LongLine

Ok, there's a start, now you guys continue the story of our hero.... Disclaimer: The above story is purely fictional, however the characters are real and have contributed over 30,000 times to make this the best forum on the net. Tom B. (LongLine)

Nice fish Tom. Chalk up another for the solo club. Tom B. (LongLine)

rolmops Gambler's probably right. Lots of shad around here. If you catch a Northern in the bay this time of year you'll probably find him full of them. Tom B. (LongLine)

Personally I like my cannons. The booms are great. I looked at howitzers & mortars but couldn’t launch water balloons nearly as far during combat fishing. Never worried about belts as I use a string tie on my sweat pants and as for speed, they’re as fast as I can crank them. What’s a Toyota? Tom B. (LongLine) p.s. 220,000 on my '94 Ranger. 64 miles round trip daily commute & 15 yrs of towing.

Snoopy or Mickey model? Tom B. (LongLine)

Don't feel stupid Rod. I just thought a kiwi was a fruit. Glad it wasn't a serious issue. Tom B. (LongLine)

Oh... ..... Thought = fruit & hoping for some shark reports from "down under" way. Tom B. (LongLine) p.s. welcome to the board. Please post some pics of kiwi. (the fish)

Welcome to the board Nepo. NZ mean New Zealand? Tom B. (LongLine)

I agree with rolmops. Hard to beat a penn. I've got 320 GT's & love them. Tom B. (LongLine)

Welcome Larry. Tribs are reportly flowing on the low side right now. Some rain expected though. Tom B. (LongLine)

WTG Ch'Slayer Tom B. (LongLine)

Sounds like either the check valve in the bulb is acting up or a fuel pump has gone bad. You may want to look at or ask on Iboats.com. They have a lot of info on fuel systems. Tom B. (LongLine)

Line snapping on light line is mostly due to week spots caused by releases, twist, knots or within the last couple feet nearest the lure. I rarely go over 14 Lb on my riggers for spoons & plugs. Most of the time I run 10 Lb. For flashers I have a 20 Lb'r ready to go. The trick with light line is feel it for kinks/curls when ever reeling it in & to cut a little off & retie after every fish or after 2 hours. Also don't ever put a frayed/curled line in a release. I agree with Tim on the drag. Smoother the drag, lighter you can go. Also rod length plays a part of it. Remember mono will stretch something fierce if you're not careful with it. I've gotten partial to the co-polymers in last couple years. Tom B. (LongLine)

Lew - Just like fishing, you may have to vary your techniques before you become highly sucessful. One question....Does the heater in the boat work? If not, make that a priority, cuz you may be spending some nights in it. After you're sure that the heater works... Try to work the family into the explanation for the new gear. Something like: "but it'll help the kids catch some fish..." or "But you know how the kids love the outdoors & how happy it makes them when they catch a fish..." Whenever you feel pressured with the age old question: "How much was that?" , try not to say how much but rather stress how much you saved (in percent) & then immediately compliment her hairstyle, how good she looks today, that she must have just lost a few pounds or what a great meal she just made. Again, just like fishing, timing is important. Don't tell her what you bought until after supper, then when she makes you wash the dishes & take out the garbage, she'll feel like you've received some punishment already. (& you won't have to cook your own.) One more tip, wives love savings. Fall & winter is prime time to buy spring trolling gear. Great closeouts are available if you look around. Just remember most are "no returns." (heh, heh, heh.....she can't make you take it back...heh, heh, heh....) Good luck... Tom B. (LongLine) ps. don't call me sir. pps. My quarter jar is nearly full, I think I hear JayVee's calling me.....

You really don't need more of these if one already has control of the checkbook. As I've said before, just buy her a 99 cent candy bar. Tax takes it over a buck. Pay with $2. Save the change in a jar down in the shop. Repeat 100 times & you got enough for a good rod & reel. Look through the tackle section, Musky made a good mast & there's plans in there someplace for bOARds. Welcome to the board, Tom B. (LongLine)

Tree top - It's amazing what's up there between the bridge & the 2nd turn north. Caught a nice walleye in there last year. (same lure) nice fish, Tom B. (LongLine)

It was a season of memories for me, I can't decide between 4: A solo two-banger on light line: Some of these guys: (Natural repro king shakers) Some of these: (Atlantics) And of course the free DW SS from JaVee’s when I told them REELJERKS sent me and it turned out to be the hot lure for me this season. (Thanx again Mark) Tom B. (LongLine)

KG - Ran the 200 Lb for a while because of fear of losing probe. My advice ...don't. 200 has a tremendous blowback difference over the 150. Tom B. (LongLine)

Happ B'Day FT Tom B. (LongLine)

Mine don't need it but when it does.... That really looks nice Bill. Tom B. (LongLine)

Yoda - I agree with Rolmops. A dealer should know better than to store a boat nose down, especially around here this time of year. Much less giving you a too small trailer. What was their explanation for moving the bunks & axle? & not the winch stand? i.e. get them top admit the trailer is too small. I'd definitely be talking to the boat manufacturer about this dealership & let them know they'll be getting some demerits or even a black-eye because of this dealer. Tom B. (LongLine)

So I see some marks on the screen at 70 ft down & I start thinking: Are the fish directly under the boat? Hmmm…They might be at the edge of the cone and really be only at 65 Ft down. Hmmm…But I want the ball just a little higher than the fish. Should I let my weight down till the counter says 62 ft? Hmmm…But I have to let out more due to blowback….But…my cannon ball tracks deeper than my fish weight so I better bring it up a couple feet. On the other hand, I’ve only got 100 ft of cable on the rigger so with the smaller diameter spool; I better let out a couple feet more because I know my counter is going to be off. But if I’m heading East, I’m going into the general current so I may have underwater blowback that I can’t see and so I better let it down a couple feet….Hmmm…on the other hand….. Obviously after I couple hours of this, I start thinking: If only I had changed the angle of the transducer a little so I could see the ball, I could of “bounced the ball†right off the fishes head and concentrated more on lure presentation (color, size, etc) than where I was going to set the rigger. HIH Welcome to the board Tom B. (LongLine)

WARNING: The following picture may be unsuitable for fishermen..... . . . (Boy did I have to look for this one. Knew I had one. Now if I can get that garbage color off of it.....hmmm...) Tom B. (LongLine)

Take care stan. It's been a good season. Do us a favor & keep the snow out there for a couple more months, okay? (or at least only in the woods) Tom B. (LongLine)

Tim - Labor day '84 got a 34 Lb'r flatlining a or/slvr cleo off the genny with 6 Lb, 6'6" Cherrywood and Mitchell 300. Had to chase him almost to Russell. (And I haven't caught anything on a cleo since they took the mermaid off.) Tom B. (LongLine)