Valascus

Those problems are far gone and away. Firestone got a bad rap that was deserved at the time, but is no longer applicable to the brand. Also, the problem revolved around two factors: Firestone ATX, ATX2 and Wilderness AT tires in sizes p235/75R15 and the Ford Explorer. The ATXs are no longer in production as far as I know. We don't carry any at least, don't know about anyone else. Almost every known instance involved those tires being mounted on a Ford Explorer. For the qualities in the tires he wants as well as the budget he says he is willing to spend, the Destination is, by far, the best tire for the job. Those particular tires are actually some of our best sellers and as I stated before, in the year I have worked in the warehouse, I have never seen a Destination come back in the warehouse with ANY problems.

Yes, Burley, they are P265/70R17's. The wheels are upgraded factories according to the window sticker. OK, let's up the aunty to, say, $175 :'( One quality that I want most is a smooth ride and good treadwear. Like I said before, we'll probably not go off-road much at all. Thanks for the replies so far, guys! I work for Ampac Tire Distribution, Inc. warehouse in St. Peters, MO. I can tell you right now, that while BF Goodrich tires are an excellent choice, at a budget of $175 a tire and at the tire size P265/70R17, there is no way you will be able to afford them. Pretty much all the BFG tires in that size will run you at or above $200.00 a tire. BFG Long Trail T/As may be close, but I believe they are inferior to my suggestion below. Michelins, also a good tire, are at least as expensive, if not more than the BFGs. My suggestion to you is to purchase a set of Firestone Destination LEs. They do make those tires in your vehicles size, they are a smooth handling and riding tire, and do excellent in wet and dry conditions. They have a 60,000 mile tread warranty. We sell them wholesale for around $115.00 a pop. However, purchasing from your run of the mill tire joint, you'll probably pay about $150.00 to $175.00. Don't forget to factor in costs for valve stems, mounting/balancing, and used tire disposal. I have been working the the warehouse for a year now, and have yet to see any of these tires come back from any of our retail stores or wholesale customers with a problem. The warehouse manager and the assistant warehouse manager roll on them and have no complaints. Here is a link to a webpage with the specifications for those tires: http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tireselector/SizeSpecs_BS_EN.aspx?Product_ID=1074 Also, there is about to be a nationwide increase in the price of tires by about 10% to 12%. The price increase is coming from EVERY major tire manufacturer. They are all rainsing their prices due to the expense of the petroleum based products they need to manufacture their tires. It takes place for our company tomorrow, but I am not sure if that will be the case everywhere. Just so ya know.

I have been going back to this pond steady for the last 10 days. As I suspected, the ponds spawn is complete. There are teeny bass fry EVERYWHERE. The next time I went out after I posted, she was no longer holding on the point. We had some rough weather...and have still been having some pretty frequent rough weather. So I have not seen her. However, I ran into a conservation agent down at this particualr pond and got to chat with him about the fishery. I found out that there are two 8 lbers, some 4-6 lbers, and numerous 1-3 lbers in that tiny municipal pond. So, I am keeping up the hunt. I am going again this weekend at sunrise to take another crack at the beasts.

The best piece of advice I feel that can ever be given to a bass angler is this one thing: There is no such thing as fishing too slow. Just when you think "Man, I am fishing this bait kinda slow...", slow down some more. I am not the most patient fisherman in ther world sometimes, but I have started to pay more heed to this advice in recent months and I am starting to feel like it is making a difference in the numbers and quality of fish I am catching.

I also think this should work and if not, go into stealth mode (Night) Big O www.ragetail.com I also thought that her being able to see me may also be a problem. However, I am not too sure what I can do about that. The point is long and narrow, so I can't back up further away and make a cast. I can't stand further down the bank and cast either due to the fact that the bank is riddled with small saplings and brushpiles that overhang the bank she is positioning herself on. Also, it is a public park. Only open from Sunrise to Sunset. Oh, and no boats allowed. So She is just gonna have to see me aggravate the heck outta her until she bites. Keep the ideas coming fellas. All this is helping the wheels in my head turn towards other ideas and presentations I haven't tried yet. The dropshot will certainly be given a go.

I noticed larger baits didn't seem to get much of a reaction at all. These fish are extremely pressured. There are a lot of fisherman that pound that pond daily so I am sure these fish see every bait under the sun. I tried the 10" worm, but only left it on the bed for about 2 minutes with zero reaction.

