Jimmy M.

It's almost time for fall top water fishing and I am looking for a floating mono line . I have tried a couple different brands of super line but really don't like the feel of these line coming threw the water. Does anyone have any recommendations ?

Stumbled upon this and thought I would share it with any of you "fly guys" https://vimeo.com/46896309

here's the link http://www.amazon.com/Gear-Keeper-RT3-0092-Flashlight-Retractor/dp/B001F0DCNQ

UPDATE I will be returning to work tomorrow and will not be able to attend the cast and compare event this Saturday. Sorry if this cause any inconvenience for anyone other than me.

I caught my biggest smallmouth ever last Friday evening. No tape measure, no camera. I now carry a tape with me but I sure wish i had a picture. I was out in the middle of the river hip deep in the water and although I took a few seconds to admire this beauty ( I held it next to my fly rod to get some idea of how long it was by comparison) but I wanted to set her free as soon as possible. I was wondering what sort of camera and gear would I use, to get the best possible picture of a fish, under the conditions mentioned above. I have a very nice cell phone but am apprehensive about taking it out in the water. Also, what would be a good procedure to get the best possible picture of a fish and still be able to get it back in the water quickly. I know how big this beauty was, and who really cares if anyone believes me or not. Still it would be nice to be able to back up my story.

I have an SP 890 Graphite IV B (8 wt 2 piece 9") custom made fly rod with extra tip section for sale. This rod has Fuji SIC fly guides tied on. I am asking 300.00 Also have SP+ 890 Graphite IV (8 wt 2 piece 9") custom made fly rod. Fuji SIC stripping guides. Asking 300.00 also I have the socks and Aluminum tubes for both rods. Both of these rods are in very good condition. I am planning on attending the cast and compare event this Saturday and will bring both rods.

I've been going through boxes in my garage and came across these reels. They came back from Dave's reel Service last summer for inspection and a few parts replacements. Haven't been used since. 5 Team Diawa 103 HVA 1 Team Diawa 103 PVA 1 Diawa Viento (not serviced, but never really used much) These reels have varying degrees of boat rash ( I hate that term) but are in great mechanical shape. I would like to get 40 bucks a piece for them or am willing to make a package deal for all. I might be willing to trade them for fly fishing gear. Gonna wait a week or so before I put them on Ebay. If you might be interested email me james2415@comcast.net

Does anyone out there have any experience with these rods. I am looking at possibly purchasing one to throw large poppers and possibly larger streamers. Any thoughts?

I am looking for this rod if anyone has one in their closet that they are willing to part with contact me @ james2415@comcast.net thanks

Done! And I think this was a good idea, Thanks for reminding me!

Does anyone know of a resource to learn about seasonal movement of thread fin shad in upper Midwest rivers systems? I've seen smallies bustin them for about 3 weeks now and suddenly both the shad and the smallmouth have moved.

Rich, You might be right about the suckers ringin on the bugs i am talking about. However the "take" is a very subtle one and reminds me of the many times I've seen smallies taking dries. I do not claim to be an expert on this by any means but the fish are not breaking the surface tension of the water, merely putting a small dimple on it much like when they take an emerger just before it pops to the surface. I only fish the Kankakee since it's so close to home.

I have had this air brush in the back of a drawer in my work bench for some time now and I never used it.....ever lol. The list for 169.00 t0 200.00 when I googled it. I am asking 100.00. Or possibly trade for something that won't fit back in the drawer were it came from........

I've only been able to get out on the river 3 times this year, fishing from a boat, in high water conditions (fast moving and dirty) but have still managed a few dandy smallies on conventional tackle.. Now that I have that out of the way i noticed something on every trip so far this month and am kind of amazed. I have done a bit of dry fly fishing, in the fall exclusively, for about 6 seasons now. I remember as a kid that around this time of the year we had HUGE hatches of white Millers, so much so that the bridges over the river looked like it had snowed. Those days are gone due to the siltation of the river I would assume, however this still happens to a lesser degree, and mayflies can still be seen if you pay attention. To the point of this post is, I am able to tell the difference between a carp rolling on the surface and a smallie ringin on a bug on or near the surface, and I have witnessed it quite frequently as of late. The thing is that the water is high, dirty and moving pretty fast. The rings I am seeing are out in the middle of no mans land. These fish have to be in the upper 6 inches of the water column just to be able to even see these bugs as they go by. And some of them are on the fast side of the seam on current breaks over 10 to 16 feet of water. The fish are not setup on any certain feeding station, and the ringin is sparatic at best. I guess that I am just rambling here but I had to tell someone, (my fishing buddy is a die hard spinnin tackle guy and could care less about fly fishing let alone bugs) If anyone has any input about this I am interested in learning more about the why's and hows of this. Thanks for your time!

I am in the market for a new trolling motor for my jon boat. Here are some specifics: I mainly river fish using the "slipping " technique (predominately shallower water) I use my trolling motor to slow the drift of my boat as well as hold in an area ( although there are times when I need to move back upstream the retrieve a snag and need more power). I am looking at bow mounts only and wish to keep it to a 12 volt system to cut down on weight. I the past I have owned both foot, and hand control versions, both of which have positives and negatives. One other consideration is shaft length, maximum 36". I am wondering if anyone has had actual experience with shortening the shaft on their motor. I ask this because, from what I see offered out there the larger the lb. thrust, the longer the shaft. Your thoughts?

I have several baitcasting reels that are in need of cleaning and inspection. Does anyone have a recommendation on someone they use?

