brownieman

BBF, Line attach. etc...I use what I call a loop knot, it's all my dumb butt knows how to tie and a 75 lb. rated barrel swivel on everything, couple in the left top half of the box if you look close, no less than 15 lb. Trilene Big Game. Most of the time I use medium heavy to heavy rods with Shimano 4000 series spin cast or Shimano Baitcasters. Make sure I have a full spool for distance and sling that puppy far upstream as I can...when it hits the water rip it 5,6 ft. and let it float up. Thats under normal conditions...they will generally be after it on the rip and hit it on the pause to float up, my theory anyway since I don't sight fish. There's lots of different methods of casting, retrieving...just depends on what kinda water you're fishin. Most important thing is learning where they feed, knowing your water and the weather plays a big part of that. Buzz, Don't use that spook often, it's good for real big ones in swift murkey water...just a twich and a little flash will trigger a strike sometimes and if the water is real fast they know they have one shot at it or it's gone, another theory. Took several years to get the hang of throwing those big baits and how to work them...most would probably give it up but when they made bait illegal on the current I had to figure out something. I would never have thought they would produce the big browns like they do but, I would have never thought lots of stuff, lol. Dinks will hit those plugs too...no offense but they are just annoying to me...go back and tell your mom and dad there's some funny looking minnow trying to pick a fight, I'll be waitin, lol. later on

Their teeth have torn most the paint off that one...must be a natural pattern, kinda scared to repaint it. If it aint broke, don't fix it, lol later on

I'll probably get chewed on but oh well, Was another thread awhile back on smallie arsenal I enjoyed. Thought trout flies, etc. would be interesting... some maybe a little unusual but none the less. Anyway, mine consists of a variety of balsa streamers, few big barrel swivels, pliers, net wouldn't fit in there, lol. Gotta be honest, I didn't make these but I have made my share. I pack pretty light. later on

Leonard, If I ever stumbumble down that direction gotta feeling I would enjoy hooking up ya. They know you...they might throw rocks at me, lol...would do my best to get off by myself so as not to embarass...you or me. I really don't know the place at all...the way we fish do you think a guy has a chance of hookin a 20 lb. plus brown ?...that would be a blast to say the least, I'd bring a couple changes of underare just in case, lol....heck, I'm gettin kinds used to those depends, pretty nice on a cold day...probably make good paddin for sitting on for us boney old farts, lol. Believe me, I've had enouph of that "You Idiot" look to last me a lifetime, lol. I know I'm an idiot...don't bother me abit...don't know why anyone else cares or is thier business I did my best to teach my kids not to give the ,challenged, gifted, whatever is PC word is now, don't look at them any different than anyone else. Sorry, ramblin again...we'll fish sometime Leonard later on

Ness, I think you've been a flatlander a little too long, lol. And chief, these guys are throwin some nasty implications your way. You know the old wives tales, little fingers, hands, feet, etc....you know where I'm headin. I know it's all BS, sure hope so anyway, lol... later on

BBB, Let me know if you are for sure comin...may come down and meet your demented @ss (nice compliment considering the source)...little on the deranged side myself, lol. If the weather doesn't look right for my style I may not be fishin, would come just to bless you with my presence, lol...may need a little road trip anyway, also nice to put a face with words. Wrench, You're killin yourself buddy...doors always wide open. If you stay for a few days don't forget to bring a couple of towels, lol. Let me put it this way, 99.9% of the time if I have a choice I won't bother going on a bluebird day for big browns...the water looks so good I may just have to go down tomm. and froth the water for a while. If I go to where my old nemesis and his 2 kids are layin I may have to spool up with some 30 lb. test. This hole is touph, (understatement) and I'll take anything I can to improve my odds if, I can remember how to get there, lol. Depends also how how stiff my old bones feel in the mornin too...wish that weren't even a consideration. later on

Just drove down and took a look at the river at Cedar Grove. Water is up but plenty fishable...high and off collor but perfect by my standards...the upper streches will be lower and clearer mind you. I always throw my rod in cause there's always a chance of nailing a nice brownie behind the bridge at Cedar...especially when the water has been high and it's apparant it's been rolling, still over the bridge but the pipes going through the bridge need cleaned out terribly or it probably wouldn't be. Anyway, someone reach through this computer and slap the crap outta me...forgot to throw my rod in...was probably a bigun sittin there waitin for a big minnow to eat...this crs is really startin to take it's toll on my old butt. For those of you wondering if the rivers fishable I'd say come on down, may be a little hard wading in spots but the water looks excellent. later on

Another thread was talking about spring ouput, aqifers, etc. I do remember a pretty large spring just turn milky white and flowed that clolor for several months. It was a spring that flowed from the base of a bluff like welch...only thing I could figure is down in the system somewhere there was a limestone layer that had collasped, crumbled slowly, something along those lines ? Any thoughts on that or even any interest? Just the only time I have seen something like that...no change in anything but water color. later on

