "history" page; "Word of the Shad Rap’s amazing ability to catch fish spread like wildfire. Tackle shops sold out across the country. Resort owners and mom-and-pop bait shops rented out Shad Raps by the day. And even by the hour. (Yes, it was that good.) Twenty years later it’s still one of fishing’s most successful lures."

Welcome. After thinking about them today, I'm gonna have to go get me a plate of 'bugs now. Better make it a bugs n suds. a little horseradish & a couple cobs...

http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2013/09/claws-alarm

I'm gonna revisit Fear & Loathing... I'm due for a purge. Anybody got an old red (or white) Cadillac and an attorney to spare for the weekend?

Good news rps, I sense a lunker in the Force with your name on it. Sorry I have no info, better try it all in the name of science. merc1999? sez there's enough shad busting going on in the day to attract the crawdads to the carnage at night. I think there's a clue therein.

Purple worm. To be more specific, a snelled Creme purple worm with the blade & beads. It's easy to be the confidence bait when it's the only bait you got for 5 or 6 years.

Well said! The less to know back then, by recollection, was more fun than the more to know now. A lifetime pursuit of enlightenment, while of noble intent, now merely justifies the bliss of ignorance. Glad I had fun along the way in spite of it. The moral is, the more you know, the more you realize how little you really know, resulting in humility. (or in some cases, senility:-) I think..

Nor do I, but my gut says that's a good thing, so I'm going with it.

I must be getting old. There was a time you couldn't keep me away from Shadow Lake & Joses on Labor Day. Used to launch a 12' john w/trolling motor in the Lake and go upstream at 4PM, what a hoot. Docked at the bar at dusk and partied till they closed, then a late night excursion cruise with my catch. The Elk hasn't become an immoral den of drunkards, it's always been that way.

merc, you gettin' any bonus cats doin' that?

In light of the fact that the first liar never stands a chance, and life's too short to be cereal... (and in the spirit(s) of the original post), I kept seven 16 gallon kegs of beer ice cold for 3 days. In the back of a '67 Chev shortbed. Independance Day 1979. We ended the 3rd day with a hammer-throw at the barn. A guy called Flower threw the hammer clear over the barn and that was the end of it. I kept a 70lb catfish frozen solid for 4 months in a 6x3x3 cooler, can't recall the brand. Big white sheet metal case that you plugged in. Even had a light inside. (ex)wife called it a freezer, what'd she know.

Very well put PD, a beginner could save months/years of learning the hard way by that direction, word for word. That and rps' articles are really all you need. Everything else is noise.

What Nitroman said. No step for a stepper that's familiar with electronics. Waste of time if not.

It still ain't the same thing. Catching dinks accidentally while pursuing nobility is just a negative consequence, and acceptable to degrees. Pursuing dinks intentionally is another story, perhaps better suited to the realm of Dr Phil.

Mom had 2 acres of garden at the house, and dad planted sweet corn in the field too. If I could get veggies like those again, I could ignore me a little meat.

'79 Custom Falcon CC, bought the bare hull for $300 '88 130 Yamaha, also swept up off a shop floor Networked Pinpoint TM/Sonar/GPS system w/4 180 batteries 30gal bait tank, 20gal 36" livewell both with KeepAlive aereation dual anchors, 8 gunwhale, 4 standup, and 8 adjustable rodholders Bimini with winter curtains One driver seat and one bigass lazyboy with armrests. Being the second guy sucks.

Nice! Rod-n-reel?

Dang, from the title I figured F&F had perfected a new trolling rig... to dangle carrots... in front of crappie...