eric1978

I'm like Newman on Seinfeld...I don't work in the rain. So I get a lot of opportunities to fish when it's sloppy out (not this sloppy, unless I wanna drown). There's not much she can say when I get a rain day and have nothing to do (like the last month solid), but if I blow off work to go fishing on a dry day, and I leave a pile of dishes in the sink, there's gonna be trouble when I get home. I do have a bunch of half-finished home improvement projects that I could work on, and she throws that in my face sometimes. I'll never understand why it's such a big deal to them. I think the problem is women never have any hobbies so they always expect you to be there to entertain them. Men live their lives and then are (sometimes) happy to come home and have a companion to live with when they get back. All my wife does is read, read, read. Costs no money and she doesn't have to drive anywhere to do it. Of course they do a lot more shopping than we do, and do we say anything? Exactly. If I cover my butt and take care of my chores before I go, it's usually smooth sailing. If I see a pile of towels in a suitcase, I guess I'll roll it back a little.

It's too bad we can't make people take a test on responsible angling before giving them a license...like we do for driving. It's tough to just recruit the good ones and filter out the bad, so I guess we're gonna be stuck with a mixed bag. I'm not stressing over it, it's just a shame how a few slobs make me feel cynical about people in general. I've gone from innocent until proven guilty to guilty until proven innocent. I don't like it, but I've grown to be this way from simply observing humans. They do some pretty crappy stuff. I know the old adage about conservation awareness, how the more people involved the better, I just don't see that philosophy coming to fruition. I see just as much ambivalence toward the health of our wilderness as ever. Some people are more aware, some are active; you have that core of responsible sportsmen and conservation minded people, and the rest just kind of abuse and misuse our resources.

That's a very interesting lure, Al, and wasn't exactly as I had envisioned it. Would you mind sharing what led you to that design? The evolution of how baits arrive at their final design and the thought process behind it interests me, and I'm betting that lure is very different from the original incarnation.

That is a very interesting point that I also had never considered, and I think a very valid one. I'm willing to go one further, although it probably won't be a popular opinion and I'll likely get reamed for it. I'm generally against the urban programs as stated before so the following may or may not surprise you guys. Other than the revenue that fishing licenses bring to MDC, I really couldn't care less if more people are exposed to fishing. In fact, I would prefer that they weren't. For all of you in the industry, I know you don't share this opinion because you're trying to put food on the table, and the more people fishing, the more you make, and that's fine. I'm all for capitalism. I completely understand that. But for all the other serious anglers out there who don't seek profits from any aspect of the sport, more people fishing just spells more problems. More pressure on water, more fish being kept, more fish dying from guthooks and improper handling and stress. More litter. More crowds. I believe that most people are pigs and in general contribute nothing but degradation to the resources that we cherish. Now note that I said in general. Obviously there are many serious anglers who contribute significantly to making angling better for everyone. I personally am not as involved as I should be in conservation efforts, but I can say that whenever I go on a trip, I get back to the truck with zero fish on a stringer and with way more trash than I left with, and at least that's something in the direction of a positive impact. Most people have a neutral to negative impact. It's my opinion that the majority of people who are "exposed" to fishing either don't care about it at all or continue to do it on a very casual basis. And casual anglers spell disaster for fisheries. These people tend to have an exploitative view of fishing. It's only serious anglers that seem to leave no trace when it comes to our beloved resources, and I would venture to say that most people who have their first fishing experience at Busch Wildlife catching stocked mud trout, aren't going to catch fire over the sport. Again, that's a sweeping generalization. I'm sure a couple passionate fishermen will be spawned from their Busch experience. Good for them. I welcome them to the club and I'm happy to see someone love the same thing I love. And don't get me wrong, I'll be taking my kids out as soon as they're old enough to teach them how to fish. But they will have respect for nature both as a necessity for life and a resource for fun, but not as something that's theirs to exploit. I know the argument is made that the more people that are exposed to fishing, the more aware people are, the more they contribute to the resources in a positive way. I simply don't see it that way, and the next time you get out to Busch you'll be reminded of why I'm right. Busch really is a perfect example of the point I'm making. Look at that place. During the summer the banks are lined with people casting into the same little pond. And look at what's left. Terrible fishing and garbage everywhere. Do we really need more of that? Do you want your favorite place in the world to look like that? People invariably screw things up, and the more people, the more screwed up they make it. Okay, I'm ready for the firing squad.

Don't give up on that spinnerbait yet! It's a very productive bait, just not year round. I'm with Dutch. My night fishing pretty much ends when fall kicks into high gear. That's not to say people don't do it or they don't catch fish, I just don't know how and I imagine it will be a tough bite. But during the warmer months, especially summer on more heavily pressured water, night fishing can be dynamite and often is much better than daytime. Like Dutch said, a spinnerbait, big, black with a good-sized colorado blade. I'd use rattles with my jigs and plastics, and ALWAYS (in summer) at least try a black buzzbait. You could be in for a hell of a night if they're on the buzz bite. But in general, when I think night fishing, I think summer and big, dark baits that make a lot of noise and vibration. Oh, and all those folks you see on the lake at night aren't necessarily bass fishing, they could be out after cats or crappie.

