Long Mike

Welcome aboard! There's lot of nice folks around here.

Chips, I never winterize my boat and it has seen a few harsh winters. I make sure that my gasoline is treated with StarTron and I make sure that the motor is trimmed all the way down. That boat has sat for months without being fired up, but it fires up every time. BTW, if you've got water in your lower unit oil then one of your fill plugs is leaking or you have a bad seal. The first is inexpensive to repair. The second is not. If you drain the lower unit oil and you see a milky substance, then you have a leak. I'll explain more when we have lunch on Friday.

Old? You ain't old! Yer just a kid! Happy Birthday anyway.

For those of you who don't know that the first post of page one of this thread contains a link to the mini Road Trip website, here's a list of those who have signed up. WHO'S COMING Screen Name Alpster Long Mike Roadwarrior Glenn and Keri Traveler2586 Siebert Outdoors & better half Julie Bassin is Addictive Ghoti 00 Mod ChipsXJ and wife Beckie FishinDaddy and wife Nicole Brian Needham Dinky Fishing Rhino Note: This list represents those who have completed the registration process and submitted their form. Your name will not appear here as a result of a post on the forum, you MUST register. Register Now! Here is a link to the mini website. http://www.bassresou...wick/index.html

Camaraderie outweighs the number of fish caught any time. That's why I always attend the annual Road Trip. To Kent and Gary, thank you both for being so kind as to tie on new tackle for me when my shaky hands couldn't manage. That meant more to me than you will ever know. Also, be advised that I received $100 in BPS gift cards for Christmas. I spent it all on trout gear. Hopefully, I will no longer have to bum off either of you.

Awesome Glenn! Thank you!

The weather man forecasted 4-8" of snow for us. We got nothing, and desperately need the moisture.

Very poor, but I have accidentally shot down two Cesnas

Like Marty said, we need more information about your reel.

What a wonderful story! Very touching,

One day Steve Parks (Big-O) was sitting on his patio at his ranch near Dallas sipping a Mint Julep when he said to himself “Self, how do I design a plastic bait that has an action like no other?” So he began to think, and as he thought, beads of sweat began appearing on his forehead, so he decided to have another Mint Julep. Thinking furiously, he started scribbling on the white linen tablecloth with his Sharpie … and had another Mint Julep. Thousands of Mint Juleps later, and after earning PHDs in both aero and hydrodynamics, Big-O developed a plastic bait like no other. Its action was so remarkable that he decided to call it a Rage Tail – and a legend was born. OK, so I made all this up. I doubt that Big-O has ever had a Mint Julep in his life; and I don’t think he owns a ranch. What I do know for certain is that the Rage Tail line of baits catch fish, and do it well. My PB (shown in my avatar) of seven pounds, eleven ounces was caught with a Rage Toad. I have caught hundreds of fish using the Rage Craw and the Space Monkey. I have now reached the point that I now fish Rage Tail plastics to the exclusion of all others. One other thing I know is that Steve believes in his products. I have never seen him fish with any bait but a Rage Tail. His frequent postings about the hawgs he has caught and the Rage Tails he has caught them with is proof of that. The next time you are contemplating buying plastic baits, visit the Rage Tail website at www.ragetail.com The site has tons of information about the Rage products and extensive information on how to rig them. Numerous videos are available. The forums provide extensive information also.

A very long article doing nothing but trying to justify CCW. You will either agree with the hypothesis or you will not. In this case, woe unto those who disagree, for they shall be designated as sheep ... but only by those who have a weapon on their hip. Beware of sheep. When united, they can cause a hell of a stampede; and they do it with words on a legally binding document. Sheep rule. Sheepdogs don't. To paraphrase" the sheep unleash the dogs of war."

Ghoti posted an excellent article on this subject. Here ya go. http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/supertune-baitcaster.html

Glad to see another Okie from the NE side of the state. What city do you live in?

Of course, Santa would have been required to wear a gas mask while in flight in the event one of his reindeer farted.

Gawd, I thought I was going to bust a gut when I saw that! I haven't laughed so hard in years!

Touche'

Basn, surely you don't think that any of us Mods would mess around with your Avatar?

Zona does have a pretty good, but very limited, voice. at least on that thread. I would like to hear him for real. I suspect he's very good.

Are you thinking about buying a Power Pole, or a new jack plate, or even replacing your prop? If so, then an excellent trove of information can be found by contacting Hydrilla Gear. I believe that the owner, Rich Fitzgibbon, has forgotten more information about the installation and use of these items than most of us will ever learn. His website has tons of information and videos on these subjects, plus it has a very cool prop pitch calculator. In addition, Rich offers Optima batteries, the Cadillac of marine batteries. Free shipping is included with almost all products. Oh, and check out their apparel. The logo looks great on T-shirts, etc. Hydrilla Gear offers an ongoing discount to members of the military and to our First Responders. Further, the discount now applies to BassResource members who place orders before Christmas. Give Rich a call at 561-926-2664 or visit Hrdrilla Gear at http://www.hydrillagear.com/

The following is a list of questions PM'd to me by Brian Needham. I thought it would be appropriate to share this info with potential Road Trip attendees. My responses are in blue. Brian, to begin with, I was in your shoes six years ago when I made my first BR Road Trip. I was a newbie to bass fishing, and to BR, and didn't yet own a boat. Like you, I had never met any of folks that were attending. To make a long story short, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and have never missed another Road Trip. Now to answer your questions. How does fishing work during the trip? Are we all on our own, do members pair up? Share patterns? Pickwick is pretty big, lol. do we all launch at the same time in the morning as a group or everyone dop their own thing? To begin with, this is not a tournament. It's just a bunch of folks who enjoy the fishing and camaraderie. We will probably have a "biggest bass" contest, but there is no entry fee and is pretty much on the honor system. Everyone does their own thing when fishing. They launch when they want and where they want. As for pairings, every evening I do my best to pair everyone up for the next day. NO ONE is left standing on the bank. how does lodging work, do we tell you if we require a room? Do we get paired up for rooms with other members? It is the responsibility of each individual to arrange their own accommodations. We have blocked all the cabins and a number of rooms at the lodge for BR members, but reservations must be made by you. Stay active on the Road Trip forum and post from time to time that you are looking for a roommate. It always works out. what are the nightly activities, as I have seen videos of speakers in the past. When does that happen? Almost every evening one or more of us will cook for the group. RW and I usually cook hamburgers. Alpster usually does some sort of cajun dish. We pass the hat and ask for a $5.00 contribution from each member to help defray our costs. On one of the evenings (yet to be determined) we will have our "banquet." This is when we have our speaker(s.) Dinner is on you. where, when and for what do we send money for? You don't send money for anything.

Don't overlook the Pfleugers, especially the Patriarchs. It's an amazing reel for the price. I had a friend lend me a couple of Revos to try out. I tried them and sent them back to him.

Christmas is a time for kids and family. Regardless of your religious beliefs, it's a time of coming together. I love this time of year.

Welcome to the dark side. Lots of Junkies around here. I grew up on the Gulf coast of Louisiana and fished mostly the way that you do. Now, living in Tulsa, I'm a bass phreak.

I use a 7' ML BPS Carbonlite rod, coupled with a Pfleuger Model 6720 President reel. It's a sweet combination for a very reasonable price.