Jonn Graham

TALS pack for me. And I will echo the sentiments of others..................LESS IS BEST!!!!

Concerning Mr. Westmorland, I am very lucky. For one, I have a hard cover and soft cover copy of his book. The soft cover is signed by him. Secondly, and much more important, I had the pleasure of talking with Billy a few times. Once was actually in his living room............how cool is that. You can imagine my excitement. The second time was down at the Horse Creek Marina after coming off the water. Billy had just caught a 7.5 pound smallie. No big thing for him! Anyway, my father in law turned on the video camera and we have 20 minutes of video of him, I, and my guide talking fishing. What a treasure! I will tell you one thing, you WILL NOT EVER meet a nicer fellow than Mr. Billy Westmorland! We definitely lost a great smallmouth brother when he passed.

Schad:

Does this mean you are selling all your "old" bass gear????? Spinning rods, lures, etc??? Hey, concerning your question........have you talked to Paul about building you a short fly rod???

Just talked to my buddy. It is the Discovery 164 which means it is 16 feet - 4 inches. The boat is in good shape and he is asking $650. I can tell you I have fished out of this boat numerous times. Definitely a good fishing boat.

Let me know what you think...........you can be honest with me.

I wish I had posted this earlier!

That canoe is almost exactly what I'm looking for.

If your guy wants the yak, let me know soon...

Thanks Rick, I'll check out craigslist if nothing happens here.

John

John:

One of my buddies is looking to sell his Old Towne Discovery. Good stable boat...........red in color with dark wood trim. If you are interested, I can find out more details. Oh, I think it is 16 or 17 feet long. I do know he would not be interested in a trade as he already has another canoe lined up.

i ahve mine but need the fly rod attachment . rich

Some Gander Mountains carry the fly rod attachment. If not, give the owner a call or e-mail. His info is on the site www.3rdgrip.com

All four of my remaining in stock 3rd grips have already been spoken for via PM messages. Sorry. If any of the deals fall through I will re post what I have.

thanks

If you wade fish and have a hankering to carry two rods instead of just one, then 3rd grip's rod holster is for you. I am sold on its design and practicallity. I am lucky enough to be a dealer and am offering blowout prices on my limited stock.

For any ISA member, the cost will be $12 shipped to your door! Regular price would be $22 shipped! Great deal for a great product.

If you don't know what a 3rd grip rod holster is or looks like, check out their website at www.3rdgrip.com

If you are interested, PM me and we can talk mailing details.

If you wade fish for smallies, and have always wanted to carry two rods while wading, then the 3rd grip rod holster is for you. I have been using it religiosly for over two years now and find it to be irrecplaceable. I am lucky enough to be a dealer and I have a deal for all ISA members.

While my stock holds out, I am offering 3rd grips for $12 shipped to your door. Regular price would be $22 shipped. If interested, shoot me a PM and I will give you mailing details.

If you don't know what a 3rd grip rod holster looks like, take a look at www.3rdgrip.com. If you have any questions about the product don't be afraid to ask.

Ken hit it on the head. Too many anglers are lazy and want other people to provide information/spots. Now, sure I have had spots or areas told to me, but many of my prime areas I found on my own with good old fashioned exploring. Exploring on your own is the most rewarding part of stream fishing.

If you think a stream or area looks promising, then go check it out for yourself. Much more rewarding to find your own areas then having other fishermen tell you areas to target.

In addition, books/maps are invaluable. I do suggest the Gazateer map from Delorme and the Paddling Illinois by Mike Svob. Awesome books..................must haves.

You looked a little like that after spending the night on Loon lake.

I too try to keep the 12 month streak alive. I think I missed on February of this year.

You need more help than an army of men could provide!

Ok, Phil. Good advice. Now somebody show me. Where's the fish?

I know one thing..................cold, dirty water is the worst!!!!!!

Ouch!!!!!!!!! Might want to crack out the float n fly jigs again. That is, provided you have clear water........which you probably don't, so I will just shut up now!

Gregg:

Put me down for an autographed copy!!!!

Wow! Great trip. I bet the scenery wasn't bad either.

thanks for trying

The first small picture is a picture of all three types of jigs we make:

Top row - Feather Fall jigs (1/4 oz.)

Middle row - Ouchigan Special 1/8 and 1/4 oz.

Bottom row - The Papoose (float n fly jig)

The second picture is, once again, a photo of the Ochigan Special rigged with a CB Lures trailer. This is a finesse flippin' jig made for smallies. 1/8 and 1/4 oz built on a 2/0 Owner hook.

The third photo is a close up of our Feather Fall Jigs. These jigs are hand tied with bucktail underneath and Starflash Silicone skirting on the outside. Great, somewhat bulky, jig that falls slowly to the bottom. We can make these in just about any size and color. This is the jig that Tim Smith has been catching smallies on of late and I have caught numerous big smallies on this particular bait.

