Sk8man

I have to hand it to you Johnny....you are really "hard core" to be out in this stuff . I toyed i with the idea of going after the perch today but punked out and opted for in front of the fireplace

Jason- Your view is a common one. The major problem with it though is something called "reality". The reality is that the larger stores don't give a rats butt about you or the "product" or the product lines for that matter. All that is important to them is the bottom line of their profit margin ...they are basically like "hookers" they do whatever "sells" and that meets their target goal for profitability at that particular time. If you look closely overtime they start out with a wide selection of potential items which draws people in then after a while they don't seem to carry the things that brought you there in the first place because those items didn't sell enough volume and that is what it is all about selling volume not particular items that people specifically come there for. It is all about selling as much as they can of various items and if those items don't meet their "targets" for profitability they delete them regardless of whether specific "regular" customers desire them. One somewhat exception to this that I am aware of is Wegman's for they will order stuff if you request the product but even in that case it will probably disappear if there isn't enough general demand. Dealing with small businesses you tend to have more input once you develop a relationship with the proprietor and they may even be amenable to "custom" ordering from their suppliers....they are much more "customer" oriented and that is a major reason for supporting them.

Thanks Rick. Another very interesting article that may relate to some of the posts here about the balance of bait and salmon can be found here....it is worth reading too. http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2011/04/collapse_of_lake_huron_salmon.html#incart_related_stories

Sean you hit on a great topic and nobody is offended. I think it is important to discuss this type of thing as many of the folks who run these businesses are "our" folks and these big store chains have pushed out many small businesses narrowing considerably the variety of products available and basically doing away with the personal aspects of doing business. Most of the clerks in the bigger chains barely look at you (if at all) and if asked 30 seconds after you left for a description of you they wouldn't know whether you were male or female let alone anything else. Fishy and Mike (Hills valleys and Streams) and Jason (Great Lakes Lures) are very experienced competent fishermen aside from their business relationship so there are important things to be gained from interacting (e.g. information, tips, suggestions) not just a matter of handing somebody a credit card or cash and walking away. This is the kind of thing that is vitally important in today's fast paced and highly impersonal environment.

I feel the same about Hills Valley and Streams.....I am seldom down that way but if so I will surely frequent it. Some of my friends have done business there and all good reports. These are the kind of businesses we need to support. The buyers for a lot of the big stores have probably never had a rod in their hand (or at least not a fishing rod)

Fishy is dead right.....and for a small business he has the right approach...and we do need to support that ...not the "Ganders of the world.... he stocks the stuff that fishermen actually use because he is a good fisherman himself. I highly recommend anyone to check out his store over near the Keuka State Park. He also has a good stock of Honey bee lures that are very hard to find these days and are deadly on browns.

I wouldn't waste any money on lottery tickets though

I run mine on various 8 ft. downrigger rods...the flexible tip gives things some action and yet the base has enough backbone when fighting them.

Good news and great to know that there still are some honest good folks out there....too often you hear the opposite.

Happy Birthday Dick...and many happy returns. I think you made the right choice today too.....the same one I would have made have to take advantage of things before the weather turns sour (soon)

"We the people" now reads "We the sheeple" When I enlisted in the military at age 18 just as Vietnam was starting up I was proud to be a "New Yorker" and represent our state but today I am ashamed and embarrassed to be living in this police state where the Constitution is viewed as an irrelevant document and greed and personal power and political ambition are the name of the game. Eastern Idaho is looking much more promising right now.....

I hope to God we can get this tyrant out of office before everyone has to move out of state....down state and NYC is where the true problem liesin terms of getting him out

Just a thought but you need to keep waders and rubber products away from natural gas sources (e.g. cellar furnace etc.) and extreme heat sources when storing or rubber products will break down.

Ivan - you cleared it up for me....no offense taken and your point is well taken. The muskie fishery is a very different 'animal" in that sense than most and I fully agree with your second post. Thanks. Les

"No offense intended, but if you aren't a serious, dedicated muskie angler, you probably don't have enough personal investment and experience to understand." Ivan - I'm pretty certain that many if not most of the anglers on this site fish for a variety of species and although exclusive muskie fishermen probably already know how to release fish in general there are many anglers that are new to or perhaps inexperienced in catch and release that frequent this website. My comments/suggestions were directed primarily to them. To infer that because someone does not fish exclusively for muskies they wouldn't "understand" is rather elitist. I know they are relatively uncommon, elusive and difficult to consistently catch and that they require somewhat different "handling" techniques (even just because of their teeth ) but the things I suggested are generally appropriate for ANY freshwater or salt water species.

I think the answer resides in yourself. You do what is best for the fish and its survival given the conditions at hand. As long as you have done your best to accomplish that it doesn't matter what others say. Every situation is different the basic thing is to not handle (or manhandle) fish any more than absolutely necessary and to avoid placing them in known detrimental positions ( e.g. hands or fingers in the gill area, held vertically, or held for inordinate amount of time out of water) and gently allowing the fish to sufficiently recover before releasing them in the water. I try to never actually touch fish unnecessarily if they are small and release them with needle nose pliers applied to single hooks and if holding fish I support them underneath and hold above the tail while keeping them horizontal.