Thornback

Aarrg matey, I tell it with a pirate's accent. And no cutthroat brings more than 239 beans aboard me ship.

I take no more than 239 beans. Why stop at 239? Because one more would be 240.

The reason some people work like a horse is because their boss rides them -- Gabriel Heatter

That's not a good sign. Over the years I could write a book on fishing partners. One guy would start singing as soon as we got on the water, happy guy. Another guy would have the most negative attitude. He would drag me down after a few hours of listening to him. I always caught more bass than he did and he kept calling me lucky. Another guy would catch the first bass and start rubbing it in. If I caught the first bass I would ask him if he was going to catch that day or just watch me. We had a ball fishing and smack talking. I do believe a positive attitude makes a fishing trip more enjoyable, and produces more bites.

Do it the government way -- cut a section out of the middle and add it to the end

I live out in the country on an acre and I used to dig a deep hole with post hole digger and dump the pieces in the hole and refill the hole. Once in a while a night critter would dig them up so then I started just dumping them in a corner of the acre and let the critters have them without digging for them. But now I do catch-and-release. I do think the suggestion of cleaning at the lake and tossing the waste back in the water is a good one.

Have your home's potable water tested and you might be surprised what it has in it. I once tried to drink some distilled water. It had a horrible taste compared to my well water which is full of iron and lime

The killing of Cecil has generated a lot of news and a lot of controversy. We need to step back and ask ourselves a few questions to get a better perspective. Would the lion be in the news if it didn't have a name? Did the dentist know he was breaking any laws? Should the dentist's practice be destroyed because he killed the lion? Did you know in the wild other lions will kill lion cubs? Did you know in the wild hyenas will kill and eat lions? Do you recognize that lions are not on equal with humans? Did you know lions will fight each other and brutally kill each other? Did you know a lion in the wild will live about 10 to 12 years? Did you know lions have killed humans? IMO the dentist and his guides should pay a fine and let the incident be over. No one should go to jail and no one should lose their ability to earn a living.

I've drank Coke all my 75 years and I've never had a heart attack, never had cancer, never had a stroke, am not diabetic, and only 10 pounds over weight. I can go fishing by myself and manage the boat unloading and loading quiet well. Certain things go better with Coke, like hamburger and fries. Iced tea goes better with fried fish. OJ goes better with breakfast food. I drink maybe one can of Coke a day. I also love milk, OJ, and Gatorade. I don't like the taste of water unless it is almost freezing cold. But all these drinks have water in them. When I go fishing I take a sandwich and drink a half can of Coke while eating the sandwich. Later while fishing I might drink Gatorade or OJ. Too much milk, too much water, too much Coke, all can have some not so perfect effect on our system, so moderation, moderation, moderation, is the way to go. Dried beans are a great source of protein and fiber, and good for you, but you don't want to OD on beans

You did good. Thanks for all the pix.

I would suggest having a nice chat with the coach and try to educate him. When my dad was 18 he was near a lightening strike and was knocked unconscious and temporarily paralyzed, his father was killed by the same lightening. 15 years later Dad's brother was killed by lightening. Powerful stuff and can strike out of nowhere.

My wife was driving alone when a guy just suddenly crossed the center line in front of her. Totaled our just-over-one-year-old F150. She wasn't injured, thanks to shoulder harness, seat belt, and air bag. We had only one vehicle and a deputy came to my house and gave me a ride to the scene. When I arrived my wife ran to me crying and asked what we were going to do. My reply, "We'll buy a new truck."

I extended a rod handle once. I cut off one inch from the end of the rod handle, then I drilled a hole in the end of the rod handle, then drilled the same size hole in the end of the piece I had cut from another rod handle. I cut a piece of aluminum round stock that would insert into each hole. Using epoxy glue in each hole I then inserted the rod into the holes and pushed the two handles together. Worked just fine.

