How to Mooch

I started off talking about blogs but really wanted to talk fishing again. I'll get there.

Don't blogs suck sometimes? The problem with blogs is just because they're blogs. First, I started noticing that when the Internet was really slow, you could double-post stuff real easy. One time I had to delete seven copies of the same hash. What's the deal here? Then you learn that some big computer somewhere basically has a whole bunch of your very personal data and you innermost feelings, too, because of how their software works. That couldn't be all that darn good. And then you want my personal feeling and inner-most thoughts? Man, you must be crazy.

Last I checked, I didn't have an editorial staff and a legal-eagle lawyer and a PR advertising and distribution company to make sure I wasn't doing stupid things. I have a big girl iguana right behind me and the computer; that's about it.

So let's change the subject to mooching. And why not? Blogging is a form of mooching if you think about it. The people who comment on blogs are mooching. The authors are mooching too, trying to find out what YOU think. We're all sitting here mooching on each other, electronically, and this is very troublesome.

Mooching is actually a fairly advanced form of fishing. This is WAY more interesting than talking about the various vagaries and disappointments of Blogosphere. Simply stated, a mooching rig had a weight followed by about five feet of 30# line, where double-hooks are tied at the end. The double-snelled hooks make it the most distinctive rig, and is one used a lot in West Coast salmon fishing, the two hooks are one-after-the-other on the same line. The bigger hook is one top and a size smaller hook is behind it. Fish always seem to be hooked on the second, smaller hook, for some reason. There are moochers that are fly fishermen (and ladies) and there are commercial moochers.

See, there is trolling, which technically is called "trolling," and mooching, were you stay in one place or drift. For some reason you cannot mooch and troll at the same time. However, "motor mooching" is perfectly acceptable to maintain position (like near a jetty without hitting it) or to let some line out, like for Lake Buchanan stripers where there is no current. But the idea is very similar to a downrigger, where you let down bait to a desired level or on the bottom, and are basically not moving too much. The long leader to the mooch itself takes some getting used to.

It is definitely different from the "Texas cannonball" rigs usually used on charter boats. These rigs have a big weight on the bottom and two hooks above that, separated about a foot apart. So the whole rig is less than three feet long. The mooch is about six feet long. You can add flashers to your mooch if you have some good current. A flasher is not what you think; it it a bright shiny plastic wobbly thing that spins fast and attracts big fish because they think another fish is eating the bait. Hey, they're jealous critters. Flashing is especially productive when motor-mooching.

And, to set the record straight, I never streaked and flashed and ran nekked around the University of Connecticut in 1975. That was a dude named "Osky" and the future state attorney general.