Mobasser

I spent a lot of time around a farm as a kid. Was exposed to hunting, butchering anmals etc from an early age. I can understand if someone has never been around these things, it's hard to accept them. What I never understood is the guy who says he hates hunting will go to a restaurant and order a big steak. The cow that provided that steak went up a ramp, and was shocked to death, then, slid down a ramp for guys to cut him up. It sounds in humane, but it's business only. The best hunters I've known respect the game, fish, and all the outdoors. If your against hunting, you should do some research on poultry production plants, slaughter houses etc.

I see nothing wrong with hunting. I've done a good amount of it in my lifetime. Obey the laws and there's nothing wrong. I eat both fish and game too.

I'm still on the same plan now for one year. I cut back on sugar of any kind, and do 20 sit ups each night. Lost 15 pounds and kept it off. It's amazing how much lighter you feel on your feet by doing this.

After so many years of getting up at 5:00, I can't sleep in even if I try. I'm out by 10 most nights, and still up by 5 or 530 every day.

Yes

All of our tackle has improved greatly over the years. A few things I bought years ago have proven to be very good, and are still going strong. 1. Any Japanese made Shimano casting or spinning reels that I bought between 1980, and 1990. Heavier, fewer bearings, etc, but are still smooth and working well. 2. ABU Royal Bonyll monofilament line. I wish they still made this line. Dark brown color, very durable, and handled well on cast and spinning reels. 3. Original Berkeley Lightning Rod. I still have one in retirement now. Fished it hard years ago. Never had one break or any problems with this stick. Great value for the dollar. 4. Original Johnson Beetle Spin. The older ones had a different head shape, and had a longer body. Still have a couple unopened from years ago. With rods/reels Ive bought newer ones because I like the lighter weight. The other items are no longer made, at least not like they were years ago. Are there any things you bought years ago that you wish were still available today? BTW. I still keep my eyes open for any of the Japanese made reels from this time frame. Anything that last that long and still works, is an outstanding value.

I fish a 7acre Qaurry Lake two or three times per week all season. This lake is not the bowl shape, but many qaurrys are. When this one was dug out years ago, they left a large hump in the center, and, some shelves along the bank that drop off quickly to deeper water. The water is very clear. I've done best with lighter line and smaller soft plastics. As has been said, these lakes come alive at night.

I'm glad I don't need anything. All my rods/reels are good to go. Just waiting on warming weather...

I've fished with casting reels for a long time also. Im not a master at them. I learned to flip pretty well years ago, not so much now. Mostly, just plain old overhead casting works for me. I've always thought that accuracy was the most important thing.

Most pro carpenters here in Missouri have always used a Skill wom drive saw. Mine is around 25 yrs old and still working well. Since I help another retired carpenter two days per week with a small home repair business, we've been operating with his cordless tools. His are made by Milwaukee, and seem to be durable good quality tools. His set includes a circular saw, sawzall, hammer drill/drill, and impact driver. We've used them for all sorts of jobs. I've owned a pair of Makita impact drivers for three years now, and, have had great results with these. Batteries on all the cordless tools have improved over the years. Longer run time, quicker charge, and lighter weight. I have noticed his cordless circular saw will bog down when we've ripped 2x10s or 2x12s. Here, the old worm gear saw easily outperforms the cordless saw. Since I'm old and tired now, I've thought about buying a set of cordless tools. I'm partial to Makita because of the good luck I've had with they're impact guns. For those that have used cordless tools, is there a brand you like the best? Which ones have you had the best luck with?

I fish a Qaurry Lake that has steep banks which quickly drop off into deeper water. I've done best by finding small shelves as the water drops off. Cast a jig or t- rig to the shoreline and slowly let it drop down close to bottom. Bass like to hang around on these shelves, especially if they're near deep water.

