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My favorite has got to be the "Natural". Just good old fashioned baseball fun. And my favorite scene is when that one guy on the team puts the patch on his shirt with the lightningbolt. And everyone makes fun of him. Then as he gets hits, the entire team starts wearing patches. Me second favorite scene is where Roy hits the skin off the ball Of course I read the book some years later and was sad BIG difference in the ending of the book lol. Vic

ok when you put "ox team driver..." in quotations, I thought that was the actual driver who signd in the book lol I was wondering how you knew it was the driver. I was confued by the wording to the fact that it was more than one person. I was also wondering what "ea person" was. Now I know that it is "each" person. Ok now you do have a treasure of a book. Again the book itself without the signatures wouldnt be to much on its own (about 50-100$ depending on condition). But add the signatures of each person (if you can somehow verify it though records) and you will have something of great interest. ESPECIALLY if someone of historical importance was there. I have seen books similar in collections in a wide range from 500+ to thousands depending on the signatures and historical significance. Regional interests may also increase the value. Hard to say without specifics on name and history. Again research/ geneology will help alot in determining actual insurance value. If for example you have a book from the Grove expedition, it would GREATLY increase the significance of the signatures. But the dates you provided seem a little late for that expedition. This is just one example on how important the people are to tracking down the history. Hope that helps! Vic

Condition has a LOT to do with price also. If it is torn up then it would be worth much less. Textbooks arent as high in demand as other books such as first editions. The main selling point would be the provenance of the book if you can find out who actually used it on the trail and the person's name. Like skillet said, this book is a treasure, especially if it was handed down to you. Monetary wise though, something like that is hard to pinpoint. especially since it took that historic trip. Key to the value on this one will be research. Is it a beginers americain history book perchance? Vic

I never realized that was a fishing show lol Bad title i guess but ill catch it next week. vic

Anyone willing to make modifcations to their rods have already thought about these factors, i would hope. Generally, people who are willing to go through the trouble of modifying their current rods have already given a good amount of thought into what would increase the enjoyment of their fishing experience and how to accomplish it. But it is also a learning process where mistakes will be made. Is there a risk? sure there is. Is it worth taking the risk? Well that is up to the individual angler. Personally, I wouldnt try to mod a 300$ rod or anything like that. But a spare, ugly stick, junk rods? Sure why not. How many rodbuilders started out by tricking out their own rods, how many people gotten into rod building by thinking "gee wonder how I can get this to work better for me" then tearing apart their own equiptment. You are 100% right about the solvents though lol But hey if he didnt post here, he might have learned the hard way. I like what you did to the rods and you will have fun fishing them. Vic

I removed the forgrip on my rod. The reason is when I palm the reel I like to hold the line with my finger to feel a strike. The foregrip got in the way with that a little. But I did run into a few things I didnt count on. Eventually fixed it but it was something I didnt think about before taking a razor to the cork lol At the very top of the forgrip is a little plastic ring that is attually glued to the rod and not the forgrip. So that had to be removed. And the top of the upper guide also didnt look right and had to be fixed from what I remember. I also put a coat of Flexcoat on it. Its a flexible 2 part epoxy that makes it all nice and shiney. I think it looks good though And like you said a lot of fun. how long did it take you? Its so worth the time and effort to increase your fishing experience knowing you made that modification to the rod Vic

I always wind up giving them money when they ambush me in front of gander mountain also lol

Is your line a floating line or a sinking? The setup you have can even land you larger bass But if these are your targets, and you have a floating line, my thought would be small poppers. They have hard bodies and rubbery legs that float arround. Basicaly they work like small topwater baits. Throw it and pop it while retrieving. If you have sinking line, my vote would be a small leech or wooly bugger. How I fish these is to cast it out and let it sink slowly to the bottom. THen I either twitch it a bit on the ground or pop it up a few inches then let it slowly drop back down. Those are my suggestions on starting out on panfish. Vic

Fun fun fun!! Smallies or Largemouth? It is really a LOT of fun. I was a believer after my first fight with a LMB. Vic

