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Randy D

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  1. Scott - There are several good reasons to use floro.... Floro is more resistant to bite offs than superlines. Sounds weird but true. That is why floro is popular in salt water. Helps in the north country with small pike. Floro does sink faster. Can be good or bad. Floro leaders will break off more quickly. Helps not to blow a good spot if you want to break off and get another cast in (or you are floating quickly). Floro can help confidence. Whether or not it is easier to see. Sometimes that stiff leader prevents funny things from happening to the line / lure connection. There are several challenges..... It is a pain sometimes to tie a leader. It sinks faster. It breaks off more easy. Knots can be hard to tie. Etc. I think it is the old yin and yang. Jim never fishes with a leader. I usually do fish with a leader. I think this like many things everyone should try a little. Don't give up because it is hard. Learn both ways and you will be better for it. I know one thing for sure.....fishing 15 pound floro will save a couple of pointer minnows from snake northerns. The rest of it is personal preference. If you do decide to try....take your time on a back to back uni knot. Make sure that the line is lubricated before you tighten the uni knot. Friction is really bad for that knot. The knot takes some practice to get good at but it is strong if tied right. The uni knot does not do very well with the patented "Joz Bassmaster hookset".....uni knot/floro is a little stiff. Randy
  2. I am sure of one thing Mike.....you do not want to put that bait in the water. I dad has a decent sized lure collection (antique ones). Nothing like Dan Basore but a pretty good number of baits. When I saw that type of bait, I always thought those were floaters. They are too expensive to ever find out. If they were sinking baits, that is interesting. Sell that antique bait and you can buy plenty of spybaits.......
  3. Mike - Good luck. Lucky for all of us we live in a country were people can try their own path. This is especially true in fishing. We are blessed with many opportunities here. Ideally, all will lead to the same goal....to catch a fish. Randy
  4. Mike - Ahhh yes. Spybaiting. All of the rage. I had one of these baits 3-4 years ago that Lucky Craft made. I think it was called a screw pointer or something like that. At the time, I bought it from a source in Japan via Ebay. The descriptions of what the bait does are very limited, if even there. I thought it might be a topwater similar to a Devils Horse so I got one. Tried it figured out it was a sinker. Read up on the concept via the internet. Tried this bait a couple of times without success and moved on. This was probably the summer of 2010 or so. Fast forward to last summer, 2012. I was killing time on Tackle Warehouse (who has a good selection of hard to find stuff, free shipping at $50 and no sales tax) and saw the Evergreen Prop Magic. Tackle Warehouse has this bait listed as a topwater. It looked like a floater with a rear prop. I grabbed two to try on my upcoming trip to the Chippewa Flowage. Had plans to try it. As usual on trips, you start with your go to baits. During the day, I often have time to kill on the docks while waiting for wife and daughters to get ready......lots of time. I start horsing around with this bait on the dock. Crap....it sinks. So much for topwater. But I did notice that the little panfish could not get enough of this bait. They seemed to be chasing it with more vigor than "normal". I was determined to try the bait that evening. Disclaimer.......this is true. Absolutely true. I took the bait out in the evening. Fishing a rocky shoreline that drops fairly rapidly into about 6-8 feet. Good boulders. Good smallmouth area that I have caught fish before. This trip had not produced in that area. First three casts.....three smallmouth. Primarily on the fall. One cast, a smallie hit it multiple times when I had a hard time hooking him. Had a couple more fish in this area. Moved to another sunken island. Similar drill 5-6 casts. 3-4 fish. Smallmouth and largemouth. Then disaster struck. Can't remember the specifics but I lost the bait that night. No problem. Still had one back in the cabin to use for the rest of the trip. Got a couple of days out of the second bait before I lost it like an idiot. Needed to retry and was too lazy. A nice smallouth broke me off....then proceeded to jump a couple of times and I saw her throw the bait. I had a couple of more days with no baits. Oh well. Get some when I get home. Are these "miracle baits"? Absolutely not. Just another technique to fit into the rotation. They will catch them under certain conditions (more in a minute). Who makes these baits? Lucky Craft, Evergreen, Megabass, DUO, Tiemco come to mind. So far, I like the Evergreen Prop Magic a lot but I have much more