Alpster

All this geo-political, economic discussion is very interesting and I am very encouraged that at least most of our members here (which I believe are somewhat representative of the average American)are at least trying to remain well informed and are concerned with the issues. THIS IS A VERY GOOD THING! With that said, the economy can be quickly boiled down to human nature. There are 2 rules 1.) You always get more of what you reward...and 2.) you always get less of what you punish. As long as we punish small business, entrepreneurs, and the middle class workers with higher taxes and government regulation we should expect less productivity and revenue. Conversely, as long as we reward able bodies who choose to abuse the systems and refuse to pull their weight and expect the government to take care of them, we should expect a larger drain on the economy. The definition of insanity is "To keep doing the same things and expecting a different outcome". You don't have to look very far to see what cradle to grave entitlements and nationalizing business has done in other countries. History has proved over and over again that societies always thrive when individuals are free and empowered and they fall into ruin when government is empowered and dominates. JMH $0.02. Ronnie Ronnie

Texas rigged on a 1/8 oz Charlie Brewer Slider head or fished as a shakey head on a Spot Remover. KILLER BAIT and one of my absolute favorites. It's also a great dropshot bait (wacky rigged). Hard to fish it wrong. Ronnie

I keep an eye on big sales at the retail stores and watch the flea market for exceptional deals. I know what baits I use the most and I stock up pretty heavy when I find a great deal. I could easily fish for a couple of years without buying another bait. This way I don't find an empty tackle box during lean times. I choose to keep a surplus on hand so when $ are short, I can still go fishing. Ronnie

That's why God gave you two hands! Speedbead watched me cast an 8' custom G. Loomis rod and a Calcutta 400 into lake Guntersville. Amazingly the 14" cork handle floated the whole rig long enough for me to grab it. Wheeeeewwww!!!! Ronnie

I have the DS820S GLX and it is the best dropshot rod out there IMHO. You will love it! I fish CB sliders with both spinning and bait casters. You can get the ballhead sliders up to 1/2 ounce. Owner makes a sled head that is similar. I use them also. Ronnie

Rage Craw on a keel weighted Mustad Powerlock 4/0. Gets it done. Ronnie

Loomis IMX MB844C or a Lamiglas XMG 50 (MB 844) Ronnie

Geee, Ike makes one little mistake.......

Don't have a 200GT, but my 200DC is one of my favorite reels and is truly amazing. I will own more DC reels when I can afford it. I would be afraid of the effects of salt water on the DC. I use 400 stradics in salt/brackish water. Easier to clean and get the salt out. JMHO Ronnie

My wide gap buddies will squeal, but I use Owner/Gammy 1/0 or 2/0 offset shank worm hooks in heavy cover. The narrower hooks come through thick stuff better. Bury the hook tip deep in the plastic. A new high quality hook will come right through the plastic on the hook set. JMHO Ronnie

Yep, but then you would have to drop the the "B" in bassresource. Sorry couldn't resist. You teed that one up pretty high. LOL Ronnie

I use a Loomis FSR905X "Flippin Stick" 7' 6" heavy mod/fast. You will like a long stick for pitching. My only complaint is fitting it in the car. LOL Ronnie

I love all the forecasts and prognostication about the "New Shimano line up". I have five 50Mgs, two Calcuttas and one DC that I have had for years, so I won't be needing a "New Lineup" for quite a few years yet. The Shimano reels I have will fish with any other brand made and out perform all of them. I have a lot of fishing buddies and have tried most everything out there including the "Steeze". I haven't found anything I would trade my Shimanos for. Still a proud member of the "Shimano Posse". I also have two Stradics, a JDM Sustain (Twin Power) and a Stella. Shimano is tops in the spinning reel world also. JMHO Ronnie

At the last Roadtrip in KY I was retying an owner slider when my fishing buddy made a cast and his lure caught my line and drove the slider into my thumb. Went to a "walk in ER" and they couldn't remove it. Went to the local hospital and they finally got it out. Fished the next day with no problems, just needed a little help removing hooks from the bass I was catching. You don't realize how much you need those thumbs until you can't use one. An aside, I got a E.O.B. from my insurance co. The KY hospital charged almost $600 to remove that hook. LOL Ronnie

As a rod builder, since Loomis quit selling their blanks, I build almost exclusively on Lamiglas blanks. I have several in my personal rod collection. Can't go wrong with Lamiglas. JMHO Ronnie

Sorry about your dog Tom! Ronnie

Movie maker is probably the best free video editor. MP4 is Apple's proprietary (like everything else Apple) format. There are lots of free file format converters you can download to convert MP4 to mpeg so you can use them in Movie maker. For about a $100 you can move up to "Pinnacle Studio" and do some really amazing stuff and lots of special effects. I hope this helps. Ronnie

It's a global problem. Don't worry, Glenn will fix it. Ronnie

This one is easy! Fly fishing for tarpon and bonefish in Belize. Check this out......I will go one day... http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/fishing.html

Most man made lakes are mapped before they are flooded. Aerial photogrametry is used to map the topography. This what I do for a living. Licensed land surveyor providing ground control for the photographs. Ronnie

Good lookin young man. BTW I better not catch one of my kids with my "Sponge Bob" pole! Ronnie

I fish frogs with my Loomis 905 flippin stick (7'6") heavy. No need to build another rod for froggin. Ronnie

Jigs with a "Rage Craw" trailer! LOL sorry, couldn't resist. Incredible fish!!! Ronnie

Ultra Soft on any reel at ant #test will be a pleasant experience. JMHO Ronnie

I would jump on that Legend Tournament rod at that price. You will love it! Go at least MH power and fast action for Worms & creatures. Ronnie