Daniel My Brother

My buddy just upgraded his wife's gear from 3 Procasters, to 3 Omegas. I liked the procasters fine, but the Omega is a much smoother reel (although heavier)... and if you buy the BPS Omega combos you get a nice rod to match. I'll echo what Alpster said, change the line often and you should't have a lot of problems.

You mentioned that you're bowling for your school team, so I just wanted to make one more point. Bowling alleys have always oiled their lanes to protect them, but about 20 years ago they discovered that if they put more oil in the center of the lanes, and less on the outside boards, scores improved. They call this blocking'. Blocking combined with new drilling techniques and softer, more reactive balls led to higher scores. Bowlers who threw a big hook could now miss their mark by 5 or 6 boards and still strike. It used to be that a 200 average was almost unheard of. Nowadays it's fairly common. So how does this apply to you? It was around this same time that I noticed a lot of guys using the no thumb approach, and for good reason. The thumb only helps you throw with accuracy, and with blocked' lanes and more reactive balls, accuracy wasn't all that necessary to score big. The poor thumb took a backseat. So why do I have a problem with the no thumb approach? I'll give you 3 reasons. 1. No two bowling alleys are alike, and lane conditions change constantly. If you're bowling a tournament and the lanes start to dry out, you will struggle to keep your ball right of the head pin. 2. You will always have to work harder to pick up the 10 pin. 3. If you get to a point where you're bowling in more serious tournaments, you will notice that the alleys are more evenly oiled (not blocked). On those lanes, power, angle, AND ACCURACY are the keys. That's when most big hooking 200 average bowlers turn into 160 bowlers. Of course this is just bowling, and it's certainly your choice. But please know that bowling, like fishing, is something you can do for the rest of your life and the habits you develop now will stay with you for a very long time. Best of Luck, DMB

I am very sorry for your loss. Hang in there.

I really loved watching Mark McGwire in 1998. Didn't matter if my Cardinals were winning, I just wanted to see Big Mac hit. I was not only disappointed by his steroid abuse (no shock) but also by his refusal to accept responsibility for what he did. Sorry end to a great career. ...and Lance Armstrong also seemed like the All American hero. He beat cancer and the French (6 times). Then he dumps his wife for a rock star, then dumps the rock star for a child star (Ashley Olsen). That's just creepy.

A lot of guys throw with just the 2 fingers when they're getting started because it's the easiest way to get a lot of rotation and power, and as a result they throw more strikes. The problem is that it is harder to pick up spares on the right side, especially the 10 pin, without your thumb in the ball, and you will struggle to bowl high games consistently. Is it impossible to be a good bowler with just 2 fingers? No, but you will be miles ahead if you get a decent ball that fits your style, is drilled properly, and includes your thumb. Good luck!

Congrats Avid! I couldn't be happier for you!

Hey Muddy, Don't let BPS drive you away because of a few misguided decisions by some pinheaded bean counters. As much money as we all spend at BPS, I figure that store belongs to all of us and it's our responsibility to fix the problem! In honor of you, I've started and online petition that we can all sign and send to BPS. If we get enough signatures, somebody will have to read it. Right? Either way, let's not go down without a fight! DMB Click away! http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bpsintegrity/

Lucky, I do appreciate the research you've done on this. I've read every word you've written, and I've also read everything BPS says and I am convinced that the "Pro-Qualifier" and the "Pro-Qualifier Limited Edition" are completely different animals. The reasoning is obvious: The Pro-Qualifier reel: Has Six Bearings The Pro-Qualifier Limited Edition Reel : Has 10 Bearings Looks completely different The Pro-Qualifier rod is: Grey Has Fuji Concept Alconite Guides Is advertised as high-grade 70 million modulus graphite core with a full 1K carbon filament spiral wrap The Pro-Qualifier Limited Edition rod is: Blue Has Fuji Aluminum Oxide Guides Has a different foregrip and threading Is advertised as IM8 Graphite Matrix Blank If this were a true Pro-Qualifier combo, it would have a regular retail price of $220, not $169 as the ad says. Despite what your store manager tells you, these 2 rods and reels are not the same. Below is the $69 Limited Edition combo: Now, here's the regular Pro-Qualifier reel and rod: Again, this might be a great deal, but to call it a Pro-Qualifier is deceptive.

