As someone else commented on his youtube page, the line really should pass through the eye of the hook.  Still, i can see this being a handy little device, primarily because you have something bigger to hold on to.

I sent a note to R. Murphy concerning their Fisherman's Pal knife.  I suggested they add a lanyard hole to the pommel.

This is what I got back:

Good Afternoon,

Thank you so much for reaching out to us.  R. Murphy Company has been in business since 1850 and we love to hear from our customers. 

We will take your suggestion under consideration.

I hope that you will enjoy the Fisherman’s Pal.

Thank you

Maureen

R. Murphy Company, Inc.

>>

We'll see if it that is a polite way of telling me to bugger-off or if it was an actual sincere reply.  What really got me was the 1850 date!  Another old American knife company!

I trust everyone who decided to go fishing today is obeying the rules.  Remember today is Throwback Thursday so anything you catch today has to be thrown back!

Dang it!   The charter was cancelled due to weather.  Only one thing to do when stuff like that happens.  I guess I'll go fishing.

That's too bad Tobias!  Will you reschedule?  I was looking forward to pictures of your catch!

Darn!  OK tell us how the new bike setup works?

first I'm going to run out a get some top water lures for the ultralight to see how that goes.

My wife and I went to Powder Horn today.    Very windy so it was a challenge to get the lure out with the Ultra Light but as I just bought a new Rebel Wee Crawfish I wanted to try it out.  It seemed to swim well. 

We wife was using a medium weight rod  with a jig and also not getting anything.

Later I switched to medium weight rod and switched to a worm, going down in the weeds but still nothing.    I asked around and everyoen else was having about the same luck.  

My brother in law was on a lake across the border in Indiana and having the same results.  

My guess is the weather has just been to goofy and the fish just aren't biting.   We're thinking of trying again tomorrow, on the other nearby lake (Wolf Lake) later in the day and possibly switching to live or stink bait.  Plastic just ain't cutting it.

Still we had fun trying and we weren't in the house!

I talked with a couple of the folks around here and just too much lightning for anyone to go out today

Tobias, a bad day fishing is better than a good day working!  LOL

Today's fishing tip for the week.

So you look outside the window and you can just feel it in the air.  It's a perfect day to go fishing!  The weather is perfect, you've checked the local fishing forecast and your best fishing buddy just called and told you the local fishing hole hot!    

Unfortunately it is a work day! And you're not inclined to lying about being sick just so you can go fish.  It just wouldn't be right. 

My Fishing tip-- Choose your words carefully.   Don't call in and say you're sick   Tell work "I think I might be catching something.  I don't want anyone else to catch what I'm catching so I'm not coming in today."

 And if you catch something when you go back to work and they ask if you're better or if you caught something you can say "Yes I caught something but I'm feeling great today!  And if you didn't catch anything, you can just tell them.  " I think there was something fishy in my  water but I'm over it now!"

If they ask about symptoms  or what you caught just say "I'd rather not talk about it.   What I can say is I really needed to go the bathroom, if you know what I mean!"  (They don't have to know the urge to go was due drinking copious amounts of beer! (Or lemonade/sweet tea or your non-alcoholic beverage of choice.)  Most likely that will end the conversation.

There you have it.  Now go have a day of guilt free fishing!

Good Tobias!  I just wish you had posted that while I was still employed.  I don't need it now that I am retired!  LOL

Consider yourself lucky, Charles.  But at some point you might find yourself modifying the script a bit to get out of attending some event.

Honey, I think you and your girl friends should go to quilting bee  without me.  I think I might be catching something.

Sorry, Sam.  I can't come over today and discuss your toe fungus, I might be catching something!

Well that's something you don't see everyday.  I think he needs a bigger boat!

AS fishin' goes, this week-end was good and bad.   I was able to go, Friday, Saturday and Sunday but only caught four small fish. Strangely I out-fished both my brother in law and his son.  That usually doesn't happen.   I talked with several anglers in the area where we were fishing.  All have said the same thing.  Everything is off this year.  No one is catching anything!

But I did take pictures.  The first one i caught was a little sunfish on Rebel wee-craw  I caught this on my first cast. I had just showed up as another gentleman was living.  He told me he had been there for about an hour and didn't even have a nibble!  When I started bringing in the sunfish he was just a bit upset. despite the fish being almost the same size as the lure!  LOL

The following day, I was able to land a small perch, a warmouth, and a bluegill.  The variety was there but none of them were over six inches.  Hopefully things will pick up.

