flechero

Great illustration there... I have a plenty of bags and shirts.

I have a couple of the (Shimano) Sedona spinning reels. If memory serves me correctly, I paid $49 each for them. Bay far the best $50 reels I have used.

I just used "rural Virginia" for descriptive purposes only. I live in a "rural" area so I don't use the term loosely. ...lol

the 844 would be my choice. I have no trouble throwing lighter baits with it... it has a pretty delicate tip for a heavy rod.

Sounds like a classy operation. (Pink blanks are always in demand... there are threads year round over on RBO about them.)

Sounds like the pump itself is binding or obstructed. Check the impeller in the pump housing to see if you have anything stuck in there and if not, spin the shaft and see if it's binding... that's about the only thing(s) that could cause a new motor to quit like that. (assuming you found no clogs in the return lines) The skimmer can't let in too much water, the foam piece just (floats the door) creates surface tension/suction for attracting and collecting floating debris. It doesn't actually restrict the amount of water that goes through the system, it's only purpose is pulling in debris. Good luck with it... I KNOW how frustrating pool equipment can be... mine is OOOOOLD!

I did just that, but in my mid 30's. I ended up about 45 miles north of Austin, in Belton. The Austin job market can be tough... so many people want to be there that even the starbucks employees are college grads. ...lol If you want to be in Austin proper, I'd find a good job before comitting to it. The Austin area offers unbelievable fishing opportunities all around, and saltwater close enough for an easy weekend trip (by car, not bike!) and IMO the best thing of all... smallies on the fly rod, just up the road a few miles!!! (Georgetown, Stillhouse and Belton lakes) There are some cool places on the coast as well.

Muddy, I think he was coming ON to you... in a twisted, rural Virginia, "Deliverance" sort of way. Just turn him down like every other guy and girl has done and forget about it.

It's a cost and convenience factor, at least it was for me. I quit taking money orders because other then USPS, I have to pay to cash them and my small town banks wouldn't take some of them either. I'd rather have a check and wait a few days for it to clear or cash on their bank if a local branch exists. When you figure safety and the value of your time, Pay Pal is by far the cheapest way to transfer money- if you can't hand someone cash.

It is as simple as sanding, but GO SLOW and only sand by hand. You can't put cork back once it's sanded away so go slow and check fit/shape/comfort often. Put a wrap or two of masking tape around the seat, carefully lining it up at the cork's edge... it will keep you from messing up the edge of the reel seat. Once you hit it and scar the tape, replace it. When you get it where you like it, take a few light passes over the entire grip to even out the color. Most factory handles are not sealed. If you want to seal it, use U-40 cork seal or Birchwood Casey Gunstock Oil... both work equally as well. (they have a slightly different color- the U-40 is lighter, but both will darken cork)

Tournament or not, there is still a child in all of us. Remember that he hooked it on a crankbait so he could have only "thought" is wasn't a bass until he saw it. If you hooked a fish that you didn't "think" was a bass, would you cut the line? I doubt it. He probably never saw it until it was almost in... by then I bet 99% of the people would go ahead and land it.

The divorce would be cheaper in the long run. just kidding, only going for a laugh.

same here. (Before the move, it was just as F.C. described.)

If you like the rod except for the handle length- the easiest fix it to cut the handle off where you want it and then file/sand the cork a little bit to accomodate this butt cap for a finished off, factory look. You'll probably need size 1. I ship rods all over the country and it averages beteween $20 and $30 depending on location and amount of insurance.

Depends on your garage. I store my boat at a "boat storage" which is an uninsulated metal building. (but the roof is vented) I live in central Tx., so it gets crazy hot in there. No problems yet and I have been doing it this way since about '95. I have only seen a few worms melt that have been sitting in the windshields (out of their packaging) and spinnerbait/buzzbait skirts seem to dry out faster. I check trailer hubs and battery electrolyte levels more frequently during the hot weather but rarely do more than that. Line (mono) is affected by heat so if you can, keep rods/reels and spare line at home if you can... if not you'll just need to reline more often. I think the trick to soft plastics is to keep them in original packaging and also in soft sided tackle bags.

One of my favorite things is smallmouth on the fly. What an addiction! Try a search, you'll find that there have been lots of flyfishing threads in the past year or so.

Good bruising is like the bass thumb... it's proof! ...lol

They do have reels like that, kind of... The revos have a little wider and a little deeper spool than the 101 so they hold more line. They are different shape but not too different in overall size. (the revo's are wider but feel lower) They are built like tanks and have monster drag systems. Now that the Revo Premier is out, you get all that in a package that's only a couple 1/10th's of an ounce heavier than a 50MG, for $50 more than a curado. Seriously, is there a reason not to buy it? ...lol Give it a try, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

No hijack here, you mentioned the handles. ...lol Looking back on it, my PB smallie did come on that pictured rod with the blk/blu accents... Hmm... I may have to use it as my primary rod this weekend, now that I know the mojo is in the foam!!

That will be sharp!! Please don't forget pics of that one!

LBH, Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. It's always fun to look over someone else's work. I have only gotten to see the work of a few other custom guys but I alway learn something from them, no matter what kind of rod it is. Glad it's a performer for you... Looking back on it, I think I accidentally preloaded the mojo twice. ...lol Fluke, I think this is the one you want: Here is another cool one:

Go with the viento, you will be glad you did when you need service. If you tried a viento that wasn't very smooth, maybe you need to try one from a different box, the ones I have played with felt real nice.

Catt, I said last year that the trip was so much fun I could have left the boat home! If this wasn't my only vacation, I could care less where it was. But the reality is that we fished 10 hrs a day and were social 4-6 hrs. so for those of us who only get one 'away' trip each year, the location can matter. Besides, the social aspect won't be any worse if the fishing happens to be good!!

Sorry Glenn, I didn't know that there was any internal discussion going on. I also figured that there weren't that many lakes in the south, with the accomodations we sought... I'm assuming the group will be larger this time and we'd need more space. FWIW, it sounds like you guys are doing exactly what I hoped this thread would do. I hope we (the attendees) get to vote on the 2-3 lakes you narrow it down to. Thanks, Keith

I'm not surprised... if you follow his posts, this sounds exactly like something he'd do. And based on the pics, all his work looks great.