Lund Explorer

ACD's.... Great dogs, but very high maintenance. You really need to have the time to work with them, and a big enough area for them to run. Make sure to do a lot of reading up on the breed (like you should with any dog) to see what you are getting into. If you have them time to invest in them, they are one of the smartest dogs that you'll ever own and the return on that investment will be fantastic. But if you don't really understand their needs, you can have a real problem on your hands. Heelers were bred to be herding dogs for cattle, or sheep. They are genetically disposed to be extremely brave (think 40lb dog biting the heels of a 1600lb cow), and unless you can help them to control this natural habit, they will try to herd almost anything else in their reach (think children, bicycles, or even worse cars). However, when they are worked and trained properly, they are also one of the most loyal dogs you could possibly own. Best described as a "tumor with fur", you can end up with a dog that will be a very loving companion, but you really need to be able to invest a lot of time with them. I would suggest looking up breed specific dog books either in your library, or at a local book store like Barnes & Nobel. You may also want to see if there is a local "rescue" nearby where you could talk to the owners. We have a ACD rescue close to us that has a very informative website which I'm putting in the link for below: http://acdrescuemi.tripod.com/index.htm And what about me? I've been lucky enough to have had a couple of these dogs in my lifetime. Now that I am semi-retired, I work out of my home so I'm with our latest dog almost all day, every day. And Cocoa has a large fenced in yard to burn off her energy in. I'm not sure how long the good Lord has in his plans for me, but I know the rest of that time will be spent in the company of one of these dogs. Here's a picture Cocoa..... 43lbs of devoted canine.

In answer to your first post Hawk, please notice where that big old "L" out west has moved to this morning...... Sure happy that it's football season.

I've worked at our local Rod & Gun Club's rifle range for 15 years as a range official, and your first step may be to go to your local range. Many have NRA certified range officials, that while they aren't gunsmiths, may be able to spot your problem for you. I know I've seen all kinds of things and many are very simple fixes, if you can actually see the rifle while its jammed. You could also take it into your local gun shop where you purchased it. After that, its probably time to break out your wallet and head for the gunsmith's. Sorry, but its just too hard to figure out without a complete picture of what's going on. Good luck. :-/

I'd say your first option would be to check with the retailer that sold these boats. That would be Sears. They may have the information you are looking for in a catalog from the year that boat was built/sold. You can also try to contact the folks at the link below, as they are behind the certification of various boats and their respective BIA plates. http://www.nmma.org/certification/programs/boats/

Have any of you ever sat in the beer tent at the local county fair just watching all the people go by? Now I know where they hide the other 51 weeks of the year!!!! ;D

You may have dodged a bullet, but I'll bet you don't dodge the effect of that juice drying up! Sticky Now.... Stuck Later

Wow, so many questions.... Does the fired shell complete eject from the rifle? What type of shells are you using? Soft Points? Has rifle been properly cleaned?

Good for you. Folks taking the plunge into self employment is one of the things that makes this a great country. So I assume you've got your lawyer and accountant both on the same pages as to entity type (C-Corp, S-Corp, or LLC) to give your the best of liability protection and tax treatment. Have you gotten your business plan finished yet? Cash flow projections? Got started on the different licenses, insurance policies, bookkeeping system? How about all those employee forms along with the attendant filings for a Federal Employer ID #, state numbers, unemployment insurance? Okay, I'm just picking on you a touch. Isn't it amazing all of the things you've got to do just to open the doors? Anyhow, with all sincerity, I wish you the best of luck.

I think the most important part is getting a degree with which to use, not as a ending point, but as a starting one. Whether its retail management, accounting, or some other degree, and whether you obtain an associates or bachelors, you'll have a base to continue from if and when the job market requires it. Long gone are the days when I was young, when a guy could graduate from high school, walk into the nearest GM of Ford factory and have a good paying job for the next 30 years or so. Right or wrong, we seem destined to become a service based economy. Unless your sights are set on making $10 p/hr for most of your working life, a college degree is the key to moving ahead.