That's the opinion here as well Rick.  I've started playing around with an ultra-light rig and fishing with minimal tackle that can be carried on a vest.  This led to a bunch of tangled leaders; a problem I also had even with a larger tackle box.  Then I came up with the idea of spooling my leaders around a stick or something.   This is what i came up with.   I use one of those foam float noodles people use in swimming pools.   I cut a slit  down the length of the noodle and slip the line swivel in the slit.   Then I wrap the line around the noodle and jub the hook in the noodle.    I'm currently using an old oatmeal container (covered in duct tape)  to store the noodles but plan to swap it out with a plastic bottle  once I find one that it will fit in.  The Velcro tabs allow me to hook the container to my bike's handlebars

It took all of five minutes to make, and cost a whooping $1.  I still have enough noodle left to make about five more hook organizers.  I think i can wrap about 7 hooks on the line

Geez been using the noodle sections for years to keep my saltwater leader rigs in order. Pretty common practice in the Gulf. Guess I figured everyone did. Also used them as padded bumpers for car-topping my canoe - cut into sections, split and slip over the gunnels in the right spots. Stored them on the thwarts while fishing to cut down on rod noise.

They also can be used as rod savers if you are in an open boat with no rod straps. Just slide a short section up the handle (use the smaller holed ones for best fit). Keeps them afloat until you get the boat turned around. Pipe insulation tubing actually works better because of it's smaller diameter, but out in big water the larger brighter colors of the noodles are much easier to spot.

Nice catch Tobias. It's always been considered bad luck in the South to catch a fish on the first cast of the day....not sure why, just one of them things that the old salts perpetuated.

On small farm ponds, I found that if things were tough getting a bite, a little piece of red thread tied to the rear hook would sometimes turn things around. Blood in the water thing.

Carl said:  "It's always been considered bad luck in the South to catch a fish on the first cast of the day....not sure why, just one of them things that the old salts perpetuated."

In my case, it wasn't the first cast of the day but my first cast in this location.   That said, I was talking to a couple young men who were out in a canoe and on their first cast they landed a rock bass.  After that it went cold.  Nothing for two hours.  I'm a little superstitious. I've also always felt it is bad luck to catch on the first cast.

In reality, I think you probably need to realize, that just because you caught something right away doesn't mean you've found a great spot.  Try a few more cast in the area and if you keep catching stay put.  But if you're getting nothing after a couple minutes, then move on.

Not really superstisious, I'm gonna fish if I'm near water if at all possible no matter what.

I'd fish a tire rut if the potential for a bite is there.

My latest addition to my go everywhere Tackle are a small pair of binoculars, a Wenger nail clipper multi-tool and a Tops Whistle.

The Wenger nail clipper multi-tool replaces my other clippers and a Victorinox Classic.   I tested the clippers on both my fingernails and 10 pound test mono and they proved quite good.  What is cool about the Wenger is the small screwdriver instead of a blade. I don't really need the screwdriver or another blade but the long shaft on this blade can easily be re-profiled into a handy and sharp stick pin which I can used to clean out the eyelets on painted over hooks and jigs. The plan is to hang the clippers from the vest for easy access for cutting lines as well as tying and rigging new lures.

 the LEATHERMAN  STYLE  PS is great for this also.. it has a pair of pliers and a pr of scissors..along with file and tweezers.it has NO knife blade.. whicxh most will have their blade already. I currently carry the cs which has scissors and blade, as an edc. but that PS would make a great fishing companion! for sure. have a good day everyone! hopefully fishing in sunlight,which we have not had much of this past vacation week..:(

I was looking at various multiools but really wanted one that had nail clippers.  Clippers are my go to tool when I'm cutting taglines after tying knots and for so many other line cutting chores.  The small scissors are always being used as well.  As for pliers I do seem to prefer to have a pair of needle nose pliers.  I was thinking about spring loaded ones but have found the simpler ones actually better in the long run, at least for me. Here's a pic of all the contents of my vest used with my ultralight rig.(note the nail clippers and the Swiss Army Classic SD have been replaced with the Wenger clippers.  (I still have a Victorinox Signature Classic SD on my key chain so the one in the box was redundant.)  Also A Vic Explorer and Vic Outrider are also present.  In short Swiss Army knives are well represented!

The tackle box is a two sided affair.  The red and grey handle knife is my Buck Clearwater Bait Knife  The long tube between the knife and pliers is a hook remover.

There is a you tube video showing how it works located here

a href="https://youtu.be/pxKPCPjEvws" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/pxKPCPjEvws>

I've yet to use it but will let you know how it works once I do.

nice setup..  I do like the nail clippers.  the reason I mentioned the PS was  it is very handy and small..the clip is very easy to snap on and off...when you are not at the tackle box, it is nice having the small pliers and scissors  and file, all in one small tool, clipped to your reel or shirt pocket button hole or belt clip.. very handy all in one ...(small fix tool)..of course when you have to walk back to the tackle box,you have your larger tools for the large fix. nice setup going on there btw.

