Fisher of Men

Speedbead, If I recall (from talking to Barry St. Clair) who caught it, the SR bass was taken to the fish hatchery, but died three or four days later. St. Clair caught the bass on a crappie hook in about 40+ feet of water. It was reeled up too fast and had air bladder issues (I'm not sure if it was distended or not). It never could recover. St. Clair used to work at the Fisheries Center at Athens after he caught it (I talked with him after the dive show which he emcee'd. ) I'm not sure if he still works there anymore. (Afterthought) It is really surprising that our state record has lasted so long. <>< Fisher

Eye, That's a good question. Santa left me a bag of these in my stocking and I was wondering the same question. I was thinking that a 5/0 offset worm hook would work good, but what other presentations (besides topwater) has anyone made (i.e. swimming, jigging, etc.) <><

;D Roland Martin would be proud. . . "Sonnnnnnnnnn!"

Like Avid, I missed out on the actual post and like others, am glad I didn't stir up such a stink. Craig, I don't know what you said in your post, and, admittingly, all of us can get full of ourselves sometime and become overbearing at times. But keep in mind that most of us aren't "Outdoor Writers". We are all just fishermen who share with one another what we know. Sometimes "what we know" is only based on our experience and may not be applicable to someone else. If you were criticizing a real "Writer" (one who has articles appearing in magazines, etc.) then that's one thing, but if you were criticizing posters just like myself, that's another. And, furthermore, there are ways to criticize one's ability rather than calling them an "idiot". I, too, applaud Glenn and the mods for keeping this THE BEST fishing web forum on the net. You guys can't imagine what a stress relief this is for me. God bless, Fisher

I'm always up for a ten, but you know, I'd settle for an 8 or 9 this year. . . God just grant me the health and well-being to get out and try!!

I couldn't get the old post to come up (or at least I wasn't patient enough). I don't remember predicting, but I caught the one in my avatar last March. My "new" scale registered "0" but I figure she'd go around 7 (that's what my elbow told me). If I had predicted, that's probably what I would have hoped for anyway.

Here in Texas, they use an old beer can with mono wrapped around it. I used to teach some kids who called it a "_____________(insert racial slur) 5,000." I cannot agree more that more needs to be done about it. In my lifetime, I've only been checked for a fishing liscense twice. I used to see it as a hassle, but like taxes. . . if you're going to make me pay, by George, you better make the rest of them pay, too. P. S. Who was George and why do we have to do things by him? The same goes with the Dickens' family. . . man they must have been some fast runners!!

Yes, Valascus That is very frustrating. . . and again I would like to commend you on trying to resolve this issue in a friendly and honarable way. I encountered the same problem years ago at a local city lake. I used to witness people keeping dink bass one after another to the point of having a bucketful. Perhaps taking the dinks wasn't harmful to the pond, but it was against the law. I didn't take it as far as you did, but was very frustrated to see that it wasn't enforced. In Texas, we have a program called "Operation Game Thief" which has an 800 number to call in case of any poaching. The program is more geared towards animals, but I guess it would apply to fish as well. If you turn someone in and they are convicted, you can receive a reward for it. Is there any way you can contact a game warden locally? Maybe a local or regional DNR/Fish and Wildlife office nearby? Who stocks the local pond? -Fisher

I'll give 'Bama three years to run this guy off like the others. That's one tough place to coach in. The folks need to face it, there will never be another Bear Bryant. Then, maybe he can come to A&M if Fran doesn't work out.

Guys, For some reason, I thought that I could delete the post (can I?). I thought all of you had time to respond to the poll and deleted it, but the thread still remains. I can't figure out how to delete it (if I can). So now the poll is gone. I vaguely remember what the percentages were: 60% of you said that you were in the sportsman stage, while around 20% said that you were in the trophy stage, another 10-15% said tournament/limiting out, and around 5% or less in the casting stage. . . I think. Thanks again for all your input to make this an interesting thread!! -Fisher

These are all interesting posts. Thanks for them. I'm going to let the post run a couple of more days and delete it; I don't want to beat a dead horse. I still expected a few more tourney stages than indicated though. It's good to see that the thrill of being out there has taken presidence over the other stages. That's what fishing is all about. -Fisher

Matt, That's what I thought, but I didn't want any hard feelings. Yeah, it's like Cal figured us out after the first quarter or something. The way they played I think they could have played with anyone in the country. I know the Ags aren't anywhere near the best, but they made us look like a Jr. High team. I'm just looking forward to having 17 starters returning, hoping they'll get stronger (o-line) and faster (all defense).

You only spent ONE hour? You must be one busy man!! :

Heck, I took my old Scout II down a road like the first one once (on a dare). Made it all the way down it, too. I'm amazed that regular cars are expected to drive down these. Cart, Maybe his pants are stuck in the mud somewhere? :-/ Or maybe he just likes to go "pantless" in the spring.

