mattyvac

Gentlemen, I'm trying to reduce the clutter, waste, and expense of having all too many magazines. I just can't get through them all, so its a waste. And I am sure while I am scouring one mag for valuable nuggets, theres one that has everything I need but is hidden under yet another magazine. So if you all could let me know what you think are the top two standouts in angling today, I would be grateful. I'm looking for info about fishing the midwest, tips regarding gear and techniques, site specific issues and maps, and some fly fishing. Seasonal info on species and waters that offer good opportunities is important too. Thank you all for your input.

Gentlemen, I'm looking for advice as to which fishing mags to order. There are too many. My quest is to choose two or three high quality publications that provide me with the following: -seasonal tips on which species are turning on, and which waters offer good opportunities - how-to features regarding gear, techniques, and site specific issues and maps - some fly fishing, especially for midwestern angling Let me know what you think. If I have to order two or three to cover my needs that's not bad. But between hunting and fishing magazines and all the other mail, I'm overloaded. Time to simplify. Thanks for all your input.

OK Brother. Think about what you're saying, and what kind of a woman she is. Some gals just don't like when we have fun without them. So if your wife is like that, and you say, "Dang it honey, this was the best day I've had in a dog's age" she just might accidentally drop some bleach in your Gulp jar. But if she's just a non-fishing soulmate, with your best interests at heart, go ahead be honest. "Crap-fire, woman...of course I had fun! Do you think I'd spend ten times the cost of your wedding/engagement rings on anything that wasn't?

Sorry I have no water suggestions...but when I fished Crooked and Loon last year I had great luck with Rapala Original Floater Silver-Size 5, and I caught my best smallie ever on High Lake with a hopper fly pattern that my kid tied. But the Rapala is the easy all around choice if you're using conventional tackle, and room for lures is limited. If you're using fly gear, take a few small foam yellow or black poppers with skirt, size 12-14 hook would be about right, and catch bluegill at will when the smallies slow down. See Bob at the Outpost for one of those bandanas with the Sylvania Map on it. Keeps the sun off your neck, and handy when you get turned around. Best of Luck! Have a memorable trip, and keep in mind, it's not really an adventure unless something goes wrong.

Thanks for putting out for Shabbona anglers. You guys ROCK! Matt

For what its worth, this is my local fly shop. These guys are highly qualified, passionate and involved anglers. As a retail store, it is jam packed with just about everything you might need. They run excellent educational events in the store and on the water. They are directly involved in local and foreign conservation efforts. And they offer some pretty spectacular fishing trips through the shop and related guide services. A year or two ago they sent me to Five Rivers Lodge to fish the Madison and Big Hole. Great outfitter, great memories. And better parking than other downtown Fly Stores!!!

Very sorry to hear this news. Joseph, you and OMC supplied the tools, the expertise and the generosity of spirit that embodies the best in our sport. I joined the ISA and soon became a customer of OMC a couple years ago. I will always be grateful for the ISA BassBugger nights, where my kid saw all types of pleasant people coming together and loving what they do, He learned so much about tying, he uses the skills he learned from you and the featured tyers to make his own flies, and shares his knowledge with kids his age. I now regret not attending more of those rewarding sessions. It combined a great host, warm setting and some of the nicest folks you'd ever want to spend time with. I never had to worry about exposing my boy to BassHoles! We wish you the best that life can offer you, and we hope to see you again sometime.

Great idea! Something that can do the stripping for you.

I love the super lines, especially Fireline. It lasts forever, and if you need a subtle presentation, you can tie in any mono leader to suit your needs. Fireline is thinner than mono for it's test, so it sinks better. And when I use the mono leader, it kind of balances out the negatives that adding a swivel and/or mono leader in-line give you. Important: NOT ALL LINES WORK WELL WITH ALL KNOTS!! Some knot practice is a good idea when changing line types. Some line just doesn't like certain knots, so check which knot works best when you try a new line. If you re-tie a lot, just be sure ALL your knots are tightened down. Last August I was using mono, and I got careless. I didn't use enough wraps on the trilene knot or make sure the knot was really tight. That lure was gone, along with the last fish of the day. All I had left was that little curl on the end of the line. Once you tie Fireline or any line with a Palomar knot, you're done. Plus, although the Palomar consumes an inch or so more line per tie than your average knot, it's easy to tie quickly, and is more reliable than some other popular knots. Eugene has it right - If you really like the line you're using, just monitor your line and carefully re-tie as needed. Otherwise, upgrade to a superior line. It doesn't matter what the test or material your line is made of if the knot fails.

