Gill-T

Hey Sean, consider a muzzle loader hunt. Early season so lots of elk are still on public land and still bugelling. You won't have to worry so much about those freak early snow storms either.

Last weekend there was some gentle chasing. None this weekend. If we extrapolate out 30 days from last weekend that would make first week in November the best time to be in the woods.....but that is the case every year. Time of the year for the rut doesn't really change year-to-year, its the weather. You would not want to go for a jog in a winter coat either so if it is warm...you just are not going to see a lot of daytime rutting activity. I don't get too crazy with moon phases etc. To me it is more simple, if the moon is out, the deer can see better and therefore can chase easier at night. With a new moon, they can't see as well in the dark, so they are more likely to go lookin during daylight hours. The moon does not directly have an influence like it does with werewolves IMO

What do you mean "IF" you go. After all my windbagging.....you are going. I expect a two page write-up with pictures by the end of the day tomorrow.

You being a walleye fisherman, you should have some deep diving firetiger thundersticks? Use those if you try inside.. Steelhead spoons.......anything silver and orange up high......silver and blue down low. Since you don't have a downspeed unit, troll 3-3.25 mph GPS in a NE heading should have your spoons running correct. With these warm temps target 50' -90' down over 250' to start. Need anymore micromanagement?

I would doubt there is much game around the piers so don't spend much time there. Start in 250' and watch the graph. Kings will be 70-150+ down. Look for the bottom of the bait pods and put your baits there and the water 20' below. Steelhead will be up higher so leadcore off the boards will work for them. If you are not marking or catching much try jetting out to 400"+ and fish a little higher. Give us your report if you go.

West Marine sells as it's own brand of cleaner w/wax that I use. Starbrite and Maquires make wash and wax products also.

Nice mass. Goofy brows.....I don't think I have ever seen brows like that. I am going to start taking my bow when I jog around the block!

My boat was on a yellow pattern from early spring til the boat was pulled at the end of August. Yellow NBK's, hammer flies with yellow glow beads, mountain dew colored paddles etc. Don't know why....don't care. I got on a yellow theme and went with it. Murphy's law dictates that next year it will be some other color.

Anyone seeing them while out in the woods? Drumming? What type of cover are you finding early birds in? Been hitting all the usual areas and notta!! Tons of berries, apples, etc. so food is not an issue. Hope this is not another down year, my dog needs to taste feathers! Posted here hoping bowhunters may be flushing birds.

line-counter model?

You can get a lot of boat for little coin on later model carvers. The ones that I have been around have had issues with the fly bridge flooring getting soggy and need repair/replacement. Can't offer any other advise.

I would have to say after losing 2 or 3 balls, you might have considered you might have been doing something wrong with your termination???? I tie a trilene knot to a termination swivel....no break-offs. If Tom Burke is using something....I tend to pay attention.

The flea/braid issue is not that big of a deal. I just flick the line as it is coming in on the rigger and/or run the line thru my fingers. I have converted. I would agree that fish might be attracted to the hum of cables. I replaced one rigger with braid to try it and that rigger was always silent. The outdown next to it with steel cable caught fish 10:1. But after listening to the underwater acoustics of the wire cable hum on Capt. John King's website, you realize how obnoxious and loud the hum is in the water. What if older/bigger fish have learned to avoid the noise....esp. in ports that are pounded regularly? So this year I went all-in with braid and noticed now my center rigger started producing again and my fish were bigger. Experiment still in progress. If you are going to do it, replace all the rigger cables to braid IMO.

No that is your typical fish pose face. You look like one of the "all night bottle tippers" found out there. Glad your back in the saddle again......least you can't sink while on the pier.