zach

Yeah, John Snow is the inspiration a lot of us guys have. On another note, I was just contacted by MuskieGuy from Ohio and in April they are doing a month long lure profile on my baits. They contacted me and I am freakin' thrilled! I also was sent an invite to do the Michigan Musky Show (it's by invite only) next year along with the Ohio show that is coming up soon. These people contacted me and I think it's so cool. I am so excited for this next year it isn't even funny! You guys have seen me from the start and it's neat to have this venture taking off!

That is true Gambler and I am surely guilty of it. I will be more careful in the future for the fisheries sake. Once again, I am guilty of it and for some stupid reason think its just us guys reading this and that but in reality it is for everyone to see even if I intend it to be or not. It's the internet and I should know better. I have a real love hate w/ that lake anyways and lets leave it at that, there are much better places to go if you want to catch muskies. She can be way more fickle than bigger lakes like Chautauqua which I think has more 40"+ muskies than anywhere east of Lake Saint Clair. Thats really the place to go to get fish IMO. I love that lake! Thanks for making me more aware, I should have been from the start.

Greg, Since you have only seen a plug or two from me here are a couple pics- I see no reason they wouldn't catch fish in your area and at the very least you know they haven't seen these before and I find that helps.

Pick and choose your arguments carefully bud, we all know how you feel and and its too bad that Albany doesn't want to change the size limit for us. We can try to change things but we need higher size limits on that lake as most fish I have seen killed are less than 40". Learn from my past mistakes bud-

Bty I didn't mean that Wiley's and those other plugs are built in basements. They are professional companies unlike me, I am as small time as they come. Maybe thats good or maybe thats bad but its just the way it is.

I am not too sure that those MOJO's are USA built. Can't go wrong w/ any of those. Check out Bluegrass Musky rods also. Crash Mullins just came out w/ them and have heard nothing but good things.

Sure, I don't have anything ready now but am getting ready for another bait making spree, don't forget that Bob M from BM Shad (Ohio) sent me some baits to donate. Bob's baits catch fish and are handmade one at a time in Akron, Ohio. Quality stuff if you aren't familiar w/ them or haven't fished them. I have some in my box, Solgrande has some, Cpt Larry has some, do you? Bob is a great guy and donates even though he lives in Ohio and doesn't have to do anything for us, he is just making sure we have something for the future. Thats called "passing it on" and his generosity is very much appreciated! I am honored to know him and think if you try one of his plugs you'd be happy. I will do anything I can to raise $ for us, as we all benefit from something like this. I will do a foil or two and will get started later today. Great idea Larry and with Stan Durst's help we should be able to do this and pull it off nicely. I was thinking about sending a BM Shad and one of mine down to Stan to have him work his magic as we all have different painting styles and it shows. Stan isn't going to be painting forever so maybe his plugs would be considered "collectors items"? I have no idea but let's do this! We have some great people around us that always seem willing to support us in these auctions and I hope we do it for years to come, you have my support.

Am I allowed to answer? lol. We have some really good guys that are near legends in our area. Do you fish Wiley's? Great, great plug. Toothy makes one heck of a plug also that catches fish. If we move down to include all the PA guys, we have Leo's, Newmans, Legend Perchbaits and Dale Wiley's plugs. I think all of these except for the perchbaits can be really tough to get. I know I wouldn't sell some of my Wiley's, some are just magic and I hope to hand them down to my kid if they aren't totally chewed up by then. We have some really nice bait makers in our area and we are lucky to even have access to them honestly. Greg- some of us around here know your name even though you are 1/2 way across the USA. As for me- I am just a small time guy- making plugs one at a time. Never skipping a step and never speeding things up just get them done. I try hard b/c I have wasted $1,000's of dollars just to find a few plugs I like and run the way I want them to. For me, my staples are- Wiley's and Perchbaits along w/ the baits I make here at home. Can I turn the question around on you? What are some MI plugs you do well on that we may not know about?

Well thats a cool story!

