ejtaylor822

LBH, That is so cool. Congratulations. We have a couple of REI storage around. Will be looking for you.

Hey, frogtog. Sorry to hear of your illness. Never had one, but, hear they are really bad. Hope your recovery is fast and you get those pictures soon.

Great thread. Thanks for the info and good ideas. I saw on one of the fishing shows a while back - think it was Roland Martin - where one of the guests also used the knitting needle point to help get the skirts on as well. He took a dremel and cut a slot in the end of the needle like you have. He slipped the skirt, with the band on, over the tip and slid it up near the open end; to the other side of the slot. The hook was slipped in through the open end of the tip then out through the slot. The tip can then be slid up to the end of the jig and the skirt slid off. Hope you can make sense of that description. I had never seen anyone put on a skirt that fast or effortless.

Not a pity party - didn't come across that way. Helps to get things off your chest and I have found writing really helps (need to do some myself, but just can't right now) - especially when you read it back to yourself and realize that 1) its real 2) its happening to me and 3) ideas start surfacing that can help and/or alleviate some of things going on - nothing like seeing your own story in front of you to provide some perspective. You seem to have a real good attitude and no doubt you will be fine. Can't imagine trying to carry on life with those headaches. As far as the Gore-Tex concern. I think it says a lot about person, when they make a stand, become educated as you noted, then revise that stand based upon a new understanding/knowledge that they have received/obtained. Would think that your sponsor and other readers could appreciate that. Just hang in there - you seem like a survivor and no doubt will be fine - attitude right now is great in spite of everything. Besides, just said a prayer for you. Take care.

Central NC as well. Good luck and catch some hawgs!!!

Hey LBH, The wife and I have been watching this one. Not as good as the original, but pretty good. YES! Franklin Bridge, OHMYGOSH! Those guys are tight. Incredible musicianship. And that drummer, he is amazing. The singer is the best front man on the show. Six wire is up there as well. Those guys are great. Think it would come down to those two, but, seeing how this is geared towards the teeny-boppers, who knows? We also love Denver and the Mile High Orchestra (??), those guys are tight as well, especially for a big band - killer horn arrangement on that cover last night. IMHO, dot dot dot and the rocket girls can go away.... Eddie

Slight variation to RW's post - power and where I am trying to be very accurate - baitcaster. I do like a very stiff spinning outfit for throwing very lite surface lures in weeds and pads. Eddie

Thanks, all. I figured the problem was probably me. :-[ I love the XPS mono, have it on several setups, that's why I didn't think the problem had to be totally with the XPS fluoro. Expecially when I have seen some of the pros using it. What is being said makes sense as I have been using 4 lb fluoro (Vanish) on my UL Pflueger 5'-6" setup with no problems - smaller reel with the liter line. Will put it on one of my larger reels and see how it goes - my guess is it will be fine. Good comments and and thanks for the feedback. Eddie

Anyone use/like the BPS XPS fluoro? I have really been wanting to give this line a try for a while. I got some last week - 8 lb to put on my lite spinning rig: Pflueger reel and BPS 6'6" UL. So far I am a little disappointed. Seems to have very high memory and no matter what I do, keep getting fly-offs and tangles. Familiar with matching the winding with how it comes off the spool, checking the windings and flipping the spool, and have rewound it several times - changing directions. No change. Sunday, put on a swivel and strechted it out - stretch/rewound several times. Did better, but after about a dozen casts started getting the tangles and fly-offs. Keep the windings 1/8" to 1/4" from the lip. At this point, ready to stick with Berkley Vanish. Believe this is good line; think that BPS puts out good stuff. Just curious if anyone else has this experience, or am I the exception? Thanks, Eddie

Those are really nice. Congratulations on figuring them out.

Very nice - bet that one was fun. Eddie

Thanks, guys. George, you win, man. If I had seen that one on the end of my line probably would have thrown my pole in the water and ran away screaming like a little girl! J/K However, I do not think I would have been as cool about that one as I was the gator-dink I had hooked. No way I would have gotten that close - especially on the boat and with a boga grip. bocabasser, good question. Not sure about the appropriate classification of "striper". From what I could see, was in about 4-6' of water, I saw the lateral lines that I have seen on our "stripers" around here. The link George posted sure looks like what I saw in the water and have seen around here (Central NC). Hey, Dan. Thanks. I was really disappointed when I got back to my hotel room, hooked up the camera and downloaded the pics. Evidently I had the setting on "contacts" - which creates a low-res small picture for address book contacts. The picture was small and very grainy/pixelated (sp?) - looked like those old satelite spy pictures you would see years ago. Was really bad. Knew I should have went and got the good camera. :-[ YaHoo - I agree. Although there wasn't much to "write home about" - outside of the gator - was still better than working.

