Mobasser

Mike, I think it's in my dna also. It's a good thing to know how to grow things. It was a good experience for me being around all this as a kid also. I learned a lot

I have kept and cleaned hundreds of crappie that had eggs over the years. Not purposely, but because they met creel/ limit rules. I usually don't keep any bass I catch.

Yes sir! One of my favourite things!

Do you know the story behind Mortgage Lifter? A guy developed this one and saved his small farm from foreclosure. True story I've hesrd

Do you guys have any favourite varietys? I usually go with Big Boy or Better Boy tomatoes, California Wonder bell peppers, and Top Crop bush green beans. These have done well on my area. I get a truckload of horse manure from a local guy each fall and till it in. Let it sit all winter, and the soil is ready each spring. I try to avoid too much commercial fertilizer or bug spray if I can. Keep things as organic as possible. A little seven dust usually keeps most bugs away My ground is good old Missouri clay, so it needs some help.

Looks great

Give me some morrels, fresh crappie fillets, and some fresh tomatoes slices and I'll be a happy camper. Super good! Awesome! Many gardner's here in Missouri would plant pumpkins in between rows of sweet corn. I've read that native Americans did this also

I still think learning to grow vegetables and especially can and preserve them should be taught in school. Old skills which are always good to know.

Peaches and Cream is big in Missouri also. My uncle grew a variety called IowChief. It was developed in the late 50s at Iowa State University. Big, thick, yellow ears. It was delicious. Back then, Big Boy was the #1 tomatoe. Now they have Better Boy, which is more disease resistant. Both are great.

A-Jay, it's winter, I'm mostly retired now. I probably have too much time on my hands...

Bass fishing may mean different things to different fisherman. For some, it could be targeting the biggest bass. For others, it could mean catching numbers of fish, regardless of size. Still for others, it could be winning a tournament, and placing in the money. Then, there's another group. These are people who don't put a big emphasis on size or numbers, but just like being out there, near the water, and enjoy the whole act of fishing, catching bass if and when that happens. It may be hard to determine what makes a successful bass fisherman, and, how to measure success in this sport. It means different things to different fisherman. In your own opinion, what makes a successful bass fisherman? How do you measure success in bass fishing? I fall into the latter group. I love to catch bass, but I also love casting, finding fish, choosing the correct bait and retrieve. If I catch fish, it only makes the day better. But if not, I'm still happy, just being out there. What's your own measure of success in bass fishing?

As a kid, I had a great uncle ( my mom's uncle) who was a huckster. After he retired from farming, he bought about four acres of rich ground along the Missouri river near the small town of Parkville Mo. He grew almost every type of vegatble here. Sweet corn, tomatoes, okra, melons, squash, and green beans, and sold them from the back of his truck at a roadside vegtable stand. I worked for him for four summers when I was between the age of twelve to sixteen. He taught me a lot about growing things, and what to look for, to tell homegrown vegatables from store bought. Here's a few things he taught me: homegrown tomatoes rarely look perfect. They usually all have some imperfection of some sort. The skin of homegrown tomatoes is more dull, and not shiny. Many big grocery stores order tomatoes which are grown down south, picked early, and artificially ripened under lights, or injected with a dye. This is all done to make them look perfect by the time they reach grocery stores. When I helped my uncle run the vegtable stand, things would slow down around 1:00 in the afternoon. Around 3:00 each day, he'd take two big tomatoes, and a Black Diamond watermelon, and cut them into bite size pieces. He called these the " tasters", and always encouraged folks to try some. Once they tasted them, they always bought some. The stand would be busy between 4:30 and 6:00. I'd be loading peck baskets, and bushel baskets with all kinds of fresh vegetables, and helping load the large dark green Black Diamond watermelons. These were always a big seller just before fourth of July. I still grow tomatoes each year. The taste of fresh, homegrown tomatoes is far better than any you can buy at a grocery store. Do any BR members like to garden, and grow vegetables at home? The taste is beyond compare.

My only real bias is for guys who talk down pork rind baits. I've heard a few. They've probably never tried them. Bass love em.

Very well could be. That's what's good about tubes. Your not limited to a crawfish shape. Craw, or bait fish. A tube can cover both.

Yes. This is a good idea, especially in more clear water. I've been doing this since you posted this craw bait hack.

I've used all sorts of plastic craws as trailers, but I think pork trailers are still the best. Pork looks like real meat, and has a soft texture that bass like to hang on to. The only disadvantage to pork is they dry in hot weather, and need care transporting in they're jars. Ive never seen where a defensive craw position caught more fish. I'll continue to use both, but IMO, pork rules.

Well said. A superior pastime indeed.

Me too A- Jay.

As a follow up to all this. My wife, along with Kyles mother arranged for a counseling session, along with a visit to a specialist. Kyle has been diagnosed with a sever anxiety problem. Basically what the specialist told them is that things that many of us think are easy, such as keeping a job, create a huge amount of stress for him, and are very hard for him to maintain. He's been subscribed anti anxiety medicine. He's starting back on his job with the county road crew next Monday. This says something good about him. Had he not done a good job there, they would not have considered hiring him back. I hope this medication will help him, and get him straightened out. I feel somewhat bad for jumping on him like I did. I'm relieved now. He's not a lazy bum after all. Just a young man who needed some help. The doctor told my wife that this is a common problem with younger guys these days. We'll never know why these things happen, but now I'm thankful and pulling for him 100 percent.

It would apply to both, country or city. Either way, its no fun...

You've laid under your car doing a repair while parked in front of the auto parts store. Sometimes, you've got to do what you've got to do...

A- Jay, great picture. Is that a spincast outfit you're holding there? I started with one also.

I believe I first went fishing in 1962, at five years old. Like many, I started with catfish and panfish. I started seriously fishing for bass around 1979, after looking through a Bassmaster magazine at a barber shop. That makes roughly 60 years as a fisherman. How many years have you been fishing, and, how many years have you fished for bass?

Keep it simple, and learn to fish a t rig plastic worm.

Some folks like a floating worm for a shakey head. But you can fish any worm on one.