Fishing Doug

Not only did the Giants win, so did Fishing Doug. Looking online right now to see how I can blow this $200 on fishing stuff. ;D ;D

Isn't that him with the keys to the Caddy? MVP Yes, I said for 1 night he was dynamic. But one MVP performance does not make up for three years of being a sub-par QB. Look at Doug Williams, he destroyed Denver in Super Bowl XXII, and was MVP but for most of his career he was subpar. Were you asleep during the playoffs? : No I was not Burley. I just do not think he is that good of a QB. If his brother was not already in the league and his daddy been a great player he would have never been drafted so high. Did he win any championships at Ole Miss, no. Only time will tell if tonight was fluke or he becomes a great QB. Burley beat me to it....I was going to ask if you happened to have your eyes open during the playoffs.....

Excellent. thanks for the info.

Since it is fully automatic, is it legal for civilians?

What was their profit margin? : 11.59% The Russell 1000 Growth Index (a comparable index) had a composite return of 11.81% for '07 and the Dow returned 8.87% for the year.....is 11.59% really out of line? :-X

I'm thinking a few things here. E-bay Lots of trees where you fish Really good fisherman who wears them out Geeting back at the wife for her shoe collection All good possibilities....in my case, I fish a couple Country Club lakes from the shore that have sunken trees. I am always bouncing cranks off anything I can, so, I lose a fair amt of them.... FD

Thanks for the info, Harshman. One additional question-I noticed on the Twin City Website that it is the 15th through the 17th...is it necessary to go on Friday the 15th to get a good look at all the deals or will the Bait Monkey be ok if I wait until Saturday morning, the 16th? Thanks again, FD

At work. wrapping up a few things before heading out. no big hurry to leave the office since there is 8 inches of snow on the ground....

Harshman, Thanks for the heads up. Have you attended this in the past? If so, what do you typically see for sale? rods/reels, lures, terminal tackle, etc. (or all of the above) FD

Earlier this week, I picked up Mann's Baby 1 Minus crankbaits for $.99 each.....31 of them to be exact. other than than, not much to chose from. FD

In case you guys haven't seen this, Berkely is offering $5 back when you buy 2 spools. Not a huge savings, but a savings. http://www.berkley-fishing.com/prod.php?k=75561&sk=47014&u=TFFS

This isn't my best deal, but I thought it was worth mentioning since some of you guys could take advantage of it. Just got back from my local Wal-Mart. Picked up Mann's Baby 1-Minus crankbaits for $.99 each. Some were marked at $.99, $1.50, $2, and $3 so I asked the guy behind the sporting goods counter about them. He said that if he rings them up there that they will all be $.99 each. Not sure if I really need 31 shallow cranks... ;D ;D ;D ;D FD

I only take 3, maybe 4 rigs with me on the boat. I can't stand a lot of 'clutter', and that includes the front deck of my boat. By only taking a few rigs, this also helps me focus and improve on a few baits at a time. FD

You probably got the TD-Z's for $199 didn't you . Stellar deal, but not really fair for even the $250 Chronarch. I really liked my Chronarch 50mg's and would recommend them, but obviously not over a TDZ. There's only a few that won that lottery. Yep. 2 at BPS, 3 at Cabela's-all $199 each. Definitely wasn't attempting to make a comparison between the TD-Z and any of the Shimano's I listed, definitely apples to oranges. I was just not happy with the 'feel' of any of them. FD

BassResource.com has saved me a ton of money by steering me away from the stuff that 'catches fisherman and not fish'. However, there are a few things that I bought based on recommendation that I really didn't care for: 1. Yo-zuri line (and ultrasoft) 2. Gamma co-polymer 3. Shimano Citica 4. Shimano Curado 5. Shimano Chronarch 50mg Not meant in any way to bash Shimano, still a big fan of their spinning reels, but I never found a baitcaster that felt 'right' to me. Luckily I listned to the advice on the TD-Z's. ;D ;D FD

Redline, I have been looking at new bags as well. I am looking for something a little smaller-I do not need to fit a laptop in mine. Below are a couple I have picked out: Burberry: http://www.burberryusaonline.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2540276&cp=2119967.2126964&parentPage=family Cole Haan: http://www.colehaan.com/colehaan/catalog/product.jsp?productId=126476&categoryId=300331&productGroup=136184 Leaning towards the Burberry. FD

X2 X3 We are going to the St. Louis auto show this weekend. I hope they have one there so I can get a closer look at one. Would love to have one to pull the boat. Has anyone seen an estimated price on it yet? FD

