The measuring debate!

[Ice9]

Awright, first installment of the Ice-9 No Longer Guiding Great Gear Giveaway. First five mailing addresses e-mailed to me at [email protected] get a Genuine Potomac River Special buzzbait, my gift to y'all. Since it's so different, you may not want it even though it's free. (a 1/8 ounce long-shank tin-blade any color (long as it's white with pearl silicone skirt cut thin and short)buzzbait).

Ice

[Mark Christianson]

I'll tell my son its a special imported bait, that very few in MN have.

He will be delighted.

[Kevin Turner]

That imported bait won't start reproducing & destroy our sensative eco system will it?

[fonz58]

You guys are having way too much fun. The river must still be frozen! A sample of our measuring decal has been created and dropped off to smallie hawgin! Let the building of the prototype begin!!

[smallie_hawgin]

Well here are a few pics of the prototype decal and the "trough" that would hold a fish well. Te trough is simply smooth gutter downspout extender with an end cap srewed on one side. Cheap too. All of $5.00. I have used may types of measuring boards in the "business" this style full sided or half pipe definetely works the best. IMO. Let me know what you think for "digi-cam capable" tourneys.

The top one is the plain trough with a few marks for reference.

The middle one is with the decal centered. The one on the botom has the decal moved to one side to show the numbers.

I was also going to develop a length weight regression for Mississippi Smallies if we wanted to have that on there. The one mike has is the generic for largemouth.... which many of you know does not equate to river smallies. What do you think?

[Royce Aardahl]

I think that decal has the size fish that keeps popping up into my boat!! gotta getta 20, gotta getta 20, gotta getta 20

[Mark Christianson]

Hey SH.

Looks very functional for sure. I would be honored to lay a 20 incher in it.

[Kevin Turner]

I want some....

[smallie_hawgin]

BLB, Thank Fonz, he's the one doing the fancy artwork for the board. We just need to tweak it a bit to fit in the trough.

KT as far as mass production... I could definetely make a bunch for either the rodeo or the fm gatherings we will be having this summer. Now we just have to figure out a fish marking system so we know folks are not taking double photos.... Any thoughts? I think at one point BLB had suggested using different colored zip ties. Give the team what, 10 different colored ties. For our informal gatherings it won't make a difference... I was just thinking of how to plan an actual C-measure-digicam-R tourney.

[fonz58]

I don't worry about double measuring. If someone fishing against me can look in the mirror after they've cheated, so be it. It's on their conscience to deal with, not mine. I assume and believe that the FM'rs are honest enough for that not to be an issue. Now if you catch the same fish 4 times, so what? It was a legal catch each and every time. No different than if each team caught the same fish 1 time, he still counts each time he's legally caught.

[Ice-9]

I like the zip tie system...after the angler lies, you run the zip-tie through upper and lower lips and zoik it closed. Oh, you mean on the fsih? Never mind.

ice

[smallie_hawgin]

Never thought of that Ice.... I like it!

[Kevin Turner]

mumnph mumble jumble moirph snip, Who you calln' a liar?

[Royce Aardahl]

ROFLOL

[river rat316]

better make it larger than 24" unless my cats on inlines aint included in the magnet contests

[HawgTide]

BLB, You'll have to try some of my custom made Hawgomoto Buzzbaits. 1/2 Oz. I know you have one already, but I can make you a couple hundred. That's how many you'll have to have to be like KT. Of course you'll have to put away the 8lb test line too!

RR, Uh...I must have caught so many that I don't remember any of them.

[smallie_hawgin]

Hey guys we had discussed some of this stuff some time ago in the bass forum. KT I wasn't calling anyone a liar.... it was just something that was brought up in discussion before on a pay-out format tourney. Obviously for our deals.. I agree completely with Fonz, that all of us here are good folks and will honor the system. I was thinking of more like CPR digicam tournaments on a wider scale...hopefully.

The discussion in the bass forum is here...See what you think.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB57&Number=364338&Forum=f57&Words=&Searchpage=0&Limit=50&Main=364338&Search=true&where=bodysub&Name=9693&daterange=1&newerval=1&newertype=y&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post364338

Hey RR, not that cats don't count...but for the smallie magnet.... they don't count... Just ask BLB about the 2004 Sartell tourney sometime...

Actually the proto of the trough extends to 30 inches. Although, we could find smooth gutter material or large pvc that would be longer???

[Mark Christianson]

Darn cats in the Sartell tourney.

I soiled myself 3 different times, thinking I had that 23 inch bass. Cripes no. Big ole catfish each time.

Poor SH, smelling the remnants all day. Sorry SH.

[HawgTide]

SH, I feel your pain, BM and I have been there, done that!

[BigMike]

Quote:

---

I soiled myself 3 different times... smelling the remnants all day.

---

BLB - I'm starting to wonder if there is a reoccuring theme to your fishing outing... Did you have the fish fry at the Legion the night before the Sartell tourney too ? LOL!

As for cats - RR is talking about when a handful of FM'ers got together down in Otsego to hit the river. He caught a nice cat on a Mepps inline! I had the same thing happen to me last spring, I caught 2 4-5lb kitties on a mepps inline... Weird!

[Ice-9]

I've had several runs of good catfish action on mepps spinners...our favorite was that one with the plastic minnow on it. In North Carolina we used to slaughter them in the fall trolling spinners around points, where I guess they were grouping up. Not unusual to catch 15-20 fish, mainly 4-8 pounds. In that same lake I used to run trotlines baited with live bluegills, the feistier the better, dangling over sandy bottom in 2-4 feet of water. Caught channel cats to 12pounds, flatheads to 20, and one memorable night, an alligator gar that was an easy six feet long. I did not boat that fish. We routinely caught channel cats in the Potomac on smallie tackle, especially crankbaits (also lots of walleyes) and I've caught five good cats on the fly, all on the same fly--a purple bunny fly, heavily weighted, swung against the top end of bedrock ledges. Now that's weird.

That said my two biggest channel cats were 19 and 21 pounds on consecutive casts with six pound line and a jig and minnow in the St. Croix well north of the 70 bridge, and I hooked a third on the third cast but was so tired that I just tightened up and broke it off. I had no idea that MN offered such good catfishing.

ice

[smallie_hawgin]

Yeah I have to admit it would have been ugly if my boat was a cabin cruiser!!! Actually, he got the cats on and I nearly crapped too, thinking they were some big ole smallies. Ah, such is life fishing in the Miss. What a drag...... NOT!

[Mark Christianson]

I still cant believe I got them cats on Gulp Sinking Minnows. Unbelieveable.

Catching bass one after another at times, and then that super classic "heavy thump".

Set the hook, and no movement!!! Oh man, get the net SH!!! This is big momma!! Drag is rippin', I make some headway. HOLD ON FISH!!!

Ah crap. Its a darn 5lb catfish again. Son of a........

Funny though, when we target cats, they sure are the best!!!

I need a river rig.

No, I need my big water rig.

I need a river rig.

No, I need my big water rig.

ARRRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH