Rick D.

Steve, I looked at the Olympus and other digital camera options. Reviews have me looking at your $300 olympus or get fully functioning covers at 1/2 the price for my existing cameras. I've decide to by the waterproof covers for my two Canon cameras. With function depths over 100 ft I can use the to take photo of underwater structures for future angler programs. Sdenery above the brink and the trophies of the day.

I love this thread on SOT's. I have thirty(30) years in paddling canoes & kayaks. SOT's can be rooled, EXCEPT, the Malibu Extreme, I fell out if it trying to push the thing over. At 6ft. 225#. it should be easy. If your worried about the weight look at a canoe loading system or roller on a rack. Look at a oversized cockpit sit-in kayak or a solo canoe(some stability sacrificed). The Mad River Syngery is a kinda canoe/kayak hybred. It will roll Look at the Malibu Mini-X for a basic SOT OR an Old Town Voyager 111 for a basic Sit-In for a low cost, weight angling unit. If your looking for total stability try finding a catamaran or inflatable catraft. The 14 ft. Mailbu Extreme is about as rock stable as you find. If your looking to travel fast then why fish? If your fishing mostly lakes and big rivers look longer than 12 ft. You tend to increase speed, stability capacity and tracking. You lose manuverability, lighter dry weight and utility performance. If you like convenience, comfort, balanced performance try the Heritage, formerly LiquidLogic(same owners) Manta Ray. Heritage, Native, Perception & Wilderness Systems to fit your SOT need. DON"T rule out the Sit-In Large Cockpit Rec kayaks. Many are paddler and angler frendly. They tend to be a little lighter to carry. Have big access cockpits, comfy seating and many outfitting possibilities. I have 6(six) boats at present in my flotilla. Canoes include a Dagger Reflection 16' canoe, & Sawyer 13' fiberglass solo canoe. Kayaks are a Dagger Approach, Wilderness Systems Pungo Classic 12, Perception Acadia 12.5, & Liquidlogic Manta Ray 12. I have fished from ALL. I had two additional Ocean Kayak SOT's, one OT Voyager, One OT Loon 111, one OT Lonn 138T, One Walden Scout, one WS Pungo and two canoes (OT and Coleman/Pelican) to start the season. I bu. sell, and outfit number of paddlecraft each season for recreation boaters and anglers. Do your research and test the boat when possible. Ask your paddling/angling friends. Look to a regular dealer over the Big BOX retailers if your looking for after purchase service. Send me a PM if I can help. Safe paddling & holiday wishes!

Best Thanksgiving Day holidaywishes to those of the ISA!!! From myself & those of us in The Ohio Smallmouth Alliance

I don't stop till the water get Hard to penetrate. My spinning go to presentations include, tubebaits, jigs with fuzzy grubs, jigs with curly tailed grubs, hair jigs, jerk bait, senkos and smaller suspending crankbaits. I find nymphing on the flyrod or slow streamers acn be very effective of sluggish smallies.

Steve, I'm looking for two waterproof cameras. One to mount on the bow of my yak/canoe. Another to have in hand. I'll check out your model. Thanks for the review!

Don't put your SOT to bed yet!!! Its winter fishing tactics and the SOT is great for those of us donning the chest waders and shoes. My Manta Ray is really showing to be a great craft for using my breathable chest waders with the ease of entry/exit and comfort. Its beat the pants off my Pungo and Sawyer solo canoe for convenience and comfort. At this rate I be wading and floating till the water get hard or they find me bobbing like an iceberg.

WE have had a similiar discussion about a Riversmallies style rodeo at the last TOSA meeting. The idea is planning, location and who want a school of addicted smallie anglers in their watersheds ALL at one time? We are looking at offering one in Ohio. OH! Bterrill! I live/fish in the in the Buckeye. Cheer for the Wolverines! And happy to see the Illini adjusted the Bucks ego! Go Blue!