About weeks ago while I was out fishing at the local park's pond, I located a very large (estimating 5-7 lb) Largemouth Bass. When I first spotted her, she was cruising the bank and was completely disinterested in all the presentations I had time to try. I have been seeing fish on beds, all smaller males, for about 3-4 weeks now. I didn't see any larger fish, presumably females, until about a week and a half ago. I have still seen some beds that have males that appear to be in defensive mode. On last Thursday I was able to locate the large female on the main pond point. I targeted her for about 3 hours between 5:30pm to 8:30pm. She was cruising in 1-4 feet of water pretty close to a male that was on his bed. The water is an the clearer side of stained. The bottom appears to be a mix of sand and very tiny rocks where the bass have cleared their beds. The bottom in the rest of the area is the same, but covered with a decent layer of algae that is probably 2 inches thick. I just watched them for a little while and noticed that when the female approached the bed, the male would chase her away. She would never leave the general area though. That evening I tried a ton of different presentations: Weightless 7" YUM Zellmander, Storm Bluegill Swimbait, Weightless 5" Sour Grape *** ***, Rapala DT-4 Bluegill, 3/8 oz. PB&J GMAN Jig w/ Eakins Pro Craw Trailer, 1/4oz. Spot Remover w/Merthiolate Trick Worm, and finally, out of sheer desperation, a live bluegill. I tried all these presentation for about 30 minutes a each, then ran out of time. There was very little if no interest in all those presentations save two. She seemed interested in the Trick Worm and the Live Gill. As I worked the Trickworm closer to her, she would angle down to give it a look. I would then stop and shake the bait, kicking up some dust and dirt. No strikes. On the Live Gill, she didn't seem particularly interested until unless the gill was in her general area and appeared as if it were pinned against the bank. I got up there again this last Saturday between 11:00am and 2:30pm. I checked out the water as I walked back toward the main pond point and noticed clusters of bass fry that were bunched up and holding very close to some of the larger shallow algae blooms. I didn't see any male or female bass in the same area as any of the fry clusters I found. When I came back to the bed that she was cruising around on Thursday, I noticed that the male bass was no longer there, and neither was she. I kept a close eye on the point and after about 45 minutes, she appeared on the point. She would patrol the end of the point and then swim a bit deeper, just out of the range of my visibility, then reappear somewhere else on the point. The trickworm presentation didn't garner any attention this time. So I tried a weightless 10" Black/Blue Flake PowerWorm, Rapala DT-4 Baby Bass, 1/4 oz. Double Willow Firetiger Spinnerbait, a Double Tail Grub on a 1/8 jighead, and finally a weightless 4" Chompers Hula Grub. This time NOTHING even got a second look. Needless to say, I am confused and frustrated. I can't tell what kind of window I have to catch this fish, since I can't tell what stage of spawn she is in. She doesn't seem defensive, but on the other hand, she doesn't have the aggressive feeding nature of a pre or post spawn fish either. Maybe she is in the process of finding a male to bed with? But if that were the case, why would she stay in the same area on the point from Thursday to Saturday? Sorry for the longwinded post. I just wanted to provide as much information as I have gathered to try to get the best advice possible. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help fellas.

Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in the turn-out for the event. But that said, I completely understand why many folks couldn't make it and it would be stupid for me to be irritated about it. Other than that, the fishing was far superior to last years event. I ended up with 6 fish total, catching 5 on a GMAN made PB&J poison jig and 1 on a Bandit 200 white/chartreuse crank. Quinn did pretty well too, nailing 2 of his fish on Orange/Black swirl Tiki Sticks texas rigged with a 1/4 weight, 1 on an *** Sour Grape *** T-rigged the same as the Tiki Stick, and his first bass ever caught on a crankbait. The fish in Quinn's pic was actually a part of a double we had. We literally simultaneously yelled "Fish on!", and brought them in seconds from each other. As was last year, the most productive spot seemed to be "the Jetties". As Harshman said, the wind was pretty cold and fierce early on, so Quinn and I just got tired of fighting the wind and beached the boat and bank fished the jetties. All and all it was a fun and enjoyable day and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

It ain't no more! ;D

Well, unfortunately, my fishing partner M_Fields has been drawn to pull duty on Saturday. So he will not be able to make it. Therefore, I am boatless again. Who wants a team mate?

I am actually starting to think we have too many boaters. As far as I know, I was the only non-boater who stepped forward, and I am paired up with M_Fields. But it almost sounds to me like everyone else who is for sure going to be in attendance has a boat.

Who knows. I'll be there. DMB has PM'ed me saying he can't make it this year. M_fields is coming. BigDog is coming. NeedEmp is coming. Quinn sounds like he is a go. Other than that, I haven't been able to get any RSVPs out of anyone else. So, it'll be a surprise. ;D

That's what I told my wife. No freakin' way. The Captain was like "Eh, that will do until we can get real steelwork done." I was sitting there thinking "Dude, you just got a hole tore in your boat and you weren't even on the Bering Sea yet. Now you are going out there crab fishing through Arctic storm fronts with a patched boat?!?!" No thanks.

