Mike G
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Posts posted by Mike G
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Heard there are folks that actually stand in the river each winter and cast for what lurks around these places.
May just be an Urban Myth.
Hmmmm.......
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="
name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Thanks Mike! I think I feel better now.
A WWD is a WWD is a WWD.
A WWD by any other name would smell as sweat.
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Immitation is a high form of compliment. This Bohemian Bully was inspired by Michael's creation. It is on a size 4 3xl streamer hook about 3" long. The body is a tiger weave.
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This is no surprise.
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"The announcement follows weeks of uproar by environmentalists and politicians -- including Mayor Richard M. Daley and Senator Dick Durbin -- upset that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management approved BP's plan to dump 54 percent more ammonia and 35 percent more suspended solids into Lake Michigan."
Thanks for the heads up Jamie (the R). And thanksfor the tip on the petition. I guess a little political action can do a lot of good sometimes.
As others have said, however, it is far from over. I have to read up on the condition of the Lake and keep my guard up.
Enjoy your trip!
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Thanks Scott,
Though the whirling disease is something that affects trout, there are bacteria and viruses around that affect bass. In the domino theory of things, we would be foolish to dis WD because it only affects trout. We ought to be looking around for what affects bass before bass start dieing like"canaries in a coal mine."
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And apparently way better than you take pictures
That was a great writeup of a great experience. It would not have happened without you.
When I need help with the rod, I will go to you. When I need help with the camera, ??? I always wondered why your website had no pictures of your very photogenic shop, no pictures of fly tying classes, flies tied, casting classes...
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Mike G, I appreciate most of what you're saying here, but there are a couple of points here that I hope you will re-evaluate.
Tim,
I suppose I should explain what I mean about a few terms. I use legal and political action in a very broad sense. In that sense ISA has always been legally and politically active. Otherwise how could it claim any credit for closed seasons and bag limits. I consider attending hearings on things like dam removal political activities. Of course we want some laws and some legal teeth in the laws. At the grass roots level that means making your voice heard and walking the talk with your vote, IMHO. We can point to some big political and legal accomplishments like the EPA, keeping miles of the Chicago lakeshore open to the public, and the efforts of the DuPage County Forest Preserve District to expand the land holdings of the district and open them for public use.
But not all legal actions are dramatic class action suits championed by lawyers in shiny suits. And not all political actions require a big dollar national "citizens for.." organization. Some day you have to hear (Chicagoland Canoe Base's) Ralf Frese's account of how his rental records were used to keep the Kiswaukee river open when a landowner threatened to close a section of the river to through traffic. That was a small scale but very important legal action. Political and legal action should not be dismissed out of hand. Would you play chess and tell your opponent that you will never use your Rooks? Though we might want to use them sparringly, I want to keep those arrows in the quiver. There, just the threat of using them adds weight to ISA's position.
"Creating fisheries" also has many meanings one of which I guess is indescriminately planting exotic species in existing waters. I am not for that. However, I am for making fisheries where there were none as we do by building ponds and reservoirs. Maybe it is pushing it, but IMHO reclaiming a foul pond or foul stretch of river to the point where it can support our bass is creating a fishery where there was none. BTW I would stock these waters as advised by the DNR biologists.
I had a wise teacher in college that advised us,"Never say never and never say always." In math and logic these words are valid, but in the real world they eventually let you down.
In other words, such words can paint a guy into a corner. That is the long and short of it. Keep your options open.
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Did you feel guilty for catching those smallmouth? Given the same situation, would you refrain from fishing for them?
No guilt because the clock stopped me like the final bell stops a prize fighter. Being dull witted, I probably wouldn't realize I was in the same situation till I caught 10 from a similar pool in 1/2 hour or less. But I would stop there figuring that there was nothing left to prove. (And, BTW, that I have proven very little with the 10 released.) But, in a similar situation, I have seen a guy go on catching fish after fish to beat his personal record of well over 50 in a day.
Seems to me that the job of the angler is to figure out the fish's vulnerabilities and to exploit them. What happens after that is up to the individual, their needs, and how they follow the rules and regs.
