Todd_NE
12-29-2001, 03:14 PM
I hope you folks have some things to add!
1. It's easy to fall into fishing memories, not conditions. I tell myself this over and over only to fish the same spot that was good last year, last time, etc. I gotta STOP that! The fish are biting somewhere - move!
2. Big jigs are more than "ok" sometimes. I've brainwashed myself into trying to always use the smallest jig possible, sometimes that extra little weight makes the fishing easier, bites better, and even results in bigger fish. (God bless the 5/8 and 1 oz Lindy Fuzzegrub, now if only TT would make the jowl style jig in 3/8 oz!)
3. Why the heck did I try to live without a GPS for so long (ok, maybe that tuition I'm paying) but get a GPS!
4. Every crankbait hanging in a store is my "Catcher in the Rye". Stop buying so many.
5. Taught myself to make one 3700 be my primary "on deck" tackle box for the day. I envision what I'll need, load it with the jigs, cranks, snaps, etc. Makes a much less cluttered boat.
6. It's the friends I fish with, not the fish I catch.
7. NOTHING beats taking a novice of any age fishing. Especially when the first walleye they catch in their whole life when they are 50 years old is 32.5" long on your trolling rod, on your spot, in your boat and they buy drinks for everyone later. When your brother's 25th or so walleye is 11#'s, that's good too! Or even having ol' Reelman (he of the 10,000 caught walleyes) in Manitoba with you and seeing him smack his personal best after driving all night from Iowa is good too. (I need to get those two fish up on the 10# board don't I)
8. If you want to catch trophy walleyes, go where the trophies are. Do NOT be afraid of windshield time if you want hogs and don't live on the shores of a hog factory.
9. Get out and fish for other species. I picked up a great float system from salmon fisherman this year. Even the saltwater tv shows teach me something. (Borrow ideas)
10. Don't assume someone knows how to back up your rig on the boat ramp.
11. I don't fish Lake McConahaughey nearly enough.
12. Planer boards without a "tattle flag" are a thing of the past.
13. Never work a sportshow booth next to Ted Nugent without a camera.
14. Give some of your tackle away to someone who needs it more than you do.
15. If you aren't doing a charity fishing trip, why not? I can't believe the fun I have while on my trip every year.
16. Remember to keep a rattling lure in with your trolling set even if the rattling lure isn't catching fish. Sometimes I think fish react to the "set" of lures as much as an individual lure.
17. Thank you to the beautiful ladies at Snake Creek after one tourney this summer who wanted us tourney guys to "Show us your Walleye". The trade was more than fair ladies.
18. My new years resolution is too learn how to catch stream trout, be more "fun" and less stressed on a boat during tournaments, be more open to others suggestions about new things to try, and finally get that degree finished so I'll be less grumpy at home.
1. It's easy to fall into fishing memories, not conditions. I tell myself this over and over only to fish the same spot that was good last year, last time, etc. I gotta STOP that! The fish are biting somewhere - move!
2. Big jigs are more than "ok" sometimes. I've brainwashed myself into trying to always use the smallest jig possible, sometimes that extra little weight makes the fishing easier, bites better, and even results in bigger fish. (God bless the 5/8 and 1 oz Lindy Fuzzegrub, now if only TT would make the jowl style jig in 3/8 oz!)
3. Why the heck did I try to live without a GPS for so long (ok, maybe that tuition I'm paying) but get a GPS!
4. Every crankbait hanging in a store is my "Catcher in the Rye". Stop buying so many.
5. Taught myself to make one 3700 be my primary "on deck" tackle box for the day. I envision what I'll need, load it with the jigs, cranks, snaps, etc. Makes a much less cluttered boat.
6. It's the friends I fish with, not the fish I catch.
7. NOTHING beats taking a novice of any age fishing. Especially when the first walleye they catch in their whole life when they are 50 years old is 32.5" long on your trolling rod, on your spot, in your boat and they buy drinks for everyone later. When your brother's 25th or so walleye is 11#'s, that's good too! Or even having ol' Reelman (he of the 10,000 caught walleyes) in Manitoba with you and seeing him smack his personal best after driving all night from Iowa is good too. (I need to get those two fish up on the 10# board don't I)
8. If you want to catch trophy walleyes, go where the trophies are. Do NOT be afraid of windshield time if you want hogs and don't live on the shores of a hog factory.
9. Get out and fish for other species. I picked up a great float system from salmon fisherman this year. Even the saltwater tv shows teach me something. (Borrow ideas)
10. Don't assume someone knows how to back up your rig on the boat ramp.
11. I don't fish Lake McConahaughey nearly enough.
12. Planer boards without a "tattle flag" are a thing of the past.
13. Never work a sportshow booth next to Ted Nugent without a camera.
14. Give some of your tackle away to someone who needs it more than you do.
15. If you aren't doing a charity fishing trip, why not? I can't believe the fun I have while on my trip every year.
16. Remember to keep a rattling lure in with your trolling set even if the rattling lure isn't catching fish. Sometimes I think fish react to the "set" of lures as much as an individual lure.
17. Thank you to the beautiful ladies at Snake Creek after one tourney this summer who wanted us tourney guys to "Show us your Walleye". The trade was more than fair ladies.
18. My new years resolution is too learn how to catch stream trout, be more "fun" and less stressed on a boat during tournaments, be more open to others suggestions about new things to try, and finally get that degree finished so I'll be less grumpy at home.