Gator

Same, but we landed ours - a five pound steelhead. The marks are enough to drive you crazy.

I'm thinking that I read recently about either a strain swap or some outcrossing at the hatchery meant to improve browns - can't recall the exact details. Maybe Dave should put ribeye and MacCallan 18 on the menu for the award ceremony to make up for the boards that have been eliminated or failed to be filled over the past couple years.

I found a post from Legacy where he recommends 200' of mono for a Okuma 30 size reel, which should be similar, and there's some folks who say that the mono will help "soften" the pressure against the spool. It may also reduce slippage. I did however also find this old thread specifically regarding Saltist 30 reels and wire from 12 years ago (where I posted!): Hence, it's possible that either answer will suffice and it's a flip of a coin thing. Here's an idea. Put the wire onto one reel first, then fill it to where you're comfortable with mono, paying attention to how much you use. Then transfer it between reels to the second one, mono first. Make sure to put on the pressure as you spool the wire so that it doesn't bind on itself under the blistering run of a big king! And let us know how much mono it takes.

Nope, should be good

I can't imagine not tipping, particularly for good service - guides and carpet installers alike. I've fished a bunch in places where the tip was larger than the cost of the trip, simply because of the economics of the situation. It feels good to give folks who bust a$$ something extra for their effort. That having been said, the only time I didn't tip was on a party boat out of LA Sport Fishing Harbor. We fished the Catalina islands, and I caught a drum in the first hour that ended up winning the pool. The kicker was that the boat got hung up on something on the bottom, and we couldn't fish for four out of those six hours as the captain maneuvered trying to get free. Except that as it turned out, we were hung on an old Navy anchor, and we could have gotten free anytime, but the price of salvage convinced the captain to attempt to recover the anchor. We were offered a "free" trip as compensation, but of course I was gone the next day. So the trip was no bueno. It gets better. On the ride in, the mate gave me my pool winnings, and it was significantly less than I'd expected, so I queried the sports onboard as to how many had entered. Well, virtually everybody got in. So I asked the captain whether the pool got split with the boat. No. Hence, when it came time to tip the mate, all things considered, I told him that what he'd skimmed off the pool should suffice as a tip. The guy just turned away and didn't say a word. I've had some poor outings over the years, but never another where I felt obliged not to tip.

Great News! I'm not completely sold on how effective this will be in the long run, but if you don't try, then it's a foregone conclusion. And maybe delay tactics will work until we come up with a better long term solution

Only a poor dancer blames his partner lol... Eventually I will get tired of my kayak and splash down myself. Until then, I look forward to picking out more Rapalas that won't catch fish.

This should be gone by this afternoon. I guess it was a popular item! Too bad nobody wants a couple of the other things I put on here a month or so ago lol. Just taking up space... My wife found what looks to be a new Loadstar ST205 75R14 tire and white rim in our front yard yesterday. No idea how it got there, but maybe it bounced off a truck? My Lund takes an ST215, so I have no use for it. I can't guarantee it's new, but it looks to be in great shape with zero rust on the rims and tire nibs on the rubber from the molding process. First one to grab it, it's theirs

It sounds like they are doing important work, but not as effectively as could be, and that there may be evolving mechanisms to improve the process that could be explored. I bet we can all get behind that!! Meliora!

Great idea!! With an app, they could survey a broader area. They’d have to calculate participation somehow. Back when I worked fisheries for Cornell in the ADK, I know they made us do stuff on the same day and place as previous years so they could compare with historical records. Maybe that’s why the guys are there? Agree it seems nonsensical at face value, but there’s likely some rationale, weak though it may be

Thank you for clarifying that for me lol. I think that if you don't argue both sides at times, then you are the extreme. Respectfully. And you don't tell somebody to shut the **** up respectfully. You are a googan. Chad, could you shut this down now?

Who cares? FYI, Republican here. Let's get back to talking about how (or whether) to support our fisheries.

My point is simply that we can choose where to cut back. If you oppose a thoughtful reduction in spending and don't want to argue for your priorities, then you put everything in the hands of the government to decide what gets cut and what doesn't. Do you trust them? Remember, the "other side" is going to be in power sooner or later. Fight for what you believe in. If you believe that fisheries science represents an appropriate place to save money, then so be it. I favor other mechanisms, but no need to bore anyone with details in this thread, which should remain focused on our fishery and decisions that impact it.

Fiscal responsibility is absolutely necessary, in government as in life. But just like I wouldn't burn my house down to save on the mortgage, a measured approach will lead to greater savings in the long run. We are not the first country to have this issue. There are examples of what works, and what doesn't. Always learning or never learning. Regardless, everyone should fight for what they believe in. Unless you are willingly donating your salary to the government, then you believe that you deserve to see the labors of your effort. I want to see my efforts in the form of taxes go toward things that I believe in. And if I lose, then I lose. That's the way the system works. But I'm still going to fight the battle. Honestly, I'm not sure this is a liberal-conservative thing. I'm conservative, but I'm still going to support our local fisheries research projects and personnel. I'm also going support a measured approach to fiscal prudence. I want some assurances that the juice will be worth the squeeze.

Most people I know don't work two jobs at 15 dollars an hour, since that's below minimum wage, but okay. And we inherited some money when my wife's father died. Thank you for noticing. Please don't make assumptions, and leave off with the personal stuff. This is a discussion on outdoor relevant decisions - and nobody is getting rich working fisheries. That's my point. Nuff said.

Yeah, Brian, sorry your girls lost lol!!! Does this qualify as $hit talking? I just couldn't help myself...now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

Uh, huh... Because research is soooo lucrative. Speaking from experience, folks don't do this sort of thing to get rich. I made $11,500 as a graduate student for five years, which DOUBLED to $22K when I became a postdoc. And there went ten years of my life. That's some gravy, eh? I'm guessing that the top end in fisheries sciences is way less than in biomedical research, too. These guys absolutely bring it, and we get more juice for the squeeze than we probably deserve. And cutting their funding is a drop in the bucket. It's focusing on pennies when we need thousands. The fiscal argument doesn't hold up. You don't cut your most effective employees just to save money. This is simply bad business (to speak in DJT terms).