When my father and I used to do the fly-in outpost trips to Canada we tried just about all of the spoons out there. We ended up using the 1 oz Mepps Cyclops in bright colors (orange) as it seemed to catch us the most fish. Just my 2 cents but they all catch fish at the right times.

Oh, come on Ronix, doesn't everyone have that much for a specialty rod? lol. I wish I could get a St. Croix, maybe one day. Split grips look nice but don't think you "have" to have one. For the $ it is very tough to beat the Gander Mtn 8'6" heavy. Casting and trolling for like $50 or $60 (2 year warranty) but no cool split grip. Just my 2 cents and I would be scared to stick that into my down easters b/c of the nice cork getting all beat to heck.

I am in need of signing up myself +1. Need to sell some baits first though to pay for it.

Thanks guys, Bob- that green on is my version of a Miller Perch. They are always works in progress and have changed so much from the beginning.

Trying to get the ole man (my dad) interested in it to come w/ me.

Finally out of the painting room to rejoin my family. They almost forgot who I was until I started to complain and then they knew it was really me. The fins are new. I like them but I don't think the fish really care. Talk about a pain in the @ss, the fins are almost like starting a whole new paint job in themselves. I know all my baits for myself this coming year will have fins on them just b/c I like the look. These baits are starting to come along and have changed so much since I started making them. Starting to get better and I am almost happy w/ a few of these paint jobs. I am my own worst critic, maybe one day I will paint the perfect plug? Who knows? Until then I will just keep "PLUGGING AWAY"

Most of us musky guys have seen that pic and 100's just like them. Fish get killed, its just a matter of fact. I try to not kill them even though I had a fish die on me in Sept. Second time it ever happened to me in 17 years of musky fishing. How many swan away that we released died a day or two later? I used to freak out every time I saw a musky killed but have sort of chilled out on that as every person has the RIGHT to keep a legal fish if they choose during the harvest season. Sucks but thats the way the laws are wrote. Yes most people release 100% of their fish as I try to do but don't go freaking out about people killing fish from places you don't even fish. I used to and it got me no where. Do your best to educate people and your best to release your fish but things can still go wrong. Most big fish attack the bait very violently from my experiences which can lead to having to cut hooks and a longer time trying to release that fish. In a perfect world no one would kill our muskies but just remember how far we have come. When I started musky fishing- man you should have seen all the dead fish I saw everywhere from Chautauqua, Waneta to the Georgian Bay. We have some a long way and fishing is better than ever so let's just enjoy that, try to educate others and just have a good time. Why do we honestly care if someone kills a fish from a place we don't fish other than the fear that someone might do that to "our" lake? Doesn't really effect you directly unless you fish the same waters. Just my $0.02. Gotta love winter time and the same discussions we have year after year. Take care and stay warm guys!

We have tried and it is a work in progress. How about the time I was fishing Waneta a couple years ago and they had the Red Cross- Catch and Kill Musky Tourney? I called everyone, and everyone from Larry Jones to Joe Bucher called and had it stopped. I have a love hate relationship with that lake and every time I am ready to throw her in the bag- she spits up a good fish for me. I did 4 over 47" this year from that lake but also fished my @ss off. I love Waneta and hate her at the same time. This next summer Ronix- get a hold of me and we can meet up at Waneta and I'll take you out and show you the lake. It's up to you to get a hold of me though.