Environmentalism is here, once again. Cass Sunstein, an animal rights fanatic and one of Obama's czars, has petitioned the EPA to ban lead in many forms, including fishing tackle and firearm ammunition. Another University of Chicago Constitutional scholar, this man wants to ban lots of stuff, in the name of a better environment. Have you heard about his proposal for a government ban on conspiracy theories? Government sponsored infiltration of conspiracy theorist groups - like the Mom's who participate in any Tea Party? Those who scream so loudly about saving the earth always seem to have an answer involving urgent need for Government growth and intervention. The Government can save the environment. And then it can save Health Care. And It can correct the Economy. And the Government could save everything else if only it was big enough, and had enough power to control everything. Very urgent, because babies suffer when the Government doesn't do something. It's always the same old saw. I've had it. Big Gov could fix us all. Every free thinking one of us.

I'll be in North East Wisconsin near Townsend next week, and I'm considering taking a spin to the Menominee. Where do I go to fish? Which town has good access nearby for wading? Is there a tackle shop there where I can get help? Matt

Guys, Thanks for the advice. I got in touch with Mike Mladenik, and he gave me a couple quick tips. Looking forward to hiring him in the future. And as for the Menominee, thats all I've been hearing about since announcing I'd be in that neck of the woods. But being with the family, I might not be able to put it together. It still might happen. I'm going to ask about the Menominee in my next post. Then there's Sylvania, another hour or two up the road, making it geographically undesireable for this family getaway. Last August, I caught my all time biggest smallmouth there, on a ISA hopper pattern that my 10 year old son Matthew tied at the One More Cast ISA group tying event. Doesn't get any better than that.

I'm in the middle of Holschlag's fly fishing for smallmouth. It's a great book.

I'll be in Townsend, Wisconsin the week of 7/11-17, and I'm having a hard time getting advice fishing either on the Townsend Flowage or nearby. It's located about 25 miles west of Crivitz. I'd appreciate any help. Spin or fly gear, doesn't matter. I'll use what the situation calls for. Thanks, Matt

I'll be in Townsend, Wisconsin the week of 7/11-17, and I'm having a hard time getting advice fishing either on the Flowage or nearby. It's located about 25 miles west of Crivitz. I'd appreciate any help. Spin or fly gear, doesn't matter. I'll use what the situation calls for. Thanks, Matt

Don't get too down about the food in America. There is hope. I agree...the big picture sucks for overall American food quality. The GREAT news was what I found when I went to Denmark, WI over Dad's Day weekend. There is a fabulous community of organic farmers who provide just about anything in the way of groceries: meat, produce, even wine, all organic, and at reasonable prices. Most everyone in town is involved, either as consumers, or farmers. Most everyone is happy with the results, especially those taking advantage of co-ops. Small town America is alive and well, only in more limited quantities. WE can help by leaving some of our money with them in exchange for some wonderful food. Once I got there, I didn't want to leave. IN fact, I'm going back in three weeks for some aged Steve's Cheese, fresh Kellner's Farm eggs and a week of top-water action in Townsend. Don't be surprised if I don't come back.

I'm glad you understand. I want to declare first that I am not targeting MikeG for any criticism at all. I'm an opportunist riding the coat-tails of his tongue in cheek comment about the catalogs showing up so early. As I can never resist the temptation, when the issue came up about a possible hunting vs. fishing dispute, I felt I needed to address it. This topic is sort of a hot button for me, because I think once outdoorsmen begin to refine their outdoor skills, that's an opening for some of us to become too exclusive as to which activities we respect, and what we dismiss(like motor boaters and sail boaters). I was lucky enough to grow up in the city, and being exposed to both fishing and hunting (hunting in DeKalb). I know how uninformed average city people can be about fishing and hunting, just because in the city, hunting/fishing culture is slowly fading into oblivion. It kills me when I see it, and all too often, folks just don't get it. Those who know better must remain together. We need to protect and respect each other, and remain united against those who would consider things such as catch and release as barbaric. Yes, it's really that crazy. For instance, Sweden actually is allowing lawyers to take pike as clients in their war against using any wild game for any sporting reason. The charge against the angler: MURDER. In the US, there is a movement backed by radical activists to have all our public hunting and fishing lands tightly defined Federally protected wilderness, which could then exclude it from hunting or fishing use. Think Sylvania, or Shawnee. They also would love to find a way to divide us into many small groups, especially gun fans. There is an activist who has a phony website that uses half-truths and narrowly targeted polls to convince non-hunting shooters to separate from gun hunters, and sport/target shooters from folks who just want to own a gun, by de-legitimizing the others reasons for doing what they do. They attempt to divide gun owners into smaller groups, thereby shrinking their political base/power, and making incremental law making possible. First they say it's OK for people to have guns to hunt, but we won't need guns designed for defense. Then we don't need any semi auto's because they can be used as assault weapons. Then we can't have rifles with scopes because they are sniper tools. And you can't have shotguns because they disperse lead into the world. Then all we have left is a Daisy BB gun, and we all know they can put somebody's eye out. Meanwhile, all the criminals are safer, our fridge is empty, and we will never feel the satisfaction of feeding our family through our own resourcefulness. It's off to see the hit-man behind the meat counter. He does all the work for us, turning our beloved pass-times and traditions into meaningless wastes of time. The less people there are who live to enjoy outsmarting their favorite wild game, the less people there will be who can even understand what we mean when we describe our most treasured activities in life. So I want to take this opportunity to encourage all our members to embrace all sportsmen, to help protect our right to enjoy our outdoor traditions, our right to participate in nature as conservationists, or predators, or stewards, or managers, or teachers. As sportsmen, we are all these things and more. As for me, I love my fly rod, but you can feel free to hang a worm and fish by my side any day. That goes for you trout snobs, too. Be open minded; no one ever learned a thing by being a know-it-all. Let's share our love for the outdoors with those folks who don't know what they're missing.