Not sure if your handheld has the card slot, but here's something from Cabela's..... http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0043409019072a&navCount=1&podId=0043409&parentId=cat600079&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat21276-cat600079&catalogCode=QZ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat600079&hasJS=true

I'd love to say Choke Canyon, but not in the summer. This Old Yankee will stay up here where its a little cooler.... Lake St. Clair, or Lake Erie.

Hang time is important, but don't forget volatility. First you've got to get both the wife and the dog to leave the room. Then you get a bonus if they don't come back!

Hey, sorry about that jab yesterday and I hope that hangover is gone by now. Look at the bright side, most of us guys from Michigan are done fishing until spring because we winterized our boats Sunday afternoon.... You know where must have just frozen over!

BASSMASTER in the bathroom hasn't been the same since they got rid of Harry & Charlie.

Good Morning & Happy Hangover! Now if you can save this post for the next 23 months......

x2 x3

Hey Andy, you still looking for a fish finder? I'm going to retire my Eagle Fish Mark 240 around the end of October. I need to ship this thing out of here so I've got the excuse to buy my new one, so the price is perfect..... $0. If you are interested in it, send me a pm. If you are already set, I guess I'll put it on the garage sale thread for the same price. LONG LIVE THE BAIT MONKEY!

While you are at it, think about replacing all of the bunks at the same time. And make sure you set them at the correct angles so the entire bunk comes into contact with the bottom of the boat.

As far as I know, all smelt spawn during the spring, either in small creeks or in some places along a rocky shoreline. My guess would be that they are either following or looking for food to forage on. Only lake I fish regularly with a smelt population here in Michigan is Higgins Lake. Some very deep water up to 120' deep, with some sunken islands, steep drop-offs, and expansive flats in the 60'+ range. As far as I know, nobody up there sees or looks for smelt until the lake freezes over in January. By then, you'll see little shanty towns on top of 30' - 50' of water where anglers fish for smelt at night. I'll be up there in a few weeks, so I'll have to ask around.

as they say...you'll catch more bees with honey man...i'd talk to him and sugar coat what ever turd there may be between y'all...so there isn't that possible added stress factor or awkwardness or whatever...clear the air with the old dude & make peace...be better all around... And if its possible, why not take a second pole along. Invite the guy to join you in the fishing. Sounds like you've seen him at his worst, so you may want to see him at his potential best. Nobody ever got hurt making a new friend.

Zoiks, a mental image of Jim Nabors singing "To Dream the Impossible Dream" just popped into my head. I think Gomer has got a better chance of making General!

Lots of advice given on this forum, but Sam just hit it. BINGO!

Okay, so I did my own Googling <is that a word?> and I see what you mean. Being from a state with a long history of these fish, I also checked our DNR website. Here's a link to their report: http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364_18958-45690--,00.html From my own standpoint, I don't normally figure smelt as a baitfish when I'm think of bass. This is probably because our population lives in the depths of the great lakes for most of the year, and only come into the shallows during the spring of the year to spawn. I have seen maybe twice where strong easterly winds have driven near shore water temps down into the 40's in the fall where they have shown up while I was pier fishing for salmon, but it doesn't happen very often. We also have a number of inland lakes that have decent populations of smelt where the bass may get the chance to key in on them from time to time. But still as a forage for bass, I don't really consider them a primary source. These fish live in the deepest and coldest water (remember their preferred temp is 45 degrees), and are normally only active at night. So when I look at the difference of habitat between bass and smelt, they just seem too far apart. I could only think to put the two together would either be in the early spring, or perhaps to the late period after the fall turnover (when water temps from shallow to deep mix equally) just prior to ice up. One last note is that the little critters are fairly tasty!

I couldn't find the smiley that was tossing his cookies, so all you get is this.....

Wow, that title was confusing! Here' I was already to tell a story of the wife fishing for smallies. Instead I guess I'll just say that my two favorites are either the Rattlin Rap or a 5a Bomber..... Both in firetiger. Yeah, both shallow runners for fall fishing.