Mobasser

You guys sound like you can.make some good stuff. Your meals are more involved than mine. I can make some good spaghetti though, but that's not hard. My grandkids love it. That sounds great!

I started as a framing carpenter. Yes, it's really hard work. I guess the house painting was a little tough on me at 62.

One is called " The Log of a Cowboy", the other one is a series of Time Life books on the old west. There's lots more also

I read a couple of good books over the winter. Historical books about the trail drives and cow camps of the old west. It's pretty amazing to think about a crew of 10 or 12 men, driving a herd of 2 to 3000 rowdy longhorn cattle from Texas north to Kansas and beyond, with a lot of hardships along the way. One of the consistent topics in these books was the cook. The cook was the main man at all times, and the most respected man on the long trail drives. He had a tough job. After each meal, he had to ride ahead, find a place with water, and fuel for the cooking fire, set up, and have a hot meal ready for the hands. Many of the cooks gained a reputation as grouchy, cantankerous guys. A good cook was always in big demand, and his pay was only second to the trail boss. It's been that way forever. A skilled cook is respected, regardless of what type of food he makes. From the recent thread on ribs and bar b que, I know we have many members who are good at this style of cooking. I consider myself a decent cook, and most of the best stuff I can cook is basic American food. The number one thing in cooking anything is heat control, and it takes some time and practice to get good. There's no doubt that cooking is a skill. Can you cook? Do you cook for your family? What are some of the special dishes that you make, that everyone likes?

I'm probably one of the few guys that still uses a tackle box, instead of a tackle bag. I just leave my plastic baits in the original bags, in the bottom of my box.

Catt the old Speed Spools like Paul Elias used were some great reels. Had a tourney partner that fished em years ago. I think they were Shimano also

I just helped my nephew with a side job he set up. Painting a large older house in Kansas City. The house was built in 1921, and has steep roofs, and parts are 2 1/2 story. It's been several years since I painted a house. I agreed to help him 2 days per week. I've kind of forgotten how hard of work this is. Your either moving and climbing a large extension ladder, and/or reaching as far as you can to scrape, caulk, and prime areas that need it. He has a sprayer, but there were actually few areas that we could spray. So we did it the old school way, brushing and rolling on the paint. My nephew is trying to get a painting business going this summer. Himself, along with two other guys. They're all hard workers, but they're half my age. I told him at the start, he can make good money, but he'll earn every penny! He's had a couple of guys start already and quit within a week.Its a hard day's work. What's your experience with house painting?

I think they're a great reel! I don't see how you could go wrong on these, especially with the price.

I received this reel as a Christmas gift from my daughter's this year. I've fished it a few times now. I've been slowly phasing out my older round ABUs, which I've used for years. 2 4600c and one 5500c. These have been very good reels, and one 4600c is 23yrs old now. The Lews LFS is very good. Mine is the SS1HA model, and weighs less than 8oz. Very smooth reeling, and a great drag. This one has an aluminum frame, and graphite side plates. Mine has a 6:8:1 retrieve speed, and I can't see ever needing a faster retrieve speed. This reel, spooled with 15lb mono, easily keeps a 3/8 or 1/2 oz buzzbait on the surface with little effort. The thumbar works perfectly, as does the oversize drag knob. Casting action, depending on the lure weight, is very smooth, and consistent on every cast, and all the adjustments are easy to access, and work very well. This is a great reel for the money, and with regular maintenance should last a long time. A bonus with the purchase of this reel is a nice pair of polarized sunglasses, a 40 dollar value. I believe the cost is around 99.00. You may find one for less if you shop around. These days, I'm sometimes amazed at how good some of the mid priced tackle really is. This reel is proof of that. All in all, a great reel for bass fishing.

This is one of the ages old arguments we have. As WRB said above, selective harvest is the key to a good bass population. Take a few out, and put some back when need be. As long as your obeying your laws and creel limits, who cares what other guys might say. Keep a small tape measure in your box. That way, you can prove to anyone who ask that you have a legal fish. Ethical sportsmen are the ones who understand this. There's a reason these laws are put in place. Obey the laws, and fish away!

I wouldn't worry too much. Make sure you know what the laws are in your area, as far as keeping fish. If you decide to keep a couple for a fish dinner, no big deal. Yes. Sometimes it helps the overall population to harvest some fish. I've done similar things at times. When I was a kid, we ate all of them, and don't think we ever put a dent in the population. I like Channel Cats, crappie, and walleye better than bass, but I'll still keep some on occasion too.

I love fishing on one of two smaller lakes near our home. This spring, I have noticed more people, mostly crappie fishing. This will all pass. Once it starts getting hot, these folks stop fishing, and many of them.dont want to get up early, and be on the lakes at sunup. Hot weather seems to seperate the diehards from those that only fish for a month or so each spring.

Agree. One of my smaller lakes has become choked out with milfoil the last few years. A plastic that cast good with no weight is the best type. Also need a rod with some backbone. Like you said, your usually bringing in a mess of weeds with every fish. It seems like with thicker milfoil, your mostly fishing over or under it, and in open pockets that you can see.

I agree with Catt on this one. 1/8 or less bullet sinker or no weight. The heavier weights sink into the thick weeds and stay hung up too much. Weightless may be the best option.

I wouldn't hesitate to throw a buzzbait on windy days. The choppy water caused by wind, can cause bass to leave cover and depth and cruise around looking for a meal. I've caught a few good fish under these conditions, on bright sunny days.

At one of the small lakes we fish, they had 12ft boats with oars you could take out. We used to bring a trolling motor and use it with these boats. This is a no camping, no campfire area, only fishing. Well, now the boats are locked up near the conservation shed. Some guys made a campfire and actually tried to burn one of the oars for firewood. Dimwits! I really don't care how folks want to fish. If you want to sit on the bank with a cane pole, that's fine with me. But, clean up your trash when your finished, and obey all the rules! Don't ruin things for everybody else.

My grandson and I try to pick up trash when we're done fishing. I've seen to.many lazy guys who scatter trash around, and won't clean up after themselves. It's an uphill fight anymore

Sounds like you might have too much line on the spool.

I would start with some Zoom 4" finesse, and Zoom trick worms. Your color choice. Generic 1/4 oz spinnerbaits whits/ chaurtreuse color. Strike King Bitsy Bug jig, blk/blue. Rebel Pop R shad or chrome. Think things to cover the water column from.surface to bottom. I've never used a teloscopic type rod before. If it has good butt power, you should be able to use it. If it's a soft action stick with lighter moving baits. Inline spinners, Beatle spins etc.

The last two years I've been keeping track of numbers only, like you have.Not a real detailed log, but just numbers and lures used. It's a good idea

Shop around, and buy where you get the best deal.I would get some plastic worms, spinnerbaits, and a couple of topwaters. Choose your baits based on your rod power and line

I use mostly 4" and 6" plastic worms. What exactly do they mimic? A minnow, a craw, an eel? I don't know. But I do know the bass love em. That's what matters to me.

I doubt worry about these baits. I've used all sorts of Zoom stuff over the years. They'll still work

For topwater, spooks, poppers, buzzbaits etc, I've used Big Game for many years. No need to change

Catt, I agree. There's lots of tools to get the job done. I havnt bought a dedicated frog rod yet. I'm using my old Fenwick flipping stick. It's heavy and not perfect, but stout and has plenty of power to pull a bass out of thick stuff with a frog