Sk8man

Ted they both work well but I know sometimes the F-7-9's work better than the J-7 -9's early in the season for some folks for the browns but I like letting the fish sort it out by trying one of each and seeing which they prefer. The J-9-11's work too and I think they tolerate speed changes better than the solids and I generally start going larger (J-11's) as the Spring progresses such that when the sawbellies are in spawning they tend to match up better with the adult size of the bait.

One of the things that strikes me after listening to Longbows very unfortunate experience is that probably every marina out there has at one time or another had a negative result but most have a lot more positives and especially when they have good mechanics working for them. The really unfortunate thing is if you are that one person who happens to have it happen it leaves a very sour taste in your mouth despite your being in that less than 1 percent of the folks that had work done. It is also true of the motors and boats themselves kinda like cars....there are always "lemons" out there and if you are unlucky to get one it is a terrible experience. I guess the important thing is to keep things in perspective too.... Longbow gives us a good example of when things don't go as planned but over the long haul most of the things come out right and business reputations are important in this regard. Although I didn't buy my boat at Arney's (they don't deal in Whaler's ) I have been familiar with them since the 1970's and I have known many folks and close friends who have done business with them and John Love in particular and I have never heard a bad word about the business or him.

Good quality ball bearing swivel (e.g. Spro) (#2, 3) for most things and larger for terminal of wire dipseys. I use Duo Lock snaps in stead of coast locks on the ball bearing swivels for the very reason you mentioned - rounded wider angle for the lures for full action capability. Sorry but I don't have the numbers handy but Cabela's has the stuff.

I agree about the things said regarding size limits and daily catch restriction. As far as the desirability of pike as an eating fish i would suggest that first of all most fish depend heavily on the way and amount of time they are cooked, and before that the way they are handled beforehand. Another critical factor is whether they come out of cold vs warm water. Pike can be truly delicious even large ones when filleted properly and coming from cold water and in fact despite walleyes being one of my favorites I'd take a large pike over a large walleye for eating although I no longer keep ANY pike because of the already mentioned factors. The biggest factor in people maligning the pike for food is usually the amount of bones encountered when filleting them conventionally. They are a supreme predator in the warm water fishery and hopefully will make a comeback as they have been here through the normal cycles at least since the ice age or before and are invaluable in keeping other species within limits.

You certainly had your priorities in the right place (family first) I wish you the best of luck in the upcoming season.

I think that is what is is about.....products that contain lead are and have been under government scrutiny for a long time as possible carcinogens as well as regarding lead poisoning and probably companies are worried about either potential litigation or maybe some tax applied to the stuff (either in transportation, labeling or here in NYS etc. I know I don't like handling raw lead directly and always cast my weights and sinkers outside and then coated them with Plastidip so that I wouldn't be exposed to it handling them.

I would echo Capt. Vince's comment. They are a truly spectacular fish and deserve a great future. Mother Nature sometimes finds or creates her own solutions that we sometimes don't see in advance. Lets hope this is one of those situations.