Big Indiana Bass

There is a very interesting article in the most recent issue of "Fisheries" magazine. It's a human dimensions article dealing with one of fishings sociological issues, that of subsistence fishermen. The article is entitled Searching for Subsistence: In the Field in Pusuit of an Elusive Concept in Small-scale Fisheries. It can be found midway through the publication on page 592 (page 20 of 52). It is a decent sized download at just over 5MB in case you have dial-up. It examines some of the definitions, stereotypes and self-descriptions of subsistence anglers and starts laying the foundation for future research. I found it particularly interesting because of the many comments and observations I hear from other anglers of subsistence fishermen in our neck of the woods, most notably from bank anglers and river anglers chasing smallmouth bass. I think it will be particularly interesting once studies progress enough to start dealing with the management implications associated with the perceived problem.

I received an invitation in the mail yesterday to sign up for a subscription to In-Fisherman magazine. I was a past subscriber and reader for about 8-10 years through the mid and late 90's. I was also a long time subscriber to their smaller specialty publication Walleye-Insider for about the same length of time, from the mid 90's until about 2003-2004. Both have been a great source of information, and In-Fisherman has been just cutting edge stuff ever since I can remember. But I really lost interest after they sold out to Primedia and ultimately saw Al and the boys move on. To me, the characters and their personalities were as much a part of the magazine as was the information provided. They had a unique style to article writing that no other magazine had, at least none that I have seen before.

So this offer is for a 1 year subscription (8 issues) for just $10. And don't answer yet, cause they'll also throw in a free camo cooler if I order now! Regularly a $39.92 value if purchased on the newstands. Are they making any money at that price? I remember when my little Walleye-Insider subscription was that price. Has circulation dropped off so much that they need to make such discounted (74%) offers? Or are they willing to try and make up for thinner margins with an increase in subscribers that they hope to attract with the lower price?

I'd love to see actual circulation numbers from say 20 years ago through today. I'm guessing they've dropped off quite a bit. The Internet has really changed the face of information transfer. Our society is more and more one of instant gratification - I want my info and I want it now! I wonder if sitting down and reading through the articles, flipping the pages is something reserved for the older folks of my generation and the one before it? Are all fishing magazines feeling the same pinch?

So for me, I won't end up restarting my old subscription. I so strongly relate the escapades of Al and the boys to the magazine, that it doesn't maintain the same allure it once had now that they're gone. I know first hand both the benefits and the pitfalls of having a person or persons so strongly associated with a single endeavor. Enjoy it while it lasts, but be prepared to move fast when things head south, or risk certain decline.

As promised, albeit very late, my observations from the show. Again, it was very cool to meet several of the readers from the site. Probably the "neatest" part of the show for me. I had lots of copies of DNR lake reports at my booth which drew quite a bit of attention. Also had lots of graph screenshots printed out and spent some time explaining those, too. Had my Triton on a for sale ad but no offers there (LOL). Also brought a bunch of extra baits (don't we all have more than we need?) and was able to get rid of most of them. Can't really tell though from looking in my garage.

Got to spend some time browsing around and talking with some of the other vendors during the slow times. Here are some highlights:

Most interesting new bait seen: A swimbait in the Red Shad - Hooked-Up Baits booth. I believe they said it was a Fred Ward creation though I could have heard that wrong. They didn't have any to sell, but they were pretty neat. Probably a knock-off of the Bassstrix that is getting all the attention on boards these days. Like a long Sassy Shad but super soft plastic, a hollow tube body right where the swimming action should come from and some really good graphics. It came in several sizes.

Most Interesting Tackle (Hardware) Item seen: A couple custom built spiral wrap rods from 'JB Custom Rods'. They got as lot of attention about 3 years ago, but they never really seemed to take off. It is a typical baitcast rod, but the after the first guide which is mounted upright on the top of the blank like you would expect, the  next several wrap aorund the blank leaving all the rest to lie under the blank like a spinning rod. Part of the advantage with this type setup is that under heavy pressure, it is very common for a rod blank to torque to one side basically twisting the blank via pressure through the guides. In many cases, you will also end up with the line being drug against the blank because of this. SPiral wrapping eliminates these problems. It is one of those deals where I'd want to try someone else's spiral-wrap rod first before actually purchasing one of my own since you rarely find this set-up in a stock production model from a large manufacturer.

Best Fishing Trip seen: A trip to Lake Erie to chase pig smallies aboard the "Erie Quest". Loads of big smallies from the big lake rigging soft craws or large minnows. Get several guys to go in on a trip together to cut the cost to some crazy low figure. Everbody comes home having caught 3 and 4 pounders, probably larger!

Something I couldn't live without (ya, right): A nice hand-tied bluegill streamer from Wildcat Creek Outfitters. A big, fuzzy weighted bug with an olive-green feather tail tied full and vertically like a rudder to increase apparent size. I see so many baby bluegill hanging around the docks of one particular lake I fish, that those bass just have to eat this thing! I'll report later this spring when I finally get to try it out.

Coolest thing I'll probably never try: Fishing out of a kayak. Eagle Creek Kayaks was there with a full display, and their booth got the attention of a lot of the stream fishermen. They look nice and sleek; I can picture cruising down the river in one of those things, but I don't think I'd ever buy one, because I can also see me trying to keep rod, tackle and sanity in check as I head for a set of rapids sideways while still fighting some big smallmouth heading thother way. I'd be toast.

Finally, the Best Fishing related Science thing: Here we have a tie. Item number one is a fishing reports database that loads onto your PDA or similar device from Prologue Systems. Seems like everyone is carrying one of these things now days, and this program allows you to record catch data and specifics in near "real-time". Of course I'd drop mine in the water on the first trip (if I had one) while trying to log data, but the idea and portability is cool none-the-less.

And the second cool science based fishing item - Euro Carp tackle setups. Life on the bank sure has changed since the days of "cow bells" attached to the end of your rod and a forked stick (LOL). We're talking bait-runner reels, electronic bite indicators, counter-weighted line tensioners, custom aluminum "rod pods". Even the actual rigs used to catch the carp themselves. Hair rigs with baiting needles designed to stick in the fishes mouth based on the way a carp feeds, which is largely an inhale/exhale type action repeated several times. Specially formed weights to hold bottom in all conditions, method feeders to attract the carp to your bait in the first place. And we think bass fishing has progressed to a highly technical level. I could get into this carp fishing just for all the science related stuff alone (LOL).

So there is my wrap-up report. There will be more shows upcoming, one even this weekend. I'll keep filing similar reports from any of the shows I'm able to make. Oh ya, in case you've still read this far, here's a bonus...The best overall lake for the next couple years as recommended to me by the District biologist - Brookville  ;~)  You heard it hear first!