Ohio Archer

Here's a picture of the Homestead Hawg Hunters I found from "back in the day". Not sure if anyone on here was around those parts back then. Hurricane Andrew rearranged the place in '92. Not sure if I remember any of the members except for Grant Krum.

Multiple Shimano Bantams from the early-mid '80s. All LH retrieve. 21's, 101's and 251's. Ran them hard in LA and south FL (until Andrew came thru). Got them back out in 2007 for a couple of years and I'm using them again today. Some are over 30 years old. The two newest I purchased off of Ebay...a 101 and a 251. Also have a couple of Diawas from the same time period. They still work as well as they did when I bought them so why pay the money they are asking for reels today?

Parking it would be somewhat of a headache...takes a county or two to turn it around.

Looking at it strictly from a money angle, your 20hp is NADA values at $2690 - $3025. The suggested retail on a new (unused) 2015 40 is $6435. So, to me, the money looks ok. Does this include removing and reinstalling the engine or is that extra? The jump up in HP will definitely make a big difference in your boat.

BTW, saw yr post on another site but didn't respond since we were talking here.

Not sure about Hueston Woods boat traffic but they changed the lake to Unlimited HP with a No Wake rule. I know Caesars can get pretty rough for small boats unless you put in at Wellman's near the dam (large idle-only section). Cowan in 10 hp or less. Quite a few kayaks and sail boats usually out. Not many current fishing reports available about Acton Lake. Last year we had so much rain all the lakes were way up. I may have to take a trip up there myself in the spring. http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/actonlake#tabr3 http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/caesarcreeklake http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/cowanlake http://www.fishingnotes.com/fishing-report/oh/Acton-Lake

Live about an hour from HW but have never fished it. Shot a few 3D archery tournaments up there, though. Looks like a nice lake. Are you bringing a boat? There's a couple other lakes around the area as well. Caesar Creek and Cowan Lake are within an hour of HW. Both have camping in the State Parks. Make sure you read all the rules for Ohio State Parks (there are a few).

The weather guessers said we'd break records yesterday. High of 70 or better. We took a long bike ride but the temps never got above 62. Glad I had packed my wife's leathers because she got cold. Since the sun never came out it was the damp cold that goes thru you. Still, three hours in the saddle beats three hours on the couch.

I'm still running the ones I bought in the '80s...Bantam models, all left hand retrieve. Because back then Shimano was about the only ones offering a left hand real. I also have a couple of Diawas that are LH. BPS didn't have big box stores so all of them came out of the catalogs. They all perform fine. I even picked up a couple more off of Ebay for about $18 a piece a couple months ago. With reels going for well over $100 a pop, why would I change?

Thanks. Looking at that it adds another $150 to the cost (puts me up around $1100 which is more than I have to spend). I had one on my old boat ('86 or "87 Champion) for an original Power Drive. Worked well.

Looking to upgrade from my current TM ('02-ish MG 54# 5-spd). Didn't know that picking a new one would be this difficult. I had pretty much narrowed down my selection to the MK Maxxum but then realized that the motor was not detachable from the mount without tools (not an option as my boat is stored outside). The motor needs to come off after every trip but the mount can stay. So now, I'm stuck between the X5 and X3 70# 45" Digital models. Is the X5 worth the extra $200? Is the only difference between the two the mount (everything else seems to be equal)? And one technical question: is the upper shaft on the X3 the same diameter as my current TM (where I still use the mount if I choose the X3)? Looking to save some money if I can. Thanks for the help.

Challenging: figuring out a new lake or one that I haven't been on in a few years. Figuring out how to get the fish I see on the sonar to hit. Trying to not think about work or other life problems and just relax. Exciting part: being on the lake, in the outdoors. Seeing eagles and ospreys flying. A hook-up once in a while. A smile on a friend's face after a day out on the lake. The excitement of taking a young person out for the first time.

Fished for them once in a while when I was stationed down there. Airport lakes was loaded with them. Also, caught so many while in Panama that we had to put our rods down and take a break. Gatun Lake was unreal for catching a couple hundred a day. They hit anything and everything we threw at them.

Do your homework. Read up on all the good and bad stories about buying a used boat. If you have a friend or know someone who is familiar with boats, take them with you when you go look.

Everyone seems to love Obama and Clinton...and Clinton is up to her false hair in murder, deaths, drugs and fleecing of America.

Most of the stuff I would buy at Cabelas is Cabelas branded...arrows, rods, etc. BPS carries multiple arrow brands and multiple rod brands. Granted, our Cabelas store is half the size of the Wheeling WV store, one floor, so not everything can be carried. The BPS is two levels so more space to carry more products.

I have a set of Raybans with polarized prescription lenses in them made at Pearl Vision. They are about 6 years old (yup, time for new ones). They have worked great and help up well. They did have to send them out to get the lenses ground due to the frame "wrap". I've used mail order companies in the past but if something is wrong it is a pita to get fixed.

A pick or small jewelers screwdriver. Just make sure you keep a finger over the clip so it doesn't fly off and don't stick the pick into your finger. They are on the motorcycles I work on and the bows I shoot.

Thanks for the all the welcomes.

http://www.norrislakeinfo.com/norrisfishreports.shtml Gravel bottoms, slopes, chunk rocks. Check the regulations as smallmouth limits on Norris Lake are restricted to one fish over 20" from Jun-Oct. http://news.tn.gov/node/7070 You'll need to focus on LM and Spots to fill out your live well. Here's a fishing report from June that may help you out. http://www.norrislakeliving.com/norris-lake-fishing-report Good luck. I hope to get down there sometime next year. A friend has a new house down there near the lake.

I've never fished it but if you have a chance to drive around the lake it is 22 ft below summer pool level right now. Although they normally lower it in the fall/winter, the SE US drought has kept it low since late July (from what the water level graph shows). You may be able to see some good areas to target. I had a chance to drive by Norris and Cherokee last month...all the lakes in the area are down a good amount.

Looks like they would be ideal for those small ponds and rivers with no ramps or easy access. Not so sure on larger waters with other boats zipping around. A small wind anchor or rudder would keep it from being blown around like a top if it was windy.

I have a bunch of both in the tackle box. Carry overs from my FL days of fishing in the grass. Either one is fine with me. Tying them isn't a problem as I use a Palomar knot 100% of the time. Casting the closed end in the wind can be annoying when they roll over but other than that I have no issues with either style.

Still running the Bantam 101's and 251's I got back in the '80's. Clean 'em once in a blue moon. Picked one of each off of ebay for less than $20. Each was slightly used but in great condition. The bearings are still smooth after all this time. No need to go out and drop a bunch of $$$ on the newer models (sorry Shimano). They perform much better than the poor Diawas I still have from the same time period...