senile1

Hi! Glad you found us.

Flippinout, welcome to the forum. Glenn and the moderators have put together one of the most informative bass sites on the net. I have no doubts you'll enjoy the banter and the articles on this site. And thanks so much for your military service.

I'm curious how it went KS_Bassin. Water temps at Smithville Lake, north of K.C., are hovering between 38 and 39 degrees so I'm about ready for spoons and slow, slow jigging. I'm having a bent prop shaft repaired so I'm unable to get out in my boat right now.

I was born in 1968, I used to ride in the back of my uncle's 1969 428CJ Mustang in the late 70's and he would jam the Mahogany Rush 8-trak over and over. One of my favorite albums is the live album by Mahogany Rush. Now Thin Lizzy is a really great band. Give them a listen LBH. That live album from 1977 was something else. Those of you who love great guitarists need to give this one a listen. IMO, Frank Marino was one of the best rock and blues guitarist of the 70s, bar none. The two guys that seemed to carry the torch that Jimi Hendrix lit, Frank Marino and Robin Trower, were at or near the top of just about every guitarist's best-of list when I was in college (1979 - 1983).

Rod: St. Croix Avid AC70MHF Reel: Shimano Citica 200D 6.2:1 Line: Yo-zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft #12

1. Zara Spook 2. Rapala Original Floater 3. Pop R

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have ya' in our community.

Man, I hear all you guys with regard to the music from the 60s and 70s. I was born in '60. I've posted so many times on music threads here that I'm not going into every band I loved or liked from that time period because there are so many, but there is one artist that I haven't mentioned. Have any of you ever listened to Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush? If you have and you didnt' know it, he's still playing and putting out albums.

I fished these a lot in the 70s and 80s. When I first started concentraing mainly on bass fishing this lure, the original floating rapala, and texas rigged worms were my go to baits. I still keep a few available and fish them on occasion. They are great in the winter as suggested by Chris. They have a tight wobble like the Rapala floaters. I've fished them like jerkbaits, used a method similar to Chris's, and I've let them drop all the way to the bottom and fished them similar to a crankbait, though, with the lip on this bait, you don't want to drag bottom or hit cover. I've caught good solid fish on these. As an additional option, I read somewhere awhile back that the original floater has a slightly better action than the countdown, and that if you add some suspendots to it you can fish it just like the countdown, but with a little better action. I haven't tried this because I always had success with the regular countdowns.

Start of Bass fishing? Let's go way, way, waaaaaayyyyy back. http://www.oldmaster85.com/history_of_fishing.htm

I'll stay away from the religious debate, but, Keithscatch, I agree with you about it being in vogue to criticize our government. I believe in free speech and the right to criticize, but the criticism these days has reached an extremely ugly level. I don't hate George Bush nor do I like everything he has done. I don't especially appreciate the democrats or the republicans as I think both are influenced too much by money. Having said that, I still support our government, no matter who is in office. These are Americans. I can agree to disagree with them. Sometimes, I may be wrong, and sometimes, they may be wrong. This doesn't mean I denigrate everything they do just because I disagree. Just because I disagree with one of our leaders doesn't make them a bad or evil person. These days, if a governmental leader does something that some people disagree with, he or she is ripped to shreds with libelous and slanderous comments. This is not needed. One thing many have forgotten is how to disagree respectfully.

Same here, RW. I don't know how I missed this one. Nice one, Flech.