I would add "knowing when to stop" to the list. Don't we see too many college and high school scores "rolled up?" Though that is all within the rules of the game while the clock is running, what do the winners prove?
Bass are tough cookies. Definitely not trout. I don't think the bass were in danger of death from being played. Sounds like the issue was potential for overharvest.
Exactly. The potential for overkill was there even if I used the best release techniques. The fish were trapped and starved. There was even greater potential for more kill if I had come home and crowed about my 45 minutes on a public forum like this one. I think just naming the body of water would have drawn out the C&K brigade in such numbers that at least one or two would have found the exact spot.
There are many lessons. Knowing when not to fish is just one.
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About two summers ago I found myself on the banks of a small western Illinois river with less than an hour to fish. I had no idea I was about to have a 17 fish hour. The water was so low and clear that I did not expect to do much. I found a decent looking hole. My first casts with a Salad Spoon, left on my line from some previous LM Bass fishing, yielded strikes but no hookups. A switch to a 4" Yum Dinger was all it took to get the action started. In the 45 minutes I spent, I landed and released 13 SM Bass-the equivalent of 17 per hour. I had to quit due to time limits, and it was just as well. I realized that fish from far up and down the river had been driven into the hole I was at. They were "fish in a barrel."
When I got back to NE Illinois, I tried not to make a big thing about my "hour." I wanted to protect those fish. I recalled tha day after I read the following article. Though I am not one to make analogies beteen trout and bass. There are some valid ones. Though water temp may not be the driver there are some times, like the one I just described, where SM Bass are vulnerable. Some trout fishermen are way ahead of us in that.
This is an excerpt. For the whole article go to the link below.
"This is a re-run - it seems some of our readers missed it, or didn't understand it. This is important - READ IT.
"Summer and Fall can be wonderful times to fish. Or they can be a killer. Literally.
"Fly anglers must be aware of the conditions where they plan to fish. Fishing in water too warm or too low is inexcusable. We do not live in a society where we must kill fish to eat, and it is unfortunate the magazines have failed in their responsibility to the fisherman and the resource. Instead of articles on the dangers to the fish in warm or low water conditions, there are articles on how to fish 'spring holes' or tributaries.
We were in New York the last week of July, and some waters WERE too warm to fish. Water levels in some places were TOO LOW to fish as well.
Some states, Montana to name one, have closed waters because of those conditions. Voluntary restrictions are in place in many others. Yes, those closures are going to cost the guides, fly shops, restaurants and motels money - and that costs the state money from revenues as well. But it is obvious the proper emphasis in Montana is on protecting the trout fishery. Even though anglers in other states have brought pressure on their state departments which regulate fisheries to close under the same conditions, the money rules and fish are the losers, the rivers remain open.
There is a group of people who are concerned especially with the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Rivers in New York, and they have formed the 'Beamoc Coalition.' They pass out a card, (shown here) to anglers on those rivers, or leave the card on the windshield of vehicles parked at access points."
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This question was posted on the list serve of the Ecological Society of America (the #1 professional ecological group in the US and probably the world).
I think the post was more or less a "points to ponder" kind of comment, but it does raise some interesting questions. Personally, I think the post has the question just a bit off kilter. Hunted and fished species CAN BE a huge boon for the ecosystems they inhabit, but it's probably not realistic to build blood sports on the back of endangered species. In my opinion, organizations like the ISA fill this kind of niche exactly. By helping steward the ecosystems where we fish, we ensure that not only smallmouth bass, but other species that have evolved to live with smallmouth bass have suitable habitat now and into the future.
Here's the post.
It is always hard to compare hunting and fishing though they are both "blood sports." The article makes the "Ducks Unlimited" argument as applied to LA Black Bears. DU always says that the duck hunters have done more for ducks than anyone else. It is in the hunter's best interest to keep the population of the prey that they hunt in good condition.
I am not sure it is the same with the LA Bear. As prey for the hunt, that animal seems to be too close to extinction to experiment with an open season. There is an intricate logic that says, with the hope of an open season in the distant future, today's hunters might take on the cause of protecting the bear and improving its habitat today. Are such hunters around?
