Alpster

I have a couple of Sammy's and a few pointers, but I have 5X more Rapala DTs & floaters. They are beautiful baits, but definitely pricey. The few I have, were a good deal on ebay. Ronnie

Freshwater= Peacocks on the Amazon or Rio *****. Saltwater=Fly fishing for Tarpon in Belize or Costa Rica. If anyone is going I will help pay for gas! Ronnie

Oh Yea! that's why the spinning rod is a St. Croix. LOL I am actually hoping for some bad weather, so I can spend a little extra time fooling with rods before spring. Ronnie

senile1, I too am a motorcycle afficionado and I agree with everything you said about the hype of Harley Davidson, however I ride a Honda GL1800 Goldwing. Though it is comparable in price, it out performs every Harley ever made (the V-Rod being the only exception). Note the V-Rod engine is made by Porsche and not HD. The goldwing is not about hype, it is (at least in my opinion) the ultimate in a touring motorcycle and easily worth the rather high price. Nothing compares with it (JMHO) 1800cc 6 cylinder, electronic cruise control, XM radio/w 240 watt amp, CB radio, heated seats & grips, my daughter watches DVDs on the back seat and routinely sleeps on the road. I say all this to say... that although some companies win with hype, there really are those who perform beyond our expectations. Raul, You should try one before you make that judgement. I think you would be impressed. I read your posts often and I admire your knowledge & experience. My DC is an engineering marvel and worth every penny to me. JMHO Ronnie

Some may remember a couple of months ago I made the commitment to go all spiral wraps on my rods. I sold a couple of my high end G-Loomis rods to a couple of board members (thanks boys). Well I banged out a couple of rods for friends as Christmas presents and now I'm working towards finishing the task (in time for the Fork trip). Two of my G-Loomis didn't sell, so I decided to try rebuilding them. My progress so far..... Lamiglas noodle rod is finished (I posted pics in another thread) My old Loomis CR722IMX is spiral wrapped and on the dryer with the last coat of finish. Now that I am cocky about the IMX I am going to take a Dremel grinder to the GLX 724 (pray for me), this one is next up. With the proceeds from the sold rods I picked up a Lamiglas BMB84 all glass crankin blank for the DC. Also snagged a 7' St. Croix MF spinning blank for the 'Twin Power'. And in my spare time, LOL, I'm working on a 10' Lamiglas surf rod for a buddy. (I love experimenting with someone else's $ So I'm down to four rod builds before March, if I don't change my mind. I hope you guys are having as much fun as I am. ;D Ronnie

I have also bought a ton of stuff form the ebay site. Like others have said, be aware of who you are dealing with. Check feedback. I only deal with sellers with 25 or more positive. Ronnie

Dominick, I will try to be there. Ronnie

That's exactly what I was thinking. ;D ;D Ronnie

I guess I had better get busy, huh? Are we there yet? Ronnie

My understanding is that any scale used for commerce that has been inspected and certified by the 'U.S. Bureau of Weights and Measures' or a 'State Bureau of Weights and Measures' is acceptable for fishing records. This would include grocery store scales, deli scales. etc. as long as there is a current stamp on the scale certifying it's been inspected and tested. I believe there are some witness requirements also. This applies to state records, not sure about world records. Ronnie

There is also a guy on ebay who sells them by the pound. Try an ebay search for live worms. Ronnie

I agree with bshaner, my most expensive reels cost more that my most expensive rods. Even if I average them across the board the reels come out to be more. JMHE. Ronnie

In topography (those of us who produce topo maps for a living) generally refer to breaklines as any significant change in elevation, usually a ledge, berm, swale or where a flat area begins to taper up or down. All the above answers (posts) are better suited to fishing, this is just my surveyor's point of view. Ronnie

I release all the brakes and use the cast control (tension knob on the crank) to adjust for lure size. The old Bantam Mags were of course magnetic and the newer shimanos are centrifugal. I think the centrifugal is more reliable. I really like the DC (digital control) on the newer Shimanos, I actually adjust and use it. This is the future of cast control. I wish I could afford to replace all my reels with DCs. JMHO Ronnie

Russ, I was thinking in terms of Race car drivers, didn't even considder your professional driving credentials. I am always trying to be a commedien, but I'm not always funny. Sorry! Ronnie

Whooa! I said nothing about fat girls! ;D ;D Ronnie

Your in the posse man. Nothing is perfect, but the digital control is very impressive. If you are already proficient at baitcasting, backlash is nearly non existent, but not impossible. Since I know you have a 50 mg, imagine adding 30% to the casting distance with a 50% lighter lure. It's that good. The 5:0 to 1 gearing makes it the best cranking reel I can imagine. You can play with mine at Fork and form your own opinion. Counting the days. Ronnie

[No doubt about it! Agreed! Who gets to "validate and record" revisionist history? The vietnamese war was about stopping the percieved spread of communism in Asia and there were no excuses for entering it. Watergate had nothing to do with the Vietnam or Iraq conflicts. It was during Nixon's administration that the war ended.!?? Bill Clinton had several opportunities to eleiminate OSB and chose not to. As irrelevant to this discussion as Nixon. The Vietnam conflict cannot be compared to the Jihad against America and Western Culture. The Vietnam conflict was about govenment systems. The Jihad between Islamic radicals and Christians is 1000s of years old and will not be resolved diplomatically. It is only a matter of time before we see suicide bombers in our local shopping malls. No ones lofty ideals will prevent it. JMHO BTW- I love you Avid and I can't wait to meet you! Ronnie

No vault, just a well armed old nut case and a couple of bad news yankees (who make a killer breakfast BTW) watchin my back. If any BassResource.com member wants to try a custom G-Loomis rod or a top o the line Shimano reel, I would be proud to let you try one and swear you into the posse at Lake Fork! Ronnie

I have all three, except in different sizes. Stella 1000FB, Twin Power (Japanese Sustain) 2500 and Straidic 4000 & 6000. I think the review is pretty accurate based on my experience. There are so many little things that make a reel 'feel right' that you just have to fish it to know the difference. From the bottom to the top, Shimano make amazing reels. JMHO Ronnie

I have to agree with "It's not the car, it's the driver." I'm sorry I have to bust you guys chops, but the best drivers in the world always seem to have the best cars too. Just my casual observation. I don't smoke and I don't chew and I don't go with girls who do. Old ugly guys like me got to spend our money on something. My fishing gear cost more than my lawn mower, but fishing is way more fun! ;D Ronnie

Very nice work indeed! I would also like to know the details on the blank. Awesome cork work! Ronnie

Ronnie, Nobody cares about that guy. Pictures of the rod man! Lets see some pictures. Ronnie

Shimano Calais. Ronnie

5BL, All the stand up jig heads with flat bottoms are going to want to snag. Try the Charlie Brewer slider in thicker cover. It's more weedless, shakes good, but is not a standup jig. It's going to be hard to beat the Spot Remover. JMHO Ronnie