Tim Try this! Ohio has issued mining permits and a levee construction for 99 acres to a large foreign owned. It is adjacent to some of the best SM spawn waters on my home water. It will create a bottlenck it a large floodplain that is frequently flooded in high water conditions. I'm working with other groups and organizations seek and environmental impact study and a detailed hydrologial impact study of the area. The mine and the levee are a serious threat to watershed, waterway, eco-tourism and personal property values and qualities. State officals are ignoring all objections including residenceS of a neaby village that will be affected by hydrological changes from a large levee in the floodplain. We are preparing to move it up to the federal attention of FEMA, Army Corps and others. I suspect the gravel mining with occur in some degree in the adjacent land. The levee and associated hydrological impacts will be a detrement to the waterway, residents in the flood plain and other properties and businesses associated with it. Rick

Here is a simple low-cost light all-round recreational kayak that will fissh well and give the spouse a boat to enjoy. look for the Old Town Voyager. It is the Single layer plastic version or the Loon 111 and with little effort will be similiar to the OT Predator K111. It is a great utility recreational/fishing/family kayak. Those at the last Blowout will remember. Late in the season like this thru Februrary You could find a new, demo or blem for $250 -$300. Buy a pair and take the spouse paddling. It also give you a spare for you fishing buddy or the future family angler. I have added Trolley anchor systems, rod holders and storage crates to fit behind the seat for easy gear access. Fuel for thought

Gregg, I have had great endurance with fiberglass on rocky streams in Ohio, PA and Kentucky. I have had to patch only one over thirty years of using them. It found a peice of pointed rebar and concrete at an old breached dam site. I usually add kevlar skid plates on the bow & stern to ward off most bad beachings or missed rocks. I love my 70's 13 ft. fiberglass Sawyer Classis Solo canoe, At 40 lbs. its a dream to hike with and a cruiser on the water with a 57" paddle with a 10" blade or a 240 cm kayak paddle. Hope that helps? Rick

I use a slow sinking rate 3M line. If the need reqires I'll add a splitshot or wrap the line with a piece of thin lead tape. A good source for a thin lead tape is the lead covers from dental X-ray films. Ask you dentist for his. I a week or two you'll have enough for a small anchoe. Oh! They are great for building up weighted nymph and streamer bodies, too!

A Hand Grenade! Oh! The first smallie? Not the biggest! Then a 1/8 oz jig with a chrome hammered safety-pin spinner and a 2.5" plastic grub!

One meeting format that has had some success. Hold the meeting at an eatery were dinner and socializing can be offered before the meeting program. If you find the magic formula. Please share it with TOSA. We had the same issue except when we offer a special speaker, program or activity.

What I add to my log is water & air temps., Water clarity, flow or level. Notable items like leaf fall covering stream, tent worms hanging from trees, algae blooms, boating/angling traffic, hatches.smells. This is important for season, water quality and memory recall. Remeber that you are the steward of your stream. Take notes to learn was normal and whats not.

Mike, I have paddled and fished from an inflatable pontoon (Fish Cat 9), An inflatable kayak rigid yak. The inflatable yak was fun in fast water(class III) but a disappointment to rig and use for fishing. Too low, not hook friendly and doggone slow in falt water. The pontoon (Fish Cat 9) was a great platform to fish from. I was a bear to handle in the wind or attempting to paddle upstream. I used to carry mine inflated on the roof. I took the platform structure out and made two tube to connect the float together using an aluminium tube drilled to match the pontoon frame and the snap rings. The choice for a small rigid, recreation kayak give many additional frature and options the inflatables don't. You maybe a candidate for a sit-on-top (SOT) kayak. There are several smaller one should fit your needs. I'll throw in the thought of a smaller solo canoe. I have a 13 ft Old Sawyer Classic fiberglass solo canoe that weighs 44 lbs. and is a blast to handle in and out of water. OH! The last two are a little more forgiving of an errand hook set into the side.

1) White or black. The advantage with white is I can used a permanent marker on the stream to adjust the color. Black is better for terrestrials and bottom dwelling macro-invertebrates. 2) Subsurface in where the action lives!

