.ghoti.

My local wally-world has Vanish for 5 bucks and Trilene Maxx for four bucks. I picked up 7 or 8 spools. They also had Glass Shad Raps for 2.50 and Minnow Raps for 3 bucks. Not sure how many they had, but I bought them all. Going back this weekend to see what else they put out.

Yesterday in central Illinois we had tornado warnings, flash flood warnings and blizzard warnings. All in the same afternoon. Gotta love it this time of year.

Totally agree with you FishTank, Gevalia is the best. I make one pot a day. Just enough to fill up my thermos and travel mug for the drive in. Grind it fresh every morning, filtered water, add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar right on top of the grounds. Nectar of the gods.

I've seen a few of them around St Louis too. Didn't know it was a fashion statement. What do they call this "look", the Chernobyl Chicken?

I like to start out every year fishing for crappie as soon as the ice is gone, or almost gone. I use two basic rigs. The first is a 7' UL rod, a 30 dollar BPS microlite rod with a Symetre loaded with 4lb test XL. This one's for casting a small jig with a grub. Cast it out, count it down and just crank it slow and steady. I try to keep it running at the same depth for the whole retrieve. Yo-yo-ing up and down seems to select for smaller fish around here. Make a few casts, then count it down deeper. I start out at about 3 feet deep, and work my way down. I use a 1/16oz jig with a grub most of the time, but will go to a 1/32oz with a tube for tough times. A bull shot about a foot in front of the jig will get it deeper. Add another one about 6" ahead of the first one and this can be fished effectively down to about 10 feet. The other rig is 9' steelhead rod rated for 4-8lb line with a Quantum PT spinning reel and 6lb test flouro. This rig is for slip float fishing. Bobber stop, bead, Thill slip float, slip sinker, swivel, leader and 1/64oz jig with a Bass Assassin Tiny Assassin plastic. I have it weighted so that only the tip of the float shows above the water. It's almost neutrally balanced. I use a pretty good sized float and slip sinker, so I can cast this rig a mile. It takes the 6lb flouro to set the hook at the end of a long cast. Four pound mono just stretches too much. I cast this out, let it settle for a bit than pull it about a foot and let the bait swing back down and come to a stop. Let it set for a bit and repeat. Vary the pause time and the pull length until you find what works. I start out about 4 feet deep and work my way down in one foot increments until I find the active zone. Crappie will come up to a bait, but will rarely go down to bite. It's better to be above them than below. No matter what rig I use or what plasic I have on, I always use a Berkley crappie nibble. These things turn tasters into biters. One more thing. Garlic will turn crappie off completely. Don't use anything garlic scented. In fact, don't even store your crappie stuff anywhere near any garlic scented baits. When the water is cold enough that bass fishing is an extreme exercize in patience, try crappie. Lots of fun and good table fare. Cheers, GK

Nothing better than Terminator's titanium leaders for pike or muskie. But they are expensive. If you have a bunch of muskie lures and/or baits dedicated to pike, check out Tyger Wire leader material. It's a coated steel wire that you can tie a knot with. All of my muskie baits have this stuff tied on, with a good swivel tied to the other end. I just wrap the leader around the bait and put it back in the box with the swivel still attached. Just tie my braid to the swivel to swap baits. Ten feet of Tyger Wire will cost you ten bucks. I cut it into 5 leaders. Add a good swivel and you've got about three bucks in each one. A two turn clinch knot is what I've found to work best. Never had a problem with it. I've never used a leader for walleye, but I do use flouro line now for all my walleye fishing. A little extra abrasion resistance is a good thing. Just re-tie after every fish, and you shouldn't have any problems with the walleye. Cheers, GK

Speedbead, I'll be bringing some primo sports drinks. Stop by, I'll share.

I showed this to my sweetie. She said, well, we have a spare room. Ask if anybody wants to share, so here we go. We have a cabin reserved for Sunday through Wednesday. We'll be leaving Thursday morning. If that fits your timeframe, send me a PM. About the only condition I'll insist on is no smoking in the room. My wife is on prescription medications year-round for allergies, so she really can't take it. I've been known to spark up a cigar or two, so you'll have to do what I do, and take it outside. Also, I like a beer in the afternoon, some wine with dinner and a glass of whiskey with my cigar in the evening. My wife too; except for the cigars and whiskey. If you're offended by drinking, we're not gonna be your ideal roomates. We're not drunks, but we're not teetolalers either. If anybody is interested, let me know. Cheers, GK

back to back uni knots for line to line connections arbor knot for line to spool connection SD jam knot or uni knot for multi-hook baits Palomar for everything else The only time I used a clinch not is when fly fishing and I'm trying to save my tippet. I can tie a clinch knot with less line than any other knot.

