CWB

Being specific in what you want helps. Print out the item from BPS or T.W website and give to whoever is buying for you. If you're like most of us, you probably already have the latest rods, reels, lures, but mostly overlooked is line. IMO, the fresher, the better, except for braid which I think lasts forever. Again, be specific. Don't just ask for line, ask for a specific brand and # test, or a particular lure from a specific store. Good luck and hope you all get what you want. I'm asking for gift cards that I can apply to a new GPS unit.

Being specific in what you want helps. Print out the item from BPS or T.W website and give to whoever is buying for you. If you're like most of us, you probably already have the latest rods, reels, lures, but mostly overlooked is line. IMO, the fresher, the better, except for braid which I think lasts forever. Again, be specific. Don't just ask for line, ask for a specific brand and # test, or a particular lure from a specific store. Good luck and hope you all get what you want. I'm asking for gift cards that I can apply to a new GPS unit.

Being specific in what you want helps. Print out the item from BPS or T.W website and give to whoever is buying for you. If you're like most of us, you probably already have the latest rods, reels, lures, but mostly overlooked is line. IMO, the fresher, the better, except for braid which I think lasts forever. Again, be specific. Don't just ask for line, ask for a specific brand and # test, or a particular lure from a specific store. Good luck and hope you all get what you want. I'm asking for gift cards that I can apply to a new GPS unit.

I'm a pretty big guy and I have come close to throwing my partner out of the boat I set the hook so hard. Have not had any problems with breakoffs using flouro or hybrid lines. Need to make sure drag is set properly. Maybe he should experiment with different knots. I use a twice through Palomar most of the time. All the time with braid. Can't remember ever having a breakoff with braid. Now wrapping around a post or stump, that's a different story. Check your line and re-tie as needed. Sometimes we all get too lazy.

I'm a pretty big guy and I have come close to throwing my partner out of the boat I set the hook so hard. Have not had any problems with breakoffs using flouro or hybrid lines. Need to make sure drag is set properly. Maybe he should experiment with different knots. I use a twice through Palomar most of the time. All the time with braid. Can't remember ever having a breakoff with braid. Now wrapping around a post or stump, that's a different story. Check your line and re-tie as needed. Sometimes we all get too lazy.

I'm a pretty big guy and I have come close to throwing my partner out of the boat I set the hook so hard. Have not had any problems with breakoffs using flouro or hybrid lines. Need to make sure drag is set properly. Maybe he should experiment with different knots. I use a twice through Palomar most of the time. All the time with braid. Can't remember ever having a breakoff with braid. Now wrapping around a post or stump, that's a different story. Check your line and re-tie as needed. Sometimes we all get too lazy.

Is crawling geese like snipe hunting?

Keep in mind, everyone has a different risk tolerance. Paying extra to the principal is a sure bet. Can you make more by investing the extra cash? Definitely. Can you lose it? Definitely. Everyone has to decide for themselves what they can live with. Today there are very few sure things that offer a decent return. P.S. Can't we all just get along? :'( Yes, I too sometimes use emoticons or whatever the h*ll you call them.

Another wise guy. ;D

What really ticks me off is that up until 5 or 6 years ago, I was on track to retire at 55 with well over 7 figures saved, most of which is in my 401K and profit sharing, some in IRA's and some in investments. Took a big hit when the market sank and am now back to close to where I was, only I'll probably have to wait till I'm 65 like everyone else. Unless the market soars for 5 straight years.

Rub it in Raul- I'm looking out the window at 4-5"

You left out one ingredient from the lemonade - the Vodka.

That's definitely one way to look at it. If you are saavy at investing you could profit nicely by investing the savings. But as most of us are not, the savings down the road will be equal to a gain on an investment. Or it can free up needed cash for other necessities such as a car, boat, college education etc. Snuck boat in there just in case.

Wanna bet he remembers pretty quick! ;D

Great move and timing. We had a 15 yr at 5.2% and did a re-fi at 3.75 for 15 yr, no closing costs. My wife went to school with the Sr. loan officer who has done this for us before. That helped. They also forgot to do an inspection, saving us $400.00. We are now paying the same per month toward the mortgage but should be done 2-3 years sooner. Rates inching up again. Anything extra you can pay to it is one of the best things you can do. If you knock down the principal, you're paying less interest in the long run. You can't change what you pay in total for the principal, but you can drastically change what you pay in total for the interest. What kills me is that my home is worth less but I am paying higher taxes.