Gegg S, As for taking a few pic's and posting them. It's pretty flattering that you consider this important enough to share it in the news letter, there is a small problem. I haven't got a clue on what pics to add or even how to go about it. For instance, what resolution will enable the "file" size to be emailed or posted....yadda yadda yadda. If you can email me some specifics on how to got about this process I would be more than happy to share what I can.

rich me, I do not concentrate on water temp, but rather seasonal condition when I decide to pick up a buzzbait for the first time each season. My best guess is that water temps around the 52/53 degree temp will produce "some" strikes with this bait ( I don't pay much attention to water temp after the spawning ritual, so an exact starting temp is a little hard to pin point). Consider this: Any fish that will swat at a buzzer, do so out of a triggered reaction, much like when the doctor tells you to cross your legs then hits you bellow the knee with that little rubber hammer. You can,t keep your leg from jumping out there. I have heard other fishermen claim that if you throw into a spot enough times you PO a bass into striking. I don't really think that fish feel emotions so I have dismissed that little theory, and feel that multiple casts that result in a strike are generated by the specific set of circumstances required to trigger that particular fish. If you have Lilac bushes in your area, wait till they are in full bloom, then give my little bait a try. Also, in my experience, the whole "low light" conditions are the best for this bait (morning, cloudy days etc.) is not exactly the most accurate of assumptions. Through the summer time when fish are spread out ,and then in the Fall when they start the fall feed, sunny days have proved time after time to be the ticket for me. The only real exception is the summer time night bite, if you haven't done this you are missing out on the big fish bite. Originally I posted this topic in an effort to pass along specific "tweaking" techniques for a buzzbait. The best time or way to fish this bait may differ for you or others that fish it. My ramblings about specifics conditions are not gospel per say, just my opinions, so experiment away and good luck.

Gotta pretty heavy work schedule this week will reply in detail ( lol ) this weekend to this requests.

I have fished an 1/8 white buzz bait for river smallies for 20 years now and have found some little tweaks that will make this bait more effective than typical "off the shelf" baits and thought I might pass them along. Most of the buzzers you can purchase off the shelf are scaled down versions of larger more popular versions of established baits and may or may not work as well as you may want. The first thing is the size of the wire form used, typically .035 wire which makes them more durable, but impedes the free spinning action of smaller blades causing the angler to retrieve faster to make the bait work. Try this: Remove the blade from the bait, insert the tip of a knife ( I use an old pocket knife) and enlarge the holes at the front and the rear slightly ( I also recommend the blades with the holes in the center line of the blade ). Do this from the front side on both ends ( this is important and will explain a little later. Take a small fine file or rough grit sand paper and scuff up the rounded face of the rivet and the excess material from the back part of the blade you have just reamed. The reason for this is that it creates a rough surface at the point were these 2 components meet on the retrieve causing them to "squeak". I do not use a bead on the rear of the blade, nor do i bend the wire over when putting the bait back together to keep the rivet from slipping off, simply reassemble the components,take a hammer and flatten the wire and rivet collar as far back on the wire as possible, it will stand up to hours of fishing just fine, and lets it free spin. This little trick adds a little different noise to the bait and allows the blade to spin effortlessly at slow speed retrieval. I skipped ahead just a bit.(sorry). Before you reinstall the blade and rivet back on the bait put the SMALLEST bead that will fit over the wire on first. This keeps the blade from getting stuck on the leading bend of the blade arm. It also helps to bend this, "bend" in the wire on a slightly sharper angle. The next tweak revolves around the skirt. I use Lumiflex skirts because they flow and ripple on retrieve much better than any other material available on the market, I also trim them back to about 1/4 inch past the bend in the hook and pull out a few of the strands. This gives the bait a smaller profile and also increase the "feel" of the bait as it travels threw the water, and doesn't make it fell so much like there is a blob of moss on it. Note: most skirts are designed for larger baits, so when you remove strains of material, the collar wants to slip down, and these skirt collars also deteriorate after use. The solution is to tweak the skirt to your liking, push it up over the keeper, tie it down with small diameter wire, then remove the collar and save it for a later step. The next 2 tweaks are for the times when a smallie boils on the bait and misses. I am not a big fan of using curly tailed grubs as trailers per say, they make this smaller sized bait feel awkward and reduce the action of this bait (in my opinion). How ever, as we all know, a bass doesn't "grab" these types of reaction bait, they suck it in. Well if there isn't some sort of "mass" for the suction to "pull" against, they don't get a good pull when they woof at it. To solve this problem I take a 2" grub and cut the curly tail of and thread it on to the hook with the "pointy end' forward.(make sure to get it on straight and dead on threw the middle of the bait or it will ride up on its side. The small grub adds mass which will improve hook ups and aid a bit when casting this tiny offering. Mustad makes a short shank trailer hook (made famous by Kevin Van Dam) that is ideal for this bait, and being a short shank makes it a bit more snag free than the normal longer style. Remember the skirt collar you removed? Cut it in half. Puncture one piece on the main hook, add the trailer hook, and then puncture the second half to hold it in place and allow it to move freely. My final tip in this long winded dissertation is about line. Do not use flourcarbon line, it sinks. Larger diameter supple line ( I use Stren clear blue in 12#) it keeps the bait up and allows it to work it magic. Note: I slip the river when using this bait, hitting as many pockets from as many angles, as I go by, so I use a bait caster with a 6' limber rod, Short accurate cast. If your bait lands a foot from shore, most times you have wasted it. I hope this helps a bit with buzzin up samllies for those of you who use this'Little White Wonder"