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I figure they're either carrying a portable smoker in the chest packs for a quick shore lunch, or.......... well, I don't know how they can keep them lit. Mine are always too wet!
It's worse than that. It is a G Word term for hitting a long drive. Now I have to wash my mouth out with soap.
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It seems like I have been getting Duplicate notices of posts. Anyone else?
I like getting the notices: so I can put up with the duplicates. JUst a thought.
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I've been a fan of the Boogerman buzzbaits for years. Started out largemouth fishing with them and never looked back. White body / white blade has been my favorite in 1/4- or 1/8-ounce for smallmouth. I usually bend the arm a little so it clacks a little less. I find that you don't necessarily need so much noise for bronzebacks.
My biggest problem with any buzzbait is getting it to run true. I hate it when a bait tracks to the left or to the right and won't hold a straight line towards your rod. That's especially frustrating when you're trying to work alongside a rock pile or bridge piling and the bait is tracking the wrong way, never allowing you to stick tight to the structure. I can usually bend the bait and get it to track true, but there are certain times when it just gets too frustrating and I switch to a different kind of bait.
I'd like to get my hands on the Honey Buzz and give it a try. I read about it in the Bulletin and remember thinking it sounded decent. I haven't fished buzzers in a while. Perhaps this fall when the weeds die down a bit.
Hearing Eric talk about the Boogerman is music to my ears, an old familiar tune. They are good. One thing I found is that they generally weigh in at about twice their stated weight. On a lab scale the 1/4 ouncer I have weighs 16.37 grams (over 1/2 ounce).
On some buzz baits that I make I use a plastic quad blade instead of the double aluminum blade we normally see. These have more lift, surface quickly, and can be worked slower under conditions where that is an advantage. Just another tool in the box.
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I don't think anyone would confuse me with a fly-tying purist, but even I haven't made the jump to tying a curly rubber tail to a fly. I was mighty close to buying a package in Joseph's shop the other day.....but.....no.
Rich,
Thanks for the tip. Since I started out casting pork strips for crappie and bass a long time ago, I am ready to try the tails. The hackle tails look interesting. But the web based vendors do not offer the fly tails, and the retail shops are a long drive away. Does Joseph have them?
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Wow! Very nice looking fly!
Great looking tie.
I am inspired too though I wish there was a quarter or dime in the picture to give a sense of scale. It looks like a #4 or 6 hook with the total length about 3." How close am I?
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Bridge: In a previous thread, Why do They Fish?,, we learned a lot about ISA by comparing it to TU. Mike Clifford challenged me to come up with some ideas for ISA. Though I would like to jump into that topic, I want to be sure I understand the group well. The ink is barely dry on my first check for dues. As a result, I think, leaving comparisons aside, a direct analysis of ISA is in order. To get things rolling here is what it means to me based on my reading of the documents and what I see happening in these forums.
ISA
1) The purpose is to enjoy World Class Smallmouth Bass Fishing in Illinois.
2) Corollaries are:
a) We fish.
We pick battles carefully.c) We work towards the following goals:
i) Preserving and enhancing existing fisheries
ii) Creating new fisheries
iii) Preserving access to existing fisheries
iv) Improving access to existing fisheries
v) Being willing to do what it takes in pursuit of these goals. This includes but is not limited to:
(1) Political Action
(2) Legal/Court Action
(3) Conservation
(4) Education
(5) Co-operation with other groups
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i threw the guide away when i got home, it was beyond repair. is there somewhere you could buy a kit or something. actually funny you asked. i was just going to use some super glue or something. would that be reasonable? I understand its not needed, ive had no problem with it as i've got some piggies as of late, but it does seem to have that different "touch" to it.
If Koren's is outside of your orbit, let the postman do the walking. You can but a guide and some thread of the right color from http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/Content.aspx?src=home.htm . They should have something close to the one you lost. It is too late, but keeping the old one would probably have helped in finding the right size. Next time...
there are a lot of web sites that have instructions on how to wrap on guides. Let us know if you need help. Once that is done apply clear laquer or nail polish to the wrapings, allow to dry, and coat the wrapings with 2 part epoxy. This restores the rod to full function though it may not look brand new. If that is important, there are pros who will gladly take your money.
