I love all the options that have been given (Thanks a million) and have yet to try the panty-pellet fly. I think this has the most promise when it comes time to harvest my HSB, but for the tome being, I'm making it hard on myself by sticking to larger hooks that lessen the likely hood of cleaning a fish unexpectedly.
BUT...I got one last night an the chicken dinner goes to the mikepjr (thanks for the suggestion Mike! (from a different thread)) and the night crawler...Kinda!
Once the fish was on the dock, it was hooked near the eye, not the mouth. This is the second one snagged in this fashion this year. So, in reality it caught itself during the feeding of pellets. Last nights HSB feeding enthusiasm was the best I've seen to date (it was raining too). At times the bobber was moving back and forth a foot or so just from the surfaces hits on either side. It was near frenzy.
At any rate, my goal has been achieved. The fish weighed in at 2 pounds even and was 16.25" long. New pond record by a hair's weight...
HSB fishing for the year is now over for the most part and the pressure can go back to the HBG for my entertainment.
