Eddie Munster

X2. The question originally posted demands personalized answers but compared to others, I've never been that scared. Sure I've lost people close to me, had family members hurt, got laidoff with a new wife and newborn, suffered carwrecks, but it pales in comparison to some of y'alls experiences. My scariest moment was being taken away from my biological parents and placed in 'the system' at the age of nine. Orphanages then foster care were very scary but I realized upon becoming an adult that it was truly a blessing to be taken out of that home and that just because you had a child doesn't make you a parent. I applaud you guys for moving past those hurts and not giving up.

Zoom 7" Red Shad U-tail. Both of my biggest came off that and yes it's what I throw the most.

Nice one Burley. Butthead for making me feel sorry for you though before the picture loaded. ;D

One thing I've heard mention is 'find your own fish' or 'do your own work'. I see some hypocrisy in those statements. Taken for their face value, is shooting the breeze with a local for tips on the lake 'not doing your own work'? Granted not everyone will be talkative but say this local tells you where particular structure is at? Would you not fish that or for those 'purists' would you stop him in mid sentence and say 'la la la; I'm not listening'. Is it 'finding your own fish' by using advice/tips gained from watching Professional fishermen on t.v. or from talking to them? For instance a pro says 'during this tourney under these conditions we nailed them on this'. You didn't earn that information but surely you'd keep that in mind and try it if you encounter those same conditions, right? Most of us watch the pros for a reason and I hope it's not because you like the way they look. You watch them to learn from them. What if the guy you're in the boat with starts nailing them on some exotic bait and you're skunked. Would you not switch to something similar to what he's using? I know I would. I find it hard to believe if you see someone tearing up the fish, that you wouldn't come back after they were gone to see what was under the surface holding those fish. Before anyone replies they NEVER have or NEVER would do that let me get my shoes on so I don't step in anything. I respect all of you guys/gals except those cheating and that's breaking TOURNEY rules.

Good posting right there. Although I will say that people that want to get drunk will use ANYTHING as an excuse to do it. I stopped drinking 6 years ago because I felt I was setting a poor example for my kids. I wasn't getting hammered and was a mellow fellow while holding a buzz. I also let my kids know why I quit too.

I see your point Chris and I think what some of the other guys are saying is that perhaps your friend doesn't have your mindset in chasing DDs. Perhaps he's doing as Paul does and limits his time in pursuit of these lunkers. Personally I've got an addictive personality and my hobbies have been subject to this. I stopped golfing even though I was pretty decent at it (lowest score was 75 on a par 72 course) and almost always shot low 80s. The harder I tried to become better at it, the less fun I had. With fishing I don't have the same desire. Saturday I went fishing catching only dinks with the biggest one on a ultralight rig. I had a blast just enjoying the time on the lake, listening to nature and content to just wet a line. Now do I wish I'd caught just one DD let alone 1/4 of what you've caught? Sure; who wouldn't. My personality just doesn't take well to me trying too hard at things.

Sorry to hear it man but your family is okay and that's great. Maybe a little early to worry about this but I'll go ahead and say it. As far as the insurance goes, make sure you review your policy on how much they'll cover inside the house and that it's 'replacement value'. They may try to talk depreciation on some things but hold your ground that they need to replace what you had. If you had a discounted reel then they owe you a comparable reel since you can't buy that one anymore. Don't tell yourself 'I never used that anyway' or something like that. They should replace everything. If you stick to your guns you'll most likely come out even or a little ahead. Good luck bud.

LOL. Are you serious dude? Just because you have a honey hole doesn't mean you can catch them. How many times in all your hours of "practice" do you know the fish are there, but you just aren't good enough to get them to bite. Judging by your response to this, I bet it happens quite a bit. And if you think about it, Vandam's fishing style doesn't match up well with fishing submerged brushpiles nor does he have the time to drop them because he is always traveling. Listen to senko77; he doesn't fish..............he catches. His tears cure cancer; too bad he never cries. Time waits for no man..................unless that man's name is senko77. The boogieman checks under his bed every night for senko77. Superman has senko77 pajamas.

IMO you could spend a lifetime going through this site to educate yourself. Between the forum and the articles, NO stone has been left unturned.

I'm not an advocate of doing anything to win and believe in integrity but I'm going to disagree with the consensus here. There's no telling who planted those brush piles and just because someone always fishes it doesn't make it their's. It's no different than any other little known underwater structure or cover. 'Find you own fish' is a good motto but I don't believe it applies to these brush piles. Someone manufactered this cover and fish came from somewhere else to populate it. Maybe they left someone else's 'honey-hole' to populate it. No telling. Bottom line is you still have to throw the right thing at the right time to get these fish to bite. Nothing wrong with it.

I bought one of the Mattlures Ultimate Male Bluegills (soft) and a couple times I thought a fish was following my bait in til I realized that WAS my bait. Only got to fish it for a few minutes but it looks fantastic.

;D I think I threw up a little in my mouth at that Glenn. I once bit into a blueberry muffin (packaged) and one of the blueberries was a moldy spot. Tasted like dirt.

His mother in law? T&P going out to Muddy.

I don't care for stale ANYTHING but I love Oreos. Oreo blizzards, cookies, cakes, creme pies. They should make an Oreo perfume. Oh and bacon scented perfume too.

Bottle of water and some jalepeno kettle chips at this time. With a cold Gala Apple.

Only equation I know: Cornbread r square: pie r round.

Funny video of that gymnist. ;D

X1,000,000 to every single post. Seriously, you can say what you want but some levels of ignorance cannot be overcome.

We all pay it's just the terms of the sale that are negotiable.

If it has a pre paid postage return stamp on it, wrap it around a brick as best you can. They may get charged $$ on shipping that paperweight. Dunno if it still works.

Video was good for a chuckle. One chuckle. ^^^^funny^^^

$600 for a standard brake job (just change the pads, machine rotors, etc..) even for a Volvo seems way overpriced. Heaven forbide you need new rotors.

Think I'll save money on beer and just sit next to fourbizz to get the contact buzz.

I've posted it before but it bears repeating to inspire others. My wife came home with the reduced fat stuff, full bowls of fruit, etc and informed me and my two daughters we were going to be eating healthier. I told her she can buy that stuff but I'm buying normal stuff for the pantry too so SHE will be eating healthier and the girls and I will be eating tastier. She came back from the dark side not long after.