So the boss (work, not home) sent me to Orlando, Florida last week for a conference. I love to fly but hate airports, and, I wanted to try some of that famous Florida fishing I am always hearing about. I rented a car and drove down to avoid the airports and to take along my fishing gear. I spent Saturday on Turkey Lake and Sunday on Toho. Saturday, I had a nice one blow up on a spinner but backed off. I could see in the water and it was very close to me. I kept trying but nothing. Saw some nice stripers but they just weren't biting. Toho, caught some nice gills off a dock but that was about it. Rest of the week I spent every evening at several lakes around Orlando with limited success. On Thursday, I went back to Turkey Lake and was fishing off an old floating dock. I was casting in/around some reeds, lily pads and grass. I saw a large swirl to my left about 25 ft away and cast my trusty ol' chatter bait to the middle of the swirl which was right along the upper edge of some reeds where a small bay had formed. At once, my lure was hit ferocious, hard strike from out of the reeds. Then nothing. Thought it had spit my lure back out but felt some pressure, so I started reeling in. No, it was still on. I would feel and occasional shake, but, I could tell it was not a bass. Had no idea what it was. As it got closer, to my surprise, I saw it was a small alligator. About 2 feet long. I reeled it up and pulled it out of the water letting it hang on my line (above the water, not the dock). I was shocked, surprised and wondering what to do next. How do I get my lure back? Do I cut the line? How close can I safely get to cut? Well, I knew first of all I had to get a picture because no one would believe this. My good camera was back in my tackle bag so I tried to get my phone out of my pocket. As I was getting it out, the gator shook loose and plopped back into the water where it just floated on the top staring at me. It looked mad. I took some pics but they were really, really bad. I retied my lure and kept fishing. Another guy was walking by and saw what I had. He made the comment that was a little one and momma is probably around somewhere. The gator just kind of hung out there with me, eventually swimming back in some grass but I could see it watching me. I think it was waiting for me to get in the water. That was something else. Eddie

Have tried several trailers without out much success - mainly split tail and single grubs in colors that match the skirt. Typically just go without anymore. Eddie

Only been once last couple of weeks. Had good success with with Heddon mini-torpedo frog color, 4" senko's in white and blue and spinners. Eddie

Probably my favorite genre 1a. Godfather 1 1b. Goodfellas (too close to call between those two for me) 2. Godfather 2 3. Untouchables 4. Scarface 5. Casino Honorable mention: Soprano's (know its not a movie, but one of the best mobster "stories" ever IMHO), Donnie Brasco, Reservoir dogs, Godfather 3, Once upon a time in America, Carlitto's way, and have to add My Blue Heaven - sorry, but that one's a riot!

That's a good one.

Didn't the reviewer know that spinning reels are over-hyped and getting phased out in favor of the Zebco spincasters? COuldn't resist. This is a great thread BTW. Gotta get me one of those scum frogs though. Go ahead and get a sharpening stone as well. Don't wont to lose any 22 lb LMBs or 10 lb smallies. In honor of The_Muddy_Man

I have a bunch of these 3" soft plastic red worms - got off ebay for a couple $$ on a whim and they have been the greatest - that I will put on a 2/0 or 3/0 hook, just thread the whole thing along the hook and throw out weightless. They have been clobbering that the last couple of months. Have also found smaller senkos - 4" - wacky rigged works pretty good as well. I use to throw out a little past them and try to pull it back in their path. However, I have found that dropping it right on there head seems to get the best reaction. Eddie

Preference is to keep it simple and tie directly to the hook/lure - that't the fly fisherman in me - but do prefer to limit as many "connections" as I can. However, if I only have a limited amount of time I can spend on the water, will put on a snap so that I can quickly change out lures. Keep several fluoro leaders made up with 1/0 - 3/0 hooks in case want to the throw a worm or two and can leave the snap on. Eddie

I've tried them, 2/0 on large spinners and chatters, but seems like the tubing will come off then I lose the hook. Will have to try the tricks mentioned from bowtech182 and triton21. Haven't used in a lot of cover. Will have to try on a buzz, that's a good idea.

BOught a couple back in the spring. Think it was Gander Mtn had them on sale and I picked up several. Havn't used them a lot but so far they run nice and appear to be very well made.

Agree. That was bad. Beyond lame.

That's funny.

On vacation at the beach here in North Carolina and on my way to the golf course with Brother, his wife and her family. Brother, his BIL and I were traveling together in one car, his wife and her parents were in another that we were following to the Oak Island CC. They pulled over and my SIL leaned out the window and asked if we were listening to the radio of course not had on Van Halen! She told us that a plane had hit the WTC and it was on fire. Got to the CC and the little pro shop was filled and everyone was staring up at a small TV. Almost everyone was quiet. We were watching as the second plane hit. My SIL's family is from Northern VA and they had friends that worked at the pentagon. Everyone they knew was safe. One of their old neighbors they talked too a few days later witnessed the plane flash by and crash into the pentagon from a couple of blocks away. A vacation I will never forget. The TV stayed on almost the entire rest of the week... I support our president and the military, really wish we could find that coward bin-laden.