Mike G

What's next? The Yum Dancin' Eel?

Tim, Too late! We sealed the deal yesterday. But I appreciate your marketing approach. You have promise just like the young Popiel with his Pocket Fisherman. Here's a tip. Whatever bait you are selling, say that it is so effective that the state of Minnesota Senate is considering outlawing it.

Say hi from me. He'll remember I was the guy that wanted to throw him into the pool after his talk.

Since I saw him at the Woodstock show, Bob and I have been keeping in touch. He just Sent me this note: "Mike, Didn't rich read my book? Here's what I said on page 47: When I first saw rattles, I thought they were going to be the ticket for muddy water. Bass are triggered by noise, so I figured rattles in my flies would help me catch more fish when the river was dirty. I experimented a lot with rattles in flies when they first came out in both fresh and salt water, and I didn't see any increase in any strikes except in clear, deep water. This was completely opposite of what I had expected. When smallmouth fishing in ten feet or more of clear water, in crystal-clear lakes as well as clear rivers, after two or three strips of the fly, I would see a bass come up—somewhere, not right near the fly—and dart as if it were looking for something. If the fish happened to see the fly, it would often move to take it. Spinnerbaits and rattles in spinning lures provide a continuous noise that both alerts the fish and allows them to track the direction of what they perceive as bait. With spin-fishing gear, you can continuously retrieve a lure so that it never stops moving and constantly makes noise. When you fish a fly with a rattle, however, the only times it makes noise is when you begin and end the strip. You can pull that fly two or three feet before it makes another noise. If you try to fish it slow and with short strips, you can make an almost continuous noise… Catch a whopper on a popper, Bob

Say the wiggle minnow is a Bass Oreno which fits with the Red/White paint job. The Wiggle Bug is the Flatfish. Lefty recommends it for Largemouths though it is easy to see a Smallmouth smacking it.

Just when they walk or shake their heads...

You can't go through life without owning at one of each of these. Pmail me an address and I will send you one of each ready to fish-no choice of size or color. Besides, if anyone can, you can probably create a Flying Fly--the first and only fly that glides backwards on the pause.

Hah! around 1970 Mom's Plaid Stamps got me a nice Shakespeare 9 weight. Another game changing story. If it had been a 5 wt I would still be fly fishing for trout. I still have the miracle U20 Flatfish that made me a believer in Helin's Myths. A picture and story will come. Perhaps I can tie the fly version now that we have all the artificial materials that were just a dream in the 50s and 60s. Of course my uncle Bob, a true fly fisherman and tyer at the time would never dream of using Sparkle Fur on his flies though he may of had nightmares about it.

When my 35# canoe gets too heavy... http://www.rapidmedia.com/kayaking/categories/video/item/1595-advanced-elements-4-lbs.html?utm_source=newsletter_24&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rmi-aug-13&utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email

Logic says that the fish will find the rattler easier in murky water. But that is human logic. And will the bass hit it? To use human terms, we can ask, "If I can hear it and find it, does that automatically mean I will eat it?" And besides bass are not human. Yes and no in clear water or murky water. Rattles are part of a total attracting and triggering package you throw at the fish. That is Doctor Doug Hannon's take. Trial and error will tell what package to use. On any given day the noisiest bait may be the best in the clearest water while a quiet soft plastic may do it in murky water. In flies sometimes it is the slider; sometimes it is the popper. Over a morning I will try both no mater what color the water is.

Outstanding story Tim. You could call it The Magic Lure. I have several of those magic lures in my collection, and some like yours even caught fish. My own story started way earlier in the late 50s and still goes on. The first magic lure was the Flatfish. In that pre-infomercial period they still had their ways to sell lures. In the 30s Charles Helin started with a good lure and used outstanding marketing to sell millions boasting about sales in millions just like McDonalds would do 30-40 years later. He hooked us with a "catalog" that consisted of articles and pictures that proved how great the lure was. It came in a mind boggling array of sizes and colors. It still does. What other lure comes in 14 sizes and over 150 colors. The F2 is one inch long; the T60 is six inches long. It used to be a widely used trout, bass, and pike lure, but lately it is used mostly in the Northwest for sea run salmon and trout. Like you I do not use it much anymore. But I keep my collection of about 40 Flatfish right next to my Banjo Minnow kit, Roland Martin Helicopters, Zip Baits, and Flying Lures. Now,that reminds me that I want to see a fly that dives backwards like the Flying Lure.