I don't know about all that but I was thinking that for $75 an inch I can advertise in the back of Musky Hunter but not yet, way too soon for that. I don't advertise really at all and I get a few orders a week and that keeps me busy enough. I have been posting a few pics on muskiefirst and this is where I get 95% of my orders from. Yeah- excited to get into that shop, they sell only wood baits and most are made right there in West Virginia I was told, so I thought that was cool. They don't carry big name plastic lures like Jakes, Depth Raiders, only handmade wood baits. They carry the Jones Baits, The Widowmakers, The Hughes River's, Crane's, Grim Reaper's and other really nice stuff so I took that as a huge compliment and was happy that to "try them out" they ordered 20. They said if some fish are caught on them and people like them they will make a bigger order in the future. I have also been thinking about another thing I have talked to a guy named Mike Baratta about. He is friends with Jim who owns Rollie and Helen's and Mike wrote like 3 volumes Drifter's book on trolling depths of musky cranks and used to work from Joe Bucher Outdoors so thats how they know each other. Mike said he can get me into the Rollie and Helen's if I want to make a ton of baits. I don't know if I could handle something like that as I am still such a rookie in so many ways but it is very flattering to hear. Who knows, I have to make a decision shortly as they will be making the new 2011 catalog soon so I have something to really think about. It's all been so neat the way this is going and I have gotten so much better at making them in so many ways and am still waiting to fall on my face at any time now as it seems too good. Who knows, not me?

Yeah that was the lake. Myself, I am looking at Cowanesque before that one for my own fishing though, still interested? I am really thinking about going back to Cave Run/ Green River sometime this spring, I know Cpt Larry is interested in going for the PMT. I just got my baits in the "Husky Musky Shop" in West Virginia and was invited down that way to do some stream fishing this spring for those muskies and also have an invite to fish the New River from another guy. Sounds like a cool fishing trip to me. I have always wanted to drift down some small river casting for muskies and this may be my chance. If you go down to PA this spring- drag me along! I have some bass crankbait bodies covered in blood from my router accident so I have given up on those for right now. I did make my step-father a topwater prop bait for fishing the bass ponds in southern Illinois. He moved down there in November and loves fishing those smaller farm ponds for big bass so here is a bait I made as a gift. They have lots of shad down there and hopefully some of those bass eat this bait. This is my first completed wooden bass bait and it is a 3" body, triple prop with tons of hardware. Not used to working on that small of bait.

I am not sure about the Road Rules but I am getting ready for the Butler Show. I doubt I am going to make that many "glitter's" but if you want one I would be more than happy to get something started. I have lots of new colors and am getting excited.

The finger is 100x better but when I was working w/ 9 digits I couldn't foil any baits so I messed around w/ doing a solid glitter base. Shine? Yes. Something different and you can bet a $1 that at least one of those walleye colors is going in my box for next year. I have done lots of foils but these are my first "glitters". I like them a lot and will make more in the future when I have time to just mess around. Getting cabin fever and need to get on the water but thats all of us right? Glitter Walleye- I bet I could do the same background for a $9 also. Glitter Shad for Cave Run down south in KY Glitter Perch Trying to pass the time until spring so I guess I'll go make some more baits. What do you think about these glitters? Better or worse than foils?

If these Asian carp were brought here from Asia as a food source why isn't anyone eating them. I think originally they came from farms that raised them for food but during the floods these carp escaped. I honestly heard in a blind taste test that people preferred these Asian carp over tuna fish. I know, it sounds nasty but if we could make them a major food source and net the crap outta them couldn't we feed the country? I know this wouldn't wipe them out completely but it might take a few million pounds of these fish out of our waterways. I have heard that in Chicago they gave it a cool name, something like "Singapore Bass" and people ate it up. I am not a carp eater but look at the closest homeless shelter and think of all the people we could feed for almost nothing. I will volunteer to shoot some if given the chance. It would be so much fun!

Just payed for the clinic and a table! Can't wait!

Holy crap Larry, I guess when it rains it pours. Best luck on the trip and of course only the best wishes. It is something that a lot of us may be able to relate to. Travel safe b/c I still got a lot to learn from you. The Baker's

Yeah, thats what I get for trying to make a 3" bass crankbait w/ power tools. I knew it was too small to use the router on but tried anyways. No more small bass cranks in my future w/ the table I have. If it was bigger I wouldn't have had a problem but I had the great idea of making some bass baits. Oh, that idea was great! So with Solgrande's recent experience- us musky guys aren't safe at the house or on the roads. Man I hate winter.