That was exactly my point. This is NOT the Pro-Qualifier, this is the Pro-Qualifier Limited Edition, an entirely different rod and reel. Classic bait and switch by BPS. I hoped this post would warn people to be careful, but everyone's so blinded by the $69.99 price tag that they don't really care. Oh well

I posted this in another thread, but I wanted to bring it to everyone's attention since there are a lot of people here who are fans of BPS branded gear. BPS is advertising a Thanksgiving sale on a Pro Qualifier combo for just $69.99. This looks like an incredible deal, but please note that this is a Limited Edition combo, and neither the rod nor the reel appear to be the standard Pro-Qualifier offering. If I am wrong, I apologize, but I've seen this before from BPS with Limited Edition' gear that is cheaper than the original. Here's the link http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPage?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&appID=163&option=3&template=wee.cfm&weeID=1142&catalog=20071101-13&storeID=26&pageNumber=8

My dad is 77, and he owned his own insurance agency for better than 40 years. I never saw him turn a wrench in his life. He used to say "As long as the plumber doesn't try to sell insurance, I'm not gonna try and fix the sink"

One last thought "Limited Edition" appears to be the phrase to look out for when dealing with BPS. That's a "Pro-Qualifier Limited Edition" combo. The Extremes that weren't actually Extremes were advertised as "Extreme Limited Edition" combos if I remember correctly.

Hey LuckyinKentucky, Beware of the Bass Pro combo deals that appear too good to be true, they usually are. The rod in that ad is NOT a BPS Pro Qualifier. The pro-qualifiers use different guides, and BPS advertises their graphite content as HM70 not IM8 (don't ask me the difference because I don't know). That reel is not the traditional BPS Pro Qualifier, either. That's a 10 bearing reel, where the traditional Pro-Qualifier is a 6 bearing reel. If this was the traditional Pro-Qualifier combo that you know and trust, it would have a value of $220, not $169 like the ad says. This still may be a good deal, but it's not the rod and reel you think you are getting. In fact, it's probably considerable less than that. Bass Pro has done this before with their Extreme line, and it's the worst kind of bait and switch there is. They take a name, like pro-qualifier, that anglers trust, and replace it with a cheaper knockoff of itself. Disappointing to say the least.

I was just so happy with my President, I sent Pflueger an extra $10 Just kidding. I was recalling from memory, and that's always dangerous.

I am a fan of my pinnacle reel (Extant HS Metal baitcaster) and would happily buy another. I LOVE the look of the new Vision XLT and will be anxious to read a review or two if they ever make it into stores.

Pick up a "Bottle Pod" in the camera section at Wal-Mart. It's less than $3 Works best on a bottle with a stable base, such as a quart of 2 cycle oil.

Most of my gear is relatively low budget, here are the 2 that I like the most: 1. Pflueger President Spinning Reel-$70 : I can't say enough good things about this reel. 2. All Star Classic Rod - $39 : I'd be happy with a lineup of nothing but these. Excellent thread. I hope everyone contributes something.

There is NOTHING rude about making a low offer. This is strictly business. Now if you make a low offer and tell him his wife is ugly, that would be rude. ;D

Great fish & pic! Congratulations! :)

Fishing is not something you have to do. If it's not fun for you, take a break and don't worry about it. Then, when you're ready, hit the water again and you'll be ready to fall in love with it all over again.

Zebco 202 on a semi-transparent fiberglass rod. Bought it used at the neighbor's garage sale. The black cover and wingnut on the handle were after-market upgrades. ;D

Went to my favorite lake on Saturday, but only had a couple of hours of daylight when I arrived. Good news, only 5 trailers in the lot! I immediately headed for my new favorite rock pile, only to see another boat 30 yards away. I momentarily debated fishing the spot anyway, since I was running short on daylight, but I decided to give us both a little space and I headed to my second favorite spot. On a crowded lake, you just have to squeeze in and try to be courteous, but on a big, wide open reservoir I don't see the point. Part of what I like about fishing is just being alone in the wilderness. He took that away from you and that sucks.

You may be right FPB. When I saw the speckles on the belly and the little downward hook of the top lip I thought spot, but it is sooo hard to tell. Sometimes I can't even tell when I'm holding one in my hand! Around here the spots are usually a little shorter and a little fatter than the LMB, but the rough patch on the tongue is normally the surest (though not 100%) way to tell.

Sure looks like a spotted bass to me. Either way, that's a great fish! The easiest way to tell is to run your finger over it's tongue, if there's a rough patch, it's almost certainly a spot.

On second thought... Avid and LBH remind me quite a bit of Joe Pesci and Danny Glover. :