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My resolution this time last year. Went from 254# all the way down to180#. Still there. I am 6' tall. Believe me, fishing was a WHOLE LOT easier after losing 74#. Hootie

My physical appearance & abilities have always been directly related to my entire life style. It helps me to try not to walk if I can run, not to sit if I can stand and not to ride if I can bike. Also if you're a dog owner, there's a very good chance that if your dog is over weight & / or out of shape, so are you. A-Jay

send me a pm with your address and i'll stick some stuff in the mail to ya. good, name brand baits, hooks etc,...that i can part with. i've got no problem helping someone who wants to get started bass fishing and on a tight budget...

A blonde called her boyfriend and said, “Please come over here and help me… I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can’t figure out how to get it started.” Her boyfriend asked, “What is it supposed to be when it’s finished?” The blonde said, “According to the picture on the box, it’s a tiger.” Her boyfriend decided to go over and help with the puzzle. She let him in and showed him where she had the puzzle spread all over the table. He studied the pieces for a moment, then looked at the box, then turned to her and said, “First of all, no matter what we do, we’re not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a tiger.” He took her hand and said, “Second, I’d want you to relax… Let’s have a nice cup of tea, and then…” He sighed, “let’s put all these Frosted Flakes back in the box.”

As many people do call fishing a "sport", I think it is important to stay fit and healthy when fishing. I read in the latest issue of bassmaster that some of the pros are even going towards a training regiment to target their core abs and back muscles. Also they mentioned strong arms for hook sets and cardio for weight loss leading to lessened stress levels and ease of moveability on the boat. Makes sense to me. Lose some weight in 2014 and be a better fisherman. ;-)

Thanks Roadwarrior. After the first 10#s, I really got into it. Did, and still do a lot of walking. The hardest part for me was giving up potato chips. I could live on chips. "Bet ya can't eat just one". Truer words were never spoken...lol. Hootie

Good for you Hootie! I've been a fitness/health nut since I was about 14 with bodybuilding being my main focus. I'll tell ya, being in shape helps every aspect of your life both physically and mentally. As some of you may have seen my thread about my shoulder surgery, when I went in to get my stitches out, 2 weeks post-op, they were amazed at my progress. The nurse said I was like Christine (the car from the movie). I was supposed to be in a sling for 6 weeks and then pt for 6 weeks. They are starting my pt next week, said I was way ahead of schedule. And I attribute most of that to being in good shape prior to my surgery.

New tackle is just plain FUN! Doesn't matter what it is, new rods, reels, jigs, plastics. You name it. Hootie

Yea! Not really. Around 40 years ago my Dad gave my Mom a boat battery for her birthday. Around 35 years ago my parents were divorced. Around her birthday, every year, my mom still brings that story up. Moral of the story, buy it for yourself and she complains for a week, buy it for "HER" and you hear about it for a lifetime.

Light braid if you want them deep quick.

If you want an 11" glide bait or a 6" rat bait, your going to have to pay up for one. Most of these baits are hand made and hand painted in small batches. Baits like that cost a lot of money. I don't know about the Rago baits specifically but you can't compare a big swimbait to your average crankbait.

I think that is obscene to spend on a lure. Even if I had all the money in the world I wouldn't go there. TO each their own but I could think of a ton of things I can buy with that money. Like a ton of other baits which i'm sure would catch just as good if not better than those.

A-Jay you ain't that pretty to begin with so I wouldn't worry too much...

Look at what just came in the mail. Paired it up with a X4 Aaron marten limited and 6# tatsu...

My wife's Christmas present. 10 weeks old. "Griffin" Solid 18lbs House breaking is going good, so is crate training. Our other dog is a 8 year old Sheltie. He's an old salt, dont put up with that puppy bs, biting, jumping, nipping. Lol I dont hunt, but he will be a faithful fishing buddy. Gotta get some ice thawed to work on his sea legs. Lets see your buddies. Helpful info appreciated.

If you don't look ugly crossing the finish line you haven't pushed hard enough!

As a "born again" fit guy after spending many years as an unfit fat guy, I completely agree with you. I had gotten to the point that standing very long on the deck of a boat was not any fun. My body simply would not allow me to fish as long as I wanted to. Having lost weight and started a fitness program, that is no longer the case. I still have other health issues that limit my fishing at times, but I have done what I can to make fishing an enjoyable part of my life. Good post jnatale3.

I think it's important to stay fit and healthy period.

Enjoyable thread, resume.

I don't know how anyone could say it's the line that made a fish avoid a bait. How could you know that? I have no doubt that fish may be able to see the line, I just question whether they can determine that something is wrong because they see it. There are many other factors in a bait that are un-natural. There are hooks, metal blades, wood, plastic, why is it the line that would make the bass turn away? If they are smart enough to figure out line is bad, how come they aren't smart enough to figure out the bait is not real food?

Syphilis.

