CWB

Easy. All of them! Rage Shad has become my #1 bait the past few seasons as soon as it warms up and the grass starts growing. After that, Craw on a jig, Rooster, Monkey, Lizard. Tough to pick. That's why I have 100 bags of each.

Doubt they stage catching the fish as the OP suggests, but Mr. Dance does fish from a private pond. I would bet on it. Every bass show he does looks like it is shot on the same long, narrow pond at different times of the year and with different baits. He does have a fetish for dragging a fish around at boatside waiting for it to jump. I don't like the way he holds the fish up near horizontally either. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for him and what he has accomplished and given to the sport. Would be refreshing to see him fishing a public body of water and see another boat on that water once in a while. I rarely watch his show anymore. Lindner's Angling Edge is shot in my neck of the woods and always on public water. Even Roland fishes public water. I would love to have access to Bill's pond though. Some pigs in there for sure!

Hey Deb- If Mike puts on a wig and some makeup, could he qualify?. Probably not enough makeup on the planet.

If you haven't tried the Mega Stick, give 'em a try. I watched a fish grab one and followed him/her around for several minutes actually tugging on the bait to get him to let go. He wouldn't. Had to practically lift him out of the water to get him to let go and get my bait back. It would be fun to see Bobby and Dozer going at it again.

Good one JF! I like a Rage Craw and try to match the color of the jig.

Like painting a Toyota a different color, calling it a Lexus, and charging more for it. (Couldn't resist)

I clean and "re-lube" all my new reels so that isn't the issue. Sounds like I need to use it more and break it in. Thanks guys.

Maybe I wasn't clear in the OP, but the problem is it seems like it takes more "effort" to re-engage the spool after a cast by turning the handle. Everything else after that is smooth as silk. Picture reeling the bail closed on a spining reel. Seems like I have to turn the handle harder than any other reel I own to re-engage the spool after a cast and it makes a distinctive clicking sound when doing so. All else is fine. Yeah, I bet they sold quite a few at $97.88.

I have a question that perhaps one of the posse members can answer for me. I sent an email to American Legacy about the Curado 50E sale and I got lucky about a week later I got an email that they had a cancellation so I snapped one up. I like it so far but one thing: Handle seems a bit hard to turn to engage the spool after a cast. Also is a pretty audible "Click". Will this get better with use or is this how it is? Not a huge deal. Just curious.

Without getting into a political discussion here, first, I believe all life is sacred. I also believe we as humans need to eat and being at the top of the food chain, animals must die, through hunting, fishing, farms, whatever. I also believe human life should always be considered above animal life. I do love animals but if push came to shove..... On abortion, I feel in most cases, like just about everything else today, it has taken the responsibilty out of the equation in a very personal decision. Act first, think later. I don't like it but that seems to be the way it is in today's society. It is almost like going to the pet store, buying a certain fish, getting home and deciding you don't want it, then flushing it down the toilet. JMO

I've seen T.V. shows where Gator Gar were stalked and shot at night. I believe it was in Texas. P.S. What's a Gar Pike? Shooting a Pike, or any gamefish for that matter, is illegal, here in Illinois anyway. Currently Gar are not considered gamefish. http://www.ifishillinois.org/awards/bow_table.html

I think she saw my wallet and never looked up. P.S. When is the last time you snuck up on the mirror and took a good look before it broke?

What a beauty Roger! The fish, not you. Great pic.! Stupid question but how do you like the Big Easy. Reasonably priced bait and great colors.

I would also advise staying away from Massachusetts. If a certain individual's behavior at the BBQ restaurant at the KY lake Roadtrip was any indication, you will not be safe. He actually tried to steal away the waitress that was flirting with me.

WTG Girl!!!!!

Only time I ever followed any loons they led me to a bar. Oh, did you mean birds?

I have the exact same Everstart trolling motor battery (120 AH) and have not had any issues for 3 years now. I charge it out of the boat with a Sears 15 amp charger set at 12v deep cycle. Never takes more than 5-6 hours to fully charge, even after running for almost 2 days. Are you using both batteries to start the engine and run the T.M? You should use a separate battery for each. If T.M is 24V, use 2 separate ones for that. If the starting batt. goes dead, you can usually rig up the good one(s) to start the engine.