For Senkos and Ikas I use an Avid 6'8" MXF. For larger T-tigged plastics I use a JM Sig Series 7' MH, or for short casting situations, a team Daiwa Light & Tough 6'3" MH. All baitcasters with PT reels. Cheers, GK

A wife "makes" a man, do whatever she wants.

Dear Elongated Michael, when Jeff's mommy taps out, stop by and see me. Maybe I'll tell you where we caught all the fish you couldn't find. :D Ya hear that RW? Mikey has just put in a request for a lesson. Shall we give him one?

Geez, Russ. are you into everything? http://www.knifeoutlet.com/shop/10expand.asp?productcode=swlbh

fish 4 fun a lot

Nice looking rod Mr Walnuts. Did it fall off the back of a truck?

Never let it be said that I wouldn't step to help out. I'll take it all. A check for a buck, two ninety-eight is in the mail

Got a guide booked for Monday. Troy Jens, anglingalabama.com I'm ready NOW

Sorry I'm so late putting this up. Went out with George on January 7 and 8, just a couple of days after the azz-kickin cold front went through. We had a tough day the first day with only five fish in the boat. But, I had a great time and learned a bunch. George is very well informed, and is an excellent teacher. He knows the Stick Marsh like the back of his hand. Went out the second day with George and Don (WWF). Tried some different areas, and found some fish. No giants, but quite a few more than the first day. I had a great time again. These two guys are indeed characters. Good company, lots of off the wall comments out of Don. Geaorge has a very dry sense of humor that I didn't pick up on right off the bat. Once I did the day was even more fun. I've been with quite a few guides over the last several years. With one exception, I've had good trips with all of them. I gotta say, George is the best. If you ever get the opportunity to book a trip with him, don't think about it too hard. Just do it. You will not regret it. Thanks George for a great two days on the water. I'll be back, as soon as I can, and we'll do it again. Don, if you're reading this, I'd be happy to go with you if George is booked up. Cheers, GK ps, Hey George, thanks for sending my jacket back. I didn't even know I'd left it until it showed up at my door.

Thanks guys. I knew somebody here would be able to answer this. Now I need to figure out just what to use mine for. Cheers, GK

here you go. http://www.edealinfo.com/portal/coupons/usa/merchant.php?mrc=Cabelas This was posted here a while ago. I think Matt Fly found this and put it up for all to benefit from.

I have an Avid 6'8" MXF casting rod that I got last year. It's a great rod for Senkos and Ikas, so I use pretty much just for that. I just picked up two Avid spinning rods, same length and action. One for me, one for my wife. Are these by any chance built on the same blank as the casting rod? They are all last year's models. I know they're are some St Croix enthusiasts here who will know this. Thanks, GK

Been in the market for a new case for a while. I've been carrying a leather bag from Wilson's leather. It has storage slots for a PDA(i have a Dell Axim), cell phone, business cards, glasses, sunglasses, spare knife, etc. Really handy little bag. My wife calls it my "purse". Not funny. So I ordered one of these; http://www.knifeoutlet.com/shop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=TOP006 That should put a stop to all the "man-bag" comments. Cheers, GK

I use Silver Minnows in weeds as often as I think about using them, which is not often enough. These are one bait I just can't seem to keep in mind. I used to use a pork frog; I think a #11, but now use a grub or part of a power worm most. I've never really had a problem with the hooks. They do get dull, but a couple of swipes with a diamond sharpener will take care of that. I've never broken a hook on a silver minnow, so I don't know where the crappy reports come from. I addition to weedbeds, I've found these to be good when fishing places like Table Rock, that have a lot of rock bottoms. With a 4" grub on the back for a little extra bouyancy, these baits will not get hung up in the rocks often. They are a good option for stair-stepping down a rock embankment. I got more smallies with this approach on one trip to the Rock, than with any other bait. I wish the Rapala version was still available. I did very well with that bait. Cheers, GK

An elderly couple was attending a church service, about halfway through she leans over and says to her husband, "I just let out a silent fart what do you think I should do?" He replies "Put a new battery in your hearing aid .

;D ;D He's BAAAAAAAaaaaaack ;D ;D[/quote Yep! and he's right, too.