.ghoti.

That is a pretty snappy shirt you're wearing Mr Hilfiger. ;D What can I say? Sometimes I have to allow the wife to dress me.

I want a balanced combo. Nothing to do with the weight of the tip; but, the rod, reel, line and application that just works when all put together. Ergonomics are important too. But color schemes? What, do I look like a fashion designer? Couldn't care less.

A case for the Third Universal Cardinal Rule of Thumb: Never be absolute, unless absolutely necessary. A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day. "In English," he said, "A double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative." A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."

Wow, you look much older. What do you mean, you young whippersnapper? Why, I'll ........................ OOPS, gotta go. I think I just farted a lump. Nope, false alarm. Good to go. Now, what we we talking about. HUH? Who are you anyway? HUH? What? Burley? Oh, Burley. Hey man, how are ya? Say hello to Larry and Moe.

trav, you have yet to get a complete answer to your question. First, you do not need a "finesse" outfit to cast a senko. You can throw a senko with just about any rig you have. For lighter, finesse plastics, the rod is as important as the reel. I have Daiwa Fuegos, Daiwa Millionaires, Revo STXs, Pfleuger Summits and JM SIG series reels; all of which will cast very light baits with ease, when mounted on the correct rod. I use a St Croix LT, 6'9" med-light, extra-fast baitcast rod for all my finesse applications. It currently has a Revo STX on it. I just got the rod over the winter, so I need to experiment a little more with reels and line to come up with the best match. This is one of the right rods available for this application. For a less expensive alternative, I have a BPS Pro Finesse rod, 6'9" ML, Extra fast. Same length, power and action description as the LT, but it's a different rod. Doesn't feel the same at all, but is still a nice rod for very light baits. I got it on sale for 60 bucks. This was my finesse baitcast rod until I bought the LT, and I intend to keep it.

Happy B-DAY fbl. You're older than dirt, but are you older then me? My b-day was a couple of weeks ago. I'm now 57. Doesn't seem possible.

I use a 7:1 reel on my jerkbait/spinnerbait rod. It does extra duty as a crankbait rod on occasion. I have no problem with a high speed reel and crankbaits. I think the idea that you absolutely have to have a slow reel for cranks is a very successful marketing ploy. It has increased sales of reels. Everybody seems to have bought into the idea. Hats off to the marketing folks. You did a good job on that snow job. Personally, when I get to the point where I can't retrieve a crank without a slow speed reel, I'll look for a less strenuous sport; like needlepoint, or knitting. edit, I forgot, during my rant, to answer your question. I have both reels, and either one will do just fine. It it were me, I'd use the Revo for cranking. In my experience, the Revo performs much better with lighter line, which suits the crankbait application.

12 gauge not necessary. Try one of these. I've had one for several years, and can attest to it effectiveness. http://www.coldsteel.com/sjambok.html

I loved the old Pork-O. Caught a lot of quality fish on "em, and was sad to see them discontinued. Here's a very good alternative. http://www.***.com/descpage-SPSSJB.html

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

Me too. Glad to hear I'm not alone. The real question is; how long will this last?

I had one of the baitcast versions. 7'2" MH, with what I'd call a moderate-fast action. I liked it. It was very sensitive for the price range. A buddy of mine tried mine, liked it, bought one, and promptly broke it. I gave mine to him. Everybody else that saw it had something to say about it. "That thing sucks", was fairly common. "That looks weird", or "that looks stupid" were among the choice comments. "I bet it don't cast for ^%$#" was the most common. I had no problems casting with it. It made a good crankbait rod because it transmitted the vibrations of the bait very well. Cabelas sold a version of it for a while, but clearanced them all out a couple of years ago. Their version looked exactly like the Daiwa I had.

J, I only do my own reels, about 20 of "em; and for a few select friends. I don't have to worry about keeping track of any parts over an extended period of time. If I don't have time to finish one, I don't start. I'm not doing as many as you appear to be doing, so I don't have to get that organized about it. But, I'm still "stealing" your idea. My wife informed me that I would have to buy my own pans. Hers are off limits.

Fish attractant? no such thing. None of them "attract" fish. Scent made to apply to your baits, used to cover up any odors or tastes offensive to the fish? you betcha. Megastrike is all you need to know.

J Francho, me like the muffin tin for organizing parts during cleaning. What a good idea. Consider it stolen.

I have a new color design scheme. It's a light purple or magenta color base with off-white and pale yellow swirls. I call it Sexy Rutabaga. We all know by now that bass are thinking about "sexy" all the time, and if a bait is not "sexy", they won't eat it. And, nothing says "sexy" like root vegetables. Sounds like a sure fire winner to me. I just can't seem to sell the idea to anybody. What's up with that?

I feel for ya buddy. A long time ago, I hit my left thumb with a framing hammer. Hit it a pretty good lick, taking the nail completely off. The nail grew back gnarly and fell off three times over a period of about 6 months. As I remember, it was over a year before it all got back to normal. Hang in there; it will heal eventually.

Hey Chris, glad to hear you're busy. Congrats on your business. And a good fishin trip. Nice to see some fish pics. I DON"T HAVE ANY THIS YEAR. Congrats too, to Dad. Looks that old dog can still hunt.

EXACTLY!

The BPS 100MPH suit will keep you dry, but it will drive you nuts. Every move you make, it talks back to you. Wearing one of these outfits, you couldn't sneak up on a glass of water.

http://www.***.com/descpage-HHSSH.html

Let's put some numbers on it. The best general estimate for the numbers of stars in the Milky Way is around 200 billion. Let's posit 1% as being similar to our own star; we now have 2 billion. Again, let's use 1% as the number of these stars which have planets. That gives us 20 million stars with planets. Again, 1% for the number of planets in the correct orbit to have liquid water. 200 thousand planets capable of supporting life, as we know it. It's rather preposterous, and supremely egotistical, for us to presume that we're the only game in town.

It's about time everybody recognized this for what it is. Major league baseball has a farm team system. It's called the minor leagues. The NBA and the NFL also have a farm team system. It's called NCAA Division 1. If it's the sanctity of the sport you're looking for, go to a little league game. Otherwise open your eyes to what you're really seeing.

Here's one of simplest recipes ever. Mix two parts maple syrup with one part dark soy sauce. Brush on the salmon fillets before grilling. Make a little extra to serve on the side for dipping. Do NOT put any extra sauce that has come in contact with raw salmon on the table.

Here's a picture of "Bill"