Lund Explorer

One foggy morning (in my head and not on the water) I forgot to trim the motor down prior to blast off. The guys in the club called it "The Moon Shot!" as I tail-walked down the lake, me stabbing the trim button as hard as I could and my partner finally having the nerve to crawl to the bow to help get the nose down. I can't imagine wanting to do that on purpose, but from the lack of reaction of the guys standing on the dock, I'm sure this boater thinks he has mastered the move.

Let's start with the "I & We" portion of your post. If you are the only person involved you shouldn't have a problem, but if you are involved with another individual(s) this venture should be formed as some type of partnership or perhaps an LLC. You need some way to keep track of how much cash, time, or anything else (in many partnerships you can put a value on ideas) that you want to place a value on for potential reimbursement. With regards to patent protection of your invention, there is only one way to go about it. Initially the cost is rather low if you do this yourself and then hire an attorney if the product shows promise. Visit the government's patent office and file the initial patent application(s). There are two types of patents that you could recieve. There is a utility patent and a design(?) patent that you can seek. This filing provides you with what is called "patent pending" protection until a complete patent search is done. The last I knew, this gives you about a full year to move onto the next phase of the patent process. At this point, it is the date showing on your application that protects your idea from someone else copying it, and should be filed prior to outsourcing any help in bringing your product to market. This also gives you the time needed to find a reputable patent attorney. Food for thought: There are times when an idea is worth following through on but the money needed to take it to market is more than the inventor can handle. If you feel strongly enough about your invention but can't find the funds, you may want to try selling the idea to a manufacturer that has the resources to complete the project. You won't get as much money as you may have carrying it all the way to market, but your risk and investment will be much less. This could give you the capital needed for your next idea. Because there's always one more invention that needs to be looked at. Good Luck!

I've never had the chance to fish that lake, but the good news is that a bass is a bass no matter where they call home. Do your research on here about deep water fishing to understand structure, the cover on that structure, and how fish relate to it. River/Creek channels, points, islands, coves and bayous all have have their time and place. Learn what prey species are in the lake and their seasonal patterns because bass will setup close to those places. When you hit the water, your best tool is going to be a fish finder and a GPS unit (with a map card). A GPS is probably the best tool these days for searching out hotspots on new water. When you find interesting spots on your fish finder, mark a waypoint on the GPS so that you can return to it.

Like most other buzzbaits or spinnerbaits, the fish don't see these in the same way that humans do. The blades provide surface disturbance or flash, the arms don't figure in at all, and the working part is the head. That's why the hook is there!

Like Sam said, the only place I could see worth fishing is in the second picture. Head right between those trees and out into the main lake!

I think you guys are slightly confused. The auditions (that BAM was asking about) are for a spot in their reality show, and the $10k is the entry fee for their tournament.

There ya go! My first thought was keeping their same colors but in stripes. Can't do that though, because there's already a bunch a blind guys on the field wearing those.

If we're going to compare brands, here is my choice. http://www.cattlemensfoodservice.com/bbq-sauce-flavors/texas-smoky.php I will add a little catsup, mustard, and brown sugar at times. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to let it cook down to the desired thickness.

Lightly! Stir in small amounts with your whisk until it gets to where you want it.

