Micro

"Worth" is a relative term. Unless you are into nostalgia, there are better choices for your money.

The Fuego is an excellent, light, all-around reel. I've used mine for just about every technique I fish. They are smooth, meticulously made, exceptionally well finished, and cast a mile. At current clearance prices, I don't think there is a better deal out there.

Lots of good stuff, here. The articles library is amazing!

There is no antidote for the bite of the Bait Monkey.

Get yourself some River-2-Seas if you want. But I'd advise you to avoid the Step Wa frog. They suck. Unless you reel them at exactly the right speed, the same speed, every time, they have either no action, or they dive and spin. They sure are pretty, though, which has caught more than a few fishermen.

Holy carp. I just read that 14 page thread. Where the heck was I when that was posted? I just thought the guy was absent from the boards. I didn't know he was a fugitive. Sort of explains how someone could simply switch a whole arsenal of rods to something else overnight.

We have shad die-offs here, too. Usually big, really big, gizzard shad. Out on my home waters, I'll see them near death swimming in circles and floating on the surface. There will be dozens in a hundred-yard stretch of river. It doesn't seem to effect fishing, though. And eagles and ospreys don't go hungry, either. I've never seen a smaller shad die off. Even when the waters ice-over.

Matzuo makes some decent stuff, and some crap. I can't remember what these lures were called. But they were decent. Nice hooks, good detail, decent actions. I don't think I ever caught anything on them, but never fished them much. I didn't give them away because they were bad or anything. I just sometimes give away some of my superfluous stuff.

I like to shave with a dull razor, cold water and no shaving cream.

I'm ready when you are!

That's craptastic! Crappie are fun fish.

God made pickerel so bass-fishermen don't get skunked. (Moderators: feel free to delete if this is deemed a religious post. )

I agree with Paul. The bottom ones look like some Matzuo lures I gave away.

He didn't go to Haiti, did he? Sorry.

I did. But I didn't buy anything. I didn't see much in the way of jigs that Green Top doesn't already carry. They did have some Dave's plastics I hadn't seen before. Were they there? I didn't even see them. As a matter of fact, I think that was JB's booth. They even knocked my equipment. They asked me what I fished with and then told me to sell my rods for wahtever I could get for them and buy a few of theirs. (Yes, it was JBs. I just looked them up and they sell the rods with the epoxy ball handles.) That's worth missing it for!

I sent you a PM.

I was there today from 11:00AM to about 12:30PM, at which time I headed to Green Top. I'm sorry to say that I was rather disappointed. No Daiwa booth this year that I saw. I found no deals anywhere, except the free samples of the Jacks Links beef jerky. The trout pond for kids was kinda cool. But the crassness of some of the vendors was unbearable. I saw one guy looking at some custom rods - nice, but nothing to write home about. The guy looked at one and put it back and wandered off. The guys at the booth bad mouthed him out loud and said something to the effect that they can't help it if he doesn't catch fish if he's not fishing with one of their rods. : Too many people asking for donations. And the worse part, I didn't see Sam or Dan anywhere.

I've never owned nor fired a Storm. Something about them didn't appeal to me. They were comfortable but felt very plasticy to me - if that makes sense. I do like the hammer on the PX4. I think its an advantage over stiker-fired guns like the Glock and Springfield XD. Because it allows you to pull the trigger again on a round that misfires. If you shoot some hard-primered european brands of ammo, like Prvi Partizan, that comes in handy. I've recently checked out the sort-of-new Sig Sauer 2022. It's a double action, polymer framed gun. The decocker and slide lock are right there in easy reach. The trigger pull is ultra-smooth. It seems to be extremely well made. If I were to buy a polymer framed gun, I'd look really hard at the Sig Sauer 2022. The price is lower than the PX4. http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/ShowCatalogProductDetails.aspx?categoryid=33&productid=121

$100 more? Hmmm. I'd shop around. AFAIK, there is no difference in prices. Even so, there is really no practical difference between the US-made guns and Italian made guns. they are both Berettas. The US-made gun is a civilian version of the military's M9, and the Italian-made gun is the 92FS. Same gun, but I think the finish is nicer on the 92FS. There is a stainless version. Of the three 92s I've owned, one was stainless. The frame is still aluminum-alloy - just with a silver "Inox" finish. The stainless gun is no better worse than the black gun. In fact, I like the looks of the black gun better. The stainless gun costs a bit more. On the front end, just under the barrel, the word "Stainless" is roll-marked. It's just a matter of preference.

I'll be there tomorrow. I'll be wearing blue jeans and a green, denim Carhartt hooded jacket. I live in Newport News so I won't be there too early. How's 11:00 AM sound? Sam, are you working a booth there?

I've owned a Beretta 92FS (3 actually) and a Springfield Armory 1911A1 (2 actually). If this is your first handgun, I'd recommend the Beretta. First, Beretta makes a quality firearm. The 92 is a well established design that is robust and ultra reliable. The gun is really overbuilt for the 9mm round. With care, a 92 will last forever. Second, the 92 is a little safer, IMO, for a newer user. The decocker feature is nice. It rolls the firing pin up so it cannot be hit as the hammer decocks. Leaving it on after decocking and it acts as a safety. Flipping it off and the pistol will fire in double action. (Trying to lower the hammer on a loaded 1911A1 is more dangerous.) Both are great weapons. Springfield makes a great pistol. The slides and frames are forged in Brazil by Imel, an old and well established company that makes Brazilian military rifles. The 92 is either made by Beretta in Accokeek, Maryland or in Italy. I've only owned the Italian made pistol. I think the fit and finish is a bit better than the Maryland built gun - which is the military version (the M9).

Aarons Magic. Great color. Has produced quite a few fish for me.

I'd go with an 870, or even a Mossberg. The Benelli is a great gun. I have a Super Nova Tactical. The trick with the Benelli, though, is to buy it in exactly the configuration you want it in at the beginning. The reason is because barrels for Benellis are friggin expensive - 75-80% of the cost of the gun itself. It's almost as chealp to buy another whole shotgun as it is to buy another barrel for a Benelli. But if you can find a Benelli in a configuration you like, it's as a good, and soft a shooting gun as you will find.

I think it's called the Big Bucketmouth Ugly Frog, or something like that.

Ouch....