Say what? I'm callin' a foul on that play. Surely you can stuff one little rod in your canoe and a little box of baits, no? If I went floating without a rod, I'd spend my entire time complaining about it.

I'm glad you brought this up because I was going to start a similar post, but aimed at smallmouth spinnerbaits. The responses will vary greatly depending on type of water, color of water, depth, temperature, baitfish, etc... But for river smallies I like smaller spinnerbaits, usually 1/4 or 3/16 oz, natural colored skirts with whites, silvers, clear and goldish/brownish colors. Sometimes I'll throw one that has a little chartreuse in it, but rarely a purely chartreuse skirt...just doesn't look right to me in really clear water, even though I'll throw a chartreuse/pearl fluke all day in the same water...don't really have an explanation for that. I prefer smaller single or double willow leaf blades, depending on how fast and deep I want to fish it, but if the water is really murky or I'm fishing at night I'll throw a darker bait with a single colorado blade. I haven't decided which color blades I like best, copper or silver, and I'm looking forward to hearing opinions on that. I've usually used a trailer of some kind, a single curly tail grub sometimes, but they fall apart pretty quick and slide down the hook if the bait doesn't have a keeper, so I kind of like those trailers that are marketed specifically as spinnerbait trailers. I feel like they hold up a little better. I've been thinking about tying some zonked rabbit or squirrel hair trailers onto some of my baits to see if that works so I don't have to mess with changing trailers when they get chewed up. I wish some guys who have made their own spinnerbaits would share some pictures of their inventions, ahem...Al.

I know it, Ham. I'm not naive enough to think I'm really making a jig that's completely snag-proof. But it might be a little better than an exposed hook, that's all. I wish I could hold on to jigs like a spinnerbait. I can chuck the same spinnerbait all summer long and never lose it, new trailer now and then and a little sharpening....lasts forever.

I think I just found my new company for creature baits. That looks like a good company, Chris. Any company that names a color "Dirty Sanchez" is worth a try in my book. I really like their Smallie Beavers and that "Infection" color looks sweet. They got a lot of good colors. How's the plastic, pretty durable?

I just used ash because I think that's what the factory thwarts were made of, and I was surprised, too when I put some Tung oil on it that the grained popped so much. Have you considered using a bandsaw for your patterns? Stack two pieces of planed stock on top of each other (one of each species, say, walnut and tiger maple, or whatever combo you like....you seem to find some good ones). Use masking tape to keep them stuck together, draw your pattern on the top piece, and cut both of them together on the bandsaw. Now your top left piece of maple will fit together perfectly with your bottom right piece of walnut. You'll have enough material to do two identical (but opposite) net handles. You know what I mean? I'd love to be able to do some bigger projects, and it's always been a dream of mine to build furniture. But machines are so expensive, that every time I wind up with a few hundred bucks to spend I wind up buying more fishing gear. I'm pretty much a novice, and you seem to know way more than me, but this website has a lot of great tutorial videos from basic to advanced techniques: http://thewoodwhisperer.com/ The guy who runs the website is a young guy and he does some killer projects, and is a very good instructor for doing it through webcasts. Keep up the good work! If I was a trout fisherman I'd definitely have one of your nets!

Sometimes I'll just leave a note stating where I'm going, tell her not to expect me til late, and disappear. Here's the trick: If it's spring through fall, take a couple minutes to pick some wildflowers before you leave and walk in the door holding them. My wife couldn't care less about flowers, but it's the thought that counts and it lets her know that you do at least consider her feelings before you say screw it and step all over them. Of course, this will only work a few times a year. So inbetween, you have your trips you get permission for, and some trips you get reamed out for. I'd rather go fishing and get the lectures, the evil eye and then the silent treatment than not go fishing.

Maybe I'll experiment with the paint on the weight (I hesitate to call it a jighead since it doesn't really have a "head," more like a "belly"). The belly isn't really visible though when the jig is sitting in the water, and I think I may be starting to split hairs here. They already have eyes and antennae! Ain't that enough? Geez, it's not like I'm going after trout. Smallmouth would eat a rock if you put a feather on it and worked it right.

Whip it good, Ronnie.

