8/3/14

Rule #53:  Learn how to keep your shoes/boots appropriately clean and polished.

Tinkering

One of the best things about fishing as a hobby is the opportunity it provides you to tinker.   It is especially fun to alter/improve lures you've purchased.  Every time I buy a package of jigs, especially 1/16 or 1/8 oz., I take a pair of needle-nose pliers and widen the hook gap.  I don't have any data, but I am certain that this alteration increases my catch when using these jigs alone, or when they're attached to a "safety-pin" type of spinner blade.  Speaking of jigs, only a few brands you can purchase come without hardened paint covering the hook eye; it's always best to deal with this at home rather than in the field!

I have whittled down the lips on crank-baits, added small or large red splotches on their sides with fingernail polish, trimmed the nylon weed guards on jigs that makes them not only weedless, but also virtually "fishless," as well!

My first day on the White River reinforced a lesson I'd learned long ago--White River fish, especially bass, key on baits that resemble (sometimes very loosely) crawdads.

So, laying in bed one night recently, I tried to fight off a nightmare I'd had earlier that was threatening to return each time I began to fall back to sleep.  Sometimes I can become sufficiently awake by creating fishing lures in my mind.  In the light of day, these have taken on some bizarre forms, but what the hell, if it beats back another "hospital dream," who am I to complain?

I have been trying to recreate a jig I fished successfully at Muncie-Tucky some years ago.  It was about a 1/4 oz., brown,  jig/twister-tail combination.  Like White River fish, those in the M-T key on crawdads.

As you can imagine, it is unfortunately large.  OK, it's about the size, and sadly, the shape, of a well-cooked bratwurst, but I tried.

Next, I took a stab a realism, and attempted to give my lure the same number of claws real crawfish possess--WO!  REVOLUTIONARY!!!

And the result?  Another bratwurst--but with ARMS!!  (Doesn't that sound like something with which Godzilla should tussle?)

In the enterprising spirit that made this great country what it is, I will throw these into the water a few times the next time I'm at the River.  Of course, a full report will follow, with photos.  Color even. And, in homage to Arlo,  a 4-part harmony sound file.

The Complete Combo

8/28/14

Rules #50:  Guys:  Always open every door for a woman.  If she objects, keep that in mind before asking for a second date.

New Equipment

"Now, I'm cooking with GAS!"  (This post is brought to you by the Indiana American Gas Company).   My mom and her wonderful spouse did me a solid by giving me an early birthday present in the form of a seven-foot Bass Pro Shops Microlite Fishing Pole!

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As soon as I rescued it from its cardboard mailing tube, I attached the new Pflueger reel, and "viola" -- the best rod/reel combo I've ever had.

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Prior to putting this combination together, I haven't been in the position to consider how the reel and pole would work together, or what type of outfit I need for the type of fishing I do.  Both of these units are designed to cast light lures and fight relatively small fish with drag and rod action.

Presently, I find myself in a "sans boat" (that's "without boat" for you mono-lingual types).  This means that with the exception of Keep Out Lake, and Muncie-Tucky, where there are boats available, my fishing is largely "banque fishing" ("bank fishing"--duh).

Because of this, I don't have to worry about smacking someone like The Doc in the head with a #1 Mepps.  Instead, I now fish mostly on the White River because I can be ready to go and making my first cast in about ten minutes.  On the River, the challenge is to make long casts with pretty light lures to fish that'll weigh somewhere between "Barely Detectable" and 2 pounds.  (Of course, there's also the challenge of avoiding goose shit with every step.  Yuck.  I hate Canada Geese.)

With those parameters, this is the perfect combination.  Now if I can just keep it away from mini-van doors!

New Gear!

7/14/13


Rule #45:  Intentionally expose yourself to as much beauty as you can -- it will enlarge your soul.

New Toys!

I got my new Pfleuger Reel in the mail yesterday:

This is my 6925, Ultra-Light/Light, reel.  It has 9 ball bearings in the body of the reel and another in the bail.  It is designed for 2#-6# test line.  I put 4# flourocarbon on it today.  It's somewhat smaller than I thought it would be, but the design is very attractive--almost art-deco--and the wind on the reel is so smooth.

I switched the handle over to the right side so that I can reel it with my right hand, and that process was quite easy.

This is the best reel I've ever owned.  The surest way to quickly measure the quality of a spinning reel is to count the ball bearings it uses in the action.  The most ball bearings I've ever had in a reel before now is 4.  The "9 + 1" bearings in this reel provide it with an incredibly smooth and fast retrieve.

I mounted it to an old Mitchell rod--I'm pretty sure it pre-dates carbon, titanium, maybe even fiberglass!  Who knows what it's made of?  Could be "stick."

I have asked for a new rod for my birthday.  The rod my new reel is mounted to is actually, a pretty good rod.  However, it's composition is such that it doesn't really maximize the reel's capabilities.  The Pfleuger President 6925, above, is the one I have chosen for the kind of fishing I do most frequently.  Like I said, I loaded it with 4# flourocarbon, which sets it just right for the kind of fish I catch.

I routinely catch fish under a pound, and I don't mind that at all!  On the river, I might spend a day catching only fish under 1#.  On the other hand, now and then I might hook into a 2--2.5# Smallmouth--and those fight like no other fish!!  Frankly, I think I could catch a 6--8# Bass on this line, depending on circumstances like abrasion, structure, etc.