senile1

Glad you remembered. Welcome back.

Kevin VanDam's Bass Strategies is one of the best books I've read. He is very concise and yet covers a great deal of information.

Matt really nailed it with those posts. Thanks for repeating this goldmine of information, Catt.

I like your post on that thread, RW. That's an excellent primer on rod characteristics.

Why not? This link gives the info on St. Croix's warranty. http://www.stcroixrods.com/content.asp?id=14&section=resources

I got hit with an ugly stick a few times, or so they tell me. Move up from the Ugly Stick. You won't be sorry.

I'm right-handed but my left arm is slightly stronger than my right arm due to a past injury. So I'm casting with my weaker right arm and I'm reeling with it as well, but I'm setting the hook with my strong arm. Go figure.

If you are going to fish the deeper areas you will need some weight to get the bait down. For jigs, I'm with most everyone else. The football headed jig is the way to go. If I have to T-rig in rocks I still use bullet weights, though in thick rocks, I'll lose one now and then. There is an article on this site where the author suggests using an egg sinker for rocky bottoms, though I have not tried this. The link is below. http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/Carolina_Texas_Rig.html

Come one, come all. Join the fun. Welcome.

Glad you're enjoying the site, shootermcbob. Welcome.

I'm leaning towards the Cubs taking the Central division. They are playing better than earlier in the season. Unless the Mets slump going into the playoffs, I still think they can take the Cubs. You never know though. The Cardinals were a mediocre team last year but they got hot going into the playoffs.

The Cards completed that sweep of the Brewers. Now we play the Cubs. I can't believe we're two and a half out of first and still two games under .500. Hey, Muddy_Man, what's got into those Diamondbacks? They have the best record in the National League. I still think your Mets will be the team to beat come playoff time.

There aren't many playing the game today like Mr Rizzuto. "Holy cow!" He will absolutely be missed. RIP

Well . . . . I hate to admit it but when I first started using the palomar knot I made the same boo boo.

I'm surprised at what has been left out of the poll: Smithwick Rogues, Rapala Husky Jerks, and Rapala X-raps. I bought some LC pointers on the cheap last Winter and I have to say that they blew me away. I've had excellent results with the Pointer 100 DD. Having said that, X-raps and Husky Jerks aren't far behind. And a finely tuned Rogue hangs with the best of them. Most of my jerkbaits are these three models. I think the Pointer is the best.

Berkley plastics are not the bulk of the plastics I fish, but I do have some Powerbait 10" worms and some gulp products. I haven't used Gulp enough to make a judgement, but I do like the 10" worms.

I use braid but I think its wonderful lack of stretch is outweighed by its visibility. I use it only in thick brush and weeds. I don't like the extra work involved in tying on a leader to correct this issue either.

Let's go to Canada and do some ice fishing. : Seriously, there's no choice but the Southern tier of states and the Southern Pacific and Atlantic coasts, so the choices are limited. I would think Alabama would have as good a chance as any.

niksfishinmom stated: I second that twice. My two daughters are everything to me. Alpster, I know you and your daughter had a grand time. Nice pics. I'm really happy for you.

For those of us who are Cardinals fans, the Cards are never done. Even if they were 30 games out we would delude ourselves into believing they could turn it around. They've had injuries, lost all of their good pitchers, and they've been in a team batting slump, yet they're still only 5 and a half out. And if there is no improvement this year, just wait until the next. Pujols was due for a bad year. After 115 games he has the following stats: .313 avg, 24 HRs, and 75 RBIs and he isn't hitting in the clutch. How's that for a bad year, though? The majority of hitters would love having those numbers.

The baseball thread won't be the same without you. I haven't posted much to it lately because my Cardinals suck this year, but I still read it every day. Maybe you could make an exception and check this thread now and then? :-? Most of us will miss you, but don't sweat those that don't. I doubt if any of us are liked by everyone on the forum. Hell, there's over 10,000 of us. That's what makes a community. . . the good and the bad. Enjoy your sabbatical and I look forward to you coming back refreshed and, hopefully, before the playoffs.

These are great cranks. My favorite colors are bluegill, green tiger, and of course, shad.

Yep, I know these are the guidelines, but Rat-L-Trap type lures work year around! Shad Raps kill year 'round as well. Tight and light.

T-rig stated the rule-of-thumb for using tight and wide-wobbling crankbaits which I generally will follow when I initially tie on one of these lures. However, I will change from the rule-of-thumb if the bass tell me otherwise. I've caught a lot of bass on tight wobbling cranks in the summer.

1. I fish mostly in Missouri. 2. Averaging 21 bass per 8 hours fished. (These numbers vary depending on the body of water I'm fishing.) 3. Average weight is between 2 and 3 lbs. 4. Average length is 15 - 18 inches. 5. Largest caught this year is 4 lbs 12 oz. This has been a strange year for me. Due to work I haven't had as much time to get out my boat, so I have fished from one particular pond more than the bodies of water I usually fish. It has smaller fish but more of them. It's better than not getting to fish at all. In past years I have usually averaged maybe 8 fish per 8 hours fishing, but I caught larger fish.