Mobasser

I still use a green ABU Cardinal 4.

Glad your back and doing well Toxic.

I don't think there is any one brand that's the best. I've got rods from Berkley, Fenwick, Shimano, and an older St. Croix. They've all caught fish, irrelevant to cost.

Nice. I have a 3lb stone hammer just like yours. It belonged to my dad

My policy has become " out of sight, out of mind".

Catt, nice fishing gear probably brings in a good price for the dopeheads. Tools, it depends. Either way, they still get pennies on the dollar compared to what it cost, or especially what it's worth to the owner, his own personal stuff I know for a fact there are more pawnshop in Kansas City Mo now than there ever was. Two reasons why: Casinos, and more drug users. They keep the pawn shops thriving

roadwarrior, I don't agree. People have a choice to make. If they choose drugs,they pay the price.

Very good point. Right now, all these guys have more work than they can handle, but it will slow down for them at some point. They'll all be wishing they had followed through with good customer service then

At 62, the older I get, the more I long for the old days, when people actually did what they promised, we're courteous to others, and treated people with respect. This is the way it should always be, but sadly isn't that way now. My wife says I have an old fashioned outlook on life, myself, I think I'm just getting a little crusty with time....

This was actually the second time on this roofing job. I called one guy who stopped by and measured, then called the next morning with his estimate. Then nothing! No call, no show for one week. It's getting colder, raining more, and snow around the corner. I need to get this roof on! It's a smaller quick job for a roofing crew. If I was younger, I'd do it myself. I'm shaking my head everyday anymore....

AJay, I love my dogs for that very reason!

Truth! Probably the #1 problem with contractors. If you can't make the appointment, give them.a quick call and let them know. Almost everyone understands and will work with you. I was waiting for a call from a roofer yesterday. He was supposed to call me at 10 o clock. He never called, nor answered his phone when I tried to call him back 2 times. Sorry bud, your done. I'll give the job to another crew who can call back and wants to.work. Don't have time for that nonsense.

I'm with you here.Im.not sure when this happened either but seems pretty common these dsys. People don't seem to follow through like they should. It's frustrating to always have to call someone back and follow up on things. You would assume that the contractor wanted and needed this job? This is business for him. Too much irresponsibility these days. Sad but true

I've used them for 4" and 6" worms as well as grubs also.I sometimes have thought that some guys use too big of a hook for the bait size? Smaller hooks like 2/0 match up better, and I think they're easier to set the hook with too.

Sorry to hear this. I've never had any fishing gear stolen, but had a nice air compressor taken from a job I was on. That was 10yrs ago, and I still get mad when I think about it. It's still the same- a thief is a thief. I have no tolerance for them at all

When I bank fish, I don't like to haul around a big heavy tacklebox. Years ago, I rigged a smaller 4×8" Plano box with a piece of cord that clips onto my belt loop. I carry slider heads, hooks/ weights for T rig, a couple of beetlespins, small hook hone, nail clippers, and plastic worms in 4" and 6" size. I almost always end up using a plastic worm 90% of the time.So, for one bait? Plastic worm for me

Contacts are ok, but I always like to wear polarized sunglasses when I'm fishing. On windy days, or bright sun, contacts dry out, make your eyes itch too. I always have to carry a bottle of eye drops with me wherever I go. If my eye itches too much, I've even had a contact fall out. Then I can't see very well, especially to tie knots

I've never had transition lenses. I'll probably go with the clip on style, if I can get a good durable pair

I have pretty good luck with curly tail grubs. A 2/ 0 hook works well for some of these

Your uncle was a great fisherman, and has been one of my heroes for many years.

I'm wondering, just out of curiosity, how many fisherman on the site wear eyeglasses? Do you wear them when your fishing? Do you need them to tie knots and see other small items? I wear contact lenses every day, but I think I'm going back to regular reading glasses soon. I saw a pair which come with some polarized snap on sunglasses , which should work good for fishing too. I need them to tie knots when I fish. I started needing them at age 40, now I'm 62.Do you wear eyeglasses when you fish?