Sorry Patfish, I have to further hijack a little more. Kevin, Actually, George wrote "Photograph," too, so Ringo's two best solo hits were really "gifts." I'm not so sure Ringo was even the greatest drummer, but what he lacked musically, he made up for ten-fold with personality. Have you ever seen "Help?" He's a riot. For John, yep, you pretty much nailed it. He didn't do a lot of solo stuff because he took a long moratorium after the breakup to raise Sean. Then, just when he was getting back into it, that jackass Chapman stole him from us. Gotta wonder what we missed out on because of one psycho prick. But yeah, the Plastic Ono Band album is great start to finish. Imagine is great, too, and did you know "How Do You Sleep" was written about Paul? Factoid. George...All Things Must Pass is one of the best albums of all time, right up there with Dylan's Highway 61, IMO. Living In the Material World is also great, along with Somewhere in England and Thirty Three and 1/3. I even like Cloud Nine even though it kind of has that eighties sound to it that pretty much makes me nauseous. And don't forget about the Wilburys! George had a great career post-breakup. As for Paul, if you only know his Wings stuff, you're missing out BIGTIME. He has some great solo stuff pre- and post-Wings. His first solo album, titled "McCartney," is killer. It's the one with the picture of a bowl of cherries on the cover and was released the same day the breakup was announced (my birthday...how's that for being born under a bad sign?). Ram is also killer. After Wings he did Tug of War and Give My Regards to Broad Street, which both have a few good songs. And yep, with Wings, Band on the Run, killer. Red Rose Speedway, REALLY killer, and Venus and Mars had a few good songs. I wasn't crazy about London Town or anything he's done in the last, oh, twenty years. I think Paul had the most talent when it came to composing music and had the best voice. George was the best instrumentally and I think he was as good a guitar player as Clapton (who stole George's wife Patti, about whom he wrote "Layla"...factoid). John had the most raw rocker in him and IMO wrote the best Beatles songs when they were together. Ringo was the glue. Dylan introduced them to pot which led to George getting LSD from his dentist which led to the group going from moptop superstars to musical revolutionaries around the time of Rubber Soul and Revolver, then Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, White Album, Abbey Road, Let It Be...man, were they prolific or what? So you could argue that Dylan was another one of those "fifth Beatles," of whom there are many. Who you wanna talk about next? Don't even get me started on Neil Young. Maybe this thread should be moved to the music forum. Sorry Phil.

They do get nice and fat and pretty big in the southern reservoirs. Bill Babler has posted pictures of some fatties he catches out of TR. I could go after them all day. Haven't seen many big ones in the streams (southeast MO anyway), though they are occassionally caught bigger than 15".

Zatarain's... Believe it or not, this species of crayfish is inedible for humans. People say they are "too painful" to eat.

This is a snippet I found in an article from MO Game & Fish: SALT RIVER "The Salt River, in northeast Missouri, is another tributary to the Mississippi River. "Largemouth bass can be found from below the Clarence Cannon Dam on Mark Twain Lake all the way to the Mississippi," said MDC biologist Ross Dames. According to Dames, the Salt River is very similar to an Ozark stream in its upper reaches. Gravel and rock substrates are common, as are riffles, boulders and limestone bluffs. "The river is quite scenic." Dames added. The Salt River does not take on the characteristics of a north Missouri stream until it hits the Mississippi floodplain in its last five miles. Lots of woody cover and boulders provide ample structure for big bass to hide in. With the Salt River dumping into the Mississippi, a good forage base is available to bass. Gizzard shad, suckers, small drum, fathead minnows, crayfish and a variety of other small fish make up the food base. While there are no extensive surveys about the Salt River fishery, Dames pointed out that largemouth bass fishermen would do well to concentrate their efforts in the first two miles of the river below the reregulation dam. There is an access point at the site, which is just off state Route H. Locals have kept it secret that the Salt River is a sleeper when it comes to smallmouth bass, which have been showing up more and more here in the last five years. Chris Williamson, another MDC biologist in the region, has turned up smallmouth bass measuring up to 21 inches in his surveys." Anyone had any experiences with this river? I didn't think smallmouth could be found this high up in the state.

True, and I'm getting better and being noiseless; keeping the paddle across your lap instead of laying in the canoe helps a lot. But sometimes you screw up and bump the side or drop a weight or something, usually no big deal. But if you're in a good spot in an aluminum, you might as well stick a warning bell in the water and start a ringin'.

Wayne, the one in the first picture has some silicone on it, the one in the second doesn't but has a little black flash. My tying supplies are pretty limited right now. The only colors of bucktail I have are black, brown and brown/orange. I'll be getting some more eventually and I'll make you an ugly olive brown.

Jeff, do you use marquetry on those, or are the handles jointed some other way? I assume you steam bend the veneer to make the hoops? They sure are beautiful pieces of woodworking. I love wood, too. Here's an ash rod holder I made for my canoe. Don't mean to hijack your thread, just thought you might like it.

Maybe I can get Al to hook me up with his Bass Pro connections and get me a contract. Here's a new color for the fall catalog:

One major consideration if you plan on fishing out of it on Ozark streams is the noise factor. Aluminum is just so loud I feel like the fish know I'm coming a mile away. It's mostly just annoying...to me, anyway.

Order received, but you're only gonna need one because they are snag-proof, remember? That one's gonna cost you buku bucks though, because I'm sorry, but this mofo looks GOOD!

Unless you're planning on using a trolling motor on it, I'd go Old Town for sure.

Tried a different approach. It's on a vertical drop jighead so there's no point to wedge into cracks. And before you say it, yes, I know the eyes and antennae are superfluous, but I like them, so shut up. Opinions, please? Don't hold back.