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Very true. GSP has taken a lot of flak over the last couple years by not finishing fights. Lately, he's begun to remind me of how Ali was at times, where he would just outclass opponents and rack up the points so he could win an easy decision. GSP has been trying to improve his striking to overcome what is becoming a bad reputation for being a point fighter who relies on wrestling too much. Lately he's been training with Brazilian Muay Thai legend, Cosmo Alexandre. I expect a big time performance from GSP in front of a record setting crowd of 55,000 in Toronto.

I picked up a few Extremes over the offseason in addition to the Champions I own. I haven't fished with them yet, but they do feel lighter and a little more crisp to me. One of them is the DX744 and it feels like the perfect rod for soft plastics and jigs. Whether or not the Extremes are worth the extra money, it's too early for me to say. I do know that the Champions are very sensitive and are absolutely worth the money, and I won't hesitate to recommend them. I have a pair of the 734 and I'm not crazy about using them for bottom contact baits. They're built with a little slower action than all the other Dobyns that I've seen, so I use them for reaction baits. I would recommend that you look into the Champion 704, 735, 764, and the Extreme 744. These are all good sellers with good feedback.

Sounds like fun! That little walleye was too easy of a meal to pass up. My biggest was a 20-25 lb. carp taken from the Mississippi with a flyrod, a crawfish fly, and 6# Trilene XT leader. I was about 15/16 when I caught it and it still ranks as one of my favorite catches of all time. I played it out for about 15 minutes and I ended with friction burns and blisters on my fingers from the flyline.

Many people stay away from those Mojos for that very reason. I'd suggest returning it or trying to sell it in the flea market.

I was told that can happen after I bought a bulk batch of super dull Mustads from eBay. Apparently, they were initially purchased in a single, extremely heavy box with 50,000 hooks and they got a little dinged up. What I purchased and returned was the "bottom of the barrel." My favorites are VMC trebles. They're certainly not the best, but they've a great value at $0.30-0.40 apiece. I'll sometimes touch them up with a diamond file if need be. If I were fishing for money, I would use Owner ST-36. I have a couple packs of those and they are very sticky.

Sounds like I might have to follow suit and give one a shot and keep my fingers crossed. I don't usually lose jerkbaits to pike, now that I think about it.

I hear great things about them, but the $25 price tag is enough for me to shy away. Too many northern pike in my waters.

Ratatat sounds interesting. I checked out their YouTube vids.

Anybody who's tried a good Hasenpfeffer would not complain about eating rabbits. I'd rather eat wild game than many of the meats from the market. At least you know exactly what you're getting then. I snatched this recipe from a website and modified it. It's it simple version thats similar to what some family members make for holiday pot lucks. Hasenpfeffer is a rabbit recipe that can be made with rabbit, chicken, turkey, or wild birds, or a mix of two meats. Often made with half rabbit, half dark meat chicken. 1 large onion, sliced 1.5-2 cups white vinegar 3 cups water 1 tablespoon pickling spice 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 bay leaves 8 whole cloves 1 (2 1/2 pound) rabbit, skinned, cut into serving-size pieces 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 cup sour cream In a large nonmetallic bowl, combine onion, vinegar, water and seasonings. Add rabbit pieces; cover and refrigerate for 48 hours(or less), turning occasionally. Remove meat; strain and reserve marinade. Dry meat well; coat lightly with flour. In a skillet(or Crock Pot), melt butter(or peanut or olive oil); brown meat well. Gradually add 2 to 2-1/2 cups reserved marinade. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove meat to a warm platter. Add sour cream to pan juices; stir just until heated through. Spoon over the meat and serve immediately. Goes well with asparagus with Béarnaise sauce, and a couple ales.

Just wait until you have to pay for more than just gas and tackle.

That would be a lot of fun to participate in. It's a good idea for a small local club tourney. Depending on the season, I would go with either a jig, frog, or heavy spinnerbait.

Nice looking catches guys! Does RW have a Dobyns Champion in his hand instead of a GLX or Avid? It can't be... Did that 8' 4" rod fit in the rod locker?

Yeah, that was in the World Series that Boston won. It was last Red Sox title before the "curse" that ended in 2004. The rating are going to be crazy for that series. Those are going to be some HOT tickets.

Here's the one that I like the most. It has a contoured back which I find more useful than the actual seat. It's on sale, too. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Boating/Boat-Seats/Fold-Down-Boat-Seats|/pc/104794380/c/104705280/sc/104341680/Cabelas-Signature-Series-Pro-Seats/737431.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fboating-boat-seats-fold-down-boat-seats%2F_%2FN-1100614%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104341680%3FWTz_l%3DUnknown%253Bcat104705280&WTz_l=Unknown%3Bcat104705280%3Bcat104341680

This is the seller: http://myworld.ebay.com/dunnssportinggoods/?_trksid=p4340.l2559

Haha. Bass Tackle Depot, a board sponsor, has em 15% off. I wish they Savvys had full cork handles, too. They might before long. It seems like they're selling well so it wouldn't surprise me if they expand the lineup. I don't like the tiny little knob on the bottom of Champion and Savvy split grips. The Extremes have a larger knob and it's more comfortable, but still I prefer full cork. I have seen some really cheap Savvys on eBay lately. One seller starts auctions at $120 and offers free shipping. More often than not, 1 bid of $120 will win the auction. Last week, a Champion 735 was on there and it didn't get a single bid. Had somebody just offered up a $165 starting bid, they could've had it.

Where will you be fishing? I tend to use the "standard" stuff, like you mentioned, but I'm quick to downsize my line and lures if the bite is slow. Some of these places have very clear water and lots of recreational traffic.

Last time I checked, it was through the Links button on the green bar at the top of the page. Fourth one down was a list of Bass Tackle Shops. Access denied... I want to get the order in before the Dobyns DX rod I want is sold out.

I just PMed Glenn about that. I'm about to make a nice order from BTD and I'd like to enter the store though a Bass Resource link so that BR can get a share of the sale.

There isn't a more exciting way to fish, IMO.

I'm concerned about that, too. It's called a VAT, value-added tax. Proposals are as high as 25% VAT.

It's a good question. Like they said, it's a base weight. One of RiverRat's Northstar Premier jigs that has a 3/4oz base weight actually weighs a hair under an oz all together. One of his 1/4 oz jigs with a small trailer added weighs more than a 1/2 oz. A 3/4oz Secret Weapon spinnerbait with a trailer hook weighs 1 1/8 oz.

I leave it in the boat between trips, but I take the stuff out if I won't be fishing for as few days or more. Some of the more heavily salted baits will get a little water logged, where the embedded salt crystals melt and begin to sweat out of the bait, and then reharden when the baits dry out. I personally would bring it all inside over the winter, dry it out, and store it with desiccant packets inside the boxes.

Lousy. I guess I missed it.