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Some other team just lucked out.

-An Outsiders Take on the Situation. I watch the last hour of the Daytona 500 almost very year, although I pretty much hate NASCAR. I came from a family that loved racing and I grew up watching stock cars and sprints on dirt tracks, and we went to the races every other weekend when I was a kid and sat close enough to get sprayed with dirt and mud from time to time. I've lost interest in racing, but not other sports. I can tell you from a avid sports fan's perspective that one of the main reasons NASCAR has lost is viewership because they don't have any exciting long-standing rivalries. NASCAR would benefit from a consistent Hero/Villain rivalry to spark interest. Take the New York Yankees, the Villain, The Evil Empire, and how they make ratings skyrocket whenever they get into the playoffs. It's not because people love them, it's because they hate them for their success and want to watch them get beat. Enter the Red Sox, the Hero... Either way, love em or hate em, people love to watch the Hero and Villain go at it, but both have to be legitimate contenders in order to carry any weight. Who's on top for NASCAR but a teddy bear, the lovable and charming Jimmy Johnson, the Hero, who quietly kicks everybody's *** and basically appears to have a chokehold on the competition. Where's the Villain? Dale Earnhardt could be it, if he were actually relevant on the racetrack anymore. Kurt Busch maybe, if he weren't such a punk. It appears to me that NASCAR has made efforts to encourage rivalries in the recent past by telling drivers and crews to cut loose on each other to express their dislikes for one another, but a few shoving matches, verbal jabs, or middle finger salutes isn't gonna cut it. We need suspense! People love a good story. NASCAR was once full of good stories, and they thrived because of it.

It's up to the retailer whether or not they honor the free and unlimited OTC warranty that each of us had in mind when we bought the rods. Shimano has flip flopped on this issue. First it was optional for retailers to honor it, then mandatory for a few years, which boosted sales, then optional again. Now retailers can tax you whatever amount they choose for using the warranty. The only local place for me that will replace a broken rod charges $20 for the service, and all the other ones, Cabelas included, tell you "tough luck", even if have the receipt.

Braid is only a must for frog fishing in heavy weeds. Many people, myself included, use braid for bottom contact baits like jigs and worms.

Did anybody actually think Taco Bell's mystery meat was 100% actual beef? All you have to do is take one look at it to be able to tell it's not. Chipotle makes a much better taco or burrito than TB, and it's no doubt healthier too. You can also buy TB seasoning and have taco night at home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOyu5x7QCMU&playnext=1&list=PLEFFA2155BD3DC20E Good post! Funny scene.

Yep. Everything. The steriod freak in the first shot, the 50 year old wearing purple man-panties in the second picture, and the muscle chick in the last picture. Did not want to see any of that. +1.

Black/chart. Black/pearl

People generally prefer Spro Bronzeye frogs. I use the Snag Proof Phat Frogs just as often. They're both very good baits.

I own the Crucial 6' 10" MH/XF and I use it for buzzbaits only. My Dad also owns or owned a pair of them that I fished with, the 7' M/F and MH/F. The 6' 10" MH/XF works very well for buzzbaits and I have no desire to switch. But I'm a little disappointed with the sensitivity of the Crucial. It's only slightly better(if any) than a $100 St. Croix Premier. If you're shopping online and can find used Crucials for $100 shipped, like I did when I bought mine, its a good buy. Otherwise, if you're paying retail for new rods, wait for the next Tackle Warehouse sale and go with the St. Croix Avid or the Dobyns Savvy and Champion series. From what I've seen, Shimano makes better reels than they do rods.

Any "grass jig" with a cone shaped head and vertical hook eye will work just fine as a swim jig, IMO.

There's a lot you can do with that rod. Just about anything that will work on a 7 footer will work on a 7 and a half footer.

Why the heck are people stealing these? It's not like it's easy to lose 'em. I generally set the spool tension knob just to the point where there is no longer any side-to-side play with the spool.

