Alpster

One of the BIG highlights of the Guntersville trip for me was meeting and spending a whole evening with several BR members talking bass and trading lures with CJ. CONGRATULATIONS CJ! I am so looking forward to seeing you again at KY Lake. Thanks for sharing your story and your awesome family with us. Ronnie

Reels, Although I have a few ABUs, a Flooger and a Quantum, I am a hard core member of the Shimano posse. Most of my reels, both spinning and baitcasting are Shimano. Rods, As a rod builder, I like G-Loomis blanks and Lamiglas blanks. Both are the gold standard in their respective areas of performance. JMHO Ronnie

Braid is excellent and Power Pro sets the standard. I buy it in 1500 yard bulk spools and it's no more expensive than high quality copolymer lines. JMHO Ronnie

It plays OK for me. Very good info, thanks. Impressed by diameter of the knot on a line-to-leader, which is my only complain with the uni-uni knot. I'll be trying that tool if I can find it Here's the link to Cabela's.......... http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0037403319389a.shtml Ronnie

It's a real big deal for me. I have rheumatoid arthritis and heavy equipment wears on me pretty quickly. I have 5 Mgs on custom built rods (built them myself) so I could balance them to my liking. The only two spinning rigs I use regularly are a GLX dropshot rod with a Stella 1000 and a SJR782 IMX custom with a Twin Power 2500. I have surf rods, swimbait rigs and many flyrods, but I have to be careful how long I use them. My situation is not typical. Ronnie

Ronnie, tried the link and it is says the vidoe is no longer available. Funny, I just played the video from the link in your quote and it palys fine. :-? Ronnie

Robert, My 200DC is mounted on a spiral fiberglass custom (Lamiglas blank) I built myself. You will love fishing with it, no doubt about it! Congrats on a beautiful setup. Ronnie

Yep, yep, yep. I agree. 8-) Ronnie

My first fly rod was a "Silaflex" and what little cranking I do is on a Lamiglas all fiberglass custom rod. I have found it to be an excellent spinnerbait rod as well. Glass rods are highly under rated, in my opinion for moving baits that don't require 'super' sensitivity. Hook a big fish on a glass rod and it's hard not to land it. JMHO Ronnie

I have Aaron's CD he & his brother are top notch. Awesome as usual. Keep on Keeping on. 8-) Ronnie

If you want to read about some real atrocities, and learn what you can do about it, check this out. http://www.instituteforlegalreform.com/ Ronnie

You weaseled your way out of Guntersville. Don't even think about not showing up in KY. Ronnie

You don't have to buy a boat. There will be plenty of empty seats on member boats. No one has ever had to fish from the bank on these trips. Ronnie

Don't get wound up, just do what you always do and above all, HAVE FUN!!! 8-) Ronnie

Any of the CBR rods should be excellent! Unless you buy GL2s or GL3s, you wont be disappointed in Loomis rods. The CBR rods are close to your budget. Ronnie

The only drawback to netting is it can scrub some of the slime coat off. This is not a big deal if you get them back in the water quickly. Grabbing a bass by the lip is not difficult, you just can't hesitate. Thats how you get hooked or lose your catch. If you don't have a lot of confidence, you shouldn't do it. JMHO Ronnie

Amen! Love the Stradics If I am fishing for stripers the 4000 is my choice. When the big stripers are running or if casting in the surf, the 6000 is what I use. You can find them real reasonable on e-bay & Craig's list. Ronnie

Awesome video Glen. Sorry the DVD I sent you was screwed up. I hope those who didn't make it can get a feel for how much fun we had. If you think you missed something special, your right! Kentucky Lake 2009 - NO EXCUSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ronnie

I don't know about that non-aggressive part....When i was in TX plenty of them went after people in public lakes,ponds and swamps.From my experience they are really aggressive.I spent 17 years in TX and water moccasins were really the only snakes i saw more often than any other snake that lives in TX.I'm guessing it was just because they got used to people being around. I think you saw more Cotton Mouths because they are very common in the Southern warm wet climates. As far as aggression is concerned, my guess is that snakes that are in more 'public' places get harassed by people more and could possibly become more aggressive over time. The snakes that I ran into were in places that few people have ever been. Speaking to Snowbass23's experience, Vipers have vertical pupils in their eyes that open more quickly to let light in (like a cat). If you surprised me in the middle of the night with a bright flashlight to the eyeballs, I might snap at you too. LOL Ronnie

Hey Kentucky, Find another poor soul in your area who already has a boat and offer to split the gas. Everyone wins. Just an idea. Ronnie

Al, That's the way to break that Jon boat in! Good Job!!! Glad to see you are into some fish. ENJOY!!! Ronnie

The Bassbus when totally empty will hold more than $200 worth of gas at today's prices. Ronnie

Cliff, I am a land surveyor and learned my craft in the swamps of Louisiana. A "Cotton Mouth" is a water moccasin. They get their name for the distinctively bright white lining in their mouth. They are usually not aggressive and will leave you alone if you don't mess with them. I know several people personally who have been bitten and some of those more than once. One friend of mine logged cypress and was bitten several times over the years. The bite is nasty and will cause swelling and tissue death, but it is rarely fatal. I surveyed 27 square miles of cypress swamp in Pontchatoula, LA. we saw many cotton mouths every day and never had a problem. Just give them their space and you shouldn't have any trouble with them. JMPO Ronnie

I get the 25 packs of Gammies at WalMart. I don't think you will beat their prices. Ronnie

Roostertail, Give this thread a read, I think it will help you. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1141187546 Ronnie