.ghoti.

Lee, I stand corrected. Rhino wins the fugly hat contest.

Hey Mac, you'll find that there will be very few drunks at one of our trips. A lot of folks with a little buzz on, but not what I call drunks. We all seem to spend a lot more time talking about fish. Where did you catch "em today, on what, what depth, what speed, etc. And, where we going tomorrow. What are you gonna try, where, etc. There will be maps out everywhere, and folks talking the next day's strategy. A few munchies and a beer or two mixed in, or a glass of vino or two, are what you're gonna see. Never had a fight break out, and never noticed a technicolor yawn. We are a pretty well behaved bunch of old farts. You do not have to worry about your lady being bothered. If anybody gets out of hand at my shindig, I'll shut "em off and throw "em out.

Not sure I could call it a favorite, but I'm going for some sort of record with a Rage Tail hat. It's blown off my head, and into every body of water I ever fished when wearing it. The count is at 17, I think. If it hits 50, I'm gonna cremate it, and scatter the ashes in my favorite pit at Trophy Country.

Today, I'm thinking about the RoadTrip. Making my shopping list for the Wednesday Night Soiree. Have to make sure there's plenty of food and drink. Nobody walks away from my Soiree hungry and sober. Well, some may walk away sober, and I respect that. But, if you walk away hungry, it will be your fault, and not mine. That's a promise.

I have the 6'10" MH-F. Fit and finish are top shelf. I've only done some backyard casting so far, so I have no conclusions about how well it actually fishes. I did not get a weight. Dead batteries in my scale, but it seems to be under 4 ounces. I'll get an accurate weight, and post it in this thread. It may be just a bit under-rated. Flex testing, with a scale, seem to indicate that it's a bit more powerful than most MH power rods. The fast rating for the action seems about right on the money. The rod casts a 3/8oz practice plug nicely. It loads just OK with a 1/4oz plug. That would be the lower limit for this stick. I haven't tested the upper end of the bait weight range. I tried it with an Alphas, a TD-Z, a Fuego, and a Zillion. The Z and the Alphas both made a really light weight combo. I'll probably end up with a Zillion on this rod. I use the Z and all of my Alphas for light weight baits, with light line. This is not the rod for that purpose. If it performs the way I think it might, this will be my primary T-rig rod; Zillion, 14-17 line and 3/8oz and up. First impressions are; this rod can go head-to-head with a St Croix Avid, and maybe with the LTB series. Pretty good for a $150 stick. I'll have more of them before the year is out.

Raider, you are truly one-of-a-kind. Looking forward to meeting you at the RoadTrip. Stop by the cabim I'm sharing with Rhino and Dinky. I'll make you the best cup of coffee you've ever had.

Lake Shelbyville in central Ilinois is the worst in my area. Lake of the Ozarks has to be the all-time worst I've ever been on. We no longer go there.

Nice fish Lee. Goes good with that butt-fugly hat.

the ball is now in your corner? A masterfully mixed metaphor. (I love alliteration)

I'll be there for the banquet. Plum and red are both good colors for the entire TN river chain. A couple of years ago I tore them up on Kentucky Lake with a red 5" GYCB hula grub on an Evo Shake2 jighead.

Its always nice to hear a master at work.

This would be the time to visit Roadwarrior's standard three rod setup. A MH-F rod with high speed reel for all your jig / plastics applications (spend more on the rod for this rig) a Moderate fast rod, with a slower reel for treble hook lures (spend more on the reel for this rig) a Spinning combo for all your lighter weight applications. For $400 per set-up, you can start building a nice collection.

The only time I clean cork now is when I'm selling a rod.

I'm very happy to say that none of the places I fish on a regular basis are on that list.

I regret all the temptations I passed up.

Forgot to add; a new fav is their Ledge Worm. The 9" has been great on a jighead, and the 11" on a t-rig.

I didn't know that. Thanks for the tip..

GYCB Big Kahuna Cut-Tail worm Rage Tail Lobster Havoc Devils Spear

Very good quality baits. The Bacon Rind used to be one of my go-to baits. It's been out of production for a while.

65 pound braid and 40 pound leader? What are you fishing for, orca?

By hand with a Smith's 6" fine diamond hone.

Game of Thrones Deadwood

I agree with this as well. Can't stand the sound of ceramics.

Thanks Mike And, thanks Mike I haven't heard from them, but I'm assuming RoadWarrior, Long Mike, 00mod, Glenn and Keri will be there. I haven't heard from Ark, BG RTR, Coots, Jack Fate, Macmicheal and Pete-K. I have 30 people on the list including myself.

Just got word from Glenn. He has reserved a banquet/meeting hall for the Wednesday evening Soiree. That's great news. Last year's gathering was more than crowded, with about 20 people in a small cabin. There will be more people this year, and the cabins aren't that much bigger, so the extra space will be awesome. I still haven't heard from some of you about your attendance Wednesday evening. I'd like to have an accurate count sometime soon. I need to start purchasing the non-perishable items.