experimenting to do. What appear to be ideal conditions? Clear water (stained is ok, the Chip is stained tannic but relatively clear, muddy would be tough). Fish need to see the bait. I have had very limited success (read poor success) in moving water. This seems to be a bait that works much better in still water (lakes, ponds, etc). These baits do snag a lot. I would not try around a bunch of wood. You will lose some. They are not cheap (DUO seems to be the cheapest). It appears that keeping them close to the bottom is a good idea. Not a huge attraction bait so it appears fish do not chase them. It is recommended that you fish these with light florocarbon line. I have done OK on light braid (6# with a leader). I need to spend some time with light floro. The designers of the bait seem to advocate fishing these baits into very deep water (20 feet or more). Fishing them deep requires a lot of patience (moving them slow). I would build up some confidence in shallow to mid depths first. Don't be afraid to dead stick this baits. Those props keep spinning and they shimmy on the fall. Bass will smack them on the fall. It is likely that many will buy these baits and discard them. They do not feel like much when you are fishing them. My first reaction was that these baits were stupid. I needed to have them in the right conditions to build confidence. Bassmaster articles, In Fisherman articles, sport show discussions will really get people jacked up that this is magic. It is not. It is however a very good technique. I would try them in a decently clear water lake that you know has a decent population of bass (green or brown) this spring. I would work them on the flats and the first break into deeper water, especially on the break. Reel them slow. Slower than you think. You can not feel the props, that is OK. They are working. They will catch fish......then experiment. After horsing around with these premium baits from overseas for last decade or so, I can tell you that some of the things look stupid and are different than we are used to but all of the techniques catch fish....especially bass. The Japanese fish in places that make Shabbona or the Cook County forest preserves look like Canada. Tremendous fishing pressure. In order to catch fish, they need to continuely evolve. We are blessed in this country with many places to fish. We can get by without fishing at the Japanese level of detail. That being said, sometimes adding those additional details can make for better catches on days when they are needed.....or you really want to work over a buddy (right Jim). I get it. This stuff is not for everyone. If you have your way and you want to stick to it, good. Keep at it. Confidence is a major factor. I understand that some of the price tags on these baits are difficult for people. Cool. Maybe modify some domestic baits, it might be less expensive. We all have bills to pay. Those of us with two daughters have a lot of bills to pay. I would just suggest considering opening your mind to consider trying something new. You might be surprised. Hopefully this ice will melt soon and we can all get out. Until then, happy hot stove fishing discussions. Randy
  5. OK. Get your mind out of the gutter. Quick funny story about the lengths that I have gone to in acquiring fishing tackle. Yes. I have a problem. It is well documented. What does this have to do with the "mile high club"? I will get to that. I have your standard desk jockey type job. Constantly working on the lap top, tablet or smart phone. Certain times of the year (primarily the cold ones), I end up working a lot. While there are down times in the day, they are relatively short and inconsistent. Perfect for the online lure habit that I have developed. To the point that I am now a multiple member of the mile high club. I can say that I have purchased fishing lures numerous times online while on a long flight using in air wifi service. As for the traditional mile high club.......this is a family show. Yes. My wife does not know this but she has already given up on me. She no longer thinks twice when a package shows up from Cabelas, Bass Pro, Tackle Warehouse, some random place in Japan, whatever. It is "normal" in our house. Anyone else bought lures at 30,000 feet? Any other good strategies or stories for tackle acquistion? By the way, if you have not tried it. Surfing the web (primarily Ebay) for lures while traveling is a great way to kill time. Better than Suduko (or whatever it is called).
  6. Scott, yep. I was thinking about you. I know that you are a convert. I picked up a couple there as well. That is what got me thinking about checking to see if the sale was online as well. That is how I stumbled across the online sale plus the free shipping. They have the same prices in the store and online for this one. The advantage online is that there are a lot more color and size selections online, plus you do not need to leave the couch. It is cold out there.
