OCdockskipper

I'd wager it is a Spot based on the head size, football shape and distinctive coloring. There is something about the overall look of spotted bass that they just look different than largemouth. Like twins that you can tell apart.

You are right, my mistake. Unemployment taxes are paid by the company, not the individual. You (& my son) pay the SS, medicare & disability taxes that all employees pay. I don't recall if they stick you with the companies portion of SS & medicare as well.

There is a local company here that makes a soft jerkbait called the Jerkit and they have smoke as a color. Shortly after the spawn into the summer, I rig them weightless and have great success with them up shallow. I suspect they look like bass fry or small minnows that are found near the shoreline. My lake is very clear and has no shad as forage. I believe that combination makes the smoke color effective.

As for TV's, it is a tough call, especially larger ones. Most TV repairs are either minor ( a single part like a power supply) or major, costing at least half of what a new TV would cost. If you have a 65" TV that is 8 years old, do you really want to spend $400 to repair it and still have technology that is 8 years old when you could get a new TV that has much higher resolution (4K) and has bells & whistles that didn't exist 8 years ago for $600? Not to mention connectivity issues, try connecting an Apple TV, Nintendo Switch or most new Blu-ray players to an older TV with no HDMI input. You end up spending money on adapters that make the image worse just so you can use the old TV.

It can be cultural as well. I have a friend who worked for Fluor in Saudi Arabia in the 1980's & 1990's and he would see relatively new cars on the side of the road on the outskirts of town all of the time. What was happening was if a car broke down (or possibly even just ran out of gas), some Saudi's didn't want to go to the problem of having them towed into town. They would just leave them and go buy another one.

Search 'Ned Rig Resource" and there are a few threads about it. The overall basic theme is keep it finesse (lure, rod & reel) and don't try to fish it like a conventional jig or plastic worm. Too often people try to make it into something it isn't, then when they don't get the results that others do, they say they tried the Ned Rig & it didn't work.

I added some Blue LED lights to the front deck of my Pond Prowler, they are real handy as well as cool looking. It should make night fishing during the summer that much easier. That cover is only mist proof, I found out the hard way. If you get a decent rain, the water will soak right through. Also, if the wind kicks up too hard, it will fly off. I also found that out via experience. If you are looking for something to keep dirt & critters out, it will do that as long as it isn't exposed to the elements. I ended up having a custom cover made about 6 years ago from a company that makes them for Yachts and the dingees that they have on board. It cost 1/2 as much as the boat did, but has done a great job of protecting it from the elements.

My #1 confidence bait is a ZMan TRD on a 1/15 oz head and I had crazy success with it the first time I used it. About 5 years ago, I decided to try this Ned rig thingee and for some reason I can't explain, decided to follow some tips posted here by Team9nine & Bluebasser86. So rather than doing what I thought would work, I did what they suggested. First outing I caught over 40 bass with it. Second outing I caught a 7lb, 8 oz fat female in addition to another boatload of fish. It made quite an impression and in many ways, changed how I now fish.

I own an A/V company, we can claim we fall under the essential category because installing a TV is installing a communications device. If the authorities give me grief about that, then my C-7 license makes me a low voltage electrician, another "essential" business. I work by myself, so no concern of being too close to people and I didn't have to worry about laying off any employees. Last two weeks, business dropped about 80%, however I am starting to get calls from existing customers who are bored & want to be able to stream stuff at more locations in their homes. A sad side note involves some of the gated communities here in So Cal. Some HOA's have gotten a little power hungry and are dictating who they will allow through the gates, no matter the homeowners request. That is a little problematic for those folks in the midst of a home remodel when the HOA decides they will not allow ANY contractors into the community unless it is an outright emergency.

Darren, my son is also 1099/self employed and part of the big check he has to cut every April goes to the state to match employment taxes that would have been taken out had he been an employee. I believe it is for every single one of them, from SDI to UI, so that makes him eligible for unemployment. This might just be a California thing, but i would double check if i were you. I have a feeling you have may have been paying into it for years.

I was signed up to be a marshal at the Elite series Tournament at lake Eufaula starting April 2nd and just got a text that it has been postponed. B.A.S.S. will be releasing an official announcement tomorrow, but I thought I would give a heads up to our Alabama & Georgia members who had planned on stopping by the weigh-in. I'm not surprised by the decision, B.A.S.S. is in a tough spot. Unlike BPT, the Elite series events do cater to the fans and help the local economy, so having the event go on with no weigh-in crowd would have been counter productive. They haven't yet given a date that it is going to be changed to, I sure as heck hope it isn't in the middle of summer (for selfish reasons). I'm spoiled by the lack of real weather here, I'm not sure if I could handle July in Alabama ?

California has an order from the governor to stay at home, which can be enforced with a $500 fine & jail time. However, the governor mucked things up when he said it was ok to go outside to walk the dog or exercise. No one is sure what they will get in trouble for doing. I went fishing last Saturday with no issue from either other lakeside homeowners or the police. I envisioned a conversation with a shoreline cop escalating into a slow speed boat chase (it is an electric only lake), but luckily that never occurred.

