[jrock]

Hey gollum you seem to have the right attitude, I'm going up some time in october with a bunch of guys also. Its all about the time spent with friends and enjoying the show. I use 8 pound mono on a 10 1/2 foot noodle rod with as 3000 size reel. And I catch plenty of fish. Your right most people snag the fish unfortunately but those fish should be released by law. The fact of the matter most fish that are hooked in the mouth because they swim with their mouths open and the line drifts into their mouth. They will swipe at the bait out of anger and actually bite on more rare occassions. They are there for one thing and one thing only and that's to spawn. Thats why they start rotting before they are even dead because they are not eating much at all. either way its all about having the proper drift to get them t ok bite/ attack your presentation. Your drift should be at a natural pace ont the bottom third of the water column. Thats how I have had my success anyway.