For some reason when I woke up this morning, something triggered a memory of a fishing trip I made over thirty years ago. At the time, I had no boat, and was fishing from the bank only. It was a windy early summer day. The wind was blowing hard enough to create six to eight inch waves, which pounded the rocky shoreline I was standing on. I first tried a t rig, but I couldn't fish it correctly due to the high winds. The wind was blowing a huge bow in my line, and I ( at that time) couldn't tell if I was getting strikes or not. Out of desperation more than anything, I tied on a black 1/2 oz Lunker Lure buzzbait and started making long cast all over the cove I was fishing. On the fourth or fifth cast, I received one of the most hard, jarring strikes I've ever gotten, and landed a two pound bass. Three more fish hit the buzzer, around the same size. All hit with the same ferocious strike, harder than I'd ever had at that time. Now days, I generally don't fish when the wind is blowing this hard. It was a strange thing at the time. While retrieving the buzzer, half the time I couldn't see it on the surface, and it was partially submerged in the waves. The bass still smashed it. This went counter to many things I'd read about buzzbaits, and topwater fishing in general, about needing calm water for surface baits to be productive. Maybe I was lucky, and was casting directly over a school of bass, or maybe it was the wind itself, that put these fish on a reckless feeding spree? I'm still not sure. I filed this away for future trips. As a side note, a friend who was in a club with me at the time won a tournament on a lake near home, throwing a large buzzbait under 35 mile per hr winds. His buzzer was a Bill Norman triple blade model in white. I don't think the color mattered. Have you ever experiened this, throwing a buzzbait in windy conditions?

My son in law is a farmer here Missouri. The high cost of diesel fuel is hitting all the farmers hard here. Most all the farm equipment runs on diesel. He row crop farms and raises hogs also. His price for hog feed is way up because it's delivered by diesel fuel. This all gets passed along to us consumers. That's why a pound of bacon cost five or six dollars. No wait, it's not even a full pound of bacon, it's only 12 ounces. It's a shame too.

Have never heard of this company. Usually, if it sounds too good to be true, it is. For a good reel around this price range, I'd say ABU Black Max.

Every time my wife and I go to the grocery store, I'm amazed at the cost of meat these days. Ground beef in my area is around 4.99 per pound, and the rest is much higher. My son in law is a farmer here in Missouri, and told me that he doesn't expect these prices to go down anytime soon. In the early 1980s, I was an apprentice carpenter. My wife and I had four young children at home. The cost of child care was more than we could afford, so, my wife stayed home when the kids were young. Here's how it worked out for us: taking my tax return, I bought a nice, used chest freezer from an older couple. I contacted a local farmer, who was selling corn fed beef directly from his farm. I bought a half cow. The initial cost is high, but this beef lasted us an entire year. Generally, the cost is the same per pound for everything. In other words, you may pay slightly more for ground beef, but this cost includes steaks, roast, brisket, and all the other cuts. The advantage is that you can order how you like the meat cut, to suit your needs. Here in Missouri, most beeves go up for butcher in the spring, and again in the fall.This worked out well for us for several years. Basically, you eliminate the middle man, buying direct from a farm. I bought meat from the same man each year. Doing this, along with growing a large garden, and canning many vegtables, helped put food on the table for our family for several years. This is a suggestion and may not be for everyone. But, if you've got a large family to feed, it can be a good way to go. I fully understand the cost of raising and feeding a large family. I've been there, and it's never been easy. The corn fed farm beef was always delicious, and the 100.00 chest freezer ended up working for eleven years, before it finally quit. For several years, I kept a large Mason jar on my dresser, and would throw all my spare change, as well as dollars in the jar, to save for the family beef. This works with pork as well. This helped immensely with the family grocery bill. My kids always had good food growing up, and, were able to enjoy meat which we probably couldn't afford at the grocery store, on the wages of an apprentice carpenter.

I'll say I don't really like getting skunked, but it does happen. Very early spring trips, I've been skunked a few times. As has been said, every dog has his day. I know this old dog will have his day too.

I'm not sure how long this line has been available, but I just recently saw it. I noticed the diameter is slightly larger than Trilene XL or Stren. If you've tried this line, what is your opinion?

Great thread here Tom. Thanks for posting this.

Ultimately, you choose for yourself. Reviews are ok, but we can always pick them apart. Keep an open mind.

I'll agree with Cart here. Lew's LFS is very good to for money.

When I was working full time, a couple of guys had lightweight heated jackets made by Milwaukee. They really liked them.

I've bought new #11 frogs recently. Used them a lot years ago. I still have some old ones at home, jumbo pork frog, #11 glitter frog and very old #60 fly strip. I've always thought they were the best trailers.As I said in aa recent thread- pork rules. The #60 fly strip is no longer made. Mine are white. I'd like to dye them black. A favourite of small mouth expert Billy Westmoreland years ago on a aspirin head " Hoss Fly " hair jig.

A small tool kit.1/4" drive sockets and interchangeable screwdrivers.

Panfish can easily overpopulate and become stunted. The creel limit in Missouri is 30 crappies. I've never felt bad about catching my limit.

Thanks Mike. I've run out of likes here.