Dan:

that's awesome Big-O. Glad you had fun

I don't think land shortage is as realistic of a problem as water shortage. There is still a ton of unoccupied land, I don't see the majority of that land being threatened any time remotely soon. However, Fisher of Men is right about water shortages. Lots of people believe that the water shortages will be a major source of conflict in the near future because shortages will cause competition for water. It's not just America, water supplies are getting lower all over the world.

personally, I feel that spending money on a rod and reel can greatly enhance your ability to catch fish. A good rod is important because of light weight, sensitivity, strength, and durability. Most times, you have to spend money to really get those qualities. Of course, all that really matters is being comfortable with how much you spend on your tackle. There's no need to spend $500 on a setup if you can't justify it to yourself. You can certainly do very well with a $50 setup and experience, but some people can justify spending that extra money to get that little edge that higher priced equipment provides.

at least your high end rod didn't break in your car trunk and force you to use a piece of crap for the time being...now those are the high end rod blues... :'(

Generally speaking, roostertails produce small fish for me but sometimes they are good when other things aren't working.

topwaters! try a prop bait like a Rapala Skitter Prop or a classic black Jitterbug if the water is warm enough to make them active. If the fish aren't active enough to hit topwaters, try something that displaces a lot of water, like a jig or double tail grub.

I don't know about anyone else, but I found that it was difficult to get a SK 3x plastic onto a screw-type bait keeper. Either way, if you are fishing rocks, try out some football head designs.

lol, very true...at least you're honest ;D

I like arkansas shiner and baby bass for largemouth but I haven't found a color that can beat green pumpkin for river smallmouth.

The fishing selection at Gander Mtn depends on the the location. I've been to one in Fredericksburg, Va and one in Ashland, Va. the Fredericksburg on was pretty weak, although the newer one in Ashland was VERY well stocked. They also had an exceptional gun selection for a retail chain.

LBH, check your email. I hope that's what you needed. Make sure to tell me anything you think needs changed.

so far, I've emailed customer support. They sent me an email back a few hours later giving me a phone number and extension to call. I'll call tomorrow and then post what they say. I'll also post after I either get my rod, find out it's backordered, or experience anything else with customer service.

I hope they have my spinning rod. I'm probably going to call them by the end of the week, I'll let you know how my experience goes.

that sucks. I'm about to do the same thing. WHich rod did you order?

Sure, in other sports, losing players get more attention than winners sometimes, but it isn't because they are fundamentally different and it doesn't treat people unequally based on their sex, race, etc. I'm fine with giving her credit now, it certainly is deserved. What I've been saying was only meant to apply to the undeserved attention she was getting as a WINless driver. Now she's won and she deserves the glory. I would be fine if the win had predated the media attention, but it didn't and that is unfair to women drivers and the drivers who were winning while Danica was not.

yeah, I was looking at that one as well. It might sound stupid, but I gotta admit, I like to see my rod bend hard when I have a fish on. I was afraid that the stouter XF action might not allow for me to see that bend in the rod when I fight a fish.

You are absolutely right, because if she was a guy, she wouldn't have had more publicity than all other racers combined WITHOUT EVEN WINNING! Why? Are we saying anything sexist or mean? it's just an observation. She has been more famous than other Indy drivers even before she won. That is wrong in my book, give the guys who win the interviews, not the mediocre drivers who are news because they are different. The fact that being a women in racing is deemed newsworthy is sexist itself, it assumes inferiority of women drivers. Maybe I should say this, it's great that she won, but the attention the media has given her has overshadowed the rest of the sport, including drivers who have won more races, and THAT is "unwarranted" and "unnecessary." If you want equality, treat her the same way you treat the guys. Treating her better by giving her media attention despite not winning is just sexism in the other direction and assumes she is a lesser driver by giving her coverage saying how much she has accomplished when she hadn't even won.

Just fyi, yes it was because of her sex. She is a woman who ventured into a man;s sport. That is good, not bad. ok, but isn't promoting her because she's a woman and not because of her skill exactly the OPPOSITE of what a woman driver would want? I would assume a woman driver wouldn't want attention because she's different than the guys, but instead because she's able to compete with the boys....Which up until now she hasn't been able to do on a large scale. Her mediocre history only furthers the stereotype that she is trying to disprove: that girls aren't as good drivers as guys.

nobody else have any recommendations or experience with the Legend Tournaments and Avids?

but why was she made famous BEFORE her first win? It wasn't because of her skill, it was because of her sex.

I was just fishing for smallmouth and I realized I had been applying assumptions and understandings of the largemouth spawn to the smallmouth. So here's the question for you smallmouth experts. What are some major differences in the spawn for smallmouth and largemouth? I'm looking for info on water temperature, bed depths and ground composition, and general spawn behaviors.

I don't understand how she has had so much publicity already and JUST won her FIRST race! Honestly, she's the only Indy driver I can name, and she isn't even that good! That's ridiculous. I know she is "important" because she broke into a man's sport, but come on...Jackie Robinson was famous for being the first of a kind to play a sport but he was actually GOOD!

Yeah, I really wish there was a store near me that carries both rods but I'd have to make a long drive to get to one...I didn't know about the difference in stiffness, thanks. Do you know approximately the diameter of these rods? Would an Avid in ML be similar in diameter to a LT in M?

Good luck, CJ. I'm glad you take pride in what you do. Too many people don't care about how their poor work reflects on them.

no one wants to make anyone feel bad. We're just being realistic, if that is hurtful, blame the scale.