cheezyridr

i've caught birds a couple times, while casting. i foul hooked a muskrat once. the worst was "the snake encounter". walking across a fallow field once, i had a 15' snake look me dead in the face. he didnt mess with me, and i'm really glad. i have no idea what kind of snake it was. i never told too many people about it, because i didnt think anyone would believe me. the place where i saw it, was a private place that only a handful of people had permission. not long ago, i ran into a buddy who used to also fish there. we were talking about fishing, and i mentioned how much i liked going there. he said "i stopped going there because i saw a giant snake".

that was a great story! i would have clicked like 2 times if i could

the guy i mentioned in my post wasn't upset, as you guys seem to be. i didn't wave at him to rub his nose in it or anything like that. he smiled and said "nice fish". i even told him i was lucky to land it as it was barely hooked. like i said, i just enjoyed it because it makes me look good, when (as i also said) it was blind luck. i'm certainly no expert. the other guy i mentioned in my post, i didn't intend to tick him off either, but at the end of the day, i'm not responsible for his feelings anyhow. had he come up to me, i gladly would have shown him what i was using. i always carry spares, i might have even gave him one. however, that day, i don't think it mattered anyhow. every fish i caught swirled on it soon as it hit the water. i think i could have throw a stick with a hook on it and caught bass that day. why he wasn't catching them, i have no idea. i was using a 1/2 oz spinnerbait with large willow blades and a white/grey skirt both times. it's my go-to color for muddy water, and it seems to work for me. i fish a spinnerbait 90% of the time, because it works for me, and is somewhat snag resistant.

it's happened to me before, but not for a looooong time. today i walked up to the bank at one of my fishing holes. there was a guy there, i said "catchin any?" he says no, he's about to pack it in. i walk over a little ways to give some polite distance. 2 casts later, a 3lb largemouth. it was a feisty one, it fought hard, jumping and everything. i put it back in the water, waved to the guy and moved on. luck, i know. but i love it, cause it makes it appear as if i know what i'm doing. hahahaha! the last time this happened to me, i had taken my son (then about 7 or 8 ) camping. it was raining when we got up but was still pretty hot. same thing, i walked up to the lake, some guy was there, he said he wasn't catchin any. first cast, a nice 2 lb bass. very next cast, a bigger one. 2 or 3 casts after that, a nice 5 lb bass. in about 100' of bank i bet i caught 2 dozen bass, all nice ones. every single one of them hit a white spinnerbait the second it hit the water. the guy was watching, and was visibly a little ticked off at our amazing luck. my son was reeling in a few big ones too. stuff like this happen to you guys too?

betty white had the best lines in that movie

i used to have permission to fish a farm pond in north eastern maryland. one day as i was walking through a fallow field, i saw the grass moving, and it was headed my way. i thought it was a groundhog or something, so i stood there and waited for it to pass. but suddenly a HUGE snake came up like a periscope, and looked me right in the eyes. his neck was easily as big as my wrist! i froze, because, holy crap man! we don't have snakes like that here!!! the snake froze too, for a few seconds. then he dove to my left, and went on his way. i watched his body as he passed through the grass. i've been in the trades a long time. my spatial recognition is pretty accurate. at the biggest part i bet that snake was over 4" in diameter, and probably longer than 12' long. to this day i have no idea what kinda snake that was. i asked the landowner if he had ever seen such a snake or had any idea what it could have been. it was bronze or brownish in color, like a copperhead, and the belly was a dirty whitish-yellow. i don't think he ever believed my story. i never went back there without my machete after that, but i never saw it again. i've seen black snakes up to 6 ft. this was no black snake. it was no copperhead or any snake i ever saw before or since.

you don't need a weapon to fight off a python. a rag soaked in alcohol is all it takes.

thanks!

me. at 14. i was hooked waaayy back then. i'd bet $5 that if i still had that mitchell reel, it would still work perfectly. it took so much abuse and never failed once

this seems like the way to go! the army bag posted above is another good one. more options than i knew of. this is why i asked here!!! nicely done folks! thank you all

yeah, i've kinda noticed that too. when i do get backlashes, they happen in the beginning of the cast, not at the end.