  7. Those who like this bait might find this interesting. Bass Pro currently has all Pointer Minnows 20% off. Found a decent selection of colors online. They also have free shipping for the month of February. Code is on their website. Hope you enjoy. You don't often find Lucky Craft Pointers on sale. By the way..... I know that your buddy Bubba's Kmart brand suspending baits are just as good for $3 bucks. That is good for you. Post not intended on discussing the benefits of Pointers v. others. If you think they are "too expensive", that is fine. Some have seen the light. By the way, if anyone spends the winter looking at some of the various premiums baits out there (Lucky Craft, Megabass, etc) and you have questions about them, feel free to send me a note via PM. It can be a little hard to figure out actions and sizes. Translations are not always very good. As Jim J can attest, I have tried a ton of premium Japanese baits over the last several years. Have a few more to try this year. It is not for everyone, I happen to enjoy the "exploring" especially during a cold winter / busy work time. Happy hunting.
  8. Try Moon Man next time.....you will like it.
  9. I did not have the chance to meet Don. By all accounts he did some great things for the fisherman in DuPage county, the ISA and specifically the DuPage River. Might it make sense for the ISA to sponsor a small memorial stone or something along the stretch of the DuPage that was rehabbed in memory of Don? Maybe in Warrenville near the dam? Somewhere that people would see it.
  10. Yes. I got plates for the trailer. Mild pain in the rear due to the State's inefficiencies. As with anything new, there were some unplanned items (like plates) but I would do it again. You are also correct that the Malone trailers are less expensive. The issue is storage space which I have none. That is why I ruled out the Malone. Malone does look like a very nice trailer.
  11. I have recently purchased the Yakima Rack and Roll trailer for my Coosa..... http://www.yakima.com/shop/trailers/trailer Before you say it....yes, I know. It is expensive (but it does give me a reason for another kayak). I have very limited storage space (and wife would never let me leave a trailer in the yard). This thing is very slick. Folds up and takes up about a foot of space on the side of the garage. No more lifting boats up on top of the car. I was not fond of doing that anyway due to the noise factor, car scratching, etc. I also did not care for long hauls with the boat on top of the car. In addition, if you happen to be going on a trip with a friend....two Coosas on top of a van / SUV is very difficult. The trailer is very light weight. It doubles as a very durable double kayak cart in certain situations (would not work well on a beach but a certain gravel paths work great). It is also very nice to be able to rig up the boat and leave it sit in the garage overnight. No need to take your wife out to dinner with the kayak on top of the car the night before a early morning fishing trip. This trailer is not for everyone but it might work for some. Paddle and Trail in Aurora ordered mine and put it together for me (some assembly required plus I got some of the accessories). I will be dragging it around the suburbs this summer. Feel free to stop me if you see me.
  12. Others might chime in as well..... The Dupe has a ton of water that does not scream smallmouth bass but there are plenty of fish there. There are rocky sections but some of the sandy, weedy areas can be as good or better. Many of the "spots" are fairly small and can be hard to see. Put in your time and you will find plenty of fish with some very good size mixed in. Can't help with the fly question. Sorry. Not sure what fly guys use to cover water but a faster moving selection might be the way to go while you learn the river. Having played on the Dupe for awhile. You will get some awfully big fish out of areas that you might normally overlook. Don't be too hooked into a particular spot. Cover water. It is a small river but power fishing can be very effective at times.
  13. Guys - Thanks to all that participated in this event. All I can say is that I am very proud of the ISA for being a part of this event. I am not very proud of my own lack of attendance at this event. Mike, please count me in next year. Sorry I did not make it this year. I am an idiot and did not keep up with what has been going on. Tom Gilbert parent's home is a couple of blocks from my house. I remember reading about him and thinking of all of the strange things we had in common. I should have been there. Joz had even mentioned something about it to me but I was not paying enough attention. Thanks again - Randy
  14. I was leafing through the new Bass Pro Master Catalog last night. I found something that took me back to a much more simple time. A time of the very early days of fishing sites. A time of good natured fun for all. A time where something called Fishgeek existed.... The Dance's Eel is back http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.Tex...t=SearchResults Maybe Eric can bring back his tribute to the Dance's Eel? Just for old times sake.
  15. The state bought 100 acres from a farmer that we lease hunting land from right along the river. It is just sitting there. They were supposed to be doing something with the sand or something but nothing is happening that I know of.
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