Way back when by the year 2000 I figured I could say.."Beam me down there Cricket"... and BAM...there I would be...or at least a mode of transportation that would be cheap and quick. I know what I am now but back then I was either dumb, disillusioned or like I said, just challenged, that is pc now, right? later on You all get tired of hearing my ramblins I apologize but in my own defense...I don't really care, lol. thanks for the update mike

The MDC could just set a particular time and let kids fish in one of the existing raceways...wouldn't be sporting whatsoever but I don't think a little kid cares much about that yet. You know kids...if they don't catch something pretty quick forget it. If they really want to get kids interested in fishing that would be popular I would say. Sad to say but by the time my grandson is my age that may be fishing. I would say due to the economic crisis in our country right now the dept. could even make mom and dad pay a buck ot 2...be a win win situation, would it not?, lol. IMO it wouldn't be noticable seeing all those trout come outta them cement ponds in such beautiful condition anyway for the most part. The ones that do make it out and get a little size to em what happens...some guy comes along in a big boat, zaps em darn near to death, flops em around in a boat for a bit and then lops a chunk a fin off. Oh well...guess they are considered a renewable resource. Sure would take several task forces, numerous Tan Tara meetings, literally tons of research since little is really known about the species. Be one heck of alot better direction of our tax dollars than wasting the money on helping smallies or something totally ignorant, ya know. later on btw...there is no sarcasm intended by any statements made in this post.. disclaimers work everywhere else, lol...need a new teensy disclaimer font size option.

You guys better drop this while you can.. You all know people do strange things for fear of exposure...I aint dumb neither, I'll deny ever sayin any of this...wait, aw...never mind, forgot again. Someday this crs stuff is gonna get me in trouble. later on

LMAO I knew someone would start draggin up all the walmart stuff. Shoulda known who it would be... least you had the decency to just show my backside, lol. Jealousy my friend, I think I'm still pretty buff for an old fart...six pack appears to be on the wrong side, oh well...least it's there, lol. good one buddy..needed that later on

That place down here is called "Walmart"...where friends gather, don't really wanta even go there, lmao later

Couldn't resist Leonard, My old eyes aint that bad...that last pic sure don't look like no brownie, lol. thanks, that one woulda been a blast too. Later on Patfish...probably more like a circus, lol.

I agree pretty much with what CWF said except if it were me I would float from cedar to akers, 7.7 miles. Motors...10 horse max I'm pretty sure...don't know if the regs change in the off season. Medlock is a small spring but one you can paddle up in the mouth of...Welch is the 6th largest spring in the state...years ago was a youth camp there my father worked at. The kid work crews rebuilt it all back to it's original state (private little trout fishery years ago). Upon closure of the camp the tourists just flat destroyed all the efforts made to refurbish that place in no time...beyond me?? It's a real nice section of river but wade fishing is pretty limited...if the water is up much at all it would be touph to say the least. The river just about doubles in size where welch dumps in. Kinda strange, the little bluff hole just before where welch dumps in I have caught some dandy Grass Pickerel in...don't ask cause I can't explain it...can speculate but have no definitive answer. There's a real neat cave we call the "A Hole Cave" sits pretty far up a steep hillside about 3 miles or so below cedar so you know what that means....don't even think many locals know where it's at but I would have to walk you to it if I could find it...been awhile, lol They used to stock 500 bo bo's every 2 weeks during the summer months from cedar to akers, just dinks mind ya. There are some holdovers in there but not a common catch...giggers also hit that strech pretty hard, not that they would ever stick a trout, smallie by accident...maybe a carp but never a game fish...believe that and I have some land I'd like to show you, lol. I have caught some nice bo's on that strech on big dead minnows, nothing huge but a few 5,6 pounders. I do fish it once in awhile below Welch...seems like I either nail a nice one or absolutaly nothing, mind you I'm lookin for big brownies, bo's don't hit a large rapala very often. There's been some big ones caught down there and I know a guy that caught an 11 pound bo all the way down at Pulltite. Over the years I've hung a few down there that I didn't even get to see, just snapped my line like it was sewing thread...that's about the time I said piss on that 6 lb. test. Below welch is big fish lookin water if there ever was any...I know there has to be some super hogs down there. You would enjoy the float regardless, if you don't catch any trout the otters hit pretty good down there, I've had em chase my plug right up to me...but they don't eat many fish, remember...according to the so called experts. Plenty of nice gravel bars and after all this high water firewood should be easy to find. I think I've posted this before but I'll show it again...it's my scary picture of a pretty nice brown I kept a few years back just below welch. Enjoy and be careful whatever you choose...OMD and some quality time on a beautiful river, does it get much better ? later on

