Kev-mo

Six of us showed up for the cleanup. I believe I heard 80 or so showed from other groups. Collected a decent amount of garbage. Beautiful day to be out no matter what you were doing! Worked w/Bill C for the morning and did some fishing after. Bill left after we worked one area w/only a couple fish a piece. Not too long after he left I got a nice 17 my biggest for the day. Only six fish for the day. Saw 7 turkeys when I swtiched spots and 6 deer on the ride home. Thought I was going to get into one of those topwater bites as there was a bug hatch and some sporadic surface activity but it didn't happen. Nice to work and fish w/you Bill.

I have my kids that weekend (12 and 14). Would you be able to put them to work?

The party is Sunday so I'll be there. Last time I did this was two years ago. Is it the same deal where the NIAA supplies garbage bags, gloves, etc? Work 8-12, bring garbage back to concession stand or leave at garbage can in area working at? Lunch? Hopefully the fish will cooperate in the afternoon...

I second Mark's thumbs up. I had the Cabela's also and the Simms are way better. I do however have to wear some old thick wool socks as these do seem a little thinner than my wader booties.

Tentative based on date of family b-day party... will update when it's closer.

What size lures do you plan to throw and are you using braid or mono? If the action on the the rod is too light and you throw a sammy the rod will load up too much and it just won't feel right. You also have to consider how big of plastics you throw on a jig. A lighter action rod would be good for grubs but if you start throwing bigger plastics or use keeper hooks you'll want a fishing pole with more backbone. Also one company's med could feel the same as another company's med light... A lot of this is just how things feel/fit you and your style. While the Quantum Scott mentions is smooth, I personally do not like them. They seem heavy and I just don't like the way it fits in my hands. You're spending a good buck so you'll be able to pick up some decent products no matter what you choose. Go to Bass Pro or wherever and pick up a lot of rods and reels and see how they feel. Read the reviews on stuff you like and go from there. I started out with lighter equipment and gradually moved to more medium weight equipment just because it seems more versatile to me. Personally I like St. Croix and Shimano rods but that's what I have experience with. For reels I like Shimano and Abu but again for me those are my personal preferences.

The river was in good shape except for the algae. I ended up on a section I never fished before. Never did the fish the spot on the spot as I made a few casts upstream and started getting fish on a chug bug so I kept going. Biggest about 15 and caught maybe 10/11 and missed/lost about half that. A chunk would have been nice but hey topwater is fun no matter what the size. I watched and listened to a storm build and got off the water about 8 ish. It was so hot I think my eyeballs were sweating. So glad someone invented sports drinks as water is just not enough on those kinds of days. Nice to see some familar faces and meet a couple new ones.

Provided the weather holds (no 3 inch rain events or catastrophic storms predicted around 4:00) I'll be there, informally of course...

I'd say you're on to something there Paul. Hopefully the powers that be think about this possibility also.

Might be able to make this one. Will post back for sure when I know so you have a head count.

You can find more info online but basically the chiggers use an enzyme to dissolve the skin and then feed on the solution. By the time you start to itch or take a shower the chiggers are gone or will be knocked off by itching/showering. You basically need to treat it as any other insect bite or open wound, something for the itching, swelling and something to prevent infection. Bleach and nail polish, not a good idea as both probably killed more healthy skin cells or cells fighting the infection. I like pH idea. I also wonder how tea tree oil might work as that has anti bacterial properties and assume it would be somewhat soothing. Good luck, absolutley hate the things best prevention is long pants, long shirt and plenty of bug spray.

Thank you John.

You could also try Corens near Harlem and 90.

Didn't do the audio yet but they do some funny stuff! Only place I found on the radio is 89.5 and that doesn't come in by me. Only catch it when I'm further west.

I doubt it. I also saw plenty of beds yesterday. Came up on one and no fish. Snuck back up 15 minutes later and fish on it. Fish were also hanging off to the side blending with algae covered bottom. I wonder if the forecast/impending rain is going to further delay the spawn? Either way between the spawn and the algae that has finally bloomed I think I'm done for a couple weeks on this river. hate algae

Yeah read about and heard about those issues. Fixes were to get it out of the tube neck and freeze. I also read on another package of something glue like that I have that putting vaseline around the threads helps keep it sealed and that the cap will come off so I'll also try that. I did find a local source and the tube I want is not too pricey.

Thanks Mike. I did a little research of my own and found that aquaseal makes a product specifically for neoprene as opposed to the "regular" aquaseal which seems to be more for goretex. Also found someone located the leak in their waders reversing a shop vac and putting soapy water on their waders. I suppose I could also just use a bucket of water like finding a leak in an innertube when I was a kid but still using the shop vac. Just have to be careful not to get too much air pressure in there.

How did you find the leak in the neoprene or did you just do a big smear patch? Marine Goop is the brand name? Aquaseal the same thing? Thanks Ron!

Found out my waders have a small leak in the left foot in the back at the heel/ankle. It appears to be the seams on the neoprene footie. I assume this is pretty unfixable however if anyone has any ideas please share. They are still wearable but it will only get worse...

Gander quit making tubes? That stinks I wanted to try them. I'm a second for tube suggestions. As far as bass and garlic go I've had no problems at all catching many fishing using chompers twin tail grubs, both LM and SM and northern. So I wouldn't discount any because of a garlic scent. I wonder how much the fish are actually attracted to a scent be it garlic, coffee or anything else? Maybe it just masks anything scent wise that we get on the bait while handling? I'm sure there are studies out there somewhere...

They also make rattle traps in a floating model. While I never tried them in a lake I have caught smallies on them in the river. That might be an option to try also.

You can also use use/open your picture with Microsoft Office Picture Manager. At the top is your tool bar and other options such as file etc. Click on Picture and you'll have all your options listed including Crop and Resize. For resize you have 3 options I believe. I crop first and then resize using the percentage option. 30-20 percent (of original) gives me something similar or smaller to Eric's 720/482. Just remember if you want to keep your original you'll need to make a copy of your changes. When you are satisfied with your changes just go under File and click on Save As. Then rename it and click save. When you close your original DO NOT save changes and you'll have the original and a smaller copy to upload.

Good thing I'm on spring break with my kids next week. I'll get that card back yet Idealist... probably, although tainted with some cynicism. The wife's cool. I guess I didn't get what I needed from the river that particular day.

Wow... this got way more commentary than I thought it would and some great answers to boot. I guess at the end of the day fun is only a subjective label that we apply to describe what we are feeling while engaged in the activity or the actions at hand. With that said I do have fun fishing although it goes much deeper than a one word summation and some days are less fun and others more fun.

My wife has asked me on several occasions when I return from fishing "did you have fun". The first time she asked I had to think about it. I suppose first we need a definition of fun. According to Merriam Webster online fun is; : what provides amusement or enjoyment; specifically : playful often boisterous action or speech. I can't say I'm amused on all my outings, some are not that enjoyable due lots of hard work and little or no fish, as I fish alone a lot I would have to say "playful boiserous action and speech" don't enter into my day unless you count tripping over a rock and it's certainly not playful. Now I did have "fun" setting up those chairs for the photo op last fall with Don for our rest stop. I had "fun" on a couple outings last year when it all came together right and the fish cooperated. I don't know... I love to fish. I love being outside even in semi inclement weather. I can't pass a body of water without wondering if and what kind of fish it might hold. The anticipation of an outing or what might be beyond the next bend or what the next cast might bring drives me to do more. The sights and sounds of nature alone are worth the trip out. I can't say I would call it "fun" unless I was experiencing it with someone else or having a really good day of catching. Perhaps I'm looking at it from the wrong perspective...? What say the rest of you addicts?