Oddly enough, when I hook a bass, I don't say anything-I am always nervous about losing the fish-not sure why, I rarely lose a fish. With that being said, my fishing partner knows when I hook one-I fish the front of the boat and my hookset sometimes rocks the boat as if I had run it up on shore! ;D ;D ;D When the bass gets in the boat, different story, A four letter word usually applies. I need to find more friendly words to shout. Do bass get offended easily? ;D FD

Doug, I believe the answer is yes, but I can't prove that. When we drop to a lighter line-test, I think the main advantage is reduced line-drag rather than reduced line-visibility. I remember when Fluorescent Yellow line was first introduced, and the whole angling community gulped! Oh wait a minute, Hi-Vis line is only highly visible above the water surface, because under the water it's practically invisible. Yah Right. I'm not suggesting that bass don't see the line, of course they do (even I can). But a creature that lives in a violent, rough-and-tumble world isn't likely to feel threatened by a fine thread streaming from its next meal. In fact, I'm sure a bass would seize a prey fish that had a snake streaming from its mouth. Not for nothing, I tie ALL my lures direct to moss-green braided line. Just think about all the foreign objects that bass routinely accept: > Multi-legged creature baits (what really are they?) > Large rotating metal blades > Chatterbait heads (yummy) > Fiber weedguards (?!?!) > 3 Treble hooks dangling from an ugly chunk of hard-plastic (that's okay?) BUT, once a bass gets a glimpse of that awe-inspiring filament called line, All Bets Are Off! (I don't think so) On the other hand, I used to fly-fish for trout using wet & dry flies, and the first thing I learned was the importance of a Natural Drift. Incredibly, brown and rainbow trout will ignore a presentation with only barely perceptible line-drag. Bass may not have the eyesight of trout, but they have the ability to sort out natural unfettered motion from stifled unnatural motion (that's their job). Dale Hollow Reservoir is a crystal-clear TVA impoundment that yielded the world-record SMB. Billy Westmoreland was a local guide on Dale Hollow who landed two smallmouth bass over 8 lbs (In Roadwarrior's caliber). Billy initiated what was almost a cult on Dale Hollow, the use of 4-lb test line. In that gin-clear water, bass aren't looking for line, what does a bass even know about line? When a bass is homing in on its prey, it's looking at one thing, "the prey". Among the fish with the keenest eyesight are tuna, billfish and trout, but all predatory fish are able to see minor unnatural nuances in motion that we cannot. Particularly in crystal-clear water, fish are able to detect minuscule violations of natural behavior. You and I can see the fishing line under the water (whoopee), but that's about it. If our lives depended on it, I doubt that we have the ability to perceive the same imperfections in delivery that turn bass off. Yes, definitely give braided polyethylene a shot. Moving from mono to braid was probably the single-most gratifying change in equipment I ever made. Incidentally, Fish-Chris would probably tell you the same thing, another braid lover. Whether you select TUF line, PowerPro or Sufix is small potatoes, because the difference between mono and braid is where it's at. I'm using the term "monofilament" in the true sense of the word, which includes nylon, fluorocarbon and copolymer line. Roger Roger, Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on this topic. I have to say that I agree with you-we catch a lot of bass on lures that do not represent a single thing naturally found in the water,therefore, I can't really buy into the fact that bass are effected by the site of line. Think I will spool up one or two setups with braid this year and give it a shot. FD

Roger, Very informative post, as always. Question for you on the above. If it has been proven that thinner diameter makes a difference, yet lower visibility does not, could the thinner diameter of braid potentially offset the higher visibilty? For example: 6lb BPS XPS flouro has a diameter of .009" and 10lb PowerPro has a diameter of .006", or, 33% smaller diameter. If so, you could have the same 'fish catching ability' by using braid with the added benefits of a more limp line and increased sensitivity. Thoughts? Would like to hear anyone's thoughts on this as well. Looking to do something other than mono on my spinning rigs this year. Thanks in advance, FD

My favorite is the Bomber Square A. Why-If I am using a square bill crank, I am usually fishing wood or rocks and bouncing it off everything I can. With that being said, I lose a lote of cranks. When the Square A is on sale, it can be found for less than 3 bucks....I don't feel as bad losing $3 cranks as opposed to more expensive(but would say better) cranks. And the second reason-I have caught a LOT of bass of this bait. Never pulled in a hawg with one, but the #'s are there. FD

OU-42 WVU-13 I don't even see this one being close...

No. I pronounce it correctly. I have lived in MO my entire life and still unsure of why people cannot pronounce it correct. Retardation, I assume.

This is the rod I have and it works great. In your other post, you mentioned that you are looking for a reel faster than 6.3:1? That seems a little fast to me for cranks..can't imagine going faster. I would think it would wear you out deep cranking with 6.3 or faster. Just my .02 FD

I went with the XTools. Been very happy with it so far. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=89336&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults