100 Questions For Oldtimers

[Delmonico]

Heard the name before but I don’t remember the context, Del. N’er been after one. Don't know we got 'em.

They is kinda like a fat sunfish with a big mouth, stay deeper than sunfish, put up a heck of a fight on a light rod, a 1 pound one is rather large.  When ya get em near the top they think they is a trouts and start to hit the air.

Used to have one of the lakes they put them in in the 70's after one of many rebuilds, same one with the high-breed muskies.  Used to have a canoe with a 'lectic troller, had good luck bounchin' feather jigs near the bottom.  Sometimes coult pick up a waller-eye that way, them is real fun on 2 pound line.

Had a bunch of them Zepco reals around, came frome here and there, I fixed em up to work, couple a 33's, some 202's and 404's.  Gave them to my daughter and SIL, they is down is Mississippi catchin' fish now.

Kept the 2 fly rods, the 308, the 300 and the small Ryobi bait caster, grandkids might want to fish some time.

[Ozark Tracker]

them chrome 33's were the workhorse around where I grew up.  Everybody would have a few of em,  enough so they'd have a couple rigged for catfish and a few rigged for crappie and maybe one rigged for sand bass if ya caught a bunch breaking water.

[Arcey]

Most of fishin’ the bay ‘n rivers is a straight drop deal. We used bait casters. They’re what ya learn ta unravel back lashes on. When I started fishin’ heavy I had a JC Higgins my Dad bought me when I was a kid. A buddy had bought a new Penn ‘n said ‘try this’. That jerk cost me money ‘cuz I haddah have one. They’re kindah like guns. I’ve got three of ‘em in different sizes.

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[Delmonico]

Just before the carpal tunnel got me I was thinkin' about one of those big Penn baitcasters, got to playin' with them flatheads some, hooked inta some but always lost them, the 300 and 12 pound line did not work, they often head for the rough stuff and some will go 70 pounds.

Today, naw, couldn't stand to fight with one a them for an hour or so.

[Russ T Chambers]

My Dad had a bamboo fly rod with one of those spring loaded power reels to ease taking up the slack.  He would stand in the back of  row boat, fishing for rock bass, as I rowed him around the island on Okauchee Lake, where my Grandpa’s cottage was.

[Forty Rod]

I once worked for a rod and gun shop and we replaced a lot of line almost year around.  Everything from 1-2 pound test to really heavy deep sea stuff you could lift a bulldozer with. 

All of the line we took off the customers' reels we put in a big box and periodicaly the Berkeley rep would come by and take it away.  He always wore a shirt with the Berkeley logo on the back and over the pocket in front.

One Saturday morning I was stripping and reloading about the eighth or ninth reel of the day (and had a half dozen more guys lined up) when he came in and started bagging up the old line. 

The Stren rep came in wearing his shirt with the company logo on it, and stood watching the Berk guy.  He finally asked him, "What does Berkeley want with all that old fishing line?  It isn't worth anything."

The guy from Berkeley never even looked up.  "You're probably right, but we recycle it into Stren."

[Delmonico]

Forty that's funny, I used the Berkley XL because it was a bit limper and cast just a little better, but the Stren yaller most nights you could see it with out a light.

[Arcey]

Used to get this stuff from the Chief (not of Police, the retired Master Chief that owned the shop) from an unmarked spool. Used it to make leaders for the Blues. We could have used it for anchor line. It would come back all chewed on but it rarely broke.

The Blues are real strong ‘n more’n a little vicious. We were always careful folks that went with us who were used to fresh water Bass fishin’ didn’t try to pick ‘em up by the lower lip. Ya didn’t do that if ya wanted to keep yer fingers.

[Texas Lawdog]

I haven't bought any fishing tackle in about 20 years. I'm afraid to go to Bass Pro Shop or Cabela's, I might start buyin stuff and not be able to stop.

[Delmonico]

Used 50 pound braided nylon for the leader when fishin' for the big cats, seemed to hold up better than mono with those small sharp teeth.  Used the ultra light to catch the bait.  Flatheads don't eat dead stuff like channels do, the like bluegill.

[Arcey]

Pretty sure all I’d need would be fresh line ‘n some rigs, hooks ‘n stuff. It’s all in the attic. Includin’ the telephone pole lookin’ surf rod I used exactly twice.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

I had a thing for Daiwa reels when I fished a lot. Closed face spinners mostly. Have one spinning reel, an Olympic, IIRC. also have a Daiwa underspin. it's a neat little tool. Used to tight line a lot from shore. Developed a rig from a crappie rig that we'd use. Put a 12 inch leader on the bottom with a good sized weight, then your hooks on the crappie rig. could zing that thing out there quite aways. used that to catch some palm sized gills. Thats with your fingers spread, too. Went 10 inches or over. Wife had a gill one time that actually cleared water to throw a hook on her, good sized too. It hit on a plastic worm trolled just under the surface..............Buck

[Delmonico]

I needed a small split ring for sumthin' a while back, got the box out of the corner where it and the rods sit by the gun vault.  I don't need nuthin' but fresh line.  Course if I came out yer way I'd most likely need some different stuff. 

[Arcey]

Funny ain’t it. The ones ya wanna keep’ll spit the hook. The ones ya don’t want will swallow the things.

I wouldn’t mess with a skate. Cut the line. Same with sand sharks. Shell ‘n blow toads I’d bring in, cut the leader to the hook ‘n save the rig.

[Texas Lawdog]

Goin' fishin' with my dad is something that I miss a lot. He wasn't into huntin' much, but he really loved fishin'.  We had a place at Lake Conchas in NM.  We trolled for pike and crappie, using spinning rigs. We caught a lot of good fish out of that lake.

[Ozark Tracker]

Pretty sure all I’d need would be fresh line ‘n some rigs, hooks ‘n stuff. It’s all in the attic. Includin’ the telephone pole lookin’ surf rod I used exactly twice.

got one of them teltphone looking ones out in the shop,  use it down below the dam for catfish,  they'll take and tie on a light line so they can tie on a weight to get the distance, then the weight will break off when it catches in the rocks or when a fish gets on, a lot of the guys used to use spark plugs or wheel weights for the breakaway weights.  too much work anymore, to much casting,  fish are nice when you catch em, 20 plus pounds.  sure will make your shoulders ache

[Texas Lawdog]

OT, I don't know what I would do if I hooked one that big. I caught a 5 pound pike over at that Lake Conchas in NM when I was a kid. That;s the biggest fish I ever caught.

[Arcey]

Troll along fast ‘nuff ta keep headway. Hook inta a 12 pound Blue. When ya landed the thing ‘n got the lure away from ‘im ya’d wanna have a beer ‘n a cigarette before ya looked the lure ‘n leader over good ‘n threw it back in.

Managed ta hook one in the corner of the mouth once. When he spun the front treble hooked itself in the flank. I thought I finally had my citation 16+ pounder when all I was doin’ was bringin’ ‘im in sideways.

[Texas Lawdog]

I'm gonna buy me one of those SunTracker fishin' barges when I retire. I've got lakes around here within 10 or 15 minutes of my home.

[Ozark Tracker]

The Arkansas River in Oklahoma and Arkansas is used by barges and they have several locks and dams on it to maintain the right water lever, we used to do a lot of Crappie fishing right up on the back side of those dams, I had my little light rig Crappie fishing and something grabbed the minnow and took off, striping line like crazy, wasn't anybody but me and my cousin fishing so I started down the bank following it.  I walked about a quarter mile down from the dam and the fish finally kinda gave out and I steered him over to the bank, it was a 12 pound channel cat. I thought 2 or 3 times he was gonna break it but it sure was fun.