It's not over!!! Try to look at the bright side. Just when the retailers go into their fall mode, it's that special time of year when we all are in our prime angling weeks and months. We fish more now than we will the rest of the year. It's a reminder we need to get out before it's too late. Plan that special end of season trip. If you're not knee deep in fishing now and through the next three months, who's to blame? Those who hunt need to prepare. You will find us anglers in the late fall and winter walking miles through fishing and outdoor shows, sharpening hooks, or looking for new gear and outfitters for spring. Likewise, you will find me in mid summer grooming my hunting spots, hanging or reinforcing hunting stands, and polishing up my marksmanship skills in anticipation of fall. It's the responsible thing to do, and it contributes to all our success. And Gander, BassProShops and Cabela's all count on us getting an early jump at preparation. I don't mind so much. We know the retailers are hurting. I sure would like to put more fish on the hook, and more meat on the ground. They help me do that. And shopping's one of my favorite ways to spend some time on those super foul weather days. Don't get down. Get out and fish! Right now it's time for me to pinch down a few barbs. Hang in there.

I just had a thought - SMB populations could be affected by higher unemployment, under-employment, and other things that cause anglers to have more spare time. This would imply not only higher numbers of fishermen fishing(how many of us wouldn't use their off time as wisely?), but their lower earnings would entice them to keep more fish for the table. Even if they didn't keep what they catch, increased pressure always increases mortality. The more fish that are caught and handled, the more fish will die. Is this too simplistic, or too small a demographic to matter? You decide. We have 11.5% unemployment, or about 777,000 people out of work in Illinois alone. This is now the third year of economic decline, and I wonder what this would do to the last few classes of fish. If this has any effect on recruitment, three successive years of over-fishing could do some real damage. Maybe I'm over-reaching with this idea. I have no way of determining how many people are actually fishing instead of working. But I've seen more fishermen than usual where I fish. So, theoretically, elevated unemployment is an environmental hazard. Maybe we can get help from the EPA, USDofLabor, US Fish and Wildlife, etc. If CO2 can be a pollutant, can this theory be too crazy?

Ed, Thanks for the reminder. Just a couple questions. There are 5 Tuesdays in March. Will we be using all 5? If not all 5, which will we need to put aside? Has anyone done this project before? I'd like to know a bit about the approximate cost. Sounds like a great winter project. And it will probably change forever the way we look at rods. Matt

Just wondering what everyone's experience is with different sole materials, and if there's a standout that is best for what we do. Thanks, Matt

I wanted to check a claim by some that glue could be used to fortify knot strength in the right situations. So, I asked the customer service folks at Berkley. Here is the entire text, starting with my question.... Dear Berkley, Someone told me to reinforce my knots with Crazy Glue. I use Fireline and some mono/fluoro lines. Is it a good idea to use glue on my knots? What glue can I use, and which line is OK to glue? I use Palomar Knots for most knots. I also use a uni-knot type snell for most live bait presentations, because the knot is on the hook shank, and it's hard to see the knot. This is the knot that is most likely to fail, and it's one knot that I think might benefit most from using glue to strengthen them. Thanks for your help. Matt Their Reply..... Dear Matt, You can use super glue or anglers super glue on your knots with superlines, mono or fluorocarbon lines without harming the line. The recommended knot for superlines is a Palomar knot for your lure and a uni-to uni knot is what we recommend to connect two lines. For mono and FC line we recommend the Trilene knot for your lure. regards, Customer Service Representative

Looking for a small boat to pull in and out of the water, etc., on my own. Will pay up to $400 for right craft with oars.

Scott, I'll be planning on it, since I missed all the other 2009 KKKee outings. I hope you're right about the feeding binge. I'll be throwing flies, and sometimes it's tough to get any fish attention that way. We'll see. Matt