SirSnookalot

No question a boat is a huge advantage in being able to cover a lot more water. Bank fishing Florida can be highly productive in the areas that we can fish. We can cover a fairly large expanse of shoreline in canals and community ponds casting parallel and weedless.

Getting back to the original topic, a food and recipe section is a pretty good idea, I agree with slonezp it there were a separate section, it most likely would be used. If one has no interest, they simply would not view those posts, as I never read anything pertaining to boats and guns as I have no interest in either. On one of my other forums fish recipes has it's own section, it does get some activity, being as the membership is about 1/5 the size of BR and people do not post nearly as often. I think there may be potential for a new section.

This isn't about fishing, it's about dinner. It's one thing to be a commercial fisherman with the proper license and selling the fish as a means of support, I know some, that isn't the issue here.

Fishing as much as I do I catch my share of fish, seeing the sunrise on the ocean is almost a daily experience, never get tired of it. Sometimes the biggest thrill is what I don't catch, getting smashed and having 100yds plus of line being striped out and not being able to turn the fish, the result is getting spooled. Not knowing what it was or how big it was, puts an ear to ear grin on my face. On the flip side catching a 5 or 8 pounder that took all of 30 seconds to land gives me just as big a thrill if it's exceptional fish for the species.

I was doing some bass fishing in the canal behind my home yesterday, on the other side there are few guys tossing a castnet, at first I figure they are trying to catch bait. I get within shouting distance and see they are netting bass, all sizes and keeping them all. I didn't realize how many bass were there as I catch 2 fish and they have net full on every throw...lol. I alert them to the fact what they are doing is illegal, it's one thing to fish with cane pole and take home legal fish, I have no problem with that. I pull out my phone and call the FWC, they jump in they're car and take off, I'm sure only a report is filed and there will be no follow up, there are just too many places to patrol.

The game of football is one thing and the business of football is entirely different at times, it's about money and the future. From a personal standpoint I've always been a fan of Manning, best field general since Johnny U. and always reminded of him when I see Manning play. P. Manning is one of the very few capable of calling his own plays, a lost art in modern football, and he's doing a sensational job in Denver. On the other hand Luck is the future and he's on pace to have a better rookie season than Manning did. There is no right or wrong decision, either one is a gamble. One of my all time favorite coaches was George Allen, a philosophy of there is no tomorrow, the future is today and proved it with the a bunch of rag tag vets that no one wanted with the Redskins.

Me a die hard fisherman? Have fished in excess of 300 days so far this year, saltwater every morning, bass fishing every afternoon.

I don't celebrate xmas, but I really enjoy this time of year. I like the holiday decorations and the spirit of the season, we usually have friends and relatives coming to Fla over the holidays which is an added bonus for me.

I like my hair on the longer side, I always went to salon. My hair is not as thick anymore and I haven't found anyone in Florida that I like. The last few years I've gone to a barbershop, it looks like crap for a month, don't like hair too short.

I'm not saying keeping it too tight. It may take just a little bit of time to hone it in where you want it as far as setting the hook and once a fish is on to tweek to your desired setting, very uncomplicated. Don't get too far ahead of yourself, but for me using the same reel and rod for species of a different size and strength I will set my drag a little tighter....just a little. It's questionable whether it's necessary to back your drag down when not in use, I always do. I store my conventional reel in free spool and everything has been aok, it's a lever drag not a star.

As far as I'm concerned only the fish matters, I've caught great ones with all brands.

I use nothing but spinning gear and I set it the same way, but that isn't absolute. If I'm using weedless baits I may adjust the drag a tad tighter for a better hook set, a good fish is still going to take line. I have no idea of exactly what the poundage of my drag is, nor do I really need to know the precise number, using 2 combos of similar size one with heavier line than the other I don't see too much point in setting the drags differently. A fish is going to pull the same amount of line out whether you have 20# or 10# line on if the drags are set the same. A big fish is not going to break your line, if it's pulling line out the pressure is taken off the line and knots, when the line can break is when you tighten the drag too much on lighter lines. But as LMG says his drags are less than 17# line (or 65# braid) that being the case, most fish encountered can't possible break the line. Not saying you may not want to use heavier line in cover but in open water some very big fish can be had on some very light line, and by big I don't mean 10#, more like a 30 pound fish on 10 or 15# line and that is what brings you right back to your drag, let that fish run and tire itself out.

