tholmes

X3. It still works just fine. Tom

We rarely get enough ice for me to chance it. I've gone ice fishing a few times in the distant past and discovered that it's just not for me. Tom

I've used the same technique, but using an old inner tube to make small rubber discs. Works like a champ! Tom

Jitterbug. My #1 topwater bait. I'll catch some on poppers and prop baits, but the ol' trusty J-bug is the go-to topwater. Tom

All of this plus the adrenaline rush when you set the hook and it's "whoa, this one ain't no dink!" Tom

I used to catch a lot of grief from my EX-wife. Now, my wife doesn't object to my fishing and wants to go with me a lot of the time. Tom

I use 8# Trilene Big Game on a couple of my baitcasters with zero problems. Tom

Play guitar. It never gets old. Tom

Nice! That rootbeer color would slay 'em on the lake I fish. Tom

First-aid kit flashlight tool kit w/ straight-blade and phillips screwdrivers, abu garcia wrench and oil, small needle-nose vise grips S&W Model 10 cigars & lighter Tom

Those rebel mini cranks are death to big 'gills. I've had the best results with the Wee Craws. Tom

Antique/classic cameras. I don't have anything really rare or valuable, just about 50 old 35mm and rollfilm cameras. Tom

A bunch. And when I run out, I'll make more. If you count everything from 1 oz. striper jigs to 1/80 oz. panfish jigs, several hundred. Tom

Yep! The only 2 colors of bass jigs that I carry. Tom

Cadman - It's a Smithy MI-329M benchtop milling machine, around $3K. Handy little buggers, they are. http://www.smithy.com/lathes-mills/cx329/pricing Tom

I wish I still had access to one. Tom

I use one for lipless cranks and jerkbaits. Tom

I really don't need to blow off steam after a day of not catching fish. If the fish aren't biting, I can always find something else to do. Lite's too short to get steamed up over fishing. Tom

Unless, of course, the stream has leeches in it. Tom

The big enemy of mono (and maybe other?) line is sunlight. As long as you keep in a dark place, it will last a long time. I have spools of mono that have been stored in a drawer in my "man cave" for several years with no ill effects. Tom

My ex is one of the many reasons that I don't do facebook. Tom

^That's my guess too. Tom

Mostly health issues. An industrial accident several years ago resulting in back/neck/head injuries, along with arthritis, has left me with enough balance and mobility problems that I don't trust myself in a boat anymore. Plus, about 2 hours of fishing is about all I can do at one time. But I still go fishing almost as often as I want, and I get to play my guitars as much as I want, so I'm can't complain much. Tom

X2^ The lake that I fish the most is an abandoned sand pit that has been shored up with rip-rap to prevent bank erosion. It makes great structure but it's tough on lures. Even some plastic cranks don't have a very good survival rate. Tom

Here in the middle of Kansas, the drought is severe and the heat has been brutal. The water level at the community lake that I fish the most is down at least six feet from where it was last year. As a result, the structure that was in 12-15 feet of water is now only 6-9 feet deep. The water temperature has reached the mid 80s and driven the bass into deeper water and out of reach of us shore-bound anglers. It's been a tough summer. Tom