I don't have a 765, but I have a 766 and a 735. The 735 is a XF action so its not a fair comparison to the 765, which is a fast action. I ordered the 766 used without ever having handled it, and at first I was thinking I made a big mistake and wished I had passed and bought a new 765. It felt like a broomstick and had a stiffer tip than any rod I'd ever owned. But I was immediately impressed with the light weight and balance of this rod, since most flip sticks seem cumbersome and tip-heavy to me. But after flipping and pitching with it this summer, I realized it's actually a very versatile flippin' stick. It handles the lighter stuff like 3/8 oz jig/craw and 1/4-3/8 oz T-rigs surprisingly well. It's best suited for 1/2 oz jig and T-rigs and handles the 3/4 and 1oz weight without any strain. This is my 5th flipping stick and the first one I'm happy with. It also doubles as a frog rod for fishing cover that's a little too heavy for the 735. The 766 has more than enough power for any cover in these MN waters, and that extra power came in handy last summer more often that I ever thought it would when I first pulled the rod from the shipping tube. It's a real joy to fish with and one of my favorite rods. TackleTour has a similar thread from last November. This is a line from it that I found interesting. "You can use the 766 where you would use the 765. You can't use the 765 all the places you can use the 766." http://www.tackletour.net/TTForums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=54824

I use black lures often, even on bright days and in clear water. I also fish spinnerbaits and buzzbaits late into the season when the water is in the 40-50 degree range.

Yeah, what is that? We have that around here too. It's thick!

Good question! I use adjustable clear plastic shop glasses that I bought in a welding shop. They were $7 and are light and comfortable. I've had too many lures whiz past me on the water and I'm not taking any chances with my eyes. It's a gamble not using eye protection when you fish, regardless of the time of day. Sunglasses are meant for more than keeping the glare out of your eye, they're eye protection, too.

That would be a fun one, but I have my doubts about the Twins getting past an AL East team in the playoffs. Here's my rundown, including seeds. American League: 1. Red Sox 2. Twins 3. Athletics Wild Card: Yankees Odd man out: White Sox, Rangers Red Sox over A's, Yankees upset Twins(again)in ALDS Red Sox over Yankees in ALCS Sox advance to WS. --------------------------------- National League: 1. Phillies 2. Cardinals 3. Rockies WC: Brewers Odd man out: Reds Phillies over Brewers, Rockies upset Cardinals in NLDS Rockies upset Phillies in NLCS Rockies advance to WS. ---------------------------------- Red Sox over Rockies in World Series, just like in 2007.

Thats a shame. 62 y/o. He was one of my favorite contributers to this site. Here's the obit: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle/obituary.aspx?n=jack-yates&pid=147951000

Yep, thats how you do it. If you have room, wrap it tightly in a garbage bag and toss it in the freezer or in a ice filled cooler for a few hours first.

Whatever cast gives me the best chance at a fish.

A snapping turtle with a shell the size of a manhole cover. I was maybe 10 y/o and fishing sunnies, and I was scared ****less of that thing. It was hissing!

Be patient. Waiting an hour or two for an answer on a winter morning isn't going to kill you. : Everyone around here uses the chartreuse/white laminate Senkos, probably more than any color, even watermelon. The stores can't keep them in stock.

I almost always spear chunks and thread everything else. When you spear plastics that you would ordinarily thread, if will increase the drag of your bait in the water, and your bait will fall much slower and create more turbulence on the retrieve. Anybody who's tried spearing a full sized Beaver on a jig has seen this.

This $29 package I sent was sold to a BR member in the South. It was actually some jerry rigged deal where I had to connect two tubes together with heavy staples and duct tape because I didn't have a tube that would fit a 7' 11" flippin stick. The UPS rep said I was still under the length limit by a few inches. This was about this time last winter. Maybe some things have changed, but it was $29, and I thought that was even a little steep.