OUCH!! Well, congrats to Cal!! They really kicked our tail tonight. I also admire Coach Tedford for his actions late and his comments after the game. Class. Good luck to everyone else's teams!! Gig'em in '07!! God bless, Fisher

Correction: last year no bowl game. The loss to Tennessee came in 2005.

1, Sugar Bowl in '99- 2 TD loss to #3 Ohio State and last year we were pummeled by Tennesee in the Cotton Bowl. Matt, did I miss something? I don't recall saying anything negative about Texas. The Ags have not dominated UT since a run in the 90's and the overall record is way lopsided toward Texas. Therefore, I have no need to. Do I like the Longhorns? No, not particularly, but like you I'm pulling for all the Big 12 schools to win. Good luck, Fisher

Yeah, I try to leave it there, too, but my wife keeps moving it!

Thanks Sam. I know there were plenty of critics from 'Bama who would have liked to see Fran lose. Heck, I really wasn't pleased with the way he left them and really he wasn't my choice to come to Aggieland, but he seems to be getting things worked out this year (except for a couple of play calls in the Nebraska and OU games. . . we could have played for the Big 12 championship). I'm hoping we can go in and get a win tonight. I'm sure it will help silence some critics. Much of our early success this year came from beating chump teams (U La La, Citidel, etc.). It looks like your tigers have their hands full to beat Notre Dame, but I'm sure they can. Good luck to them!! Matt, Yeah, I thought Snead filled in well for Colt. I didn't know he was going to Ole Miss. He'll help them out for sure. As for the Tide, I'll take OSU over them today. . . . only five more hours 'til game time!!

Agreed with alot of you. The c-rig is just something I've never had the patience to stick with. I guess another least favorite would be jig fishing, although I know it is productive. I've just tried it in some really slow times of the year and lost patience. Does anyone think I may have a problem with patience? Could it be me. . . never!! ;D As always (this time of year), these are two of a few things I would like to improve upon during the new year. I'm also going to try and use jerk baits more. I've really got into a spinnerbait and soft plastic mode the last couple of years.

Thanks Matt. What's your take on the Alamo Bowl? Do you think Colt's ready to play? Can Iowa bring back some luster to thier season and provide some resistance? Good luck to your horns, too. -Fisher

Well guys, Today is my bowl game. It's time for my Aggies to strap it on and step it up. I'm excited to see if we can hang with Cal in the Holiday Bowl. I can't wait for 7:00 to get here. I'm not real familiar with the Cal team, but think my Ags have a good chance at beating them. Any Cal/Texas A&M fans who want to discuss any pre-game strategies? Only 12 and a half hours to go. -Fisher

Welcome Ashley, Yes, this is probably one of the safest places on the 'net for young people. The mod's do a good job keeping it that way, but for the most part the members are just great folks who respect one another and want let that happen. It's pretty amazing that so many can be so considerate of one another. The age of members is pretty diverse, although there are quite a few in the 12-18 range here. You'll find that out pretty soon when the young guys find out there's a new young lady around here. Glad you are with us and hope you learn alot. God bless, Fisher

I just got the new BPS 2007 Fishing catalog in the mail yesterday. The baitmonkey is screeching pretty loud in my ear. Fortunately for me, BPS is only about 30 minutes away; this may not be so fortunate for my pocketbook. :'( P.S. Am I the only guy whose wife assumes I need to go to that "little room" when she walks in with the mail and hands me a new fishing catalog/magazine? Hmmm, I wonder why she assumes that? :-[

It is interesting to see that the majority of those who voted have been in the "sportsman" stage than the "tourney" stage. I, for some reason, expected the "tourney" vote to be higher. The more of each of your posts I read, I find myself realizing that I cannot really pin myself down to one stage (all the time) either. I occasionally go back to #1 on my first outings of the year, while drifting into #3 around the spawn, generally staying with #5 most of the rest of the year. Although, with the right "loudmouthed friend" in the boat, I might have an outing in the #2 stage(not that I'm proud of that, but sometimes the competition side of me comes out). Like someone said in a previous post, with most friends, however, the report after the outing includes the word "we" more than "I". Perhaps I should have allowed 2 votes. If you find yourself not able to pin down one, go back and vote for the other. I'd still be interested in the % totals after you voted for two. Valascus, I didn't realize it, but this post is helping me kind of re-evaluate my fishing as well. As I thumbed through the new BPS 2007 fishing catalog last night, I found myself looking at different lures and debating different techniques to try in the spring. Overall, I think I will still stay in the "sportsman" stage most of the year, but will try to fine-tune my skills a little more in certain areas. Everyone, thanks so much for your input!! Fisher