Hi Jeff,

What is this Walking back to the Tackle box?  I'm wearing my tackle box!

so does anyone modify their Lures?  http://www.iseeidoimake.com/8-do-it-yourself-fishing-gear-mods/2/

1. Wackier Worms

You can improve the movement of a wacky-rigged worm or Senko by pushing a small finishing nail into the head of the bait.

2. Fallback Plan

By pushing a nail into the back of a plastic shad just in front of the tail, then running a plain hook through the nose, the lure will be weighted to drop back when you pause your retrieval.

3. Catchable Crawfish

You can get a better fish-hooking angle on your soft crawfish lures. Just put a small finishing nail through the tail and then hook the bait through the head.

Jan, the limits to my lure modification thus far has been to remove treble hooks from lures and to take my pliers and press the barbs in on treble hooks.  I know both of the modifications lessen my likelihood  of catching a fish but it also lessen my pain when I snag myself.  For the most part I like single hook baits artificial or otherwise! 

Perhaps I suffer from ankistrophobia

Thanks for all those tips, Jan.  They look pretty helpful!

I see that ! guess your tackle box is right at hand. I guess in

miami where most of my fishing is done,its way too hot (at least 8 mnths out of the year) for worn gear. I always try to  carry as little as possible. although my tackle boxes prob weigh 50 lbs.in salt water you need lots of weight sometimes due to undertow and tide changes. also extra spools of monfiliment are a must for your big fish can strip a spool very quickly. especially if using lighter tackle. I always put out at least one big rod..and carry two smaller ones...(at least)

Jeff, I know where you are coming from.  I also have the larger tackle boxes and will sometimes be fishing with three or four rods at the same time and I'm nowhere near the ocean.  And then there is the net and the minnow bucket, the fish basket, etc., etc.  And before you know it, you can't find anything or there is a walk to get what you need!  It's almost to the point where you need a sherpa to haul your tackle!

I have done plenty of fishing in that fashion and will probably continue to do so. The vest idea came to me because I was finding myself wanting to go fish but thinking it was too much of hassle to load up the car to drive 2 miles and fish at local spots. 

Remember when you were a kid and all you needed was a pole and you'd find your bait along the river bank and you went fishing almost everyday?

I realized I could actually walk or take my bike to these areas easier than I could drive so why not take a minimum amount of tackle and one pole and just go -- like I did when I was a kid.   Last year every time I went fishing it was a big production and I managed to go maybe six times.  This year despite the lousy weather  I've gone fishing six times in less than two weeks! 

My next goal is to organize my larger tackle for more extensive trips so I can spend more time fishing and less time looking through stuff I won't use to find things I need.  After that I'll make another minimalist kit  for the car trunk that will have enough tackle for my wife and I. By this week-end I'll have fishing licenses in Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. It would be a pity to not be ready to fish for lack of tackle or ambition.

I'm sure this concept is nothing new to most of you. But for me, I think I was forgetting how to have have fun and was too busy looking for excuses on why I couldn't go fishing instead of solutions to make it possible.

Tobias said "Remember when you were a kid and all you needed was a pole and you'd find your bait along the river bank and you went fishing almost everyday?"

Reminds me when I was a kid growing up on the farm.  We had several ponds scattered about the farm and a creek.  I would use a persimmon sprout for a pole and white store twine for line.  The only real tackle I would use was a hook.  For bait I might take bread to roll into little dough balls or maybe a strip of bacon.  Or catch little frogs or grasshoppers on the bank for bait.  I caught literally hundreds of fish that way.  They were only sunfish, nothing big, but I had a ball!  Ah, the simple life!

Want to see the Original Trolling Lure??-Here is is !!

LOL, my best catch on a trolling lure???  

Here's a shot of me and a yellowfin tuna I caught deep sea fishing on a friend's boat about 30 miles off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico - I believe it was about 2001 or 2?

We left Coral Marina in Ensenada at 5 a.m. and after picking up bait at the bait barge we headed out into open water, running 6 lines behind my friend's 42' boat.

Unlike the day before, which was really windy, the water was smooth as glass and there was nary a breeze. Not a cloud in the sky! It was a beautiful day.

The problem was, there were no fish hitting our lines all morning. Fast forward to 1 in the afternoon, still batting zero, and all of a sudden it looked like the ocean was boiling. Literally! In every direction, all around the boat, as far as the eye could see. It was the largest pod of porpoise that any of us had ever seen. I'm talking thousands of porpoise and dolphin. Literally thousands!

We had hired a Mexican skipper to take the boat out, as is the custom to do down there. He suggested that we follow the pod because oftentimes the porpoise will lead you to schools of fish. So, that's precisely what we did. And, after a morning with not so much as a nibble, suddenly all of our trolling lines went taut and began to spool out.

