rps

I was looking at the blogs. I noticed the trackbacks feature. I clicked one and found entries that look like spam and redirect places. Checked my own blog and discovered many on a couple of the entries I wrote. Just curious, but what are being tracked and why?

My wife and I have put these together from different sources. You are welcome to them. If you have something you are proud of, particularly if it is a family recipe or one you created, post it or send it by PM and my next revision will include it. Family_and_Friends_Recipes.doc Stuffed_Green_Peppers.doc Queso.doc Modern_Fruit_Salad_with_Sweet_and_Sour_Onion_Vinaigrette.doc Family_and_Friends_Recipes___2006_Additions.doc Mother_Casserole.doc salsa.doc

Phil, I felt guilty asking you to send the money back right when you have a few extra expenses from the storm. I sent an order for one of those nifty yellow hats. Maybe if everyone did, then the ad revenue wouldn't be so critical.

I troll for walleye two to four hours per trip. In the summer I'm out three or four times a week. Spring and Fall not so much. The problem is the two stoke 90 hp Yamaha on my 18 foot Xpress idles too fast for good walleye trolling. In the past I tried a trolling plate but it broke and seemed more trouble than help some days. I am leary of a dragged wind sock as much of my trolling is in or near tree lines. Constant shifting in and out of gear to control speed can't be good on the engine and the carbon build up concerns me. A T8 would solve my problem but it will cost $2000+ plus an install. I should mention I am not "handy" and consider my hammer my most sophisticated tool. Recently I have been looking into changing out my troll motor (12V 55 pounds) for a 24V 80 pounds Minn Kota Riptide ST with the copilot steering. It will cost around $1100 plus another battery and a far less expensive install. I will get some small part of that back when I sell the present motor. The 24V will add thrust so the motor does not have to work at the quick drain settings and the two batteries should give me more than enough life each trip. Anyone have advice or comment?

I'll save techo the trouble of answering. Cold or warm water, you can't go wrong with Jewel Eakins or football. Chompers makes a good football as well. Colors - browns and greens, brown and purple, black with red

We wound up losing power on Tuesday, but we actually got it back late Friday. The hot shower was wonderful. Limbs are down all over Holiday Island and Eureka. I went in to school today to do some grading and those on the Lake Lucerne road and other side roads are still without power. By the way, the rod blank was in the late Friday delivery. Started filing the cork today. Hope all are well and bathed by now. rps

Thank you. rps

With all respect: I don't want to set the pop up blocker to block everything on this site, but the stupid newfoundland wallet may force me to do just that. Give them their money back and lose it please. rps

Gavin- I confess I am too cheap to fish LC. However, one of the mailorder places I patronize has the colors you seek. Tacklewarehouse. Hope the link below works: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpageHDRLUCKY-LCPT.html# good luck dweibenga- for less dollars than LC look at: the Xcalibur jerk and twitch baits in ghost, chart. shad. TR shad, and clown; no one makes a better crank bait than wiggle warts original series V37 and V38; put quality hooks on clear, silver, and white spooks, tie a feather to the tail, add red nail polish to the gill line; Norman DD22's will cover water deeper than the warts can hit - shad colors and firetiger

I actually started this post a little over an hour ago, but we lost power before I finished. I live near the end of Hoilday Island, not on the golf courses, and we lose power if anyone sneezes. Unexpectedly, we were out for only 20 minutes, and I hope we stay on the grid. I am glad the power is back. It's a bit dim to read without it, the radio here is a choice of NPR or college town, canned playlist rock (ok but boring) - unless you want to listen to that incredibly awful all sports network where they don't broadcast sports, they only talk trash about it. Like millions of others, that leaves me on the internet. It's very slow today, am I right? I wish I could be working on my gear. A month ago I ordered a rod blank from Mudhole. I have ordered from them in the past and they were very good at service. This time they were out of the blank I wanted and St. Croix was supposed to drop ship it. I am still waiting, and, although Mudhole is apologetic, that doesn't seem to move St. Croix any faster. If the blank were here I could finish it before classes at school start again... Thursday maybe, Friday probably. I'm pretty sure it won't arrive today as the only vehicles on my road since last night have been the road work trucks from Holiday Island, heading to and from the truck barn. Still, there are good parts to these isolated, unexpected holidays. The wife and I wind up talking, napping, and just being together. When we were much younger, we used to play cards for "stakes." I'm afraid if I suggested that now days, we might hurt ourselves laughing. Instead, I use days like this as an excuse to cook things outside of the routine. Last night I started the dough for Almost No-Knead Bread. I let it slow rise in the fridge over night and and put it in the oven after the power came back on. I also soaked a pack of those Red Mill 13 bean combos overnight. I put them on the propane stove top with onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, ham chunks, tomato, thyme, bay, smoky paprika, and pepper. They'll simmer today and be perfect with the bread. Of course we'll grow tired of eating from the huge pot I made, but I can't seem to do ham and beans in small batches. Before I ramble all the way to boring, I'll stop. Let's hear from those of you stuck at home. What are you doing to pass the time?

