tholmes

Those are absolutely KILLER! Tom

The Bait Monkey sabotaged them so you would go buy some new ones. Tom

I'm hearin' ya, GMAN! We've had a spell of really cold weather with a bit of snow and to top it off, we had freezing rain all day yesterday. So now, not only is it cold as all get out, everything is glazed with ice. Makes driving (and walking, for that matter) a real pain. All the lakes are frozen over too. The one bright spot - I got my BPS catalog last week, so I've been making out my shopping list 8-) Tom

With your first paycheck, start a retirement account or sign up for a 401k if your employer offers it. Sounds stupid now, I know, but 40 years from now, you'll be darn glad you did. Tom

Culprit (worms), Berkley, Zoom, Strike King, and whatever the cheap stuff they sell at Wally World is, Riverside or something like that. Curly-tail grubs that I buy in bulk at the boat show in Wichita every spring. Tom

Another "budget" fisherman here. I use a 6'MH Lightning Rod with a Ambassadeur ProMax 3600 ($5 yard sale special) for T-rigged plastics and it works just fine. My crankbait rig is an old Cherrywood rod and an Ambassadeur 5500 C3. Not the latest and greatest, but both have served me well. Tom

I'm sorry for your loss, Eric. There's nothing like the unconditional love of a dog. Tom

You're in luck, they're on sale! http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/search/?N=1000005206&Ne=1000005206&Ntk=AllProducts&Ntt=flatfish&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchall&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products&WTz_st=SearchRefinements&form_state=searchForm&search=flatfish&x=13&y=4 Tom

Another blade bait that I've had a lot of success with is the Heddon Sonar. At one time, I had a Do-It mold to make these. I rigged them with open-shank double hooks with the hook points facing backwards. It substantially reduces hangups compared to treble hooks. Tom

There's a lot of truth in that^. There's not much out there that is truly new, just variations on the same themes. I fish a couple of small community lakes and a few large reservoirs, almost exclusively from the shore. I've been fishing the same waters for many years, so I've got a pretty good grasp on what works in different situations on these lakes. My new tackle purchases tend to reflect that. Tom

Warning: Do not try this at home! ;D Tom

Here ya go! Buy 'em in bulk! http://www.cabletiesandmore.com/american/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_30&products_id=53 Tom

Culprit 7-1/2" ribbontail worms in tequila sunrise and various other shades of purple. I probably go through 3 or 4 bags a year. A close second would be 4" black curly tail grubs. Tom

Yep. I carry a couple of sizes of Brush Hogs in two colors and lizards mostly in black. Edit: I got a couple of packs of Rage Tails for Christmas, green pumpkin and Bama craw, so I'll be adding those to my arsenal this spring. Tom

X2^ Tom

I did that a couple of times this year alone. ;D We need to start a club ;D I could fill a tackle box with the lures I've inadvertently thrown away. :-[ Tom

I really like the GATCO sharpener. AFAIK, it's still being made. http://www.knife-depot.com/knife-58177.html?src=froogle&src1=kd&src2=gbase&utm_source=Froogle&utm_medium=Product%2BSearch%2BEngine&utm_campaign=kd Tom

I still have an old Shakespeare 1980 President II baitcaster that's mounted on a Berkeley Roughneck rod. I used that rig for trolling Storm Big Mac plugs for stripers. The reel is built like a tank, and is just about as heavy. I still use it occasionally for flatheads, and it still works well. Tom

i listen to a lot of music, from classical to solo acoustic guitar to jazz to bluegrass, etc. Favorite rock 'n' rollbands: The Rolling Stones (greatest rock band EVER) The Who Jethro Tull The Eagles James Gang CSN&Y Yes, I'm old Tom

There are threadfin shad in virtually all of the local lakes (abandoned gravel pits) around here. I don't know if they're native to the rivers, or if they were introduced somehow, but there is always a bunch of them that die off in the winter. Some must survive though, because they're always back the next spring. Tom

There are threadfin shad in virtually all of the local lakes (abandoned gravel pits) around here. I don't know if they're native to the rivers, or if they were introduced somehow, but there is always a bunch of them that die off in the winter. Some must survive though, because they're always back the next spring. Tom

There are threadfin shad in virtually all of the local lakes (abandoned gravel pits) around here. I don't know if they're native to the rivers, or if they were introduced somehow, but there is always a bunch of them that die off in the winter. Some must survive though, because they're always back the next spring. Tom

What are you, the Bait Monkey's puppet? Tom

The Royals have fans?? I never would've guessed. A former Royals fan, Tom

http://thinktanklures.com/Home_Page.html My skepticism meter is definitely registering. Tom