If I were to take a guess, I'd say, you're probably not asgood as you might think you are, or maybe you're not as good as you would like to be. By now, I've either insulted you or interested you in this article, but please read on before you make a final judgment.

Every year I'm anxious to learn as much as I can from other fishermen and their experiences, so as to improve on my fishing abilities. Of course, every day you get on the Big Lake can develop into a great teaching process of its own.

Now, let's find out something about your fishing knowledge and fishing methods to see If you are a veteran Great Lakes Angler. You might even learn something about yourself that you hadn't thought of before, especially if any of the questions below are related to problems yo&re having on some of your fishing trips.

Question A
1. Do I have more than 12 rod holders an my boat? More rod holders with different functions are better.

2. Do I have at least two downriggers with counters? Four are much better if Ws possible.

3. Do I have a mast and trolling boards? The proper location of the mast and good backing boards make fishing easier.

4.Do I know how to properly use big and small dipsies? Use on a pole directly, from an outrigger, or on a board line. (Maybe crazy but effective)

5. Do I know how to properly use a slider line? What is a slider anyway? When and why should I use one and should it be,-stationary or freely sliding.

6. How" are your leaders on boardlines, dipsies, or downrigger lines with sliders? I bet mine are longer.

7. Are water temperatures, water color, and the proper trolling speed as important as a fish finder or depth gauge? Probably more important most of the time.

8. Do you know what the best length rod is to use for all purposes on a boat? If you have mixed length and weight rods, where are the best places to use each on the boat?

9. Do you know what a bottom bouncer rod is, and how and when to use one? At times, it is a very effective varying depth poor man's downrigger.

10. Are you a knowledgeable and experienced ski fisherman? A floating downrigger that at times catches a lot of fish. It may or may not be your type of fishing.
11. Types of tackle, downriggers, lines, releases, wingers, reels, etc. and a properly set up boat are all topics that need discussion. There definitely are some kinds that work better than others, Are you using the better types or not? Maybe you aren't aware of the new and improved equipment available able to you on the market.

12. Is deep water meat fishing scarring you off of the Big Lake in mid to late summer? I see a lot less private boats at this time as there are in the spring and early summer when fishing is easier. I'd guess poorer catches is the main reason. Proper use of the correct flashers and flies or squids with smelt, suckers minnows, and ciscos on them can produce nice fish down deep.

I've only touched on a few questions for you to think about seriously to be a complete Lake Superior fisherman.

If you have all the answers to my questions and have no problems or questions of your own. then probably you don't care enough to improve on your fishing abilities on the Lake.

The purpose of this article is not to make you think I'm a know-it-all fisherman because I'm not, but to remind you that you are a member of the W.L.S.T.A. This organization is here to help teach the members to fish better, to understand and keep Lake Superior a good fishery, and to help you on the lake if any problems should arise.

Who knows, besides improving your fishing abilities, you might even make a few new friends or even gain a new fishing partner or two. (I did) So, please try to attend some of the meetings and then all of us should benefit in the long run.

In the future issues we will be having articles on fishing stories and methods that correspond to what is happening at that time of the year.

We'll try to keep you informed on what is going on in May and how and where you should be fishing at this time. As the months go from May through September your fishing tactics, baits and locations will change dramatically. We will try to guide you through these changes to help you stay successful throughout the whole fishing season.

A note from the president about the author of the previous story.
Tim Jezierski has for many years, fished Lake Superior and the other great lakes. His experiences and adventures have been the source of information for other authors of fishing techniques, stories, and Tim has contributed to the production of bait styles and colors. It goes without saying that Tim's knowledge of fisting surpasses many of the experts involved in the sport of fishing.