We usually do what comes naturally and resist any change. I cast right hand and reel right hand. Thus every cast I change hands but I don't even know I'm changing hands. If someone asked me if I changed hands I would probably say no unless I thought through my motions. I have a fishing buddy who casts right but reels left so he always uses reels with left handed handles. He doesn't like to change hands. He's happy his way and I'm happy my way, he catches bass his way and I catch bass my way

I use all the muscle I can to set the hook. Then keeping the rod bent I reel like a mad demon. Usually when the bass is to the boat they are too stunned to fight. I then lip 'em and bring 'em aboard. IMO the longer the bass is in the water the more chance of losing it. I can't remember the last time I lost a bass after the hook set.

I once witnessed a guy run a stop sign and clip a car in the intersection. Both cars stopped, the driver who ran the stop sign got out, bent his tag down so it couldn't be read, got back in his car and drove off.

Lawyers want us all in court. And they encourage photos. Where I live there is a local lawyer who advertises on TV and radio who will send anyone a free throw-away camera. 99% of lawyers are giving the other 1% a bad name. Any lawyers on the Forum care to respond

Way to go. 8.9 is fat for the summer months.

Her a** stuck out so far you could set a clothes basket on it.-- Store owner in SC talking about an obese woman after she left his store.

Ain't no one monkey can stop the show -- Dad, referring to people who quit their job and think they will be missed. Put your hand in a bucket of water and then withdraw it. The hole in the water is relative to how much you will be missed when you quit your job -- Dad

Of course, as Dagwood Bumstead says -- Husbands are a sorry lot.

Buy it back from your buddy so he can then buy himself a new one with your money -- you ungrateful, forgetful, sorry, good-for-nothing, unloving, male animal. Then when you show the old tackle box to your wife be sure to give her some flowers and a box of chocolates. You have to be smart enough to make the best of a bad situation no matter the $$$ cost

The trend of rising prices and less quantity isn't going to stop. It's like the reproduction urge of all animals, we have to live with it. No one likes price increases. I have learned to just complain and then laugh it off. I remember as a kid a loaf of bread for 8 cents and I could see a double feature movie for 9 cents. I was devastated when Pepsi went from 5 cents to 6 cents so I changed to Royal Crown Cola which was still 5 cents. My wife put it all in perspective about six months back when I complained the local newspaper went from 75 cents daily to $1.00 daily. She said, "You got it." Then I realized it was just 25 cents. Yeah life is still good here in America.

Excellent advice from all. You will learn the bait caster in time and in your own way, but you must be willing to put in the time practicing. The weight (artificial lure or natural bait) on the end of the line must be considered when setting the two brakes on the reel. Think of it this way -- the weight on the end of the line is going to pull the line off the spool, so it must be a smooth steady pull for the entire distance of the cast. Once you learn to smoothly feel the weight pulling line and your thumb learns the "feel" of the spool you will love a bait caster. When you do a side cast you easily feel the weight smoothly pulling. That same feel has to be leaned with the overhand and the underhand cast. I think a good idea is to practice with a heavy lure and also a light lure. That keeps you changing and testing the brake settings. Back lashes are synonymous with bait casters. Just when you think you're good and you'll never have another back lash, you'll get one Learn how to pick out a back lash and you will love a bait caster. Even a nasty back lash can be removed very quickly when you master that technique.

I sympathize with anyone who has back pain. Here's hoping you are back to normal soon. About two years ago I "snapped" my back out when trying to lift my boat trailer. The pain was terrible. Turning over in bed I would let out an ear-piercing scream. I slept in a chair for five nights. I didn't know a back could hurt so bad. After several trips to a chiro I decided to cancel him and just try to work it out myself. The chiro wasn't doing me any good. I even purchased a Teeter (device to hang upside down by your feet). That seemed to help stretch my spine but I was developing vertigo in a serious way. Sold the Teeter. Over time my back corrected itself. During this time I refused to baby myself and kept moving and doing little things that I could. Today I am back to normal and I wish the same for you.