ive been curious about those things. i wondered if anyone has had good/bad experience with them. for trolling plugs and tossing cranks, you dont really need a swivel, so those would cut down on the clutter around the lure.

Edited by kingfisher: See new topic about
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Don't let that dissuade you from using the flat raps. A very impressive lure. If you snap your wrists on the retrieve this lure has a sideways flash that is unbeatable. With it's wide profile it fishes much "bigger" than its 4.5" length would indicate. I usually tie an improved clinch or a gryp knot with the minnow style rapalas and position the knot on a 30 degree angle downward for a nice roll but with the flat rap it wants a lot of freedom to get that erratic side to side action when you snap your wrists so a fas snap is the way to go. (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) (large size......still small)

earlier i mentioned my concern for the lips of lures breaking off from running into bottom. apparently this guy was having similar issues but with a specific model of crank

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ive never used that crank before, but from my experience with thundersticks, their lip is substantial enough to make it through running aground

my brothers say that she already stole my man-card...

but more on topic, all of this fishing chat has really got my mind running about my trip this year. its only 41 days away. the countdown has begun. to make it even more anticipated, im picking up my new canoe tomorrow.

Women are easy peasy Jax. Just warm the massage oil in the microwave (be sure to test it) and while your rubbing her back start talking about all the things you want or are going to do. If your not to fast, you can have what ever lures you want or go on just about any trip you want............."but honey you said just last night that it would be OK, don't you remember" .

Works every time .

Oh, and don't listen to ST, he'll just get you into trouble .

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I'd get that " promise" in writing and witnessed by a notary public.
I suggest you contact Wally, and get yourself another card, since she has access to yours now.
It's called a MAN-CARD. You can tuck it away in your wallet for when the honeymoon is over and she wants "new" traditions to take the place of " old ones"

against all my instincts, i will try trolling without a wire leader and try a fluorocarbon or mono leader. its not just pike, but also snags. with powerpro/fireline you can generally pull the lure free by bending the hooks or getting unhooked from the log/rocks. i dont know if mono/fluoro could do that.

she promised to never touch the canoe trip because its a 'tradition.' she likes the outdoors, fishing and canoeing, but cant do it for as many hours on end as i can.

i actually have tried the % of shoe money for fishing stuff. i got a big old 'yeah right' as she bought her wedding shoes on my card.

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I'm afraid to ask what it takes for a canoe trip
Hopefully she shares that passion.
You need to change the balance of power
For every new pair of shoes she gets, you get a percentage of there cost in fishing gear.
At the cost of womens shoes, you'll still come out ahead

You know Jax I don't really lose as many lures to pike as you might think. Hard baits can be a little different than soft plastics where they seem to just inhale everything and nip you off. I probably catch 70% of my pike bites that pop a crank. Perhaps it is because I am partial to a longish crank especially for walleyes. Although my fav fell out of production (the large fat rap in perch on 6 lb test).

SD made a ton of good points IMHO. Being aware of how much noise is generated by waves and surf can effect lure choice for sure.

Invisileaders.......is that an oxymoron? I want you to have 3 lures that you are willing to "expend", no leader! Preferably large deep divers. I trolled last summer the first week of July on Basswood day and night. I lost zero (as in 0) lures to pike using 6 and 8lb mono exclusively. My average walleye was right at 5lbs. I caught very few under 4lbs and my biggest was 6.5..........The point being you can fish for walleye or you can fish for pike but it's counterproductive IMO to try and cover all your bases with the addition of a leader for fear of losing a lure.

Now what's up with using FC at night? Then you can get by with rope for line. I usually tie a uni knot for my FC to Power pro connection but it can be rather delicate work in the lighter pound tests. Plus without the stretch of a long piece of mono which acts like a shock absorber, it's surprising how easily a 3' section of light FC will part ways with you. On my last off shore trip a guy turned me onto a knot called a "slim beauty". I liked it very much. Looks to be supreme. I was tying it with 80lb test........I will be interested to experiment with it on lighter line. Check it out.

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it took a lot of brown nosing and housework to get it that high even! considering i still am searching for a full time job after graduation (last weekend), my job at the university doesnt pay overly well.