The fourth picture is the Feather Fall jigs rigged with an appropriate trailer. Right now CB Lures is making the little trailers I prefer.

If you have any questions or wish to order, you can reply here, or email me at grahamj@district87.org

Can't promise anything, but at Mikes Tackle... who knows what you will find behind the paddles. Oh, fishing poles. Tackle boxes. Assorted big lures and assorted hooks. Assorted............Wee Warts???

 

I have to work tomorrow, this sounds like a good excuse to duck out for lunch and a scavenger hunt.

 

By the way I used the 3rd Grip last Sunday on a wade trip and you are right they are great.

 

Also, first time using the "Mean Green".

I purposely over filled the spool and never had a loop go off the end that wasnt part of the cast. I didnt have any problem with it at all.

It casts long, smooth and little memory, good stuff. I loaded one reel with 6 pound and one with 8. I think next time both reels will be loaded with six pound and the eight pound will be in the bag as a spare.

 

Now, if only that jig you gave me would have worked for me like it did for Tim.

Steve:

Glad everything is working for you. McCoy is just plain awesome! And the 3rd grip is a must have, IMHO, for any and all wade fishermen.

I would love it if you could take a look at Mike's and find some of those wee warts. If anyone would have them, it would be Mike.

thanks.

Eric:

Just bought some new spinnerbaits yesterday. Guess I better go buy the Jack and Coke.

I have been off all week on spring break. What a spring break from hell!!! It won't stop raining. All of my streams are high and muddy. Been off all week and all I have to show is one small smallmouth from a trib off of the Rock River.

Someone, please MAKE IT STOP RAINING!! My health is at stake!

Unbelievable to hear Spotted Bass and 8lbs. in the same sentence!

Our Record Bass Waters Revisited

What are the chances of catching a new state-record black bass from the lakes that established the present marks? Let’s take a look. (April 2007)

By Robert H. Cleveland Jr.

 

When you study Mississippi’s official list of state freshwater fish records, one anomaly jumps out at you that is as unusual as a catfish attacking a Zara Spook.

 

It’s that odd, but it’s right there in print: S. Ross Grantham caught the 8-pound, 2-ounce spot on Sept. 2, 1975 — from a farm pond in Jones County.

 

It is with that line that any story about Mississippi’s state-record fish must start, especially one that looks at the records for the Magnolia State’s three native black bass species — spotted, largemouth and smallmouth.

 

An 8-pound, 2-ounce spotted bass is a world-class catch. On the other hand, catching it from a farm pond just seems too weird to be true. And every time you mention it to a member of the Fisheries Division of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, you get the same kind of response.

 

The person will laugh, sort of under his breath, shake his head a bit, and then say something like, “Oh yeah, the record spot — here we go again.”

 

Even the biologists charged with keeping such state records have a hard time accepting the accuracy of that spotted bass record. They have to maintain it, because their predecessors accepted it.

 

The original paperwork reporting the catch is still in the file, albeit in a far different form than most other state records. There is even a picture of Grantham in the file with what looks like a spotted bass, but even that does little to end the doubts.

 

“It does seem odd that a Kentucky spotted bass that big would come out of a farm pond,” said Ron Garavelli, chief of fisheries. “That species is not one you relate to a farm pond. They are a river fish.

 

“I’m not saying they can’t live in a farm pond, or that it’s impossible that one could get that big, but, yes, it does seem odd.”

 

Of the three black bass species on the state-record list, the Kentucky spotted bass is the one for which most fishermen say the record will be the hardest to beat — even harder than the 18.15-pound record for largemouth bass!

 

And let there be no doubt that it is the one with the longest odds of having its record broken in the same lake as the existing record — or any other farm pond. Just look at the other two bass species.

 

The smallmouth record of 7 pounds, 15 ounces should be the easiest to break, even though Thomas Wilbanks’ fish has topped the list for 20 years. It was caught Jan. 24, 1987, in the Yellow Creek area of Pickwick Lake. It is also the bass record most likely to be broken by a fish caught in the same waters.

 

“I can’t believe it hasn’t been broken already,” said Larry Pugh, a state fisheries biologist in the northeast Mississippi region, home to the only habitat in the state where smallmouths swim. “I’ve seen a lot of fish come close in the past few years, and I guarantee you there are 8-pounders out there swimming around, lots of them.

 

More Here...

 

 

 

I just love the Spotted Bass. I wish we had more areas here in IL to catch them. Closest bass species to a smallmouth in fight and aggressiveness.

I am looking for the Storm Wee Warts. Just like the Wiggle Warts but smaller. They are not being made anymore by Storm. Anyone have some they want to sell?????????????????????

jonn

I am working on that!