CWB

I started in the '70s with a local club and fished every money tournament in my area. As I got better at tournament fishing I fished several tournament trails(never good enough to make the big time) and was in the money enough to cover expenses. Now that I have joined Team Depends(many, many years ago) I fish 2 0r 3 local tournaments a week, still in the money enough to make expenses). When I get so old I am nor competitive I will go back to fun fishing. Kelley Kelley- Who are you kidding? You'll be fishing tounaments at 90. Next year right? ;D

I switched from a 5/0 to a 4/0 Gammie superline EWG hook. My hookup percentage seems to have gone up. Could be coincidence though. I think Big-O recommended downsizing to increase hookups. I'm going to stay with a 4/0. Just texas rig it as normal, measure where hook would penetrate back of bait, and I push hook straight thru at 90 deg. to the body and skin hook the point. Make sure you keep the hook in the center of the bait. Tail up of course.

I've been a huge fan of the Snagproof Bobby's Perfect Frog. Good weight, great hook placement and softer body. If I'm shooting a frog into reeds or bullrushes, I like a harder body and go to the Spro or Boze Sumo due to less hangups. For the edges and lighter stuff the Rage Shad has been my No. 1 bait.

I go in and take a nap.

I've got a few of the older Bagley cranks and they are fer superior to today's. I am very reluctant to throw them on my lake for fear of a pike or musky taking it with him. Hang on to your stash and keep looking. They're out there. I check ebay several times a day. Agree with cart on the Wiggle Wart.

We had Rashard and Walter Mendenhall for four years and those were the best 4 years in the last 20 for our program. My son played Freshman year but hurt his back and is now only doing baseball. I got to coach Rashard when he was in the feeder program. What a special athlete. Electric. How's he doing in Pittsburgh? He got hurt, didn't he? Can't beat Friday Night Lights!

I'm not too into real hot stuff but my wife makes some excellent chili. Had 2 big bowls last night for dinner. Just the right zing for me. Just got out of the bathroom. TMI I suppose. If I recall, Roadwarrior is a great cook. Listen to his advise. P.S. What else are you growing inside yourself?

Cart- Did you ever consider going into standup? Your posts are hilarious! Keep it up buddy. Can't wait for what's next. Maybe we can do an open mike night at Pickwick. Burley would probably want in too.

Gotta love float tubing. Toe to toe! I see I'm not the only one who uses Slider Heads. WTG!

Don't rub it in! I still think you should have entered. Old or not.

Not too shabby for a couple of guys your age. ;D Good job man! Next time enter.

Thank god for the rain we've been having here lately. Water level rose high enough where I could get the boat through the channel into the East lake. Had to jump out and push but it was worth it. Fri night got 3 decent fish before it got too dark. Sat morn. was cold, dark and windy. Fish didn't seem to mind. Started throwing the Rage Shad around the pads and action was pretty much non stop. Went in around noon and took a nap. My dad came up around 3:00 and we went out about 5:00. Started off with a little guy and then started getting huge hits and misses. I blamed the old man and called him a jinx. Next cast another huge boil and a miss. I looked down and there was a huge dogfish. Must have been what was missing the bait. A few minutes later I got this guy. Then right at dark I got another huge strike and got a good hookset. Got a quick glimpse and thought I finally got a hook into a big dogfish. Then I got it closer and saw it was a bass! It actually pulled some drag. Got it in and measured and weighed it. 21". 6lb.7 oz. After a few pics, back she went. Guess the old man was actually a good luck charm! All but one fish on Rage Shads. Big shout out to Big-O for helping me to what probably is my best year ever! Some pics of the areas I was fishing:

And the posse returns..... I'm actually looking at the 200E7. Are there any new Shimano's due to come out to compete with the new Revo's? Maybe 200E7 price will come down.

I don't like them. I think the most comfortable rods, at least for me, are the BPS rods with the power hump. Fits perfectly in my hand when palming a low profile reel.

I'm sure they all have jobs but like myself, can check on things from time to time at work or maybe they work from home, or at different times of the day. One of the perks is they get to delete posts from smarta**es like myself. ;D I had the pleasure of meeting them at the roadtrip this year and they are all great guys.

*** used to carry a bait called the *. No longer. Get a bottle of Mend-It and it will double their life. Senko's as well. If you need to justify the price, see how well they work. I'm frugal myself but I'd rather catch fish on a bait that sells for $6.99 for 10 than get skunked on a bait that is $3.99 per 10. Food for thought. RoadWarrior got me hooked on Ikas. (no pun intended). No looking back now. Don't forget to try them rigged backwards. Start the hook at the skirt side, not in the "Head"

I like the Riggin' hooks also. Real big bite. 4/0 works well if you leave the eye out of the bait. Or go with the Bull Ribbits.

Got it. Just let me know. And pray for continued rain. I'd like to see the lake come up about a foot or so.

Correct on all but one thing. Zero's sink. They are Senko type baits. After catching several fish and losing their salt content, they will eventually start to float though. Z-Too's sink verrrryyyy slowly due to salt content. If you can still find Zulu's, they float.

Might have been Russ ***. He frequently runs specials here. His stuff is top notch. http://www.***/?refid=store

Man Mike- You're really playing hardball. On to plan B. I'm going to have to report you to ebay. I won it fair and square for $.99

Plastics- Strike King including and especially Rage Tail GYCB and Yum Powerbait Cranks- Bomber Excalibur Bandit and Strike King Spinnerbaits- Terminator Strike King Stanley Jigs- Terminator Football and Pro's Top Secret Strike King Football and Denny Brauer Premier Evolution Line- Yo-Zuri Hybrid Trilene Big Game Power Pro Reels- Abu Shimano Higher End BPS Rods- St. Croix and BPS are all I use.

I do believe those unpainted barbs will hold very well, even on the stand alone post. You powder coat the jig without coating the hook. Don't know how you do it, but if you could possibly eliminate the coating on the weedless rigging post, you'd be golden. In fact, I'd buy them uncoated. If I want them colored, fingernail polish would do just fine, and it comes with an applicator brush that would be perfect for jig heads. I agree. I scrape the "paint" off the keeper post when I have nothing better to do, which is most of the time, and they hold great. I have even carved then to look like arrowheads. Man, too much spare time! Bobby- Can you mask off the barb prior to powder coating? Probably add $5.00 to the price. ;D

I think most of us have been in this situation, minus the cigar. You'd think we'd learn to slow down. Anyone remember a technique called stitching which is kind of like retrieving your line very slowly by hand like you were fly fishing?

I'm from Chicago. Dirty fighting is second nature here. First we have to make sure Mike doesn't bring his boat and if he does, I call shotgun the first day. I think only one of us will make it back due to hitting a big wave the wrong way. Like Thunderdome. 2 men enter, 1 man leaves. (Hopefully with shirt in hand) Anyway, I shouldn't let Leo know this, as he seems to have something going on with Muddy, but the Cabins don't have locks and from what I hear, Mike is not a light sleeper.