srv1990

Thanks everyone for your kind words, I appreciate it. And it's just another example of why this is such a great site and forum... To Burley: No time yet to get cigars, but it's on my list of things to do. And about that hat... well, ain't gonna happen ;-) The one I have in mind is red with the letters "STL" in white To Gotta Love It: Seeing as how little Nicholas arrived via c-section I let the docs to the lippin'... and thought it was best not to share any of those pics, if you know what I mean. To Skillet: We have definitely pinpointed the cause of all three pregnancies, and I have a plan in place to ensure the "problem" is corrected. To radiob: You can bet there will be Cards gear in his future... is there any other gear? (sorry Burley) To Fishin49er: Happy Slightly-Belated-Birthday! And again to everyone: Thanks!!! Tom

Hey All, Thought I'd let you know that my wife gave birth to our third (and final ;-)) child on Monday, 3/12... a healthy 8 lb 1 oz boy. His name is Nicholas and hopefully he will like to fish as much as his 8 year old sister and 6 year old brother. Here's a pic of Nicholas and I about an hour after he was born. Needless to say I am the proudest new daddy in town! Tom

Sounds like solid advice... Thanks! Tom

I couldn't find where this was discussed previously, but I see where BPS sells Gamakatsu drop shot rigs and was curious whether or not anyone has ever used them. Also, while they aren't that expensive, for someone like me who wants to start getting into this technique, are they worth it? http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=30025&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults Thanks, Tom

MAN LAWS 1: Under no circumstances may two men share an umbrella. 2: It is OK for a man to cry ONLY under the following circumstances: (a) When a heroic dog dies to save its master. ( The moment Angelina Jolie starts unbuttoning her blouse. © After wrecking your boss's car. (d) One hour, 12 minutes, 37 seconds into "The Crying Game". 3: Any Man who brings a camera to a bachelor party may be legally killed and eaten by his buddies. 4: Unless he murdered someone in your family, you must bail a friend out of jail within 12 hours. 5: If you've known a guy for more than 24 hours, his sister is off limits forever unless you actually marry her. 6: Moaning about the brand of free beer in a buddy's fridge is forbidden. However, complain at will if the temperature is unsuitable. 7: No man shall ever be required to buy a birthday present for another man. In fact, even remembering your buddy's birthday is strictly optional. At that point, you must celebrate at a strip bar of the birthday boy's choice. 8: On a road trip, the strongest bladder determines pit stops, not the weakest. 9: When stumbling upon other guys watching a sporting event, you may ask the score of the game in progress, but you may never ask who's playing. 10: You may flatulate in front of a woman only after you have brought her to climax. If you trap her head under the covers for the purpose of flatulent entertainment, she's officially your girlfriend. 11: It is permissible to drink a fruity alcohol drink only when you're sunning on a tropical beach... and it's delivered by a topless model and only when it's free. 12: Only in situations of moral and/or physical peril are you allowed to kick another guy in the privates. 13: Unless you're in prison, never fight naked. 14: Friends don't let friends wear Speedos. Ever. Issue closed. 15: If a man's fly is down, that's his problem, you didn't see anything. 16: Women who claim they "love to watch sports" must be treated as spies until they demonstrate knowledge of the game and the ability to drink as much as the other sports watchers. 17: A man in the company of a hot, suggestively dressed woman must remain sober enough to fight. 18: Never hesitate to reach for the last beer or the last slice of pizza, but not both, that's just greedy. 19: If you compliment a guy on his six-pack, you'd better be talking about his choice of beer. 20: Never join your girlfriend or wife in discussing a friend of yours, except if she's withholding sex pending your response. 22: Never talk to a man in a bathroom unless you are on equal footing: i.e., both urinating, both waiting in line, etc. For all other situations, an almost imperceptible nod is all the conversation you need. 23: Never allow a telephone conversation with a woman to go on longer than you are able to have sex with her. Keep a stopwatch by the phone. Hang up if necessary. 24: The morning after you and a girl who was formerly "just a friend" have carnal, drunken monkey sex, the fact that you're feeling weird and guilty is no reason for you not to nail each other again before the discussion occurs about what a big mistake it was. 25: It is acceptable for you to drive her car. It is not acceptable for her to drive yours. 26: Thou shalt not buy a car in the colors of brown, pink, lime green, orange or sky blue. 27: The girl who replies to the question "What do you want for Christmas?" with "If you loved me, you'd know what I want!" gets an Xbox. End of story. 28: There is no reason for guys to watch Ice Skating or Men's Gymnastics. Ever. The International Council of Manlaws, Ltd

The Seahawks were fortunate to be in a poor division, and then beat a team that was reeling ( : ) down the stretch... and needed a last-second botched field goal attempt to do it. The Bears, obviously, are having a very good season and if they can return their defense (27, 31, 21, 26 pts. last four games) back to early-season form, they shouldn't have too much trouble making it out of the NFC. With that being said, I'm like Gman... don't really care for either team... the 'Hawks are division rivals and the Bears, well, being from St. Louis I just can't like 'em

Nice post, JP.