Tom, the best part about this is my wife has recovered and doing very well now. I have a lot to be thankful for. Thanks again Tom

The internet can help some fisherman when learning from scratch. But, I'm still sticking to the old way of learning. Casting practice in the back yard, then taking it to the lake is still the best way to learn in my opinion. You can watch 100 videos , but you still need to do it, get a few bad backlashes, and practice it untill you've got it down. Other things come with time. There's really no super easy way to skip over the basics if you want to be good at bass fishing Anything you set out to learn- a trade, a skill, a new job, anything takes a while to get good at. Like Catt says most of the internet is regugatation. One guys opinion on fishing. That's why I don't care for fishing videos overall. My favorite are videos of my heroes. I gain more inspiration from watching Tommy Martin in the 74 Classic than any new videos I've seen

I used to have a friend who rented out a small room in the back of a tackle shop I used to shop at, and ran a tackle repair business there. He was good at this work, and stocked the most common parts he might need. In winter, when my work slowed down, I would go there , have a cup of coffee and visit with him a little. He compared his business to the lawnmower repair business. In winter, things were pretty slow for him. In the early spring work would start to come in. It would start slow, then pick up quickly when the weather finally warmed up enough for fishing. Tournament fisherman, even though they brought in a lot of business were tough. Some of these guys would wait untill the week before a tournament, bring in 10 reels to clean, spool, and repair, and need them the next Friday for the tournament they were fishing. If this happened 3 times, he had 30 reels to service in a short time, and would have to work long hours to get them done. Those, along with the stuff the weekend fisherman brought in, made it very hard to give his customers a quick turnaround. He eventually had to close his business. Now, in my area, there are no tackle repairmen. I've learned to repair the things I could myself, and on my older round ABU reels, I've been able to keep them going. To be good at reel repair, it takes a person with some mechanical skills, who enjoys working with their hands, and can deal with very small parts. In my area, guys like this just don't exist. Do you repair and service your own gear, or have someone do it? One thing I've learned through the years is that a little routine maintenance goes a long way towards preventing problems. I've made my reels last by routine cleaning and lube.It sure helps, but reels are small machines, and with heavy use, all.machines need repair at some point. We live in a throw away society. Lots of folks don't repair things anymore, they just throw them out and buy a new one. Most quality reels can be repaired, and made to last many years, with a little maintenance too. Do you repair your own tackle?

My wife had a major surgery 3yrs ago. Our insurance covered most of the cost of this bill, but, there was still a balance left to pay. Next week I'll make the final payment on this bill. It feels like I've had a sack of concrete on each shoulder, and now they're gone. So, I've been fishing on a budget.Here are some items I've found, that more than outperform their low cost. 1- Shimano Sienna spinning reels. These are the 500 size. I bought 2 7yrs ago, one for my wife, and one for me,to use for crappie fishing. They've caught scores of crappies, a few bass, and some stocked trout. For 29.95, very hard to beat, and still working as new. 2- QuantumTG 400CX casting reel. Purchased on closeout 2yrs ago, for 36.00. Very smooth , good casting, nice overall. A great value. 3- don't laugh. Lucky Strike plastic worms from Wal Mart. I bought 12 bags, 4" and 6" assorted colors for 25cents a bag on closeout. We boiled these worms, and added some anise oil to the bags. We caught quite a few fish this summer, especially on the tequila sunrise color. Again, an excellent buy . 4- last but not least, Trilene Big Game monofilament line. I've bought many spools of this line over the years.Ive never gotten a bad batch. Each spool has been consistent, tough, good quality line. An excellent value for the hard earned dollar. We all love high end, quality tackle. Most times you get what you pay for. If your fishing on a budget, don't worry. You can still catch plenty of fish. Shop around, and you can find some good bargains out there. These 4 items have worked great for me. What are some lower cost items that you've bought, that are a great value?