Hah. I was thinking more about being let go by an employer. You are,of course, joking about your blissful bond of marriage. Happy Anniversary!

Bend, don't break. That is why royalex and rocks go together. If you have fished the Boundary Waters where everything except the trees is made out of Granite, you know rocks. It's a trade off. Since the weight difference is obvious with Royalex models weighing 50-70% more than their Kevlar siblings, it deserves some study. I don't think plastic killed Royalex, though the reason is economic. The big company that bought the little company decided to jettison some dead weight in these tough economic times. A lot of us have been jettisoned at one time or another.

It just got more affordable like a rod for less than $10. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009IO3OR0/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Quick review. This one is the Tenkara Bass rod. It is a lot heavier at 4.5 oz. And though still limber it is stiffer than the first one I tried. And you cannot lighten it by removing the butt section since this would leave a 9 ft pole. I figure to use it for larger flies, light jigs, and soft plastics though this gets away from the narrow definition of Tenkara. Please don't tell Dr. Ishigaki.

Ever since they tossed a canoe made of Royalex off the roof of the factory in 1978 this has been the workhorse material for canoe makers like Old Town. The ever popular Loon series of kayaks were made out of it also. Other manufacturers like Wenonah also rely heavily on the material. Now this is interesting. Who hasn't ridden in , owned, or considered buying a canoe or kayak made of Royalex famed for its durability? Obit: http://www.rapidmedia.com/canoeing/categories/news/item/1602-royalex-is-dead.html?utm_source=newsletter_22&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rmi-aug-6&utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email (BTW, I do not think we need a paddling forum. "Gear" works fine for the topic of fishing rides. I have in mind a local fishing website which seems to have collapsed from trying to have a forum for everything.)

Skin the cat for $699.99. And Ascend while you are at it. Bass Pro has this: http://www.basspro.com/Ascend-FS128T-SitOnTop-Angler-Kayak-Desert-Storm/product/12102505321115/?cm_sp=NAscdKayakAug2013_EMAIL&om_rid=AT4NUy&om_mid=_BSAWdXB80PVgSa I am not thinking of buying one since I spent my lifetime allowance on a Kevlar Canoe 10 years ago. But this one is nice too. I dreamed about how the world ended last night. A million years from now, aliens arrive on earth and it is covered three deep with rotomolded kayaks. They find a DVD made by the last human alive. She explains that the kayaks were so popular that everyone had to get one. Then the Chinese started making them. They were so cheap that everyone got a new one every time a new model came out. With population growth and all, the lakes, rivers, and oceans became choked with them and all fish died. The overflow covered the land and killed off all vegetation. Everyone starved. ... Them I woke up.

Hoppers catch whoppers!

Thanks for that brutally honest review. Annoyance was the refrain of your tune. I went to the Frontier website to see more on the boat. They really have a cool video and lots of extras to add to the price and weight of the boat. Bummer, they don't have "Antigravity Modules." Dilemma, you buy a boat for solo fishing, and you need a friend to help hoist it to the car roof. When you open a large can of worms, the only solution is a bigger can. Maybe Yakima has a magic gadget that will let you load that "Blanking" Tub with one finger. (By now you must have called it worse names.) There's still hope. BTW does that 75# include the weight of seats and other extras? The best way to loose weight fast is to use the scale at a kayak factory.

Cerise? Magenta? Fuchsia?

It will come. Purple?

If it isn't Orange, use a door hinge. You're in the dough with three-three-oh. Purple? (If rhyming is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.)

I get it. Fish go for the slogan. "It's just too bad if it ain't Red Shad!" "If it ain't Root Beer,stick it in your ear." But what about Yamamoto's 330?

You catch a lot of Smallmouths through the ice?

Rob, Who am I to call you a liar? Assuming that the times you saw Lefty in person are few, you should be able to tell us where and when you heard him say it. I would be interested though actually I have seen him say it many times in print. But invariably he ascribes the saying to other sources like quoting Florida saltwater guides or saying it is an "old saying among fishermen." Now if chartreuse is so dang good why do we use any other color? But first, what color is it? To a drinking man it can be yellow or green or white. Chartreuse is a liqueur that comes in all those colors. To a fisherman it is a bright celery green color. Let's stick with fisherman's chartreuse. So why do we need colors like Bubblegum, Redbone, PBJ, Firetiger, and Yamamoto's #330?