VolFan

I grew up on an 870 for deer, quail, ducks, doves, and rabbits. You can't go wrong there. Cheap and lots of aftermarket parts and barrels. The 500 is probably similar from the Mossberg line, but I have very little experience with them. Fit, ammo, weight, and hold make a gun kick perceivably harder, not model.

That Duke / Tammy was a GREAT game! I actually might have doubted the SEC SEC SEC team for a little while...

I have the same rod as A Jay. It should work for what you want it for nicely. Get a bone colored lunker Punker and a bullshad and go nuts.

What Speed said. Stop worrying about color and fish it where fish are.

I had the roof rack on my Explorer fail while I was going 65 down I-40 in Knoxville. That yak did a couple cart wheels on pavement and got a gentle nudge from an 18 wheeler... It had some good scratches but was none the worse for wear. I wouldn't worry about it being scratched; go get some more on it so they don't get lonely.

Looks great! Fluke - a good time to get fruit woods is when the orchards prune the trees. It varies based on what they're growing, but if you have orchards near you, they're usually happy to have you take away some of their waste. You may even luck into any trees they're removing for various reasons (illness, spacing, variety, etc.).

Hickory for pork, mesquite for beef. If you have a good butcher that can get you some small-farm meats, try it sometime. There is a huge difference in flavor. Your timing seems about right. Once it's in the oven or foil, it can stay there just about forever as long as you keep the temp low.

Keep the sugar; it won't burn at smoking temps. For pork, I go 50% sugar 25% salt and 25% spice on pork with the main spices being pepper, onion and garlic powder. Your rub looks more like something I would put on a brisket ot tri-tip. You can use your Pyrex, just make sure it seals well and or add a layer of aluminum foil. Hickory works great with pork. If you take the fat cap off before cooking I will come to your house and break your swim bait rods; it offends me that much. You can score it some, but leave it on. Coke or Dr Pepper actually make a great brine, or you can add them to whatever vessel you finish the cooking in.

I'm a BassResource Pro Staffer, and this thread and site is better than any of the others. BassResource Unofficial ProStaff

Either sliced into strips and fried or kept in bigger chunks (it helps to catch bigger ones) and grilled. Usually just salt and pepper, but I have put Old Bay in my breading mix before. They're more of a meaty texture and pretty sweet like lobster.

With baits that big, I'd get a bigger reel. If your Chronarch holds 100 yards of 20 lb test, you could use it, but you're stretching it. Maybe get a 300 or 400 sized Cardiff for that rod? Probably wouldn't cost you any more than a custom spool.

Too much info! Preserve the Aquarium from the fly fishers!

What size lures are you using? If you're around or under 4 ounces, maybe drop down to 20 lb line or even 17 if you'r not fishing DD water with a lot of cover. If you do drop down, use a quality line and be diligent about changing it out. You could also back with braid and use a 30-50 yard top shot of mono, but make sure that connector knot is very, very solid.

I know...and I assumed you weren't bank fishing Blue Plains...there's only a few left after that...and only one has that mud.

I know that warmwater discharge (I think)...lots of carp? was he directly across from where you walk up under the weeds or was he near the overhead structure? There's usually one on the far bank. As far as fighting, they seem a lot like pike to me. Real good initial burst and power but then they just kind of roll over. They are delicious though.

If he won't take the Pappy, I certainly will. I have tried most by virtue of my previous employment, and they are not to be missed if you get the chance.

I'd tune and trick the Cardiff to your preference, but that's just me. I tend to like the round shimanos better than a lot of the low profile reels because I find them more comfortable to fish with.

20 lb yozuri hybrid. You will lose more lures with braid as you get into bigger swim baits from cast offs than snags unless you are really really good with your bait caster. I use 17 for baits similar to the ones you referenced.

I could've bought a house off of West Millers Cove rd in Walland about ten years ago. If I had, I'd probably still be there.

Traveler - Land Between the Lakes is between Kentucky And Barkley Lakes in western TN/KY. Nice area, but it's not very scenic. Go outside of Knoxville/Maryville TN. Cheap, beautiful country and you can fish for whatever freshwater you want. You could even fish while tailgating to watch the most wonderful college team in the country... Now you owe me a fishing trip... :-)

LL Bean tends to have a good selection of styles of PFDs if you need a reliable store and aren't near a canoe/kayak store. Make sure that it is comfortable, or you'll never wear it. Also, make sure you can fish comfortably with it on. My first one rubbed my lat raw while fishing. As far as a paddle, since it's a SOT and is kind of wide, get a 240 cm paddle. Bean is a good place to check these out for size as we'll. Sierra Trading Post can have some good deals as we'll, since you seem to be value conscious.

Get a place on the upper end of Tellico lake in TN; you can fish for a multitude of species, and the scenery is great.

Look for any dents with creases in the plastic and any gouging. Check to make sure none of the hardware screws are stripped. Other than that, those boats are basically Tupperware. The low temps shouldn't affect it much. I had a Dagger Delta that spent alt of time outside in VA, CO, and TN with no real adverse affects other than some sun fading. And some resident spiders.

1. Identify the spots that can hold big fish, from bank or from boat, you can access them. And at the right time. 2. Approach said spots with great stealth, and place your casts with the same stealth. Don't cannonball a swim bait right on top of a bass' head. 3. Fish the exact"spot within the spot", the prime area where a big girl would be if she's there. Before all the others, have fun. Because if you're not having fun, what's the point?

Then get the 9 inch.