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Speaking of broadening the scope of the argument, I'm sure you realize that went a ways beyond what I was trying to get at. While it is probably useless to try to make a point with one of the gentlemen who is in charge of seeing that all of us obey the forum rules, including the part about respect for certain illegal activities, we could expand this to cover a wide variety of subjects to see where we all could agree or not when a law can be bent, stretched, or broken. It's all subjective to each person's pain threshhold. While someone might think just going 10mph over a speed limit is okay, until it is your child's school bus driver does the same maybe. This discussion could go to fishing regs to the guy that ignores rules about seasons or size and possession limits too. In my profession though, the subject of evading taxes comes up quite often. Whether its the guy who skips paying the tax on a $100 order, or the business owner who skims a few thousand a month, we each must ultimately answer to ourselves. Does the guy who only bends a little just more honest than the guy who stretches a lot, or is it that some are just better at it than others? I don't think I want to go there.

There seems to be a lot of members that are not catching bass, some are just starting out and a few have never caught one. If that's where you are, then this short piece is for you. If you want to start catching some bass, follow these instructions EXACTLY, no modifications or adjustments. Equipment: Medium or Medium Heavy Power/ Fast Action spinning rod and reel. #6 Yo-Zuri Hybrid, Ultra Soft, P-Line or XL. Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG Offset Worm Hooks. 1 bag GYCB 5" Senkos, watermelon with black flakes (194) 1 bag GYCB Fat Ika (194) Place: A pond at least 5 acres in size, preferably with some bottom features or contour. Or, if you have access to big water, a well defined cove, not a bay. Whether you fish from a boat or the shore, you will fish exactly the same way. Method: Start with the Senko. Cast parallel to the bank, 10-15 yards off the shoreline. Let the bait sink to the bottom, count to 30 (as in 30 seconds) then move the Senko 6-12" with a slow horizontal sweep, allowing the bait to fall on slack line. Count to 10, then repeat. Continue all the way back, move ten steps forward and repeat. Fish the ENTIRE shoreline regardless of whether you see cover or structure. Fish two Senkos and if you are still not catching bass, switch to the Fat Ika and fish it until you lose it. Don't switch back and forth. Fish the Fat Ika EXACTLY like you fished the Senko. To make this testing fair, you need to spend at least one hour out fishing, two would be better. You can't hurry and you must stay focused. If you don't catch a bass after two trips or four hours of fishing, you need to find new water.

Prior to departing for this year's road trip, I had jokingly posted of my plans to make our first stop of the trip at Fisherman's Headquarters. The goal of the visit was to not only pick up licenses for my wife Jackie and I, but also for her to pick up some "secret" lures with Deb's help. I can gladly report that Debbie was more than happy to help out. You see, one of my goals for this trip was to include my wife in this adventure. While she doesn't post on these forum pages, she has always been supportive of my fishing. Besides trying to maintain our home, she is also a mother, grandmother, and now a great-grandmother to a tribe of fifteen. If the fact that she does all of this rather well while holding down a fulltime job isn't enough, she also has spent the last year or so becoming more immersed with the care of my mom as she slowly slips into elderly dementia. That is my wife Jackie. Like a lot of the women we all know, family has always been put first. So while this road trip was a fishing adventure for me, it was also a chance for her to try to escape the many demands she faces each and every day. Into this picture came Debbie. Not only did she help her pickup a selection of baits, but she gave her the confidence that she would succeed. The following Monday, Deb jumped at the chance to coach her along again when Jackie told her she was still having a hard time keeping up with this old fart. While the rest of us were standing around chatting, Deb and Jackie were down on the shoreline. Jackie with pole in hand and Deb giving her advice. Part of the end result shows in the picture below, but it surely isn't the whole story. Our last day at this year's road trip was going to be Friday as we would be leaving a half day early. Mom had a few issues that we needed to get home to address, so the plan was to hit the water by 8am, and be back at the cabin by noon to pack up for the long drive home. Then about 11:30, it came to pass that the last place we stopped in Kentucky was going to be the first place we had visited. As luck would have it, we pulled into the parking lot just as Deb and CWB were arriving from their fishing trip that day. As I stood there with CWB lamenting the fact that the Jensen boys got their collective butts kicked that day, these ladies celebrated Jackie's catch. Just two gals, one helping the other accomplish much more than just catching a fish. To the end of my days, I will never be able to thank Deb enough for the memories she gave to my wife and I. For the record, that fish weighed in on my scales at 4.71lbs. Not the biggest fish caught by the Bass Resource gang, but it was a priceless catch up here in the little Village of Rodney.

We made it home after a long travel day but it was worth it. Seeing everyone at the road trip was tons of fun and I can’t wait until next year. We haven’t decided where to go but we’re working on it. Thanks to all who took us fishing, OT on Sunday, Dave on Monday, Gman on Tuesday, Deb and CJ on Wednesday, Long Mike on Thursday and Greg on Friday (please thank John again for the use of the boat). Glenn and I have a wonderful time especially teaching Long Mike that turtle speed works great for plastics. LOL Please send your photos so we can get to work on the road trip video.

I say eat what you want when you want. I understand some folks think traditional table fare for the holiday's Is Important but In the end It's a personal choice. A for Instance here; every Thanksgiving when I go home to the coast we have oysters Instead of turkey or ham. It's a tradition but I personally would eat oysters over turkey or ham 7 days a week.

Uhhhh i dont think KVD has to worry about putting food on his familys table? lol.And he doesn't make all his money from sponsors buddy.That 4 million plus cha-ching is from winning and succeeding in tournaments.Itd be hard for him to do that with equipment that he didn't trust and couldn't rely on.Yes some people will go to sponsors for money,but not to the extent they are going to jeopardize their career.And its not like he's the only one with quantum. Theyre are a lot of other well known pros that have quantum. He could have any sponsor he wants and im sure there are other ones willing to pay more. Quantum is a very good brand,i love their reels and im not the only one i can tell you that

You can get a really nice spinning reel for less than $100. I think it's a little overkill to spend over $100 on a spinning reel, but that's just me.

Clackin Raps and Xraps in slatwater colors like Mossback shiner don't work. That's why they had to turn them into freshwater colors, so they would work.