These remind me of a jerkbait BPS used to put out a couple years ago. Forgot the name but still have several bags. Love Strike King's Z-Too. Have caught 30 fish on one bait. Caffiene Shad is killer but does tear up pretty easy. Yum Houdidni Shad is cool as it gives you 3 tail options. For a twist, Gamblers Flappin' Shad with it's paddle tail might give fish something they aren't used to seeing.

What they said ^^^

If I recall, they usually run some kind of sale at most major holidays and usually have something going to coincide with BPS Spring Classic. Call them. They are the greatest people to deal with and will let you know when the next sale is coming.

Exactly.... Everybody's beloved Tackleware house will ship $6.95 for those same items. ;D Another example.... But buy $50.00 worth of skirts and shipping is free.

You should have contacted the seller and asked if he combined shipping for multiple items won. If the answer was yes, after you won the second item, you should have asked him for an invoice showing the combined shipping. You have no reason to complain after the fact. The shipping costs were obviously clearly listed. Communication is very important when buying and selling on ebay. You paid the price for each item won, and the listed shipping cost. You did the right thing in contacting the seller and sounds like you made out pretty good in the end. Advice to all buyers- If you intend to bid on and possibly win more than one item from a particular seller, contact him/her to see if they combine shipping and then if you win more than one, wait for an invoice or request one before paying. Alot of sellers automatically combine shipping. Click on the SEE ALL DETAILS link next to the shipping cost. Better luck next time.

Try carolina rigging a Strike King 3X Craw or Lizard. The amount of gunk will determine your leader length. All these baits float except the Zero which sinks at about the same rate as a Dinger and the Z-Too which sinks very slowly. Use a lighter wire hook unless you are after really big average size bass. http://www.strikeking.com/products/3x/3x_softbaits_02.htm

That might be overkill but it's possible he had a bad experience having something of his ruined by a careless angler. Look at both sides of the equation. I cannot begin to tell you how many people on my lake have had damage done to their property by careless anglers, including myself. I had a large hole ripped in my boat cover a few years back and always find lures hanging from under the dock or posts which could dislodge and get stepped on. My neighbor had some wiring ripped out from underneath his pontoon boat which was not cheap to fix. I love dock fishing. If I hang a lure up, I make every effort to retrieve it without doing any damage. If I hang up under a boat, I just cut the line. If I land a lure on or in a boat, I will make every effort to retrieve it instead of just yanking it. 9 times out of 10, that will only make things worse. If the homeowner comes out while you are doing this, calmly explain you made an errant cast and want to retrieve the lure without doing any damage. I've had people hop in the boat and dislodge the lure and toss it out to me and say try to be more careful. If someone dings your car in a parking lot I would wager you would be pretty upset and have some choice words to say to the culprit. Flipside, how many of you actually leave a note on the car after you have inadvertanly caused damage. If you walk out of a store and see a big scratch on your car, you're going to be p.o.'d and be more leary of it in the future. Landowners are probably the vast minority on this forum, but that does not make them jerks if they are concerned about their property. Per above post, some do go to extremes and gt wacky. Not to mention all the garbage and cans etc. that lazy anglers toss overboard they have to clean up. I'm sure these anglers are in the minority but still gets people p.o.'d. 2 sides to every story. Be courteous and you'll be surprised the reaction you'll get.

Did you even request an invoice from the seller? That is something you should always do and don't pay until the numbers match the listing. This would be a prime example of when to open a case against the seller. I would quit worrying about what the seller is charging for shipping as most people are smart enough to bid based on the total cost, including shipping. If the shipping cost is high, the item will probably sell for less than an identical item with a lower shipping cost. You need to do the math.

Here is an example I hope everyone can understand. Let's say there is a Rapala DT crankbait listed for sale at $.99 to start and the shipping is listed at $2.99. I figure the bait in a store, with tax, would sell for $7.50 - $8.50, plus my time to go back and forth buying it. I will add a note if I put it in my "watch list" to not bid more than what I would be willing to pay, including the shipping. In this case I would probably not bid more than $3.51, which when added to the shipping, would bring the total cost of the bait to $6.50. I feel that would be a fair price for this particular bait. It is for everyone to decide what total price they are willing to pay, no matter what the shipping cost is. A seller can put whatever he wants to for shipping. If you feel they are charging too much, either don't bid at all or don't bid more than the total cost you are willing to pay which would be your bid + the shipping cost. Pretty simple to figure out and avoid if you don't agree with the shipping cost. I usually avoid sellers that charge high shipping costs but sometimes the total cost for the item is the "STEAL" I never bid on an item without factoring in the shipping. If you do, and you think the shipping was too much, it's your own fault and you should look in the mirror for the person to blame.

Agreed. Shipping costs are clearly listed. If you feel it's too high move on. Don't moan about something you had total control over.