right now, i use a plastic grocery bag tied to a belt loop. i don't carry much. 2 or 3 spinnerbaits, a pack of worm hooks, slip sinkers a bag of plastic worms a couple crankbaits scum frog readin glasses toe nail clippers is there anything out there i could put this stuff in that is better than the trash bag? i don't want to carry it, i want it to attach to my belt. no fanny packs

so far, this combo seems to work fairly well. i am still getting used to the reel. to be honest, i dont understand what the magnetic thing is supposed to do. i still get backlash with it, even though i have it maxed out. maybe it's just me, but i seem to remember having less trouble with the ambassador reels i used to use. maybe over time i'll get more used to it. the combo is otherwise very comfortable, seems to handle bass pretty well so far, and casts the lures i use well enough that i have no other complaints.

i drive a small hyundai elantra. it's rated at like, 750 lbs towing capacity. and the tongue weight at 165 lbs. i doubt if there is a boat i could tow in this weight range, correct? especially if i add motors and tackle, right? but is there anything i could use that this car would safely transport?

well, if that stuff cures cancer, i should be completely safe! ?

the only predictable, trustworthy female i ever knew

no one has ever found bigfoot poop. that's all the proof you need right there. all animals poop. no poop, no animal. as for aliens though, i can explain why you haven't, and never will see one of those. that's very easy

if you're not currently married, take the red pill.

another pet peeve of mine: when it's been raining every day for 3 weeks, and the first day without rain you can't decide if you want to go ride your brand new motorcycle, or use your brand new fishing rod. so you compromise, and get on your motorcycle to scout new possible locations. then you get 40 miles from home, and the bolts holding your right side saddlebag break and you have to hide it in the weeds along the hiway, ride home hoping the other bag doesn't fall off, get in the car, drive back and get your bag. then you call the manufacturer, and they act like it's not their problem, even though the bags are brand new, and were empty when the bolts broke. i HATE when that happens

after returning to fishing after a decade hiatus, all my fav spots are not posted with no fishing signs, so i can't go there anymore. lots people go there anyhow, but i just can't bring myself to do it.

i am on a new site now, it's only 3 miles away, but for the last 6 months it was 70 miles one way. i'm not a big fan of driving that much. i don't see in the dark as well as i used to. it seemed like once a week was a long drive in bad weather, and that's not what i'd call a joyride either. hahahaha yeah, the ambassaduer reels i used to use, i controlled the spool with my thumb. i expected i'd still have to do that, but i'll still try to avoid the "creative swearing". hahahaha btw, your sig line is awesome. bruce is one of my favorites.

just an update: right after i posted here last, the company i work for went on super serious o/t and stayed on it for 8 months. working 60+ hrs/wk left me no time to do ANYTHING other than work and rest. i just picked up a combo from cabela's. it is a lew's mach 2 slp combo. of course it's raining like the devil this weekend, so i haven't had a chance to use it yet. looking forward to having a little free time this summer so i can do some bass fishing and maybe even ride my new motorcycle. thanks for all the great advice i got from everyone here.

i'd like to avoid a 2 piece rod, if i can. i might have no choice. the low- profile reels are cool looking, i wouldn't mind at all trying one out. is the advantage solely an ergonomic one, or is there some other design aspect that separates them from round reels? i think i will take your advice on the rod/reel price ratio. looks like i'm buying a car this week, so the rod will come after that. thanks all for the info and good advice so far!

very cool stuff! everyone is busy doing lots of things. and nothing wrong with napping, if you've got it like that. i never get enough sleep, myself. some cool cars mentioned! i used to like cars, but these days i like motorcycles more. i have had a few sorta neat cars, but it's been a few years: 69 caddy ambulance 67 caddy hearse mildly worked 500 caddy it would surprise people. 72 charger 318 car, but done up nice, was streetable and looked good. 68 mustang worked 289, seriously upgraded suspension and steering. a quick car that cornered well, but got sick of working on it constantly 87 trans am gta programmable eprom, exhaust, shift kit, custom paint. i could not behave myself in this car. i sold it because of that. bought a tercel, and was a much more sane driver after that.

i suppose everyone has more than one hobby, right? any rock and rollers? i play guitar. aside from fishing, i'm working on starting another band to just jam for fun. i also like to ride. i have a 99 suzuki lc, i've taken it up and down he eastern u.s. and up into canada. at some point i want to learn archery. eventually i will look for somewhere to take lessons, so i have something else to do in the winter. what about you folks?