Micro

This morning I bought an Abu Garcia 802 and 804 spinning reel. I paired them to a Fenwick HMG 7' M and a Fenwick HMG 7' MH spinning rod, respectively. I spooled the 802 with 8# Stren original and the 804 with 12# Stren original. I only got to fish a local lake for an hour or so but I have to say... WOW ...Abu Garcia hit another home run with their 800 series spinning reels. They are incredibly smooth and sure feeling. Rotor balance is perfect. It's got the most "instant" instant anti-reverse I've felt on a reel. Comes with a spare aluminum spool. I want to put more time on them before I recommend them, but I'm definately impressed so far.

What sort of charger are you using? Most modern chargers start out at a higher amp, say 15, and go down as the battery charges, down to say 1 or 2 amps. Once the battery is charged, it should provide a trickle charge of .01 or .02 amps or so. So that would be the proper setting.

I picked up a few of these today: http://www.strikeking.com/catalog/2007/index.php Click on "King Shad" At $20.00 each, I hope they are worth it. Has anyone used them? I'm hoping stripers will like them.

I don't care too much for Fuji reel seats, either. I have a couple of rods with Fuji TCS seats and they tend to loosen, too. My favorite seats are those on BPS rods.

'Tis sad, but true. :'(

VDGIF = Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries http://www.decisionvirginia.com/content/view/525/498/ If the video doesn't show up, click on 'home' and it should come up.

Treated wood is corrosive to aluminum. It contains a copper salt that gives it it's greenish color. I think marine grade is corrosive to aluminum as well. I think that it is used by itself, or in fiberglass applications. If I were going to use something, I'd get a sheet of plastic plywood. They sell it at BPS. It's sort of expensive, but its super-strong, lighter than plywood, rot-PROOF, and can be worked with wood-working tools. Otherwise, plain plywood with several coats of water-proofer should do the trick.

I've never had that happen. I have three Minn Kotas. I have a Power Drive Bow Mount 55# thrust, a transom mount Riptide 50# thrust, and an Endura 30# thrust. They get hard use, on hot days. If you have them on a circuit breaker and connected to proper gauge leads, there is no reason for "wires [that] melt or fuses [that] pop." If that's happening, there's something wrong, and it ain't the brand.

I have a Shakespeare transom mount trolling motor that is as good as the day my grandad bought it - some 25 years ago. My Minn Kota Power Drive 55# thrust on my 1548 jonboat has operated perfectly for years. I use a cabled-hand remote for control, instead of the foot control. They most certainly have a place on a bass boat. I often fish alone, and I can control the motor from anywhere in the boat. It isn't jerky like someone said, it is very smooth. It has been reliable since I've had it, and it sips power. I can fish all day on one fully charged 27 series battery. It's easier to mount than a manual foot control model, and a helluva lot easier to take off if you have to leave your boat out. I recommend them highly.

Pretty cool. I've not only never caught one, I've never seen one come out of any Viginia waters. They are apparently there, though, and making somewhat of a comeback. http://www.timesdispatch.com/cva/ric/sports.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-09-29-0145.html

Few years ago my wife bought me a handful of Rattln' Rapalas with beer logos on them.

You've been plugin' that line for a long time, RW. Now I'm gonna see if you know what you're talking about. I just ordered two spools.

Thanks.

Just curious. Does anyone use any sort of preservatives on their plastics. I've notice some of my plastics start to lose that slick feel once the bag has been opened. I've experimented with a dash of silicone or a drop of vegetable oil. That restores the slickness for awhile but then they go back to being dry and rubbery. This probably isn't even worth worrying about. But I was just wondering if anyone even bothers, and if so, what they use.

The lowest memory mono I've yet used is Stren Magnathin. I use 6# and 8# on light and medium (respectively) spinning outfits. It is fantastic spinning line. And I haven't had any problems at all with abrasion resistance - certainly no worse than Stren Original.

T-rig, you consistently catch some of the nicest bass I've seen. Do you have smallmouth bass in your favorite lakes?

That's what I use, too. It's the most convenient thing I've come across yet. I also have one of these... ...but its a pain in the *** to use on my boat. The front of it folds down so you can slide out the 370 boxes. But if there is anything in the front flap, it makes a lump too high for the bottom box to slide over, so you have to tilt the whole bag back to get the box out. So I just got a few of those 370 totes in th your picture and use those. Much, much easier.

I've tried as much fluoro as I'm interested in. I liked InvizX alright, but it was still pretty stiff despite being touted as the limpest fluoro. It was extremely sensitive, though and I really liked that.

Johnny Morris Elite 7' MH / Johnny Morris Elite Fenwick HMG 6'6" MH / Revo STX Fenwick HMG 6'6' M / Revo STX BPS Pro Qualifier 7' M / Abu Garcia EXT Pro BPS Pro Qualifier 7' M / Abu Garcia EXT pro Team All Star IM10 6'8" MH / Revo SX Team All Star IM10 6'6" MH / Revo SX All Star American Classic 6'8' MH / Revo SC All Star American Classic 6'8' MH / Revo SC All Star American Classic 7' MH / Revo S All Star American Classic 7'6" H / Revo S Fenwick HMG 7' MH / Abu Grcia 804 Fenwick HMG 7' M / Abu Garcia 802 Fenwick HMX 6'6" M / Abu Garcia 802 Fenwick HMX 6'6" ML / Abu Garcia 802 All Star American Classic 6'6" M / Abu Garcia Cardinal 502 ALB Browning Citori 6'6" M / Browning Citori Browning Medallion GT 6'6" MH / Browning Medallion BPS Bionic Blade 6' L / BPS Enticer Several rodless Abu Garcias (5600 C4s, 6500 C4s). Several other odd rodless reels, and a few reelless rods.

A really hot bath and a little time in the dryer and we might be able to fit you in that boat.

Zoom Horny Toad Zoom Finesse Worm Rapala X-Rap Mepps Aglia #3

As mean as he looks, and considering that little love-bite he gave me, he was about as docile a snake as you could ever want to handle. I found him under a big piece of tin. I wrestled him out by his tail. As soon as I got my hand within striking distance, he gave me a quick nip. But that was it. They have needle sharp teeth and even a tiny nip will bring blood. But once I had his body supported, he calmed right down. I was able to handle him very easily. He did seem a little agitated by the camera lense, but whenever I lowered it, he closed his mouth. Maybe he thought it was some kind of eye. He was about 6.5 - 7 feet long. Heavy in body for a black rat snake in these parts. My biggest fear was that he would crap on me (they sometimes do that in self defense). When he crawled through my hands, his belly and bowels gurgled loudly. It would not have been a pretty site. ;D

Great pics. And ditto - thanks for your service. My dad served in Korea at the tail end of the Korean War. He was an artillery officer. I love listening to his stories about artillery duels with the Chinese. His best story was about an incident just after the Armistice was signed. He told me about "noises," like heavy machinery, coming across the DMZ - but only at night. He thought the Chinese were trying to emplace artillery in violation of the Armistice. One night, they lit up a searchlight and shone it across the DMZ at the mountain with all the noise. Sure enough, Chinese were digging tunnels and placing artillery in caves. Instead of accolades for his discovery, he receive a reminder that shining a spotlight acros the DMZ was considered a hostile act. Go figure.

I couldn't fish today, but I did have a little time to pursue my other outdoor passion - snakes. Found this monster under a piece of tin:

My all-time favorites Seinfeld M*A*S*H Newhart Everybody Loves Raymond