Daniel My Brother

Instead of punishing people who are already obese, let's attack the problem at it's source. Perhaps a "fat tax" on .99 cent boxes of Little Debbie snack cakes and .88 cent 2 liter bottles of cola? If you do any grocery shopping at all you know it's a heck of a lot cheaper to eat bad than it is to fill your grocery cart with lean meat and fresh produce. Have you seen the price of a gallon of skim milk lately? Ok, I don't really want to tax anybody's Doritos, but I will say that if you are poor, and have a family history of obesity, you will probably be obese. If you can beat it, good for you. I eat what I want and I exercise very little, but somehow manage to stay relatively slim. It would be easy for me to say that obese people are simply lazy, but I know better. Sorry, I'm against this fat tax.

I remember a while back you mentioned getting the fish back in the water quickly was more important to you than getting a good pic, and I agree. I also fish without a livewell, but this 15' rope stringer modified with a clip from a metal stringer helps give me time to set up a camera and scale without putting the fish in jeopardy. If I catch a good fish, I just clip him through the bottom lip and put him right back in the water while I get my camera set up the way I like. Only when I'm completely ready to snap the pic do I have to pull the fish out of the water. Too many times I hear stories of people who keep big fish out of the water for several minutes while they try to get someone to snap a pic. I think this is a better solution. I've also heard of some tournament fishermen keeping big bass alive like this for several days, but those guys tend to end up in handcuffs. :-/ : ;D

Thieves tick me off. I could deal with losing a boat in an accident, but somebody stealing it would burn me to no end. I hope they catch the perps and string 'em up by their thumbs. >

Palomar for pretty much everything, including braid.

There was once an organization that offered a million dollar prize if one of its members caught the world record bass. You had to pay dues to be eligible to win the million. That organization no longer exists. Without that prize, I have no idea how to turn a fish into a million dollars, but I'm sure someone will try. The current world record won George Perry about $75 from Field & Stream and a lifetime of being called a liar. Not worth it.

^RM, what a great post! You took a topic I knew absolutely nothing about and explained it in a way that really makes sense. THANK YOU!

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y---NIGHT! Don't be hatin' on the Bay City Rollers.

Awesome fish and pix! That's a trip you'll remember for a long time.

Sounds like you'll be bringing a unique perspective to the boards. Glad to have you here.

Those fish over there look great. Your bass and perch are all healthy and fat. Even that little fry is a chunk. Over here the fry are more long and lean. I wonder if there is some slight genetic alteration, or maybe it's just a great food source. Either way, I hope that fish didn't "slip" out of your hands after you caught it.

Jack, I don't have any words that can help you through, and I really have no idea what you must be feeling...but your pain touches us all, so all I can say is we're praying for you. Dan

Best. Review. Ever. ;D

Went fishing for whatever was biting today. First order of business was to catch some bait. We tossed the casting net over what we hoped was a school of shad, turned out to be a bunch of gar (I counted 8). Check out the world's loneliest shad in the bottom of the net! I laughed so hard my side hurt. ;D Catching shad for bait was actually not a problem, but the best bait we caught were 5" Asian carp. These are a nuisance fish which you are required to destroy if caught. We destroyed them by turning them into cut bait for channel cats. Next time out, I'm bringing a bigger cooler! Good times!

That is a HUGE bass, especially for KC! I could not be happier for you. Pics look pretty sweet to me. :) :)

I'm guessing you might be talking about where to mount the transducer, not the fishfinder? If so, just drill the holes and mount the sucker according to directions. You'll be fine.

Great story...but that guy looks like he's about to have a heart attack.

Just go to the door with a copy of the Book of Morman in your hand and ask if you can come inside and discuss religion. While they try to think up an excuse to get you to leave, let it slip that you'd rather be fishing. At this moment they will happily point you to their pond.

I'll just echo what everyone else has said, I'm just glad you guys made it to shore ok. A buddy and his wife tipped a canoe in 10 feet of water when the water was only 40 degrees. She would not have made it out if not for him. Too scary.

We've been subjected to pictures of Muddy's backside and Burley's avatars, and THIS is what bugs you? I say more pretty girls, less crack.

I own a Citica D and a Cabelas Prodigy ($99). The Citica is a fine reel, but I would gladly trade it for another Prodigy.

I'm really not trying to defend spring scales. I use a digital scale and appreciate the easy to read display. I also have a spring scale that I trust and keep as a backup. I like to suggest spring scales because they can be bought for less than $5, thus are affordable to all and may someday put an end to posts that ask; "So how much do you think this weighs?"

This comment got me searching. I was surprised learn that there have been 27 fatal bear attacks this decade in North America, compared to just 13 fatal alligator attacks. Of those 27 deaths, black bears were responsible for 15. Again, I don't want to see a bear killed for no reason, but if that bear associates humans with food, then I wouldn't take the chance and release him. He may look more cuddly than a gator, but he's just as deadly. That's one brave ranger, but he just risked his life to save an animal that wouldn't think twice about ending his. Here are the grizzly details if you're interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America_by_decade http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_alligator_attacks_in_the_United_States_by_decade

Great fish and picture!

Spring scales and digital scales both have the ability to be dead on or way off. The only way to know for sure is to test with known weights.

When an alligator becomes a nuissance in Florida that animal is destroyed for the the safety of humans. I'm wondering why that same philosophy wouldn't apply to bears? I hope that bear lives a long and healthy life away from humans, but if he should happen to harm a child, then somebody will have to answer some tough questions. btw, I would never get into the water with a bear, drugged or not, that guy is crazy.