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i was fishing the other day... imagine that and i noticed a vibration in my rod. Upon further investigation, i realized that a guide, three from the top had broken off. So instead of cutting my line and saving the guide, i cut it off to minimize time w/o a bait in the water. Low and behold it just came out of the wrap and epoxy or wutever, and i mangled a good guide. i want to fix this rod because it is my "butter stick" !!! Is this fixable?
Yes, it is fixable.
Do you have the original guide, or did you mangle it when you cut it off? Either way it can be fixed by reattaching the original or by installing another one. Till the cold season, when I do a lot of maintence work, you might be able to use the rod without that guide. The down side is part real and part esthetic since the third from the top is not life threatening. A lot of folks live satisfying productive lives even though they do not have that "third from the top" guide.
Do you want to fix it yourself, or do you need help?
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It seems the "access-preservation" discussion has run it's course here, but this might be the start of a new direction in this thread.
The original effort to start a National Alliance may have crashed and burned, but the need for cooperation between state Smallmouth Alliances has not gone away.
Tim,
I agree that this thread has served its purpose. But I am curious to see more details on what is going on between state Smallmouth Alliances and between SAs and other organizations. IMHO, co-operation between state SAs deserves a thread of its own (so as not to get lost here). If you wouldn't mind starting it, I would be grateful.
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Ultimately I don't care how TU resolves its family feud over the relative value of using limited resources to protect access or using limited resources for conservation efforts. ISA is about Smallmouth Bass fishing in Illinois. Since Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, and Muskies Inc are held up as models, however, I was just wondering if NSA and ISA could learn something from TU's recent history.
I was glad to see Mike Cliffords remark:
"As for charters and the like as "Smallmouth Alliances" are concerned, any state could create one right this minute and would be accountable to nobody.
There is no central authority at the present time.
The ISA lends it's resources to whatever we feel is pertinent for conservation, access...the list is long."
And Tim Smith's comments on balance are right on:
"One look at the ISA boards shows how important fishing is here. One look at our conservation funding and accomplishments shows the importance of conservation to this group. If TU leaves access issues to others, that doesn't mean it won't get done. As delicate as trout streams are, their priority seems a logical one. In my opinion, the ISA has done a good job balancing our priorities...and it is balance that is the issue here in the end."
Wisconsin DNR has enviable fish management and conservation programs with funds from licenses and stamps earmarked for DNR activity. Their access laws are much more enlightened (20th Century). However, I live in Illinois where the DNR is severely underfunded and access laws are Feudal (11th Century). Though I may be wrong, I think access is a much more important issue in Illinois than it is in Montana and Wisconsin. As Joseph suggests, we have to be able to get to the stream before we can restore it.
Now I think I have learned something.
NSA Dedicated To Creating World Class Smallmouth Bass Fishing
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Knowing my interest in fly fishing, it is no surprise that I got an issue of Fly Rod and Reel for my birthday. One of the articles prompted me to rephrase Mike Clifford's question.
Why do they (TU) fish when they do not have too?
This article sheds tremendous light on the famous trout fishing organization. Namely, it isn't a trout fishing organization. When push comes to shove, the National Organization, though not all the local chapters, points to its charter "to restore, preserve, and conserve" cold water fisheries. They do not do access. Indeed, for the last two years the national organization has been promoting a universal prohibition of allowing local chapters to engaging "access" issues. Apparently TU would conserve the resource but refuse to go to bat for your right to fish it. Such "access" activity is not considered, in their lingo, "effective use of their limited resources."
Of course some representatives from local chapters in Montana and Wisconsin are not happy with this turn of affairs. They say in effect that they are not going to put any sweat or money into conserving a stream or river they cannot fish. To them, the ban would be a stab in the back.