Thanks Leonard, I generally throw big baits, no less than 15 lb. test on a muskey rod with a Shimano Catala level wind on it. I'd love to lay into a 20 lb. plus brownie...your professional opinion, what's the odds down there? If the fish beats me and gets off I reckon he deserves it...I'd enjoy the battle though. Thanks...guess if need be I could tie on some 4 lb. leader, lol. later on

A lot of that can be avoided but it does happen, don't deny it doesn't...thats why it really just aint my type of fishin hloe down there. I have only fished taney a couple of times in my life. I'd much rather boat fish it further down the lake where their not stacked in there like cordwood. later on

You are right on 100% sir. Not just crayfish there is an influx of all sorts of little critters...plus the fish can forage around in areas that are generally not reachable. Nothing much better for a stream now and then than a good flushin...only drawback I can see is it may make the bite a little toupher...don't imagine they have as hard a time keeping their bellys full...just my take on it, not worth much most of the time, lol. later on

Not very familiar with that strech...might call wildwood and get some advice. Have you been there before? Wildwood is a neat old place and the OMD have to be one my all time favs. Will be a great show. I still blow on a harp a little..."Chicken Train", "If You Want get to Heaven" well...hard to beat in my book. "The Dilliards" if you're familiar or even care, lol grwe up in the same town I live in. Knew their whole family ans still see one of em here and there. Their old song "What's Time to a Hog" another classic. Didn't mean to jump track here but gettin to the point If I don't say somthing while it's fresh, pooooof...it's gone. Just curious, while it's on my mind, lol... do any more of you older fellows experience this stuff or is it just me?? Whatever the case You guys got any ideas/suggestions my old ears are wive open. Back on topic about the only section of the river is real high uo on it. From Dents Ford down to around Cooks Station. Bar none that strech of river has produced an amazing amout od huge smallis, gogs...pretty much all naive commonly caught in our region of the state. Gotta hunch a few of you are familiar and even fewer have floated/fished it much at all. How many times you floated it Al ?. Your one on here that I think if a stick flaoted in it you'd give er a try, lol. later on

I would never intentionally foul hook a fish but unfortunately it does happen. Hooking , catching, landing, fighting, netting, et....all things considered which is the lesser of the evils? Bottom line there is no user friendly method of landing and releasing a trout, this applies to all species to a degree I guess, were havin a blast and their in a life or death battle. It doesn't help that trout have to be near the bottom of the list when it comes to fish that handle well and surprising to me a walleye, from my experience anyway, are not too touph either, by the looks of one I would have never thought it. Some of my best fights have come from foul hooked fish...especially if you've hooked em in the tail and remember before anyone jumps on me I DO NOT sight fish. At least us ethical fisheman don't clip their fins off...that's another horse we can beat up again sometime on a miserable winter day, lol. Someone else will have to remember it though...aint enouph ginko on this planet, lol. later on thanks for the words of wisdom from you guys...Lord knows I need all the help I can get

Your costume...Adam Sandler? lol, looks pretty good. Halloween is for the kids but aren't we all kids at heart?...and I'm not talkin maturity, lol. thanks for sharing, had a many a good time at halloween parties. later on

From my experience excessive rainfall will help recharge the springs but not for as long as one would think. For them to have the output they have in years past would literally take decades of excessive rainfall. I have personally done some research concerning stream flows, spring outputs, watersheds, aquifers, etc. I don't have the answers neither can I explain the decline with the exception of where it all leads back to in many cases...'Too Much Pressure'. Old Mother Earth is struggling to keep up with mankind itself. All our futile attempts to control her are apparantly not getting much good results. Hate to quote this guy but "Hows That Workin for Ya"...if you know of whom I speak, lol. later on

It's all good eric...reckon if it's not we have no choice but to grin and bear it anyway, it's just the "no choice" part of it that frosts my cookies. My simple old butt just sits and wonders, or is that wanders...I just eat more and more ginko trying to combat this crs, when I can find it and remember to take it, lol later on

Eric, I stated I was gigging no-one...especially phil. Believe me my friend I know plenty about lines and such things. Not finger pointing I'm just saying we are losing our freedoms in what is suppose to be a free country...simple and to the point. later on

IMO should be better...just hillbilly theory but I feel big ones tuck in and ride the high water out in the holes they live in...it'll for sure rearrange some fish...it's amazing how much a decent flood can change the overall structure of a river, some for the better, some for the worse. It generally creates some new habitat unless it's in rivers like the Current where they cater to the canoes more than the fish. I'm in full agreement with that practice...I'd hate to see any drunken tourists tip over on a rootwad...NOT !! later on