To all: A Very Merry... and Safe... Christmas. And all the best in 2007! God bless, Tom

My best... 320.9 http://n.ethz.ch/student/mkos/pinguin.swf

Ouch... that hurts! If KU fans weren't enough, my soon to be nephew-in-law is a KSU grad, so when I see him it's all silver and purple > Makes my black and gold skin crawl! BTW, when I zoomed in it settled on some place near Compton Sq. But then a tiger tail shot across my screen and closed Google Earth :

I don't post as much as many of you, mainly because I don't feel I know nearly as much about fishing as a lot of you do. But reading this thread has moved me to reply. Growing up in a big family (youngest of 8) holidays were always a blast. We didn't get much, gift-wise, but the holidays were special nonetheless. Our loud, crowded gatherings (Italians are like that!) is something I would not have traded for anything. Those were special times. But now I cherish the holidays, and any other day that I get the opportunity to be with my family, for different reasons. The family still gets together, but it's different. Having lost a brother to AIDS in '97 when he was just 39, and then losing my mother very suddenly 15 months later (she was 68), it has given me a whole new perspective on life. It's fragile, we are all on borrowed time and need to make the most of it. And just a few weeks ago one of my older sisters had a lump removed from her breast, it's cancerous. She will be starting chemotherapy soon and we are all praying for a positive outcome. I don't bring these things up as "sob stories" or to say "woe is me", God knows everyone has their own crosses to bear. But more to illustrate why I cherish my time now with family and friends more than ever before. With two children of my own (8 and 6) and a third one due in March, the holidays to me are about seeing the joy in their eyes, trying to teach them what the season means and to be grateful for what they have, and making sure they get to spend quality time with their remaining grandparents, aunts and uncles. Anyway, I'm rambling... thanks for listening and all the best to each of you. Tom

He definitely won't get in on the first ballot, but I agree with some others, he will probably get in eventually. Like most of the players that many people strongly believe cheated, there isn't any concrete proof that I'm aware of, i.e. failed tests. Yet his "testimony" in front of Congress all but made it look like he was guilty without coming out and saying it. As far as integrity of the player goes, if that criteria were taken seriously over the years there would probably be quite a few LESS players in the H o F. Many from older generations were heavy boozers, womanizers, and dirty players, to name a few less-than honorable traits. Sadly some of those vices were not really frowned upon back then.

Wow, don't have a clue... I was going to Google it, but didn't think that was cool. Anyway, I'll throw one out, too: Caught up in a whirlwind Can't catch my breath Knee deep in hot water ???

I've come up with a couple names I like... just don't have the boat yet :

Hey New2fishing, welcome to the forum. The following previous posts might also help: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1141234624/3#3 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1139159290/11#11 Tom

Hey BB80, I've only fished Mark Twain once and that was in the dead of summer a couple years ago and I didn't do too well. However here's a link to a MT fishing report that will help. The latest report (4/16) indicates very good fishing for both bass and crappie. Your timing appears to be great. Check it out: http://www.midwestbasstournaments.com/mtwainreports.htm ...and good luck! Be sure to let us know how you did.

I've never used marker buoy's so this will probably sound like a silly question, but how do you ensure the buoy doesn't move? I assume a line is tied to the bouy and a weight is tied to the line, which is dropped to the bottom of the lake? If so, how much weight is required to hold it in place?

...and I'll bring some more beer!

Very cool... Congratulations Lee!

I certainly can't top the advice/tips provided by the others, but I will say that the "A Day on the Lake With..." series in Bassmaster magazine has given me some good insight into the approach a pro takes when confronted with an unknown body of water. If it's a known body of water, then you're in a little better position when starting out.

Boy, great tip RW. I did a land-locked version of this over the weekend with the help of my 7 year old daugther. Went to a park, had her hold one end of the line and walk until I was near the end of the spool. Laid the line down, I walked a little ways and then started reeling it in, trying to keep some tension on my line. I'm heading to Mark Twain lake this Sunday, will use your advice on the set-ups that I bring.

I'm with the_fishin_dude... I did the free thing for a month, then kept it when it came time to pay. Actually, be careful they won't remind you it's time to re-up, they just charge your card. After comparing Insider with what I get here, I'm not renewing either.

I'll echo the comments of the others. The few times that I've taken my daugther (7) and son (5) fishing they are happy as long as something live makes its way onto the end of their line. If they're having fun, I'm having fun, but remember: Patience, young Jedi, is the key. Besides, there will come a day when I'll need THEM to take ME fishing!!!

My deepest sympathies... thoughts and prayers are with you. My weary little eyes I close; O Jesus, bless my silent sleep; In Thy sweet name as I repose, May Angels watch around me keep.

I saw the episode, it didn't look like a Zoom Horny Toad, but was hard to tell, they never gave the viewer a close-up. I may have had my VCR running during that episode, if so will go back and take another look.