Hillbilly_Hooker

I hate this for our troops there, because it's sure to cause an escalation in the violence... but I sure am glad the SOB is gone ;D Hillbilly

Dodgeguy, I can't imagine using anything lighter than that either. In fact, I use 12# on nearly everything except my spinning outfit, but I was curious if he uses something heavier than that. Hillbilly

Garnet, You should consider going to Tim Horton's website to see if there is a 'Contact Us' link and forward your idea to him. Perhaps he and the coffee/donut folks have been in such an adversarial relationship that neither has thought about your idea. Hillbilly

Raul, I realize that I might be a few years older than you, so it might look just a bit odd... but would you adopt me? Please ? :'( Hillbilly

hi steel, Thanks for an excellent post! I'm new to shaky-head rigging and I'm curious, what type and size line do you use for this, particularly when fishing it in and around laydowns? Thanks, Hillbilly

For topwater, my first three choices would be: Buzzbait, buzzbait, buzzbait. I'll change up the colors sometimes for a little variety

T-riggin' works for me!

I purchased a handheld GPS with the money I received for Christmas and my very optimistic wife got me a digital camera so that I can photograph all those lunkers that the GPS is gonna help me find. ;D

I finally got mine today, Woo Hoo! I'll start posting again in a few weeks, just as soon as I've finished looking at every page

I had read this story before and I think it's absolutely absurd to imagine that the Canadian company could prevail and prevent Tim Horton from using his own name to promote himself and his products. I was always of the opinion (informed opinion, I thought) that the U.S. Patent and Trademark office would not allow one to trademark a personal name, such as Bill's Barbershop, Nancy's Bakery, etc. Obviously, my thinking must have been flawed, but I hope Tim Horton wins on this one.

And I thought I'd be the newest WR holder... Darn it!!!

For others that might be interested in the Alabama seminar, below is a weblink. I hope Glenn doesn't mind me posting it here. I don't know anything about the seminar and I have no connection to it whatsoever, I just happened to see it mentioned on another site. www.alwartac.com Hope this helps, Hillbilly

Not to 'toot my own horn,' but for some other ideas on how to get involved, please see my post 'Practicing what we preach' in the 'Everything Else' section of the board. We all need to get involved in giving something back. Hale, excellent suggestion in your post! Regards, Hillbilly

RW, Sounds like a great idea to me! I can't wait to start reading the new threads, including yours. Hillbilly

I haven't received my new BPS catalog yet... I'm bummed :'(

eulerentinc, PM sent.

GAfarmpond, From a post on another board, two touring pros, one from BASS and the other from FLW, are offering a Bass Fishing University seminar in late January near Mobile, AL. I'll send you a PM with a the link. Hope this helps, Hillbilly

I think that I must be waaay too old to post an answer to this question since I don't know most of the artists listed here... oh well 8-) I am, however, familiar with Frank Sinatra, Alan Jackson, Elvis, Hank, Sr. and a few others... Hillbilly On the other hand, maybe I've just spent too many years in the mountains being a hillbilly, LOL.

George, I'm guilty of pretending to be a bass angler, when in reality, I do way more casting than catching. Does that make me a bad person? ;D Hillbilly

I'm fishing local club and Federation tournaments, plus adding in the Weekend Series as a non-boater for '07. Beyond that, I'd like to fish the Weekend Series as a boater and maybe try the Opens as a non-boater. I'll take fishing as far as my talents will allow me. As others have stated, if I make it, that will be great. If I don't, then I still will have had a heck of a good time trying I'm also at the age (quickly approaching 48) that I'm becoming more concerned about giving back than about taking for myself. I've gotten myself involved in many projects to try and improve bass fishing for others and to get more youth involved in the sport. I'll count my future successes more by how much I can do for others than by how many tournaments I can win. Hillbilly

I'll add my vote for the Eagle Fishmark 480 as well. I bought one over the summer and installed it in my boat. For the money, I'm amazed at its performance. Hillbilly

As Sam pointed out, you really need to determine what water you're going to be using the boat on. If you're fishing rivers and small lakes primarily, you'd probably be better off with a flat-bottom jon boat. The wider and longer you can get it, the more stable it will be. The flat bottom would be better in shallow water and especially in rivers, where you encounter more rocks, shallow sand bars, etc. I had a 36" wide X 14' long jon, and at 6'4" - 230 lbs., I had to be very careful when standing or moving around the boat. If you're fishing larger lakes and waters, you would do better with a V-bottom or modified V. They will be much more stable and handle rougher water better. If you could afford more in the $5K - 7K price range, that would open up many more options. That would get you a newer aluminum bass rig or an older glass rig. Hillbilly

When I need to be WARM and dry, I have a one-piece insulated waterproof riding suit made for motorcycling. It does a great job at both keep me warm and keeping my dry.

I have the Frogg Toggs and they absolutely keep me dry. I can't say as to their durability though, I only wear them in the boat or when launching/retrieving. If put to the test in the woods, I'm not sure how well they would hold up. I have the original Frogg Toggs, not the later upgraded versions. I can say that I was helping work a national tournament in October during a several-day downpour. I didn't pay attention to brands, but others went through 2-3 rainsuits per day, as the suits eventually gave up and leaked, soaking the wearer. In the same weather, my Frogg Toggs kept me dry and comfortable and never leaked the first time. Hillbilly

Huskertko, I also have a Dave Fritts reel in 4.7:1. The reel backlashes fairly often but I've recently had it cleaned and lubed and I'm hoping that cures the problem. The tech that serviced my reel suggested that BPS reels are often very 'dry' regarding lubrication, for whatever reason. I had the same problem with another BPS reel but after having it serviced and lubed, I've had no further problems and I now love the other reel. I'm trusting that lubing the Fritts reel will have the same effect. Hillbilly