Sure enough, those porpoise led us into a huge school of yellowfin tuna like the one I'm holding in that picture. The four of us - myself, my two friends and the Mexican skipper - spent the next hour reeling in one fish after another. It was obscene!

Thanks to that pod of porpoise, and an intuitive Mexican skipper, I enjoyed one of the best afternoons of deep sea fishing I had ever had. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

FISHING & MARINE SALE

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CATCH YOUR PERFECT FISH

Shop our handpicked selection of fishing gear broken out by region and by species of fish. Not quite sure what rod, reel or other gear is best 

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so last week-end I went fishing at Magician Lake near Dowgiac, Michigan.  In a 48 hour period I caught at least three dozen fish (first time I ever lost count).  Almost all were bluegill, just a few perch and two rock bass (if you include the ones that were caught in the homemade bait trap - more on that later!)

I'd say maybe six of the three dozen were big enough to classify as keepers but the most averaged around 4 or 5 inches, a little too small for filleting. 

I only used two poles, one was a the Zebco  Micro Triggerspin with a 5 foot rod the other was my homemade 7  ft can pole with my 1950s Wolverine Sportsman Reel.  At least a 1/3 of my catch was with the can pole using either a crappie rig or just a single hook. 

I was totally amazed at how effective the cane pole was and was thrilled with the performance of the Zebco.  I fished the ultralight mostly using a float but also had luck with a rooster tail and two rebel lure, a Horsefly Bumblebug and Chartueuse Crickhopper-popper.  The Rebel lures were most effective in the evening.

I wished I could've stuck around for some Mon-Fri fishing so that the week-end pleasure craft wouldn't have been churning up the water but all in all a pretty good week-end.

One of the bluegills, not the biggest or the smallest,  This one was  caught off the pier  with the ultralight

Zebco 33 Trigger-spin ultralight.

The cane pole with the wolverine sportsman reel.   The mono-filament line proved problematic due to its memory. Once I reeled it in and out a few times it started laying sort of loopy on the reel causing some snagging.  I've replaced the mono-filament with some old 20 pound linen fishing line from the same time period  as the reel (the 1950s) and attached a about six feet of 10 pound fluorocarbon to the end of the linen line.

The line reels much more smoothly now.

Sounds like you had a lot of fun Tobias.

Absolutely, Charles.  It just ended too soon.  Still, I'll be fishing locally, again come Friday. 

When I have line problems such as memory related problems, I spray the line with Reel Magic. I use it,  in both fishing reels and bow fishing reels. Much less line twisting and tangled line, and many more casts and shots.

hmmm, Rick that is something we have never tried!  Sounds like a good solution

Tobias, I wish it could have lasted longer because it sure looks like you were having a good time

Ron,

Oh how I love the fight of a tuna!  They run and deep sound, I love it!

Thanks for the tip Rick.   I'll be looking for some Reel Magic to add to my tackle.

I have found that high quality silicone spray and reel magic are almost identical products except that quality silicone spray is much less expensive.

Anyone see a need for teflon coating a fillet knife?  Has anyone used one?  

Tobias... I've filleted alot of fish..and found that a good flimsy,sharp,knife works great without any coatings. I've never used one that has teflon or titanium or such blade coatings. but will say that a stiff or thick blade fillet knife does not work nearly as well as a flimsy blade.and the sharper the better,especially when filleted off the skin.

Best way to eliminate the problem with line memory.......get her stretched on a regular basis!

Bought a bottle of reel majic back when I fished the tournament circuit many moons ago. Think I used it twice (had to give it a second chance) still have a near full bottle buried somewhere. Lot of the pros just used WD40 on their stiffer lines back then.

I prefer short thinner flexible blades for freshwater fish, but stiffer and longer blades for most saltwater species (closer to boning knife stiff but not quite). My favorite small fillet is a RLo custom made from O1 (mostly 'cause it was a gift from a close friend). I made all the rest that I use myself.

Oh yeah......a dull fillet knife doesn't even make a crappy screwdriver!

Prefer a butcher's edge over a razor's edge for fish or fur any day.

Jeff and Carl, very good points. So often the knife you use depends on the task at hand (and the blade you have)  I'm almost exclusively pan fishing so my filleting needs and the knives I use are going to be different than those who catch larger fish or who are process fish while on the ocean.

I'm not sure how long Teflon coated fillet knives have been around.  I've just noticed them recently and  was just curious if it was just the latest gimmick or if it actually aided in filleting.   Like other, I've always thought the key to good filleting was an extremely sharp and flexible blade, at least for fresh water panfish.

I lean toward Rapala, using either a four or six inch blade.