Adam - welcome. In April for the last several years, none of us have enjoyed the same lake any two years in a row. Low water, high water, warm water, cold water, muddy water (my personal dislike is high cold muddy water) Postings nearer your trip will be far more informative. Having said that, at that time of year, I always rig wiggle warts in brown crawdad or green crawdad on one rod. Buy the original series in V37 and V38. V90 is not too shabby either. Cast the baits in 6 to 11 feet of water on 10 pound mono and run them parallel to the bank with a medium slow stop and start. You want to bang them off rocks, limbs and stuff. Fortunately, its not like your fishing $20 Lucky Crafts. Good luck. rps

Great question! No single answer will be correct. Try this: Did he run you 35 miles before the first stop? If he did, without telling you why first, drop down to 1%. Did he tell you why you fished each spot before you did? Add 10%. Did he talk to you as you fought the fish, letting you know what to expect? Add 5%. Did he assume you kept fish or assume you released fish? If he did, drop 5%. Did he talk about how expensive it was to guide? Subtract 5%. Did he tell truly funny local tales? Add 5%. Did he stay out a little longer or do something else to show he was trying to make your trip special? Add 10% The best guides I wound up adding 20%. The worst guides got their standard rates plus $10. Always tip at the end. Say thank you and let the amount say the rest.

My lap top that I use at school, despite Zone Alarm, got hit with it and several others last week. As best I can tell, an email link in a googlegroup of rugby players landed me at a blog that must be the equal of the Bucket of Blood saloon. I have used repeated scans with Stopzilla, Spybot, and Zone Alarm to bring it under control, I hope. At least my XP updater is working again and I no longer get sent to strange web pages. Just in case, I have backed up my music and my files and I will reformat the hard drive if I have to. Very irritating, to say the least. Stopzilla is pretty cool and coexists with Zone Alarm. Costs about $40 to download.

I could not argue with what Ham suggests, but consider these things: If you need a foot or two deeper, consider dropping down to a 8 pound fluoro coated mono like Yozuri Hybrid. The line size and sink rate will give you that extra foot. Accuracy casting is a little easier for me with a fast rod instead of a moderate. I carry both. When I start out each day I switch between steady retrieves of differing speed and stop go retrieves of various types. The fish will tell you what they want. By the way, one of my most successful is a moderately slow retrieve with an erratic jerk here and there. Good luck.

Great review. I look forward to the books. Thank you for the post.

I write with no intention to insult or denigrate anyone. However, why is anyone "making a living" fishing in tournaments? Why is a tournament schedule vital to either those who will fish or those who will pickup afterwards? I have always admired and respected guides and those amateurs who learned a body of water. I have always not understood those who fish in competitions. Please realize that what I say does NOT mean the people who compete are unskilled, unethical, or unlikeable. I only mean I cannot connect emotionally and I cannot understand intellectually. Without meaning to belittle those who fish for dollars, can anyone explain fishing tournaments to me?

Curious me. How much will a normal brown 24 inches long weigh?

As a member of the bar (Oklahoma, 1975 to present) I must object. Good lawyrers neither kill nor maim their future clients. We practice CNR. rps (J.D. Oklahoma School of Law 1975)

This probably won't help anyone book a trip, but my favorite place in Canada was the place my father took me when I was ten or eleven. It was on Rainy Lake/River and we caught smallmouth, walleye, northern, and I lost a muskie - all from an aluminium semi V with a 18 hp Evinrude. The place had guides and ours was a native from the reservation called Charlie Fisher. Bottom line - I don't think it matters where nearly so much as it matters with whom. rps

Those of us lucky (and it is sheer luck as not any of us "earned" it) to be employed in safer jobs do feel for you. The wife lost two jobs, both excellent, to economic turns. The first one was particularly ugly. I know what some must feel and empathize. You have my thoughts ands prayers. Let's go fishing.

For those of you who eat some of what you catch: I was looking for a good fillet knife to carry with my kit to the dock. I didn't want to take the Wusthof or Sabatier. Last year I read in Cooks Illustrated that the Forschener Victorinox chefs knife rated as high as the fancy knives at 15% of the cost. I later bought one of those and found out the magazine was right. I figured I would try another of the Forschener Victorinox product line. I googled sheathes while I was internet shopping. I found this site: http://www.bladetamer.com I ordered one of their 6" curved blade semi-stiff Fibrox handle knives with a Blade Tamer sheath combos. $25.75 plus shipping. It is superior to my fancy home knives.

Fish are like football. Huh? You approximate for three fish and then measure to within .001 of an inch. I have had a golden rule bolted in the boat since I bought it. I have a new Boga I asked for Christmas to save my fingers from hooks. I will assume the weight part is accurate. Of course the really large fish weigh what I say they weigh.

After the bass spawn until the third or fourth week in June (sometimes longer) the early morning topwater bite on Tablerock is very good, three days out of four. Early morning means can't see until the sun hits the water. I suggest spook type baits, pop r type baits, and redfin type wake baits. In all honesty, the worm/jig bite might even be better, but I rarely try it since I love top water fishing. Look for semi submerged bushes on points, places where flats less than twenty feet deep fall into the river channel, bluff ends, and channel swings or changes. Good luck. rps

I haven't landed a 15. My best, three years ago, was a 12. I have seen a 14.5 that came off a harness. Isn't nice we can speak realistically of ridiculous size fish such as these? Martin: Will you write the archive article? rps

All anglers need to read the results of fluorcarbon testing at tackletour.com. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewfluorocarbontest.html http://www.tackletour.com/reviewfluorocarbon2.html Their tests have found no knot that connects fluorocarbon to anything which will test at 90% of the line strength. One of the most difficult is the braid to leader. The problem is the slick, tiny braid has a tendency to slide and cut under pressure while the fluorcarbon hates being crimped. I use back to back uniknots, but I tie them with the braid doubled back. This next season, based on what I have read, I think I'll try a dot of gel superglue on the knot. The other alternative, I guess, is to learn how to tie a good Albright.