You found a Pawn Star but did Danny find a Po*n Star? First glance at the pic I thought it was Dozer with long hair.

Like most have said, I re-spool as needed. Mono more often, Flouro as needed, (it does not last forever but does last longer than mono) http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/fluorocarbon_line.html and I usually check braid after every outing and always re-tie at least once or twice during the day. My frog rod has had the same Power Pro for 2 years running and is still holding up fine. I keep all my line in a tupperware tub in the garage where no light can find it and it stays relatively cool. The reels stay in the rod locker when not in use. Read more about fluorocarbon stretch, water absobtion (soak test) best knots, etc. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewfluorocarbon2.html These guys are usually pretty unbiased. I like Big Game Mono, Yo-Zuri Hybrid, Sunline Flouro if I can get it on sale, or Trilene 100% or BPS, and Power Pro Braid. I'm sure everyone has their personal preferences. Like R.W. said, maybe the most important thing is checking it often no matter what your preference.

Carp, yeah. Gar no. As Ted Nugent says, Whack 'em and Stack 'em. Our lakes management association uses them and the weeds they harvest as fertilizer for the local farmers and they take all they can. Some people smoke them and claim they are pretty good. I cannot confirm this. I go out with my son at night and we have a ball. I do not think gar are a threat to anything and Gator gars are one of the last true huge freshwater GAMEFISH in America. They were once hunted to the brink of extinction here. I understand the thrill of shooting a large fish and handlining it in but why gar? I'd rather catch a 100lb gar than shoot one. But then I'd rather catch a 40 lb. carp than shoot one also. Could be a local overpopulation issue. No problem then and it is legal. As said previously, conscience needs to be your guide.

It should be easy enough to find out if there were studies done or recommendations made as to which weed killer or method to use. Contact the DNR. Illinois is usually behind the curve in this kind of stuff but we had 2 years worth of meetings before we came up with an agreeable solution. They should have a plan in place to selectively remove unwanted weedgrowth in specific areas only. Not the entire body of water. The time to voice an opinion is before it is done, not after. Not always the easiest but if you pay attention and do some research, you can usually find what the DNR is planning. If you're in a club, that's more voices to be heard.

Several poisons do indeed target certain types of aquatic weedgrowth. On our lake 2,4D is used to keep milfoil in check, but it is used in the spring and only in rotating sections of the lake. If you just randomly dump in anything, it will devastate the fishery. 2,4D does not seem to effect emergent weeds like lily pads and reeds etc. but these areas should not be treated anyway. It does not seem to harm broadleaf cabbage, a beneficial weed, either. Possibly because it grows deeper and is harder to get at. We also have 2 weed harvesters that cut the weedrowth down to 4-6 feet and pulls it up a conveyor into a container. Proper lake management is the answer. Too often the homeowners just want to destroy the weedgrowth with little concern for anything else. Being a homeowner myself, I make it a point to attend all meetings involving lake management and clearly voice my opinions. When something like you describe is going to be done there is usually some notice given as it is not safe to swim in or eat fish caught from the lake treated for a specified amount of time. Keep your eyes open for meetings and attend and get your buddies to attend. Power in numbers. If it's a private lake, you probably won't have that option. http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/management/aqua028.html

I agree that you have no right to bash something you have not yet tried but in all fairness, I think most posts are people stating their opinion on the decisions made by Shimano and the direction they chose to take with the new lineup. I don't recall seeing "this reel stinks" or anything similar in any of the posts. Like everything else in the world, the only constant is change. Time will tell and people will get used to the change and either like the product or not. Then we'll see the bashing or the love. I'm sure Shimano will be O.K. Wonder how many of the posts were from "kids"

As I stated earlier, I see no innovations but a step backwards if nothing else. The only plus to me would be the lighter weight. Less bearings, No titanium. Seems like they wanted to lower the cost so something had to go. If the Curado 200E's get a little cheaper, I'll probably pull the trigger on one but that will be it for me. Long live the (new) posse! Remember- some people drive Chevy's and some people drive Ford's. A Chevy is a stripped down Cadillac. A Ford is a stripped down Lincoln. Now it appears a Shimano is a stripped down Shimano. (couldn't resist getting the posse riled up) Only time will tell.

I prefer cork but either would be fine as long as it's not split grip.