Nalod

Speaking of the NMA... I was fortunate to meet a few of the NMA members last year at their BBQ fundraiser. Can you guys tell me a little bit more about the association? Are the meetings closed to members only? If so, can you pay your dues at the door, or do they have to be paid in advance of meetings? I feel like the NMA is in my back yard, so I am second guessing myself why I have not joined before. Thanks guys, --Joe

I have decided that this year I would like to add to my arsenal lead core. Just one issue...I know nothing about it! Anyone interested in shedding some light on the topic for me? I have so many questions, I do not know which ones I should ask first...they range from: - is 100 yards (10 colors) enough? - does the lead core take a lot of space on the reel that a larger sized reel is necessary? - what kinds of poles are needed? Are there specific rods for lead core, or do you just go with a rod with X height, Y strength, and Z action? - is 65# lead core still the weapon of choice? - etc. etc. Thanks in advance for any wisdom that can be shared on this topic! --Joe

Alright, I just registered. Im in! --Joe

Really nice looking Zach! Every lure you show looks amazing...and then a few weeks later you come through with pictures of new lures that top the last batch. The scary part is that they always look better in person --Joe

Larry, Even though the snow slowed everything down, it really did sound like a great time! I am extremely excited for next weekend's trip down to the Butler show. See you there! --Joe

Larry - I am very sorry to hear your news. My prayers are with you and your family. --Joe

Wow Bob. Happy to hear that everyone is okay. --Joe

Zach's new paint job is called "Blood Trail" and it is the most authentic looking injured fish paint job you will ever see! Glad to hear that you are okay. --Joe

Chad asked me what he should get you for your birthday and I told him another carton of smokes! Happy Birthday! --Joe

I have to agree with you old man. Below is a link to an image of fish that can be caught in chautauqua and the surrounding area. I found it on the Happy Hooker's website. http://www.happyhookerbaitshop.com/chau ... lake-fish/ --Joe

Oops! Well, I like "The Baker Show" better, so I will keep calling it that! --Joe

I agree that it is a little too close to christmas and many people's wallets may be tight or just empty! I would wait a little bit. Here is another suggestion... I believe you are going to the Baker show. Why not get a few lures between you guys and do a raffle at the show? If you sell them a buck a ticket (and 6 tickets for $5), you might get more money for the fund since people can easily throw in a few bucks to try for some of these amazing baits! I would be willing to help find raffle tickets that could be use for something like this. Thoughts? --Joe

Merry Christmas everyone! --Joe

Here is my 2 cents on rod holders: I started off using plastic rod holders for my trolling. They were fine at the beginning, but my new poles started to bend them too much. I switched to Down-East (with the double clamps) and am really loving them! It took a few trips to satisfy me that they will not pop on their own and now I have total confidence in them. --Joe

Nice fish Nitro...congrats on your first Lake Erie musky! --Joe

As long as I can fish them in the winter, I am all for changes to the regs. I have always been catch and release for this species. --Joe

Happy Birthday Jerry! <<>> --Joe

Just to reiterate what Nitro said... Musky season closes this Tuesday (30th of November). It will reopen on the 3rd Saturday of June. --Joe

I remember the first time I had to cut a hook...we had Rapala hook cutters on the boat. When we cut the hook, the hook cut off along with the one side of the cutter breaking in half! --Joe

Old Man, I am glad that you are all stitched up and in the healing process. At least you were able to test out the lures before the accident happened! here is hopes for a speedy recover, --Joe

Chad and I decided to go brave the stiff morning winds on Saturday and try our luck on Chautauqua. We got there a little late, but still launched and headed up to the flats for a little casting. I have made him do a lot of trolling in the recent weeks. I owed him this casting trip! At the end of our first pass, I noticed a weird wake getting created behind my bucktail and then saw the head of a beast. This musky had no interest in following my lure, but just wanted a meal. He engulfed the lure and the fight began. The fight was amazing with a lot of line pulled off, great head shakes, and even a couple barrel rolls. You could really see the strength and size of this fish all throughout the fight. I was happy when we got this one in the net though. Once netted, the lure actually fell off in the net. Wow! It was my personal best at 49" and 24" girth. I knew we could pinch the tail to get to 50", but I want my first 50" to be easily over the mark. It was caught on Mike Sperry's Wooly Bully bucktail in the black and green pattern. The release also went better than I expected. I was nervous that the length of the fight would have taken a lot out of this one, but I was wrong. Once I put her in the water, she was ready to go. Actually, I am still shaking! This was an amazing experience that I will never forget. --Joe

a 50" musky to mount next to that 38lb king? --Joe

I was actually surprised that Chad did not ask if I wanted to fish between midnight and 6AM and then driver to the wedding. I am going to be that the idea crossed his mind! --Joe

I really wanted to go last year, but Chad talked me into doing an Ice Fishing contest...while we were on the ice, Chad said that he would have preferred to have gone to the Butler show! I have an inkling that I will be able to talk him into take a quick road trip --Joe

Everyone has a humbling fishing trip. Mine was last week, but not just because of the fishing. We started the trip (Saturday) with a Tornado hitting Mayville. I was first upset that I was not out before it happened to test if Musky bite better before or after a Tornado. I know Larry Jones was out there, so I will have to hear what he says about the bite. I ended getting the boat in the water for the first time on Monday morning. I met Larry on the lake and followed a similar pattern he was using. It really was amazing to watch such an amazing fisherman do his thing on the lake! I was not able to get a bite on the morning troll, but it was still a great learning experience and fun to watch Larry's charter get 2 hits while I was in the area! I lost my early week fishing partner on Monday afternoon and decided to spend time with the family and take them into the bays to do a little pan/bass fishing. That is when the boat decided that pan fishing was what it wanted to do. On Wednesday morning, the trip back to the cottage was pretty stressful. The motor just did not want to kick into gear. I ended up using the trolling motor all the way back (thanks to the new battery!) BlueEye arrived Wednesday afternoon to complete the week fishing for Musky, but he was in for a surprise. We ended up taking the boat (slowly) to the nearest launch...and yes, a storm came through when we were doing this. After checking everything that we know on the motor, we finally took the motor into the Chautauqua Marina for some repair. We met with Lou Clamente Jr and his father. They did everything they could without ordering new parts, but had no luck. We ended up renting the Marina's fishing boat for the morning and did a quick fishing trip that way. The boat was a lot nicer than I would have expected, but small beams and long lines make it easy for tangles! We did not have any luck in the morning. Everyone was struggling and giving a lot of thumbs down on the water. Looks like the Wednesday Night storm really flipped the lake. The trip did not lead to any new pictures to share, but was again a great learning experience. Also, I really cannot say enough great things about Chautauqua Marina and the Lou's! They really took care of us and we really appreciate it. When the boat gets fixed back up, I will be taking a redemption weekend trip! --Joe