Long Mike

Many thanks for the offers of support guys. Russ, you are too generous. Give me a coupla days to think of how best to exploit your generosity. Truthfully guys, I gat through every day with no problems at all until necessity requires that I perform fine movements with my hands - such as trying fishing knots. I can still shave without cutting my throat (but one hand has to steady the other) I can still write, sorta. I'm more shakey in the mornings because caffeen aggavates the problem - and I love my hot, strong Cajun coffee. Don't worry about me, I'll do just fine. Let's turn our thoughts to Avid and wish him the very best

Avid, We all know that family comes first. Been there, done that. If I were in your position, it would make me sick to have to post the message you just did. I really empathize with you. Sometimes doodoo occurs, when you least want it to happen.

Mais, it looks like you learned him good, 'cause he succeeded well.

OK, Glenn sue me. Cragaria, If you've got a couple of the white on clear decals that you will be supplying to Ronnie, I'll gladly take them off your hands when we get to Fork, they will look great on the smoked rear windows of my Suburban. BTW, I'll pay you for them. After reviewing my projected expenditures for the trip, I figure I can afford to spend about 36 cents each. Note to Glenn: Truthfully, I just don't have enough room under my "Crappie Fishermen are Wimps" and "Bikers Suck" logos to accommodate your preferred extended wording on my side windows. Besides, for some strange reason, someone keeps breaking out my windows.

I have the Lowrance iFinder H2O. On open water it is accurate to about 20 feet. I bought it from BPS for about $170.00. I also bought the "lakes" chip, which was another $100. You DO NOT need the chip to navigate on any lake. The "lakes" chip shows very detailed sub-surface topo detail for the more popular lakes in a given area. If you simply want to get back to the boat launch after a day of fishing, there is a Lowrance unit called the iFinder GO that sells for about $100 that will serve you well.

Nice looking lake. I haven't seen cypress knees since my last trip to the Atchafalya Basin. Where is the lake located?

All rhetoric aside, it's very simple. Buy the best equipment that you can afford. Assuming the skill level of the fisherman is a constant, there is an obvious "price of equpment" vs "number of fish caught" point where the number of fish caught does not increase with the price of the equipment. I have no idea what that break-over point is but I think the rod is the most important component of that ratio. So, as I said, buy the best equipment you can afford, but spend at least two-thirds of your money on the rod.

I would suggest using a bit having the same diameter as the existing bolt holes and drilling all the way through the seat. then drop in a rounded head bolt from the top side and secure it with a nut and lock washer. The rounded heads of the bolt should not be too uncomfortable to sit on. If they are, simply cut a 1/2" thick piece of closed-cell foam rubber to fit the contour of the seat and glue it down. Closed-cell foam will not absorb water.

Way2Slow hit the nail on the head. I agree completely with his recommendations.

niksfisshinmom, Welcome to THE BEST FISHING FORUM IN THE WORLD I assure you that you will always be treated like a lady on this site, that you will encounter no foul language, and that there are many, many members here (last count, about 7000) who are more than willing to offer advice. I assure you that this site will not disappoint you. BTW, I'm just an avid fan (no, not You Avid, don't get the BigHead) of this site. I have no connection whatsoever with the people who own and run this site.

I absolutely have to eat something. I have a tremor condition that demands it. If I don't eat, my hands/fingers don't work. I have no preference about what I eat, but I have to eat something. I usually pack a couple of simple ham and swiss sandwiches with me and eat them while on the water.

Avid, are you out of your mind? Don't you know that those guys what live up North like to eat stuff like corned beef and cabbage, and cabbage roles, and cole slaw and Boston baked beans? I did a Google search and the results clearly show that people who live in New England suffer from more flatulism than anywhere else in the US of A. You will be trapped, TRAPPED in an RV with three guys whose primary method of communication will not come from their mouths. The folks from New England have learned to communicate with each other with their sphincters. For example, the sound "fluuurp" means turn left. On the other hand, the sound "phweet" means turn right. Be very alert to the sound "phluurpht" That means "I have to change my britches." You must also insist that the bus contains at least four cases of aerosol air freshener.

When you think of Wal-Mart, do the words "fishing equipment" automatically come to mind? If so, you probably live in a city/town that is too small to support Academy, BPS or Cabellas. If the word Academy comes to mind, then you live in a slightly larger town ... you can figure it out from here. I am lucky to have both an Academy and a BPS very near. Accordingly, the LAST place I will choose to visit for my fishing equipment will be Wal-Mart. Because any Wal-Mart executive worth his salt already knows the demographics of a particular area, iit wouldn't take a lot of thought on his/her part to downsize or eliminate or even increase that portion of business. It all boils down to the big box competition nearby. Regardless of the location, that same executive knows that its shoppers are budget minded, and will never attempt to sell high-end equipment. If you want a $25 rod or reel, Wally-World is the place to go.