Norm, Let me say this. I do both There are times where spinning ahs it advantages and time the the flyrod excells. I find the flyrod excells in the cold water of early to mid-winter when I can best present natural imitations. Likewise the "dog days" of summer when the water is hot, aquatic & terrestrial life in abundant, and the smallie is looking for the cool place to be. Spinning is great in the fast and stained flows of spring, the thick canopy or stream cover, deep reaches of a big hole, or the large or fast presentations of fall. Also it is effective for the multiple finesse to wacky, plastic presentations possible. Here are a couple examples. My best day in the summer was last July when I landed 64 smallies to 17" over a nine hour day. I was floating and wading with a flyrod on an 8 mile stretch of my local river. My best spinning is always April/May or September/October. In May of 2006 my son and landed 48 smallies in a 5 mile reach of a local creek. It included 5 smallies over 17" and a musky. One addition smallie was also taken on a fly. Its all about choices and presentation. I love the fly when I want to slow down and fish. The spinning is good when its tough cover, levels or time frame. I frequently carry both when working with a canoe or kayak. When afoot I commonly have pack rod, reel and small sample of presentation for the opposite primary gear. Rick

Scott, Sometime whem angling alone a peice of a log, stone or the grass of a bank is the only prop a solo angler/shutterbug has to get the shot. I'd prefer it over photos of coolers, some anglers thrive on taking. Moistening the background may aid the fish and add another element to the photo. I have Photoshop but still try to shoot the best natural picture. Practices from the days of 35mm and Medium Format Photo Elements is a good tool for most users. As for cameras There are several digitals that are water resistant to 3-6 meters. They have a 3X optical and plenty of features for most shutterbugs. Rick

Nick, LL had a problem with there molds at the scupper ho;es. They seem to be good at replacement just a tad slower than right now. The scupper holes are the potentially weak area on ALL SOT kayaks. If you go to a cart DON'T use one that sticks anything thru the scupper holes. Likewise avoid sticking rods, drag lines, or other items in the scupper holes. As far a cutting holes for rod holders. There are always alternative. I shy away from surface mounts that create a high profile that may get in the way of casting/handling forward. This is particularily true when flyrodding. That all said. I'm lookind at getting another Manta Ray, this one a 10, for the fishing widow to paddle. Have fun with it! Rick

I know we'll all done the "Wet Wader Waltz" and the classic "Slippery Streamside Shuffle". Of cource the "Boat Bailing Boogie". But they are always practiced without an audience when possible.

I enjoy taking photos of the fish with a rod, tackle pack, your waders under foot , driftwood or such on a grass bank or stone edge. It makes a nice photo for a wall photo. Try using the flash. It can blackout the background and highlight only the targeted elements of the photo. Play/practice with the camera and the natural light to see the effects. You would be amazed the amount of light a white cloth, metallic fly box or foil wrapper will do for light when positioned just out of the picture. I had all sorts of different lenses and little folding board I used with my 35mm. Since the digital many leave the shots to digital enhancements instead of shooting the best picture. Fuel for thought! Rick

John, What how fast the grow. My son and I fished together all the time. Now with his family and careercommitments and mine we get a rare chance to hit the water together. I thing I miss my best fishing buddy. Here he and I got on the water over the holiday. He still hasn't learned to use a PFD or to sit down in a canoe.

#39 Man's Law No angler shall discharge solid, fluid or gaseous bodily waste in the vicinty of another angler or the adjacent waterway there of... #40 Man's Law No Man shall participate in the practice of Line dancing, Celtic step, Hip-hop and the Tango while listening to their MP3 player on the water.

Come On! We take no photos below 17 inches. Everything else is casting & presenation practice or scale sampling. Rick

Check the screw thread spindle on theoppsite side from the handle. Many times there is a small rubber compression rubber washer (o-ring) that should be on the thread shaft. Without it the tend to loosen. You might find a substitute at the hardware store or a Radio Control hobby shop. Rick