roadwarrior

I you are looking for quality gear that will last a decade or more, Cabela's Guidewear is THE BOMB! Right now it's on sale, too: Parka: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0043378922870a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=guideware&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=guideware&noImage=0 Bibs: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0043803922904a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=guideware&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=guideware&noImage=0 8-)

Beautiful! My daughter rode for years and loved her horses. Although I love the memories, I don't miss the expenses. Man, fishin's cheap! 8-)

What? Farmers are rocking! Commodities are at some of the highest levels in history and land prices are astronomical. Where did you come up this stuff? :

Okay. Is the propeller disingaged when the motor is in neutral?

Welcome aboard! I think the answer is that the propeller is being moved by current or boat movement. In "neutral" the prop is disingaged. 8-)

Welcome aboard! Forty one day, eighty the next? I bet most guys would settle for either day and fish both a spinnerbait and jig! 8-)

Hmm... http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1180909581 8-)

First of all, your temperature readings are misleading, lakes don't warm or cool quickly. The temperatures were a result of specific differences in surface reading at the various sites you measured. I would be interested to hear what the guys that fish Dale Hollow regularly have to say, but as a general response, smallmouth relate to structure, not cover. I think you should focus on points, ledges, humps and boulders or rock piles. Soft plastics are what I would suggest fishing, specifically tubes in deeper water. Grubs, GYCB Hula Grubs and Fat Ika (shallow) are other alternatives. A Silver Buddy is something else I would throw. This time of year, jerkbaits and topwater are hot when the conditions are right. A 3/4 oz Ledgebuster Single Willow Blade spinnerbait is something else to try, especially if you are targeting bigger smallmouth. 8-)

Precious! 8-)

I caught my PB on a Norman Fat Boy: http://www.bassbuckandduck.com/norman_fat_boy.htm 8-)

The media feeds on panic all of the time. In the '70s the world was running out of everything; in the '80s inflation was soaring, heading towards 1000% and the Apocalyse was near. Take it all with a grain of salt, we have a very dynamic economy which will correct itself over time. "Extremes" are just that, extremes. 8-)

Opinions from the other thread currently running: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1209058658/0 8-)

Well, you have it backwards. Higher end reels will take all the abuse you can dish out as long as you service them occasionally (cleaning & lube). I have a 7 year old Shimano CTE200GT that I use on my jig rod, but it has mostly been used for striper fishing on the Tennessee River. The reel is as good or better today then when I took it out of the box. Unless I drop it in the drink and lose the reel, it will last a lifetime. 8-)

Man, there are a lot of options and I experiment with several different trailers, but if I were to recommend just one, it's the GYCB Flappin' Hog. The bait is soft and bulky which seems to make bass hold on just a bit longer. This is a pretty big trailer which I match up with 1/2 oz jigs. For a smaller presentation, the GYCB Fat Baby Craw is sweet. I also like the GYCB Double Tail Grub. On the other extreme, a HUGE trailer is Reaction Innovations' Sweet Beaver Double Wide. Now, that's a meal! When the bite is slow and especially in the winter, Uncle Josh Pork shines. If you are willing to put up with the hassle, this would always be the best option. 8-)

In addition to the GYCB Senko, give the Fat Ika a try, too. 8-)

Hey Red! Soft plastics are the ticket everywhere: GYCB Single Tail Grub (clear w/ silver flakes), Fat Ika, Hula Grub and tubes. I think jerkbaits and topwater are other options in the right situations. If you target deep structure, 3/4 oz Ledgebuster Single Willow Blade is another lure I would recommend. 8-)

Everyone raves about the Chronarch 50MG, you will not be disappointed. We have a few guys that own the Core, so maybe they will drop in. Raul and Redlinerobert have both, so if they don't see this thread, you might want to send them a PM. Good luck! 8-)

Fluorocarbon line is stiff and retains a great deal of memory. On baitcasting gear, a lot of guys will put up with this issue for the stealth fluoro offers. With spinning tackle, the line has a tendency to jump off the reel, interfer with casting and occasionally develope wind knots. Larger diameter flurocarbon is simply a hassel on spinning tackle. As an alternative, I recommend Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft #6 (.010" diameter, 11.9 lb test). This is a bonded, not coated, fluorocarbon/ nylon copolymer. The line is as strong as 12 lb pure fluorocarbon, but retains virtually no memory in use. Ultra Soft is designed for spinning reels. 8-)

Wow! What a wonderful family. Great post. 8-)

Well, we will see. If the United States enters into (or is already in) an economic downturn, the world will follow and demand will weaken, perhaps dramatically. Worldwide, excess capacity is what concerns OPEC. The dollar has been trending down for some time, but recovered somewhat today. Currency markets are notoriously volatile. At current levels, I would expect some resurgence in the U.S. dollar. Refining capacity is a long-term concern, but is not a current problem. There is no shortage of gasoline, just high prices. This point is particulary interesting and the reason I stated that today's pricing of oil appears to be contrived. 8-)

Hey guys, there is nothing "normal" about $118 oil. Any commodity trading at its highest level in history, has a tendency to fall back towards the median. There does not appear to be a "fundamental shortage" of oil on the world market. I believe the current price is contrived and will collapse, hopefully very soon. 8-)

Small lakes and ponds can produce big bass. I have a couple locally that appear to be pretty barren and uninteresting. In small bodies of water, I believe even the big bass move around. Until you have fished a pond enough to know where you never get a bite, I suggest fishing every inch of shoreline. You might get surprised. Over time, I suspect you will discover that there are in fact some differences in structure or bottom composition. There may very well be things on the bottom that you simply can't see. Be patient and learn the water, there is usally a reason for fish living where you eventually find them. 8-)

Yeah, yeah, yeah..."You should have been here yesterday!" Sounds great, congrats. 8-)

Be very careful, especially when retrieving the anchor. Anchors have a tendency to sink john boats and canoes in high seas and moving water.

Man! That's quite a fish. Congratualtions! 8-)