Sorry to hear that you're going to be going through all of this Grimlin, but from all the great responses, I think you can see that you are not alone. With that said, I'm going to pile on with so more advice from a slightly different perspective. From reading your post, I am going to assume that you haven't gotten the "official" notification yet. Before you get served with those divorce papers, there's a few things you really need to do to prepare yourself. Prepare yourself for an emotional rollercoaster with mostly lows and few highs. As hard as it will be to do, set your motions aside and use common sense before you react to anything. Hire the best attorney you can find. Talk to your friends that have gone through this before and find an attorney that is going to protect your interests and shield you from all the petty BS that a lot of divorces turn into. If and when you finally get served, DO NOT read the complaint. Hand it over to your attorney to read and explain to you. Her attorney is going to write the complaint in such a manner that you will sound like the worst person to have ever walked the earth. Every attorney does the exact same thing. The lawyers know it, the judges know it, but it is done to play on your fears and emotions. Don't bite! Make a list of what you really want if and when this divorce is finalized. This should be the bare minimum that you really want to fight for, because that what this is - A Fight! Use the rules to your advantage. Everytime the soon to be ex-wife tries to yank your chain, ignore it. Make her leave voice mails, emails, or texts when she pulls this stuff. All of that is considered evidence. Your word that she said something in a conversation isn't. Like Rockchalk said before, do not fight or say anything bad about her in front of your son. If you show up for a visitation and she pulls something, simply walk away. If it happens, make sure you take a witness with you on any future trips, or have a parent or sibling pick your son up for you. For some reason, many spouses try to use "the kids" as a weapon. If you can show her that it doesn't work, her childish behavior will either stop or give you further evidence to use against her where it counts. For your own health - Don't leave Bass Resource or change other parts of your lifestyle. Going through a divorce is a big enough loss as it is, so there is no reason to further punish yourself by taking away the things you enjoy. Keep reading the posts here, and jump in if you want to. If you are worried that you may go into full rant mode and earn yourself some warning points, use pm's. I'm willing to take some abuse if you need it, and I'm sure others will too. You really need to keep as much sanity in your life as possible so that you don't dwell on this 24 hours a day.

I look at it more as a criminal case, not a NCAA matter. Criminal, Civil, and NCAA. It's going to turn out to be a crminal case that's already led to a conviction. A whole slew of civil cases as the victims will be suing the university in light of the various findings. Finally, it is an NCAA matter, in that the organization expects it's members maintain a certain level of standards, and PSU clearly did not maintain that level. I don't think Penn State should just sit there and be a punching bag either. If PSU is anymore a punching bag than Ohio State, U of M, or any of the schools in other leagues that have broken the rules and been caught at it have been, there is one dubious distinction that's rather hard to ignore. It's obvious that Penn State's biggest problem WAS that it just sat there. In my honest opinion, everytime a school gets caught breaking the rules, college sports loses more fans. PSU's case just gave it just a bigger shove to the point that these programs are no longer the profit centers they currently are. Who knows if the NCAA (or any of their member schools) can stop this slide towards extinction. I sure don't see any effort on the member's part.

Pictures?

This is what I love about Bass Resource. All the mods get together to give us the best possible experience. Roadwarrior gives us the video, and we use Glenn's advice about turning off the audio. Perfect!

While I'd agree that this really isn't going to destroy the fishing in Ray Roberts, it is going to change how and possibly where you fish. You Texans are going to go through what we in the Great Lake region went through once zebra mussels were discovered here. If you control the spread of them as poorly as our states did, then it won't be long before you just learn to live with them. I'm providing a list of some of the things you are going to discover. 1. You're going to learn how to fish in ultra-clear water. Don't be surprised to have visability down to 25' - 30'. 2. With that clear water, weed growth will go deeper and could possibly get heavier. 3. You'll discover how fast braided line will part (not break, but shred) when it runs into a bed of these critters. 4. Flourocarbon line is going to become more popular, and fortunately, it stands up to abrasion much better than braid. 5. You'll learn to wade or swim wearing shoes, that or you'll find out how tender the bottom of your feet are. 6. The Bass Fishing? In my experience on a lot of inland lakes, the heavier weed growth has had a negative impact on smallies while giving better cover for largemouth. That might not be that big a deal for you, but then again I'm not sure what will happen to your spotted bass populations. Anyhow, you'll have a few years to see whther these invasives will spread, or how fast they end up in almost every water body. TPW is correct in their propaganda about how these things move from lake to lake. We were told that mussel larva could survive in the carpeting on your trailer bunks for up to a week. Your biggest threat is going to be the guys that hop from lake to lake every weekend. Those that fish Ray Roberts on Saturday but another lake on Sunday will be the ones that could cause most of the damage. Unfortunately, this issue doesn't even get talked about here anymore. It's too late to stop them here, and we learned to adapt. Final Note - Whoever came up with that slogan must have written those old 1960's slogans for driver's ed! Blood on the Asphalt didn't work then, and I doubt Goodbye Texas Lakes will either. Facts always work better than scary fables.

