Scott F

Yes, you are the only one.

When the sun comes out, it will warm the upper layer of water which can draw the bass up shallower.

The 85 Bears went 15-1, shut out both teams in the playoffs and won the Super Bowl. Final record, 18-1

My favorite team is the Chicago Bears. My second favorite team is any team playing the Green Bay Packers.

I'm not an electrical engineer and somebody correct me if I'm wrong but 10 amps at 12 volts is equal to 1 amp at 120 volts. Your charger is probably not 100% efficient so charging 3 batteries at 10 amps each will probably draw less than 5 amps through your extension cord.

I'll be working the booth for my fishing club, The Illinois Smallmouth Alliance on Saturday and Sunday at the Schaumburg show. Stop by and say hello while you're there. I'll be the big guy with the beard.

I have serious doubts about any effect the moon has on freshwater fish. The boat you are fishing out of has more gravitational pull on the bass than the moon does. Other than gravity, the moon phases are purely an optical event. On something as big as an ocean, the moon certainly effects the tides and movement of the water, but on smaller lakes, even the Great Lakes the pull is so small it is negligible. I think the superstitions surrounding the full moon going back to ancient times still remain and the real effects it has are not based on fact. I have yet to see any scientific studies linking the moon to the spawn or other fish behavior. That's my opinion, your mileage may vary.

It probably depends on what time of year you go. I have some friends who go in May for a pre-spawn smallmouth bite. Last year, numbers were down due to the late ice out, but they get some big smallies, and they wade for them!

I once was having a custom spinning rod made. As I usually do, I gave the reel to the guy who was building the rod so he could balance the combo. The reel was a Quantum Energy with the titanium finish that some refered to as a holo or holographic finish. The rod builder said he could match the guides and reel seat to the reel so I had him do it. It did look pretty nice together. First and only time I ever paid any attention to matching the colors on my fishing gear.

I know a guy who uses Mickey D french fries to catch carp, and when I was a kid, I used to use bologna out my sandwich for bluegills. So, I'd eat one of those.

Chicago has a long history with outdoor shows. Years ago, it was held at the International Ampitheater, it then moved to a convention center near the airport. It was huge and it was great. Hunting, fishing, resorts, boats everything was there. As the Internet became more popular, the importance of the show as the place to get all the information diminished. The show ran 10 days and was very expensive for vendors to attend especially when you included the cost of meals and lodging around the airport. Parking and admission fees kept rising and attendance dropped. The show got smaller and smaller every year. Tackle manufactures who use to have their own hall disappeared. Lots of non-outdoor related vendors showed up. Other companies were doing competitive shows. Today, the "Rosemont show", as everyone calls it, is just a fraction of what it once was. It has been sold several times, but the new owners never seem to make any significant changes. There is anther show that is devoted strictly to fishing that seems to be trying to go back to the way things used to be. It's a nice show, but the days of the big outdoor show are in my opinion over. It is very tough to make a profit doing these shows. Charge the vendors too much, they don't come. Charge the public too much, they stay home. I still like the shows, I spend a lot of time myself in a booth representing my smallmouth club. But we've seen the effects of the lack of interest in shows. We used to sign up 100 new members while doing up to 5 shows. Now we've cut back to attending just 2 shows and we'll be lucky if we get 10 new members altogether.

For you guys who like to take pictures, let's see some of the favorite outdoor/nature shots that you've taken but, NO FISH PICTURES! Here's a few of mine to start it off.

I often dream I'm in my boat and going over dry land and roads trying to get back to the water.

My parents gave it to me.

My astrologer says it's bad luck to believe in superstitions.

Steve Hacker or Jimmy Mason are both good choices. I'd give them a call to find out when the best time should be.

A version of that same joke you deleted was told to Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show by Mary Tyler Moore probably more than 30 years ago. It was a little less crude version than the one that was cut but the punch line was almost the same.

Night fishing a small stream is something I'd never even consider. Being able to see breaklines, shallow structure, and overhanging branches is so critical, I don't know how it would even be possible in the dark. No to mention trying to wade in the dark. Summer time is the best time. While smallies are heading deep in lakes in summer, they are always shallow in small streams. Just have to find moving water which is cooler and has more oxygen and the smallmouth will be there. I don't like crankbaits in small streams. They are hard to work moving downstream and the streams themselves are often so narrow you can only cast straight up stream or down stream. Weightless Senkos, in-line spinners and topwaters are my 3 favorite small stream baits.

You can try it, but I seriously doubt you will se any increase in bites. I've said this many times in the past. If the bass are so smart that they can figure out that line is bad, how come they can't figure out that your jig is not real food? Why can't they tell the big hook is bad? Besides, no line is invisible.

The Pico lures usually have the word PICO molded in the plastic on the side next to the sloped part of the head. I can't see that in the one in the picture. Newer Bayou Boogies don't have the metal hook hanger for the front hook but did on the older ones.

I don't know what the top one is, but the bottom one is a Heddon Bayou Boogie.

There are a lot of guys here who would be jealous to learn how close you live to the Plano outlet store. Welcome to the site from another Flatlander

Males will also never ask, "Do these pants make my butt look huge?"

I know next to nothing about tournament clubs but I have been a member of a few fishing clubs over the last 25 years. IF you actively participate, it can be the best thing for your fishing you could ever do. A club that is active, that is has regular meeting and outings will give you the opportunity to fish with a lot of people you would never have met otherwise. Some of these will be very good fisherman that will teach you, first hand, how to catch more fish. Some will be beginners that you will help. Some of these may become your best friends. If you like to fish, want to fish more and catch more fish, join a (good) club.

Are you looking for a tournament club or a fishing club?