Glenn

Looks like we're getting a number of posts about the trip. Here's the ones I could find so far: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1174619633 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1174657927 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1174694804 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1174693584 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1174335961

Talk about a BLAST!!!!! I thoroughly enjoyed meeging everyone who came there, placing the people behind the screen names, and just laughing it up until I couldn't breath! Some nice fish were caught too, despite 25-35 mph winds every day except the last. Details to follow on those ;) As for Ricky's Boat Rentals: I've never met a person so abrasive and rude as him. The man literally cussed at me and the group, unprovoked, for really no apparent reason. As I was walking to my room to get a boat key to return to him, his foul mouth never stopped flapping the whole way. In addition, the boats he had were not in good shape - kind of scary, really. Several of us had boat issues, to which Ricky said it was "user error" -- that's it (yup, a busted trolling motor upon delivery is considered "user error", drained batteries upon delivery are considered "user error"... the list goes on). The man has no customer service skills whatsoever. I thought when I first met him that maybe he was having a bad day. But he was like that on the phone and subsequent encounters. In short - Don't EVER use his services. Instead, JJ's Boat Rental is highly recommended, so give them a call and forget about Ricky. Ok... onward to the more positive stuff... I can attest, Muddy is absolutely hilarious in person. I believe the phrase "The harder and harder I push, the righter and righter I go!" is going to be in everyone's sig line soon. ;D I could write a book about the "Two Mooks in a Boat", but I think Russ tells the story best. I can tell you this: the people I met were some of the finest folks I've ever had the pleasure and privlege to meet. What a great group people! If you think the people on this forum are great, they're EVEN BETTER in person! Keri and I are bit tired from the travels, so I'll post more later (as I'm sure everyone else will too). Pics, stories, videos, and details are certain to follow! WHAT A BLAST!!!!

The primary reason you do that is so you don't ding your prop WHILE loading it onto the trailer (shallow launches and rocks don't play well with props). Just don't trim it up past the "fast trim" point, and don't goose it. Otherwise you can put the eye of the boat up over the top of the roller. Once the boat is on, secured, and the engine off - trim it up even more (beyond the "fast trim" point) before pulling it out. This ensures you won't scrape it on anything when pulling out. In the tie down area, trim the motor all the way back down and let it drain (especially during the colder months), before trimming it back up to secure it for the ride home. It takes a little practice, but soon you'll have it down pat and you'll be loading the boat up very fast.

Depends if there's any damage or not. A simple seal replacement will run you about $400.

Here's a tip - back the trailer until the bunks are fully submerged. Usually that means the water will be up and over the top of the fenders (be sure the ramp is long enough first!). Then pull up so the wheels are about 2/3rds submerged. Now approach the trailer with just the engine engaged at idle - engine trimmed up quite a bit. Disengage just before reaching the trailer. The boat should glide in and "settle in" - this is the bunks at work, aligning your boat straight onto the trailer. Now, raise the motor up even further (just before it goes into "quick raise" mode), and give it some gas - the amount will vary depending on incline. With practice, you should be able to ease onto the trailer and gently nudge the roller. Keep the engine engaged and hook the nose onto the winch and tighten. Now... why submerge it completely first, then pull up? Two things - it makes the bunks slick, thus making the last step easier, plus it lengthens the lifespan of your bunker carpets. Glenn

Get a new Ranger. That'll fix it! Kidding aside - is the scratch white, or is it just a hairline scratch? The difference means two different approaches to fixing it.

Folks, the fish is legit. No trick photography or Photoshop "enhancements" here. I really don't understand why people feel the need to dump on anothers' accomplishments without any founded reason whatsoever other than the fact they cannot accept the success of a fellow angler. Really shameful, and an embarassment to the bass fishing community, in my opinion. I sincerely hope those who doubted will be adult enough to admit they made a mistake, if only unto themselves.

Banning is a permanent thing. There are no second chances. So you have to ask yourself, "Am I feeling lucky?"

Man I'm with you on that one! LOL! I guess maybe it's the experience, maybe it's the confidence knowing your bite will be there at noon (and maybe even better than at 6am), maybe it's knowing the real competition is with the fish - which you experience every time you go out. I guess I try to treat it like any other day. It helps me maintain my focus. Although I won't waste much time on dinks like I would if I were fun fishing. Of course, when your day is going bad and it's 30 mins away from weigh-in time, then I get a little anxious...

Man I can't say anything that's not already been said. That's incredible, Chris. Savor it, buddy, savor it. Few will ever get the opportunity to experience what you did. Nice work!

Uh oh - somebody PM'd me with an order for a tournament shirt and my fat fingers accidentally deleted it. Whomever it was, can you PM me again please? Sorry, I get 15-20 PM's a day, so I must purge every day, and this time I messed up. :-[ On a positive note - we'll be hitting the airport on Sunday. Can't wait to see y'all there. Everyone drive safe, have fun, take pictures, and enjoy the ride! Oh and for those of you thinking the cats will be away, the mods and I are bringing our laptops with us! 8-)

LOL!!! I guess then tasers will have to do.

Hey Muddy, All things happen for a reason, my friend. You may not know it now, but it will work out for the better for you. For example, I had a great fishing partner for 4 years. We fished at least 100-150 days together every year. We did very well in tournaments, and were great friends. Suffice to say, we had everything down pat to a system that worked very well. Then he got a divorce, which turned his world upside down. He backed off on fishing to the point I needed a different partner. I helped him through his divorce, but he wasn't the same after that. Years went by and didn't find a partner that I clicked with. My fishing suffered as a result. My buddy and I still remained friends, but he wasn't into fishing anymore. When Keri and I announced to him we were getting married, he disappeared. He just stopped returning my calls, never contacted me again. To this day, I have no idea why. So... why am I telling you this? Because Keri has turned out to be the best fishing partner I've ever had in my life!! When you meet her, you'll know why. She's very much into fishing, very good at it, and we work as a team at every tournament. My fishing has improved as a result, and this year I think I have a shot at winning a few again. I finally feel I'm back in the saddle again, but even better than before. So... while I miss Frank and still wonder why he cut off our friendship, I found a better partner, both in fishing and in life. I believe in my soul you'll follow the same path - only better because I'm certain you'll still be great friends with Ron for the rest of your long life.

There'll be back seats open, I'm sure. We have a boat rented, but may or may not use it all week, depending on back seat offers (we'd like to fish with as many people as possible). Heck, we'll stick you in our boat and fish 4 out of it if need be, just come on down! We'll fit you in somehow. Also, if anyone wishes to purchase t-shirts, towels, sweatshirts, etc. let me know now. I don't have room to pack a lot of inventory around, but I'll bring items if you're going to purchase them for sure. Just PM me with your order and I'll bring it. Saves on shipping!

One word: Revo.

Get some Aloe Vera cream/gel and slather it on. Keep reapplying it often for several days. DO NOT cover it or wrap it with anything. Aspirin can help reduce the swelling and pain a little.

Also note number 4 above - the cell companies already know your phone's IMEI number, so no need to keep it stored somewhere for later use. As far as blocking it goes - it's quite easy to override it if you know what you're doing.

What would you like to know? The first two pages of this thread cover it pretty well. I can give you more information beyond that if you'd like. Send me a PM with your number and I'll give you a call. Thanks! Glenn

Are you camping or staying at a motel? Nothing worse than camping and forgetting a coffee mug, alarm clock, or pillow. Not that any of that has happened to me. : Here's a tip - whether camping or motelling it, clear a space somewhere at your house and put the stuff you need there that you don't normally take fishing. You can get containers really cheap at Home Depot to store and organize it all. Now when you're ready to go to a tournament, just grab your fishing gear, container(s), duffle bag and get outta Dodge!

I like this type of rod for splitshotting and Rapala jerkbaits, in addition to dropshotting. Why jerkbaits? Look at the tiny hooks, and compare them to the hooks you use for dropshotting. The limber rod has enough give in it that it helps prevent fish from tearing loose during the fight. Small crankbaits and topwaters would also be good choices. As a general rule: Match the rod action to the hook size. The stronger the rod, the bigger the hook.

I would add only a couple of things to the answers above: If the boat starts porpoising (the front starts bouncing up and down), you've trimmed to far up. Trim down some for turning, but you should never have to trim all the way down. Experiment to find out how your boat handles. Suggest doing it in small increments, as you might end up tossing yourself overboard if you trim too far down when turning (the boat will "dig" and turn sharply). In rough water, trim down a bit to get more of the "V" in the water to help cut through the waves. However, if it's really rough, then bring the boat off plane and trim up quite a bit. This will keep you from spearing a wave. (Don't ask me how I discovered this.) Ideal trim height at max WOT will give you a rooster tail at about the height of your engine cowling. If your rooster tail is higher than that, then you're trimmed up too high.

This is just the new "Geo cities", except there wasn't nearly as many people online back then. Everything old is new again.

So first, turn off your 332 and flasher. I often find cross-talk an issue. If that clears it up, then change the ping rate on your 520 to something else, like 75. Still no go? Then turn off everything "auto", set your sensitivity to 85 and your grayline to 90 for starters. The deeper you are, the higher your sensitivity and vice-versa. Also, if you're really shallow and getting depths of like 800 ft, then set your ping rate at it's lowest setting.

This is regarding "My Space"

Hi guys, There's been several threads/debates on this subject within the recent past here. Just do a search for "George Perry" or "record bass" and you'll find all sorts of viewpoints. Might be worth taking a look, rather than regurgitating what's already been said before. Might also spark a few new ideas/thoughts that would be worth discussing here.