I'm going out on a limb here. The soldier in the article asked, "How do you fight people who are so prepared to die? I can answer that but most of us, including me, don't like the answer. In WWII, the Japanese were willing to die to the last man. Projections of how many soldiers we would lose in taking the Japanese Islands ran in the millions. Our President, Harry Truman, decided that dropping the atomic bomb and annihilating two cities would save more lives than attacking the islands. I'm not saying we should nuke Iraq. What I am saying is that you can't defeat those who hide among civilians without killing a number of those civilians. In WWII, our soldiers did their best to protect civilians, but they weren't expected to die to protect them. So we destroyed whole cities with numerous bombing raids to weaken our enemies. Now, it almost seems like we expect our soldiers to pick out the one or two insurgents among a group of, say, 20 people and only kill them. If they can't pick them out then they can't shoot and are sitting ducks. It is high time, that Americans stop expecting our soldiers to do the impossible. I'm not saying our casualties reach the level where we need to consider such actions yet. I'm not sure where that point is because I don't have a son or daughter in Iraq. But there is a point in a war, where you have to choose whether the lives of your own sons and daughters are more valuable than civilians in another country. At that point, you do your best to protect civilians, but you don't sacrifice your mission to do so.

Here in Missouri, I will be fishing this winter, though quite a bit less than I did in the warmer months. I usually fish for largemouths because there are no smallie waters in Northwest Missouri. I think I'm going to have to do some traveling because within 150 to 200 miles of here, there are some good smallie streams in Central and Southern Missouri.

George, I have great respect for your abilities as a guide and your advice, but I'm not sure if your cold spells in Florida are much more than a chilly fall day further north. Yes, I am jealous of you guys in the South. My wife and I have plans to retire near a lake when the time arrives, but we haven't decided the location. My mind keeps drifting further south as I think about it. Beautiful fish!

I can understand your frustration, but I wouldn't allow one rude moron to ruin my view of a whole company. Any rod company large enough to sell quite a few rods is going to have a jerk . . . or two . . . or three. It's the human condition. Go over her head. Write a letter as others have suggested. If you are still getting the brush-off treatment, then I would consider not doing business with All Star. From my experience, and from what I have heard from others, this is not a common occurrence.

For those who haven't heard, Lamar Hunt, chief founder of the American Football League and Kansas City Chiefs owner, died last night. As a Chiefs fan and a person familiar with all that this man has accomplished, I am saddened. If you are a sports fan and aren't familiar with the legacy of Lamar Hunt, it would behoove you to read about him today. He is responsible for many of the things we take for granted in the NFL, such as the name of the Super Bowl, the playoff format, the two point conversion, etc. He also helped form World Championship Tennis in 1967 and has been at the forefront of establishing soccer as an American sport. Despite his wealth and the things he has done, those who knew him best say his greatest legacy was his humility and his kindness to others. Here's a link to a story about him. http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/special_packages/lamar_hunt/16234939.htm

This is a good question and a tough one for me. I think it changes with the season. When there are a lot of fish in the shallows, I've caught the most on the Original Floating Rapala. In the summer, I'd say I catch the most with a 5 inch Senko type worm. In the fall I probably catch the most with a Shad Rap or a spinnerbait. In the winter I'd say a jig, though I haven't fished a great deal in the winter over the last few years. In the prespawn period I'd say I've caught the most on a Smithwick Rogue or a crankbait. Overall, I don't know if I can give just one answer.

Tom Bass is right. We make this forum more useful to our fellow fishermen and women by posting locations of where we are fishing, and where we live, if only a general region. Common sense will tell you what personal information to withhold, and this may be different for each of us.

Stratosdadri, Glad to have you on the forum and kudos for the great work with the kids.

KUB, when I zoomed in it is focused on the prison in Leavenworth. Are you sure that's where you lived???

There may be disagreement about what constitutes a professional in the fishing ranks, but I can tell you all one thing. I am an expert at what it takes to be an amateur.

Pork can often hang on your hook barb when you try to remove it from the hook. I still use it and think it is a good trailer.

My bassboat doesn't have brakes. I know you mean the trailer, Cravenfish. 8-)

I think you're on the right track GMAN. I like Bassin' and everything I've seen from In-Fisherman is good. I have not subscribed to In-Fisherman because it is multi-species but I'm leaning more and more toward doing so. I read BassMaster and have enjoyed a few articles here and there, but it does leave much to be desired.