You should read the article to get the whole picture.
http://www.flyrodreel.com/index.php/page/i...007_07/id/19311
I won't go on about the "unlimited" organization that seems to be struggling with so many self imposed limitations. Better men than I have bashed this misnamed group. I just hope that the Smallmouth Alliance and its state chapters do not paint themselves into a similar corner. Reading our charters I see the same emphasis on development and preservation of Smallmouth Waters nationally and state by state. Like TU's our charters do not say anything specific about rights to fish the resource we create and conserve. Is that an omissiion that will lead to problems down the road? If TU made a mistake, can we learn from it?
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Rich,
To muddy up the water with facts, here's a link to an article.
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=46753.
It seems that the switchgrass strain needed to make inexpensive ethanol is not ready to go. To prevent runaway propagation and increase glucose content, they are genetically engineering a flowerless strain that might see commercial growing by 2011. The first question is whether we want "engineered" plants on the banks of our rivers. Are they wonders of modern science or freaks. Kinda reminds me of the Barry Bonds issue. Anyway my key points are that we cannot just start planting this stuff tomorrow and that the process is not risk free.
Joseph,
If he followed your logic, Booker T. Washington would have stuck to snack foods instead of coming up with alternate uses for the goober. Where would we be today? Anyway it is too late, corn products already go into ink, paint, cosmetics, shoe polish, tires, wall board, glues, and my favorite-Canadian Whisky.
Personally I am willing to watch this one play out and see if the "freak" plants are worth the worry.
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From the MidCurrent blog comes the following article.
Be sure to visit the Costa Del Mar site it speaks of, click on Conservation and view the Trout Unlimited video "Why Do We Fish"?
Or follow this link:
http://www.costachannelc.com/videos/Conser...Why_Do_We_Fish/
A valid question that would offer many different answers if we were to ask it here.
So.....Why Do We Fish?
So.....Why Do We Fish?Mike,
Good question. TU's response,"Because we can" is already overworked. Their video was not bad considering the source. It points out the schizophrenic nature of their sport. They go out to escape the rat race and enjoy peace, solitude, and the beauty of nature. (OK that line is overworked too.) But the experience is not complete without the head banging adrenaline rush of hooking and landing a fish. (Note, I would like it better without the Heavy Metal stick.)
The reason I fish keeps on changing. When I started, I used bait hoping to catch a lot of big fish and hear my father rave about how good they tasted when Mom cooked them. Today I am more after the challenge and satiafaction of catching fish on flies that I tied myself.
(PS, that is big fish with "Ode to Joy" wailing in the background-Full Chorus, Heavy Strings, Woodwinds, and Brass.)
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last night i became a Grandpa , our daughter Katie gave birth to a 19 !/4 inch boy named Gabe. after 19 hours of labor a cesarian was done. i think he came early so i could attend the military kids event! all are fine rich
Rich,
I would give anyone a 20 on that one because there are so many ways to measure them. Do you measure with the mouth open or closed? Do you measure to the fork of the tail or do you compress the tail and measure to the extreme tip? Sometimes they measure differently if you turn them over and measure the other side. Which side was measured? Knowing how sparing you are with words, I assume it was a Smallmouth.
And Congradulations!
We pick battles carefully.
For the tyers out there.....
in BassBuggers
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Michael, thanks for this great chance to get filosophical about phfly phishing and tying four bass.
I an obsessed because I have the classic symptoms of obsession. I think about it all the time. I do not think the number of hours I spend tying says much. Anyway I do not keep track. It aint G*&% where you keep score.
What I tie lately has multiple sources directed to a singular goal. (I should mention that I am coming into phly phishing for bass after a satisfying period of catching bass on casting and spinning gear.) The goal is to recreate the most successful wire, hard plastic, and soft plastic SM Bass baits in phly rod form. Right now I am seeing how many soft plastics I can recreate using Bohemian Chenille.
To be honest, I should record that a hazard in the process is that tying can take on a life of its own. You probably have seen the "Realistic" school of phly tying which takes a life of its own abstracted from whether the flies are ever cast for fish. Likewise, I have to balance my production of "equivalent soft plastics" with fishing "equivalent soft plastics."
That is a nice problem to have, no?