PM Sent!

That's alright JustAddWater. Thanks for letting me know though. Here is an up-to-date list of everyone that has shown interest in the tournament: Valascus cart7t Harshman and his wife Daniel My Bratwurst RottManK9 Ninerman BigDog and his fishing partner(maybe) brain1976 NeedEmp M_Fields. IllinoisBasser Dink OtterAKL Jaskoh Quinn Boaters: Cart7t, Harshman, RottManK9, NeedEmp, Illinoisbasser, Dink, BigDog Non-Boaters: Valascus Teams: Harshman + Wife RottManK9 + Ninerman BigDog + Partner I need more information on who is boatless and who is not so I can begin pairing our boatless peeps with boaters with empty back seats. I know I sound like a broken record, but taking care of all of this now will make things run far smoother on tourney day. I still have not heard from a lot of people on these matters. Anyways...I know I am a non-boater!! Who wants me on their team!?! ;D

DEAD MAN WALKIN'!! DEAD MAN WALKIN' HERE! I would go with the spa idea. Then that gives you time to set up an all romantical like dinner or something while she's out and knock out some chores and stuff so she can just relax.

Alrighty folks! We are starting to get down to it now. I know Cart7t will be bringing his boat, as well as Harshman. Everyone else who posted that they would be participating: I need to know if you will be bringing a boat or if you need to be paired with a boater with an open seat. I for one, need to be paired..cuz I am still po' and can't afford my own boat! SO C'MON GUYS...LET ME KNOW!

The show was created by the producers of Deadliest Catch. Interesting show.

There is no deadline for commitment to this event. If you can make it, great! If not, that's alright too. Looks like we are going to have a pretty good field going this year. Now, I need to know who will be bringing their boats to this shindig. That way we can pair non-boaters up with boaters. Non-boaters will be paired up with boaters with open seats first, then all the remaining boaters will be formed into teams to assure that everyone is in a boat. So, who's bringing their ride?

2nd Annual BassResource.com Missouri Members Tournament Rules and Regulations First of all, I simply want to preface these rules by saying that tournament is in NO WAY sanctioned, sponsored, insured, or any responsibility of BassResource.com. Any participants who take part in this tournament do so of their own discretion. It is highly suggested that all participants arrive at Little Dixie Lake Conservation Area by 8:00am in order to take care of payment details, go over rules, prepare their boat and game plan, and get acquainted with their fishing partner. 1) SAFETY FIRST!! All participants must have Personal Floatation Devices. It is preferred they be worn at all times, but that will be at the discretion of each individual participant. 2) The entry fee for this tournament is $10.00 per person. This money shall be divided between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd highest weight totals for the days fishing. An optional additional $3.00 per person can be paid towards the Big Fish Pot. If you choose not to pay towards the Big Fish Pot, then you are not eligible to win it. 2) Tournament will be catch and release, and will be on an honor system. A weigh in will take place as soon as all teams return to the launch point*. No bass under 15 shall be kept that is captured during the tournament. All bass under 15 shall be released directly after documentation of length and weight (preferably with a picture showing the scale weight as well as length of the fish**) using the provided fishing log. All bass greater than 15 are eligible to be weighed at the weigh in. Every precaution will be taken to the best of the angler's ability to return the bass less than 15 to the water as quickly and in the best possible condition. 3) The winner of the tournament will be determined by whichever team has the highest single day total weight of their three best bass of whatever species are available in the fishery. For a bass to qualify it must be at least 14" in length using standard measurement methods. 4) Bass may be captured by any method of rod, reel, line, and hook, with the exception of live bait. Live bait shall be prohibited. Trolling for fish will also be prohibited. 5) Tournament will be held during 8 daylight hours from 9:00AM to 5:00PM. Fishing for the tournament is only to be done within these 8 hours. There will be no penalties for returning to the boat ramp late, but for an angler's weight to be considered they must return within a reasonable amount of time from the end of fishing time. For a fish to qualify towards an anglers total weight it must be HOOKED within the tournaments 8 hour time span. Example: A fish is hooked at 4:58pm and brought to the boat at 5:02pm. That fish still counts towards a teams limit. 6) Anyone discovered cheating or acting in type unsportsmanlike conduct will be immediately disqualified from the tournament. (This includes fighting; physically or verbally, arguing over a fishing spot, trying to pressure someone away from their fishing spot, doctoring ANY fish or fish documentation, or counting fish hooked outside 8 hr time span towards weight totals.) 7) Everyone should bring their own garbage bag and keep all trash in them. ANYONE caught littering ANY kind of item (cigarette butts, fishing line, torn up plastics, food items, etc.) will be immediately disqualified. Little Dixie should look just as nice as when we got there...if not better. 8) A 2008 STATE OF MISSOURI FISHING LICENSE IS REQUIRED FOR PARTICIPATION!! NO EXCEPTIONS!! 9) Finally, this is just a friendly competition among friends. Let's keep this in mind as we fish and remember to have fun! *Participation in the weigh in is not required. Teams that do not participate in the weigh in may provide a clearly written and accurate fishing log accounting for their three fish limit. **It is understood that some participants may not have a digital camera at their disposal. Though it is preferred that a picture be provided of all fish under 15, those who do not have a camera will not be required to provide one. A clearly written and accurate fishing log will suffice. Here are some helpful links. First is a link from the Missouri Department of Conservation with information about Little Dixie: http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/moatlas/AreaSummaryPage.aspx?txtAreaID=5904&txtAreaNm=Little%20Dixie&txtCounty=&txtRegion=&txtUserID=guest&txtDivision= Here is a .pdf file of the map of Little Dixie Conservation Area: http://mdc.mo.gov/documents/area_brochures/5904map.pdf Here is a .pdf file of the brochure regarding rules and regulation for use of the Conservation area. I will view these as an extension of our rules and anyone caught breaking them will be disqualified!!!: http://mdc.mo.gov/documents/area_brochures/5904.pdf Here is a Mapquest link to Little Dixie Conservation area so everyone can get directions to there from their homes: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=internal&addtohistory=&latitude=rPbw9so630ThF3BAiPc2ZQ%3d%3d&longitude=bBhEy09OcJrpuK6TmRV3xw%3d%3d&name=Little%20Dixie%20Lake&country=US&address=&city=Fulton&state=MO&zipcode=&phone=&spurl=0&&q=Little%20Dixie%20Lake%20Conservation%20Area&qc=Reservoir