I have the non-color H2O and absolutely love it. I didn't buy the color version because it costs a hundred bucks more and I wanted to buy the "Lakes" chip, which also costs a hundred bucks more - and worth every penny. The H2O is great for navigating on the water, but is pretty much useless for land navigation, especially when compared to the models that tell you to "turn right at the next corner" I have never owned a GPS unit before, so I have nothing to compare it with, but, like I said, I love it. FYI, I also bought a software package called MapCreate (another hundred bucks). It allows you to up-load the "Lakes" chip to your computer and see detail you never thought possible. You gotta have it if you are fishing lakes supported by the chip. One odd thing. You also need to have a topo map of the lake, such as those available from BPS. For some strange reason, the chip may show information that the map doesn't, and vice versa. For example, my BPS map of Lake Fork, TX shows pipelines and submerged roads. The chip shows none. On another lake, the chip shows much more detail than the map does. Go figure.

Now that I am over my temper tantrum, I will continue. Anyway, I have compiled this list of what could be good potential spots for lunkers. The list shows the latitude and longitude of the point, along with a general description of where it is located on the map. Would anyone be interested in a copy of the list? If so, PM me and I will E-mail you a copy. You can buy me a beer at Fork. Finally, just in case anyone is interested, I will have the software and the Lakes chip with me at Fork. There, I typed the message and didn't hit the wrong button.

DAMMIT! I HATE HAVING THE SHAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WANT TO HIT ONE BUTTON AND HIT ANOTHER. I'm too PO'd. talk to you tommorrow. With apologies

Ok folks, here goes. Several weeks ago I bought a Lowrance iFinder H2O along with the "Lakes" chip. I also purchased a software package for my computer called MapCreate. With this software and the Lakes chip I can up-load the Fork topo maps to my computer and view them on my 19' sreen. when I wish, I can zoom in to areas of interest. I can zoom to about 1"=150'. Having learned from RW and others, I began a search for areas that offered shallow water in very close proximity to deep water. By this I mean 3' rapidly transitioning to 28'. I further narrowed my search to areas meeting the above criteria and also offering vegetation and/or timber. I have located and documented about fifty areas that meet all of the above criteria. The fly in my ointment is that the depth of stream beds in inlets is not shown unless they exceed 28'. I can see the contours of the channels at 13', but whether their true depth is 14' or 27' I can't tell. That said, I know very well that my 50 favorite places may be some of the last places that most seasoned bassers would choose, because many of them are not located in the smaller inlets. Instead, many of them are located off points near big water I have done the best I can with the tools at my disposal and with almost no on-the-water experience, to compile a list of areas that, in my opinion, have the best potential of holding BIG bass. I am not interested in catching bass on their beds or in catching large quantities of dinks, so the list was compiled accordingly. I want the big ones. Because I am a very modest and introverted individual, I am willing to offer this list, almost free of charge, to all of the BFR folks who will be attending the "trip" The caveat is that you need to have a Fork map as least as accurate as the BPS map in order to cross reference Secondly, the price of the list is one beer of my choice Most important of all, those of you who know that

I hain't never seen no whether man in the hole world what culd pradick whether 3 weeks away. But Im just a dum rednek/cajun crossbreed. I think i'll wate a couple weeks afore i chek the whether at Fork.

Although my problem is not anywhere near as debilitating as most of the above posts, I have a condition known as Essential Tremors, which means my that hands shake. It has not kept me off the water, but trying perform detailed movements like tying on a hook are an ordeal for me. A simple Palomar knot can take me as long as five minutes. Although the condition has gradually worsened as I've aged, I have been blessed that it is not Parkinson's.

cheb45, see my post to you under Central Bass Fishing.

By far, the biggest complaint I have if trying to pee over the side of the boat. Because of the diameter of the pontoons, it's almost impossible to keep from dribbleing on the boat. ;D Sea Eagle offers floor boards and seats for the raft, but they want an additional $250 for them. That's an awful lot of money for a couple of pieces of painted plywood. I made them myself for about $40.

Exactly.

Kiss a fish? I would rather lick a toilet.

OK, I'm ignorant and freely confess it. So, who the hell are Byron and Mary?

While living int Middle East (Dubai) in the early 70's I caught about a five foot long Yellow Sea Snake out of the Persian Gulf on a fresh piece of shrimp. This snake is one of the most poisonous in the world. I cut my line while he was still about ten feet away and then splashed as fast as I could back to dry land I was standing barefoot in the surf in about two feet of water, and I just knew that that snake was after me. I sat on the beach and shook for fifteen minutes.