If it's very windy and distance is the objective very few things will cast further than a diamond jig, but I doubt you'll catch too many bass. I'd be more concerned about positioning myself and I would not fish too differently than I normally would.

If 12/21/12 is our last I day, I'll be with my wife.

There are few issues, one being the New York State law which seems to be different than where I have lived in both Michigan and Florida. Never have I known my bank or leasing company to be notified of an accident repair, especially minor one such as this. That doesn't mean that some financial institutions or states other than where I have lived don't require it. The main issues are not the car, I do feel that you are more than entitled to have the repair made at the facility of your choice if there is no insurance co. involved. This incident may given you some insight into both your girlfriend and her family. Upfront her family was more than agreeable to settle the situation, until they saw how much it would cost and looked for a cheaper way out. Not knowing their financial situation I can understand those sentiments, but IMO there are some things ya just gotta do whether you want to or not. It's the brother's responsibilty to right the wrong, he did it plain and simple. Whether it's cash out of pocket or an insurance claim it's up to them to do the right thing, you are the victim. Quite possibly a barrier of resentment between the family and you has been created, it may be there for the rest of your life. Doesn't appear as though your girlfriend thought you were the victim, but more the culprit in starting a family feud, the animosity could last for a very long time. This entire situation may be a blessing in disguise, only you can answer that as no 2 situations are exactly the same.

Surprisingly this is true, however the 2nd estimate was $200 less than the original reducing the damage to less than $1000. If a report is submitted it must be signed by the driver of vehicle #1, since there was only 1 driver, that would be the brother, failure to do so is a misdemeanor, probably getting you into more hot water. This is the report. http://cmvny.com/wp-...cident-Form.pdf

Awesome !

Based on your side of the of the story I think you are right. Your hard earned money bought that car and you should't be faulted for wanting anything other than professional job done. Using the second estimate is an ample concession. Regardless of the outcome, it's goodbye girlfriend...............get the $$$.

Growing up in Detroit I lived with in minutes of Canada, fished both the American and Canadian waters on Lake St Clair and Erie for LMB and smallies since I was about 5. Moving to Florida full time 10 years ago I decided to do something I couldn't do in Michigan, inshore saltwater fishing, but I still fish for bass too. It isn't the species that I'm hunting, it's the act of fishing that I love. I fish at least 330 days a year, probably more.

I've used handled nets and they were real aggravation, both in collapsing and getting the hooks hung up. I do use a pier drop net for jettie fishing for some of the larger fish, they work reasonable well, for some reason the hooks don't cause much of a problem. Offshore we gaff them except if they are not legal or we have limited out, if we can we just lift them up with the leader, much of the time it's easier to unhook them along side the boat than to net them. I don't catch anything big enough in Florida freshwater to need a net or worry about being bitten.

A drive-in theater without the car.....cool.

I know the reverse is true for a few species, snook, tarpon, jack crevelles and some snappers can tolerate brackish and freshwater, I'm sure there are others that I'm not aware of. I have seen a few times in pure freshwater canals small needlefish.

I personally don't care to have an exact weight, in the ballpark is fine with me. I have a nailpolish mark or a thin piece of tape at 20" on my freshwater rods, gets me close enough. To put pics in your gallery go to pictures on the top bar, hit upload and you can create an album. Once your album is made subsequent pictures can be uploaded by going into your profile and uplaoding them at " my gallery".

The more time spent fishing the more you will be acquainted with your waters and learn the nuances of different species and what is needed to catch them. Fishing for fun I use only rods, reels and a few artificial lures that give me pleasure, anything else I may use is just for a change of pace. There is a plethora of good info regarding various baits and how to rig and work them, an excellent starting point, but nothing replaces personal experience.

I think that is a pretty accurate assessment. No question that some saltwater anglers try and put together the perfect set up for each species and situation, but for the most part weight and balance are not something people are overly concerned about. In my little corner of the world you will see a lot of people with but 1 rod and a small assortment of lures with varying weights, seems to make little difference if we are throwing a 1oz or 4 oz lure on the same rod. LMG makes a good point too. From my own experience my freshwater outfits feel feather lite to me, although by some's standards they may not be. Again I'm fishing with but 1 rod and a small assortment of lures that are not the same both in weight and profile. I give little or no thought to weight and balance, only my objective which is catching fish. In all fairness fishing as much as I do my fishing muscles are well conditioned, fatigue and soreness are non issues.