Alrighty folks. I FINALLY got a return call from the powers that be over at Little Dixie. They approved our little tournament for up to 15 boats and are mailing me the permit paperwork. So we are officially a go for April 26th, 2008. I did ask about anything we could do as far as lowering our keeper length from 15" to something a bit lower, but was told that if we plan to have a weigh in, we could only weigh in fish at or above 15". This takes me to my next order of business. A weigh in. I think I would like to try to have one this year. I will be lowering the length limit of keeper fish from 15" to 14". The way this will work is if you catch a fish at or greater than 15" in length, in the livewell with 'em for the weigh in. If the fish is above 14", then we will write down the weight and length of the fish and immediately release it, just like we did last year with our catches. The limit of fish will also be reduced from 5 fish to 3 fish per team. Also, if we do a weigh in, we must consider safe and simple transport of the fish to ensure that all of them are released to swim another day. For those of us with livewells and bags to transport the fish in this will not be a problem. But for the rest of us, an efficient means of doing so must be devised, or else you will just have to write down the weights and lengths of all of your legal catches. I have seen folks do something as simple as using a proper sized cooler, with a means of aeration of the water and chemicals to help relax the fish, to transport their fish, so it can be done. Participating in the weigh in is not required. If you wish to simply write down the length and weights of your legal catches to present at the weigh in, then that is acceptable. Next order of business is the participation fee. It shall be 10$ a head to participate. Also, you may also pay in an optional additional $3 a head that shall go towards the Big Fish Payout. If you do not kick in the $3 towards the pot, then you are not eligible to win it. Simple as that. Next up, starting time. Boats will launch to being fishing at 9:00am sharp on Saturday morning. Please arrive at least 1 hour to 30 minutes early in order to handle all payment details. Fishing time will be 8 hours. WEATHER. The only thing keeping this thing from going down will be lightening. It could be raining freakin' buckets and as far as I am concerned, this thing is going down. So dress accordingly. MO FISHING LICENSE!!!If you do not have a 2008 MO fishing license you will not be allowed to participate. I will be checking to make sure that everyone has one when the pay the $10 to participate. So don't forget to get one before the 26th, cuz it would suck to drive all that way just to get turned away because you don't have a legal license. I'm in the process of putting together a list of rules like I did for last years tournament. I'll be posting them soon.

I'll jump in on those Washco tournies as well. I have beef with that freakin' lake.

But can you pull a boat with that Civic? Who cares if you can pull a boat if you can't afford to gas up both the boat and the tow vehicle. $2.97 in Overland , MO is what I saw yesterday. It might have gone up though.

Borla makes some pretty mean sounding exhaust systems as well.

I got Agent Smith. 8-) "With a coolly measured demeanor and adaptive thinking, you enforce your will on others using your multitude of abilities. Do you hear that, Mister Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability. Agent Smith is a character in The Matrix series."