Olebiker

That's what someone else said. The pollen has been incredible this year so that could be the problem.

I've done it for years with no problems but, when I get the chance, I am going to run a separate line for the depth finder.

I have the 788 Ci at my console and love it. It has some features that are worth the extra $80. The display screen is larger. It has two SD card slots where the 597 only has one. It also has three preset buttons that make it easy to switch between screen views. You would not be disappointed with either one, but if you can swing the extra money get the 788.

I have the same motor and I have to pull the head off about every tenth trip to realign the directional arrow. It's a poor design on an otherwise great motor.

Unless I am mistaken, George Welcome guides on Stick Marsh out of a flats boat.

I only had about a half day to fish and I knew there was a pretty large tournament on Talquin Saturday so I made sure I got there early. I figured I could make the very short run from Hall Landing to Harvey Creek in the dark before the tournament boats got there. Everything worked as I planned. What I didn't plan on was the tournament boat that came up the lake in the dark with no running lights and cut in front of me to the first dock I was planning to fish. To be fair, I was still about 100 yards from the dock and fishing a buzz bait from the point down toward the dock. One of the guys in the tournament boat caught about a five pounder off that dock. I cranked up and moved around them to another dock and caught one that went five pounds four ounces on a Spot Remover with a black Trick Worm. I caught one more bass, about two pounds, on a gold Excalibur One Knocker. Until I got the fish to the boat I would have sworn he was twice that size. That was the strongest fish I have caught in a while. Water temperature ranged from 65 to 67.5 degrees and the water looked like there had been an algae bloom. I doubt that would have happened this early in the year, but that is what it looked like. The lake was crowded with more bream and crappie fishermen than I have ever seen.

Aren't you glad you moved here? I was down at the capital today and you could just see clouds of pollen blowing off the pine trees.

I have a Sospenders and it has never gone off during a rain, but it has gone off twice during the night after a hard rain. I just rearmed it as a manual rather than automatic.

When fishing a Texas-rigged worm everyone I have ever fished with says, "There he is" just before setting the hook. I have never heard anyone except in a commercial say "booyah."

Are you a fan of Sammy Smith's Oatmeal Stout? It's one of my favs. Now THAT's a good beer.

If I was a young guy I would love to study the physiology of taste. I would love to find out how some people just love the taste of hops and some of us can not choke down a hoppy beer. If all I could get was an IPA I wouldn't drink. I went on an out of town fishing trip a few weeks ago and the guy I was rooming with told me how he had splurged and bought some "good beer." I was disppointed when he opened a cooler of Heinekin. That stuff just defines skunky. My normal, everyday beer is Amber Bock, but I'll also drink a Newcastle if that's available.

Just got back last night. The wind howled this past weekend, so we didn't get to fish much more than the canals where we could get out of the wind. Water temperatures ranged from 59 to 65. We saw a lot of beds with buck bass on them in the back of canals off Little Lake Harris.

I remember, back in the late 1960s, watching Jerry McKinnis demonstrate Texas rigging a plastic worm. He was doing a television show called the Falls City Fisherman that was sponsored by Falls City Beer. I bought some Creme worms and tried it. I got bit on the first three casts. I still feel like I can almost always catch fish on a Texas rigged worm. I'm wrong oftentimes, but I am always confident.

In 1965 I was 14 years old and attending St. Meinrad Seminary in Southern Indiana. There were a couple of ponds on the property so when I was home for spring break I spent $2 on a Zebco 202 and $2 on a solid fiberglass rod. I bought some inline spinners (Rooster Tails and ABU Reflex) and some pre-rigged worms with beads and spinners. Our next door neighbor, Jack Dolson, taught me how to tie an improved clinch knot. When I got back to school I spent every afternoon after class fishing. I have never really quit, but over the last three years it has become my main recreational activity.

I got the mail in the other day and found that my wife had ordered a Shaw Grigsby fishing video from Netflix for me. She was dismayed, though, when I told her it was the guy whose voice she complained about.

George, every time you post something like this I wonder why other guides don't do the same thing. Whenever anyone asks me about a guided trip in Florida you are the first guide to come to mind simply because of your posts.

I love the way the old ones sound and hate the way the new ones sound.

I am still fishing out of a 1984 Bass Tracker Tournament TX. I replaced the original 50 hp Mercury with a new one in 2008. I upgraded the trolling motor to a 55# Maxxum digital. I upgraded the electronics to a Humminbird 788CI networked with a 778C. I installed a Dual Pro onboard battery charger. I added a livewell timer. I love my old boat.

Probably shock you what you could learn from these very talented ladies. You would be a lucky man if you could spend a day with any of them. I saw Pam Martin-Wells on a fishing show last year and, in addition to her being a good fisherman, she looked like she would be a hoot to fish with.

I sure did. Pam Martin-Wells is a local lady. I also followed Marcia Rubin before she got sick and had to drop out.

BASS has announced the cancellation of the Women's Bass Tour citing declining participation.

I set up the bicycle on the trainer in my Man Cave. I have every intention of spending at least 30 minutes per day on it. Say a little prayer for me. I hate the fat slob I have become.

The only thing you might need a dedicated cranking reel for is fishing really deep divers like a DD22.

I frog fish with a 7'6" BPS Bionic Blade MH flipping stick. I can also use that rod for pitching and flipping. If I am flipping into heavy cover, however, I use a BPS Extreme 7'6" Heavy rod that is one piece.

I'm old enough to remember when the maximum horsepower for BASS tournaments was 85. They caught plenty of fish back then and burned a lot less gas. I would love to see this series really take off.