For any of you that remember the 1960's show - "Laugh In" the finger located between the index and ring fingers should always be called the Fickle Finger.

Not native, but could be well on the way to being feral. He most likely escaped from his owner and has found a place he likes. If he is still around in the spring mating season, tell us how your Aunt/Uncle like his crowing. The ones I've heard are loud. By the way, can you imagine the tails you could make for a Pop-R with his help?

Good luck guys! I always like to see when somebody finds a need and has the chance to try to fill it. Here's hoping that this will be the first of many products you can bring along to all of us.

I thought that was him. You guys must have had fun on that trip.

Gulp Minnows. But I've been rigging two baits on the same line using SpinShot Hooks. A 4" (#2 size hook) on top with a 2 1/2" (#8 size hook) on the bottom.

Those pictures on the hawg gallery. That guy looks mighty familiar!

Sure enough that Michigan is blessed with a good number of clear water lakes, and cursed with just about as many lakes that are built just like a bowl. When the deep weedline isn't working for me, I hit the docks too. I also keep my eyes open for the boat lifts. The owners of these things will power load onto them quite often and it creates a nice depression a little deeper than the surrounding area. One last thing Scorcher might want to keep in mind is the possibility of zebra mussels in some of these lakes. As he fishes LSC often, he should know all about needing line that will hold up around those pesky critters.

I am also the member of several other forums, and there is a wide spectrum of what a poster can get away with as you travel from one to the other. Without a doubt, Bass Resource is the most civil of all of them. This is likely due to a combination of the forum's rules barring certain hot button topics as well as an active group of moderators. While the moderators on this forum take an active part in many discussions, there are other forums where you would think that they actually enjoy the flaming posts. I can't imagine being invited to any other forum's get togethers and going, or with some, even acknowledging that I belong to the forum. That isn't the case here, as I have not only attended a RoadTrip, but have proudly invited others to check this site out. Don't worry Glenn, those invites are to fishermen I meet in person, and not from some of those other sites! I did have an issue with one of the moderators here a while back, but it wasn't so serious that I felt it was worth taking it any further. It is easier to enjoy the benefits of the many people I look forward to conversing with, and just leaving or ignoring others that might lead me to post something I could regret. As a matter of fact, I think being an active poster here has actually toned down my attitude on those other forums. In my honest opinion, it is fairly easy to avoid the wrath of any BR moderator. Read and understand the simple rules that Glenn has published and consistantly refers to, and learn to walk away from the posts, subjects, or members you are never going to agree with. It's easy to use this forum as a tool to learn from, to payback with some bit of knowledge that may teach others, and just maybe to find a few friends along the way. The last thing everyone should do is to recognize those hot button issued still allowed here, and if you dare jump in, to simply state your viewpoint on the subject, and to not take any replies too seriously. With a little practice, I might even be able to do that.

And now in the latest news, the third of Detroit's double in trouble kids got shown the door today. CB Aaron Berry will be looking for a new team. http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120723/SPORTS0101/207230386/Lions-release-CB-Aaron-Berry-following-second-arrest?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

I have to agree with Sam to a certain point. A number of innocent players are going to lose out due to a group of so called adults who are either gone from this school or soon will be. The real stand out players will get cherry picked by the other professional (oops, I mean colleges) teams. The rest will be the ones to serve JoePa's penalty for him. The NCAA had to do something, and while this isn't the death penalty, it is death by a thousand cuts. About a dozen each for every kid on that team.