I got a pair of the 2.0 spinning reels and used them last week, I really liked them (they are on existing 2.0 & 1.0 rods I have). I use one as a Ned rig setup the other for shaky heads & light plastics. I didn't like the 1.0 reels, the previous models and had always used Shimanos instead. My initial reaction to the 2.0 is they are really solid, light and match well to the Carbonlite rods.

I have been around dogs my entire life, and always owned medium to large dogs as an adult. Typically we have two at all times, so the dog doesn't have to depend on us for companionship, he has a buddy there 24/7. Pictured below are our 2 current dogs when they were about 2 years old (they are now approaching 12 years). The one in the back is Dumbo, a retriever mix that is sweet as they come & dumb as a brick. While he is still kicking, he has slowed down a bit, he has a bad hip and is nearly blind. Nonetheless, he is still a happy dog. The dog in the front, Captain, is another story. We originally thought he was just a cream colored shepherd when we got him, later we figured out he was a breed called Anatolian Shepherd. It is a breed from Turkey, descendants of Mastiffs, bred to guard herds of livestock & fight off bears & wolfs. That breeding is so reflective in his personality, an alpha who must know what is going on, will always move to protect those he believes he is responsible for, smart, stubborn & independent. Even at 12, old for a 100lb plus dog, Captain has the energy of a puppy, well at least for a few minutes. I have never seen a dog be so enthusiastic about being fed. The 2nd picture is Captain at about 6 months, it gives you an idea of how solidly built this breed is.

I did. I traded in an old Saltwater combo spinning setup that I had been given and an older quantum spinning reel I had been given. I don't think I had ever used either. For the rod, I got a BPS crankin' stick for $49 (normally $79, sale price $59 less $10 trade in). I was looking for a lighter rod to pair a Revo X I have for smaller crankbaits. For the reels, I got a pair of BPS Carbonlite 2.0 spinning reels for $39 each (normally $79, sale price $49 less $10 trade in). These reels were not listed in the So Cal catalogs as being on sale, I had to show the website to get them. Oddly enough, another forum member had his catalog where they were listed as being on sale, but not part of the trade in. In any case, I matched them up with a pair of existing Carbonlite rods I have (one 2.0, the other older) for Ned rigs and lighter plastics. I used all 3 yesterday, caught fish on them and was happy with their performance.

This is potentially true with any new virus. The question is why has the world come to a standstill with this particular virus when it isn't nearly as deadly as some as the other ones we have seen in the past couple of decades? Those new viruses did not overwhelm the healthcare system even though there were more severe cases and more deaths than projected with Covid-19. The other question is is this going to be the new normal. Going forward, do we shut everything down every time we find a new virus with a mortality rate higher than influenza?

Unless you are old or have a weak immune system, you are facing a fever and a cough. This brings the country (the world) to a standstill? If the current reaction to this virus is the correct way for us to respond, how did the nation ever survive SARS, the swine flu or the myriad of new viruses that appear nearly every year? Those in the smaller groups that are at risk should self quarantine, the rest of us should go about our business. Take this to the worst case scenario - Everyone in the world contracts the virus, all 7.7 billion of us. The result would be about 70 million dead worldwide, nearly all elderly or with weakened immune systems. That number is not much higher than the number of deaths we have in the world every year. A huge percentage of the people who would die in this worse case scenario are going to die anyway this year. I know it sounds cold & I'm not advocating to push Granny down the stairs since she is going to die soon anyway, I'm just pointing out how ludicrous it is for the world to come to a halt over this particular virus when the end result is not that different had we completely ignored it. It will be interesting if it ever comes to light who decided to press the Panic Button for this particular virus and what were the reasons why.

So there is a chance that you & Glenn are responsible for the spread of this virus... I knew it!! ?

BPT has started day 1 of their Lake Fork event. At the very least, BPT should make highlights available to ESPN for Sportscenter highlights.

Wow, our ad doesn't even have that listed. I wonder if it was a regional thing (I'm in So Cal). On the website, that disclaimer isn't there either. Out of curiosity, what page is that on (or what are the other items around it)? I want to compare it to my flier and see what was listed on mine in place of it.

I would suggest sending out an email with the suggestion that those who are over 70, lifelong smokers or have existing health issues skip this tournament & meeting. Everything else can proceed as planned, including anyone who is feeling under the weather (be it Coronavirus, the flu or a cold) taking the normal precautions to not infect anyone else. And my kids laughed at me for still getting the newspaper delivered everyday. A little newsprint on the buttcheeks washes off just fine...

Glenn asked us to not get into what is & isn't a cure.

My register receipt says otherwise. ? Those reels aren't part of the combo that is in the ad. There are just the new Carbonlite 2.0 ones, not in the ad at all and most likely not marked as being on sale at the store. Bring your phone and show the web page with the 49.97 price to get the sale price.

Which one?

All either experimental drugs or things used to relieve symptoms - none of these are the cure for the virus. Heck, the "locally developed antiviral drug" may be nothing more than eye of newt and snout of pig. Again, I understand your intention to pass along information in order to keep people informed. The problem is if you go about saying there is a cure for the virus and then list the above witch doctors brew, you are misleading people.