Daniel My Brother

Those are some great fish! Well done.

I don't personally know FT, but I can't tell you how many times I've laughed over something he's posted. We're sending thoughts and prayers your way---and I'm certain your sense of humor will help get you through this!

Ditto what everyone else is saying. Here's hoping this is a blessing in disguise. All the best to you and your family!

I like late night fishing, but when the bite is slow it feels like time just stops. Anybody else notice this?

For my money, it's tough to beat an aluminum jon boat. You can beach it, you can run it into stumps, and you can tow it with a Taurus. A single battery and a $99 trolling motor is all you need to go all day. A 9.8hp outboard gets my jon on plane, and 5 gallons of gas lasts for half a dozen trips. If you're driving through the country and see a 40 year old aluminum boat sitting under a tree, covered in pine needles, you just might have found the deal of a lifetime. If that boat is glass, you better keep driving. I get why people like their big, stable, smooth riding fiberglass boats, especially on big water, but a jon boat suits me fine.

Don't forget about the original value-priced fast food...Ramen Noodles!

There are a LOT of Ugly Sticks out there. If you have the pro-lite model, you have the best version for bass fishing.

Great story! I bought a spool of Flouroclear once. Once.

Thanks, Flechero. I tried to make that point a few pages back but it appears to have fallen on deaf ears. Again, one beer at 5 percent alcohol ( and most are actually a bit less than 5 percent) is six tenths of an ounce of alcohol. The average liver can process about one ounce of alcohol an hour. That means if the liver processes alcohol at a linear rate, the six tenths of an ounce will be gone from your system in 36 minutes. It would appear, from the facts, that drinking one beer, as opposed to four or ten, would be highly unlikely to cause any harm except for the smallest of human beings. On many subjects such as this, there is a spectrum of opinions ranging from an extreme at both ends of the continuum (i.e. One should not drink any beer as opposed to someone who says drinking two six packs is ok.) Usually, the correct answer, based on the facts, is not at the extremes of the continuum. (The same can be said for political opinion.) Your calm, intelligent, and respectful tone will not get anyone's attention. Try using more broad generalizations and typing in ALL CAPS. Multiple exclamation points are also helpful attention getters!!!

As a general rule when I fish the little streams around here I find largemouth in grass or near downed trees, over softer bottoms, in slower moving water. I have better luck catching smallies hiding behind current breaks, in faster moving water, with a rocky bottom. The smallies tend to chase the crawdads while the largemouth seem to be more interested in baitfish.

You must be pshycho...er, I mean psychic. (congrats on the big fish)

Yep, but only certain species and only certain times of the year. Sport fish like trout and bass are a big NO. Asian carp, suckers, and paddlefish are the popular targets. Here in midwest we are fighting a losing battle to Asian carp in our rivers and many of our lakes. They are plankton eaters that won't take bait, not even tiny dough balls. Bow fishing and snagging are about the only ways I know to target them.

It's a great looking rod. I'm also curious to read some reviews.

Congratulations!

I can see where introducing a bunch of 20 foot snakes, that will eat almost anything, into an area with endangered species and a delicate ecological balance might be a bad idea.

Gotta love those toothy critters! Did that big gar jump during the fight?

Agreed. People tend to freak out over the thought of drilling holes in their boat, but you have nothing to fear.

I've been using a pinnacle extant hs metal baitcast reel for about 4 years. Casts a mile and the retrieve is smooth. I use it every trip out. Take that with a grain of salt as it doesn't really resemble any of the newer Pinnacle reels.

Needemp, I'm pretty sure it's a grass carp. I don't know what else it could be. We caught 3 that day, all that size. 2 on a worm, one on a spinner bait. The spinner bait fish hit the moment it hit the water. Prior to that I had NEVER caught a grass carp in my life. I really only thought of grass carp as herbivores, but the young ones seem to be pretty aggressive. Here's what I've learned about grass carp and sterility, courtesy of wikipedia: "When used for weed control, often the fish introduced to the pond or stream are sterile, triploid fish. The process for producing triploid fish involves shocking eggs with rapid change in temperature or pressure. This process is not usually 100% effective, therefore, in the United States, the young are usually tested for triploidy before being sold."

That is classic! ;D

I hate it when I back my trailer up perfect, then somebody goes and moves the ramp 8 feet! Great fat fish...too bad about the scale.

Thankfully I don't have to justify it to you. If I am within the law, I will continue to enjoy beer and bass fishing.

I like to fish, drink beer, and eat fried chicken. Sometimes I do all three at once.

party on Wayne.

A question for the guys who share everything: If you spot your new PB sitting on a bed, but can't get her to bite, are you going to tell others where to find her? I'll share specific spots with friends. I'll share patterns with strangers.