When you accidentally tie your shoe with a fishing not My doctor said I have casting elbow Once we retire the walker goes on the boat with us When you bring your wife a bouquet of Lilly pads on valentines day

I'm a far cry from a cook, but when comparing the natural flavor of different fish species, I think it's important to only compare fish that have been 'sauteed', 'broiled' or 'grilled'. In other words, No deep-frying, No heavy coatings, No spice-drenching and No blackening. Otherwise you're really not comparing 'fish flesh', you're comparing Coatings, Spices, Oils and stuff. Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips fooled the public for many years with his heavy batter-coated Alaskan hake. One day I peeled all the coating off the fillet and the flesh underneath tasted like parboiled wallpaper paste (zero flavor). In our opinion at least, among the most naturally flavorful fish are Bluegills (but they're small), Yellow Perch (but they're small), Walleyes (perfect), Largemouth Bass (perfect), Smallmouth Bass (perfect), White Bass (perfect), Northern Pike (but they're bony), Chain Pickerel (but they're bony), Blackfish (saltwater), Summer Flounder (saltwater) and Orange Roughy (depleted). Roger

We have an almost 11 month Boxer(Womack)and a 4 yr pit/mix.(Winston) both rescues. Womack is 63lbs and Winston is 90lbs. Winston Womack Jeff

The bass in my avatar is about 3#. I asked my wife if she could make it look like a 10#er. The final result. Hootie

When it comes to crank plugs and treble hooks, the consensus is a fiberglass blank &/or monofilament line but don't you think a lot of this is herd-instinct? We've all read conflicting views on how best to set the hook on crankbaits tied to monofilament line, but with braided line the fish often hooks itself. Tear-offs are a real concern with braided line, but they're very easy to prevent. If she's a good fish, and you've finally got her out of heavy cover, simply back-off on the reel drag as you winch her close to the boat. This makes tear-offs on a short line, virtually impossible. If you do experience a tears-off, you didn't backoff enough (don't forget to re-set the drag tension after every hog) Roger

Smokinal, the secrets to taking a good photo of you with your bass includes: 1. Nothing in the background to take away from the photo. 2. If the water is shown have the background bank about shoulder high. 3. Hold the bass out in front of you to make it look larger. 4. Lie about its weight. Simple way to take the photo. P.S. Make sure your fly is up if it is a full body photo.

An older guy goes to his doctor for his physical and gets sent to the Urologist as a precaution for prostate cancer. When he gets there, he discovers the Urologist is a very pretty female doctor. The female doctor says, "I'm going to check your prostate today, but this new procedure is a little different from what you are probably used to. I want you to lie on your right side, bend your knees, then while I check your prostate, take a deep breath and say, '99'. The old guy obeys and says, "99". The doctor says, "Great", now turn over on your left side and again, while I repeat the check, take a deep breath and say, '99". Again, the old guy says, '99'." The doctor said, “Very good”. Now then, I want you to lie on your back with your knees raised slightly. I'm going to check your prostate with this hand, and with the other hand I'm going to hold on to your p#*%s to keep it out of the way. Now take a deep breath and say, '99'. The old guy begins, "One... two… three…"

When you can't drive over a bridge without looking down to see if the water looks "bassy".

Looks like it is called a "dropper loop knot".

Palomar knot and leave a long tag end. Then take the tag end and run it back through the eye of the hook. This will turn the hook tip up. Tie weight to bottom of tag end.

You called out someone else for their spelling/grammar who called someone else out for the same, and then called them hypocritcal.. Well, I just did a quick search of your username, and I found quite a few errors that YOU made in your posts: "Out of warranty so ended up busting tip" should be a comma after warranty. "you a new rod shipped, eventually" should be no comma after shipped. "Mainly just the handle and knobs" no period at the end of this sentence. "to get a handle to fit a T3 Ballistic" again, no period at the end of the sentence. "for most likely a Lexa" again, no period at the end. I am not specifically calling you out for your grammar/spelling, but for the way you called someone out, then called him a hypocrite. That doesn't fly here. Moral is that no one is perfect, and this is a fishing board, not a spelling board. Everyone will make mistakes, and it is not a big deal because this is for learning about fishing. We are not learning how to type essays here.

TMI. Your cabin fever is pretty severe.

I haven't fished in going on 2 months and won't get to fish for another 2+ /w the cold weather and ice. I've been watching football for going on 19 weeks now and playing fantasy football for 17. I need a break and would jump and the chance to have a good day fishing over the superbowl given where I live.

As Darth Vader once said, "Impressive!"

I know bud. just bustin your nuts.

Dobyns DX 784ML, Zillion 50th 7.3:1, 16# Toray Superhard Upgrade Dobyns DX 784ML, Zillion SHLA 7.1:1, 16# Toray Superhard Upgrade Dobyns DX 743, Core 51MG 7.1:1, 14# Toray Superhard Upgrade

Yeah, mine are mounted on a BCR893 and BCR854 which are PERFECT matches!

One nice thing about Michigan, 1 non aggressive, timid, non fatal poisonous snake. Had one on the golf course sitting between my ball and the cup, moved it with my putter..........nothing stands between me and a birdie.

I'd marry her and let her cheat. I wouldnt have to deal with her and I'd be rich enough to fish all the time, anywhere I wanted. Different area codes!

When you sit on your living room couch practicing your pitching into the old Christmas tree holder because its too cold to fish when you show up early afternoon and the first question you get asked is where you went fishing today when you get asked why you weren't in class and you reply "I was fishing" when you "don't have money" to go out with friends, but you just bought a new rod and reel

My first thought when I saw that was the person that did the layout of that page probably put the photo of the 11-13 right next to the "11-4" on purpose..... Now, if you saw the photos (no weights listed) of the 11-13 and the 17-0 side by side - which would you call the bigger fish? Hard to tell. Photos capture memories,.........................accurate scales capture the weight...

Read aloud: There ya go.

Sensitivity is not really an issue with crankbaits. Hootie

I lol'd.

Im trying to think of what I wouldn't do for 120 million. I can't come up with anything.

Weightless Texas rigged Senko. Green Pumpkin, Pumpkinseed and probably any other color they make.

Wow, I couldn't be happier with my decision to join this group. What a great group of guys you all are!! Thanks a lot for your suggestions, and thanks for the warm welcome. I am excited to get a chance to fish the big lake! Thanks again!

I kept waiting for that kid in the video to bury a jig in his eye.

The best thing about this winter? So far for me, "NOTHING"!!!!! Hootie