I tossed my 12lb P-line. I only use it as tippet material for my fly rod now. I took roadwarriors recommendation and went with Yozuri Ultra soft hybrid line. Its supple and soft. None of the problems of P-line. I think they call it P line because of the "ping" sound as it flies off my spinning reel lol At least with the ultrasoft if there is any memory, just apply a little tension and it straightens out. Vic

In case anyone was interested, the singer is Ray Stevens. He has a bunch of spoof songs on his albums. This was one of the funniest though. But he has some real classics. But the Simms addition is a great touch lol Vic

What is it about? I havent heard of it. Vic

You can always call them and ask them to resend also. They may make you wait a little while to make sure that it isnt still on the way. But their computers should have your name and the check number on file. They can check automatically if you deposited the check or not. Its all automated nowadays. In fact they probably have a rebate department. Give them a call in a few weeks I say. Vic

I use Bakers cutting forceps. It cuts the braid and I can use it to help me get hooks out at the same time. Vic

I have gotten a few rebates on these "cards" also. At first I didnt notice it was an actual check untill I saw the routing numbers at the bottom and looked at it closer. It really does look like those junk checks you get in the mail. I think these cards are a raw deal for customers because I bet many of these are thrown out and not redeemed within the 90 day period. They probably save a lot of money on shipping also. So be careful and look at what you are throwing out if your are expecting a rebate! Vic

I agree with roadwarrior here. Go to the store and get it. Basically you are being DISRESPECTED no matter what way you look at it. If your business isnt wanted then take it somplace it is. Also once you do ask for your rod back, BE SURE to get it back that trip.Dont accept any offers or promises to have it done by "tomorrow". What quality of work do you think you will get after threatening to take your business elsewhere. he knows you will never come back again or give him a referreal anyways. So there is no incentive to do good work. Vic

Hey everyone, thanks for all your input. I thought I was right on this matter. I thought like you did KVD in that the line would break before the rod. I have caught a few small fry on the rod already while going for panfish and it was FUN. Thats the main reason I wanted to take it out but since it was his boat I respected his feelings. But next time it should be a blast. Thanks again all for the input! Vic

Hi everyone! I have a St. Croix Avid Ultralight rod that I usually use for panfish and the sort. This past weekend my friend and I head off to do some largemouth fishing. As we are getting ready, I line up my Avid. My good friend gets this look on his face like I just smacked his mom. He then procedes in telling me how my rod will break by the end of the day if I used it. I thought it should be ok especially since the average bass size for this pond is 3-5 pounds. Someone once caught a 7 pounder we heard but that would be the big mama of the lake. My question to everyone is: Was my friends concern for the wellbeing of my rod warranted? Or was I ok to use an ultralight for fishing this small pond for 3-5 pound bass? Thanks for any input all! Ohh also I was using 4 pound test hybrid line and the rod is rated for 2-6 pound line. Vic

It works well for me. The hard part was finding the right pack. Watch out for low trees and your rod tips though Vic

Only as far as someone will go to pay the price they set. Many of my friends have not and will not purchase a Blu Ray movie for their current prices. they could charge 100$ a movie but doesnt mean the market will bear that price.

I would recommend a lightweight backpack that has support straps or clips on the sides of them. That way you can put your tackle in the backpack and carry the poles attached to the sides. I have something like that when I go into the woods for flyfishing or panfish. Here is a picture for you. I lay the bag down when I am fishing one rod and the other is upright ready for use when I want to switch. The reel is usually attached but I didnt have it attached for the photo. Now my rod is a 2 piece and only 5'6 so you might look like your carrying a CB radio and antennae on your back lol but it keeps the rod upright and ready for use when I have it laied down. Vic

Im sure they will be back. Chances are they went deeper out into the lake where you can't see. This year has been pretty funky weather wise in Florida. Vic

It should be on the side that you are more comfortable reeling in with. For me, being right handed, I have a baitcaster with the handle on the right side. For baitcasters, I have to switch the handle to where the handle is also on the right. For me, it just keeps it more consistent. But its whatever you are more comfortable with. At the stores though, I notice that the spinner gear handles are usually on the left for right handed people. Vic

Special Education Teacher. I love every moment of it especially when I worked some crummy jobs before this. Vic

Heck I still do that now occasionally LOL Sometimes its easier to let the pan and the plastic cool first. sometimes you can get it all up with a pull instead of scraping.