SDoolittle

I don't use Carrot Stix rods, so I can't comment on the different models. What I will say is that many experienced fishermen tend to be very specific about what they want. If he says that he wants a 6'7" M/M Wild Black Carrot Stix, get him a 6'7" M/M Wild Black Carrot Stix. He will like it.

If I was looking for a good reel in that price range, I'd look no further than a Shimano Citica or an Abu Garcia Revo S. I own both of them, and they're great reels. They're both listed at $129.99 (minus rebates) at BPS.

Welcome to BR!

Olebiker, I'm a little confused. Who did you fish with on day two? You said that you rode with Cliff Prince, but then you started talking about someone named Scott.

I'm not defending the line here. As I said before, I'm not a fan of the stuff. But this sounds like user error to me. I don't think I'd fish a frog on 6 lb line, and I certainly wouldn't try to lift a four pound fish with it.

I'm not a fan of the stuff either. I haven't used it on a spinning reel, but I tried 12# Hybrid on a baitcaster, and I was not at all impressed. Even with a liberal dose of KVD Line & Lure, it was way too stiff and springy. There's no way I would want the stuff on a spinning reel. Maybe the Ultra Soft is better. I'll never know.

I honestly have no idea how many different colors I have. I have tons of soft plastics in dozens of colors, but the vast majority of them never see daylight.

I finally got it out today. My last two trolling motors were Motorguides, so this Minn Kota foot pedal is going to take some getting used to. Other than that, it was awesome!

I bring mine inside and store them in an upright rod rack.

Those aren't travel rods.

I thought about that, but the article says that he caught it on a 1/4 oz Strike King jig. I believe the only 1/4 oz jig that Strike King makes is the Bitsy Bug, and it has a Gamakatsu hook. The Denny Brauer Premier jig is made with a Mustad hook, but it doesn't come in 1/4 oz. The pros don't fish out of jon boats. Sure, it would have been nice to see that fish released, but what he did was perfectly legal.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/article.aspx?subjectid=25&articleid=20120324_25_B1_CUTLIN280382&allcom=1

A new Oklahoma state record largemouth was caught yesterday. 14 lbs 12.3 oz

I have a couple of these: http://www.basspro.com/Browning-Fishing-Safari-Travel-Rods-Trigger/product/52901/77580. They're pretty good rods at a decent price, and they do come in 7', if that's what you're looking for.

I haven't been able to take it out yet because it's been raining for the past two days. I'm pretty excited about it, though. Going from a 46# to a 70# should make a huge difference. Ctf58, I appreciate all the thought that you put into your post, but this was 100% operator malfuction.

Thanks for the replies. I still haven't decided whether I'm going to do this or not. I have the regular bungee cord style rod straps, but one broke and the other one has lost it's elasticity. I may just get a couple more of those. They're cheap, and they take about 30 seconds to install. I just like the look of the retractable straps better. I saw those, but I don't like the way they look on a boat.

I've been wanting to upgrade from a 12 volt to a 24 volt system for a while, but I kept putting it off. A few days ago, I stumbled onto a 70# Minn Kota Edge on clearance for about $200 off the regular price. The only catch was that it was a display model, and they had lost the owners manual. I thought I would be able to find the owners manual online somewhere, so I felt pretty good about the purchase. Well, I couldn't find the manual online, and I didn't want to call Minn Kota and wait for them to send me one, so today I decided to install my new trolling motor without the instructions. How hard could it be, right? I removed my old trolling motor and installed the new one plus two new batteries, and it went very smoothly... until I tried to turn it on. Nothing! I started troubleshooting, but everything appeared to be hooked up correctly. By this point, I'm starting to get worried. Did I hook something up wrong and fry my new motor? Was it damaged while on display? Were my two new batteries junk? I ended up pulling everything out, and starting over. Still nothing! I gave up and decided that tomorrow I would find someone to help me. A couple of hours later, I had to go out to the truck for something, and as I walked past the boat, I glanced over at my worthless trolling motor. The MOM/OFF/CON switch was in the off position the whole time. I feel so dumb.

My first bass tournament was on Milford Lake, KS in 2000. The wind was howling, and the water was as muddy as any I have ever seen. I tucked myself into a little cove that offered me a small degree of shelter against the wind, and I stayed there all day. I had exactly one bite all day, and I was almost too embarrassed to weigh in that one little largemouth. I felt defeated by the fish and the weather, and I was seriously reconsidering my decision to become a tournament fisherman. As it turned out, there were only two bass weighed in that day out of a field of 30 boats. Two bass and one of them was mine! It was a charity event, and there was no check to cash, but I received an Olympic style silver medal for second place. I keep that medal with my most prized possessions, and it serves as a reminder that sometimes all it takes is one bite. As Ike would say, "never give up!"

Those hooks you bought are a little big, but you don't necessarily need to buy drop shot hooks. The majority of drop shotting is done with a 1/0 worm hook.

How boring would it be to watch KVD drowning nightcrawlers?

I may be wrong, but I'm guessing that you're not seeing the whole picture here. The other kid may have called him that late to whine about having to work seven days in a row even though he knew his schedule well in advance. Pehaps he was invited to do something, and he's using the seven days straight as an excuse to take off at the last minute. The boss was probably irritated, but agreed to ask someone to fill in. Notice that he didn't tell you that you had to work. He asked you, and he may have asked others. Because he was already irritated with the other kid, and he didn't consider this an emergency situation, he opted not to call and wake people up. He simply sent out a text on the off chance that you were awake and wanted some extra hours. I would have replied with a text saying that I already had plans, but thanks for the offer. Attitudes like that are what worries me about retiring from the Army in a few years. I have an open door policy, and my Soldiers know that they can call me at anytime to talk about anything. I try to keep it at a minimum, but occasionally, I have to call one of them about something. It would be a very long day for them if they decided to cuss me for calling on their time. Civilian life is definately going to take some getting used to.

Rem Oil has a tendency to gel up in the cold. I learned that the hard way a few years ago when I was hunting in the panhandle of Oklahoma. It was frigid cold, and my brand new Browning Maxus wasn't cycling properly. I called Browning, and the first thing the guy asked was what kind of lube I was using. I told him I was using Rem Oil, and he said to throw it away, and get some CLP. Anyway, I switched to Break Free CLP and never looked back.

Do you know how high Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir is? I've only been there once, but I had a pretty decent day. It might be worth checking out.

Nylon monofilament for topwater and jerkbaits. Fluorocarbon for crankbaits. I do use braid (rarely) and copolymer, but not for treble hooked lures.

I'm thinking about installing retractable rod straps on my boat. Has anyone here done it? Which ones did you use, and how difficult was it? It doesn't look too difficult, but I'm always a little nervous when it comes to cutting or drilling holes in my boat.