Tokyo Tony

I like the "burnout" = "slump" bit above. It's true. No one who's going out and slamming pigs (one might say he's being a slampig) all day gets burned out. Personally, since I've been learning more and more about bass fishing (thanks to this site + experience), and been catching more and bigger fish than before, fishing has become much more satisfying and interesting. There's a real sense of satisfaction when you go out and piece together the puzzle of where the fish should be, how active they should be, what types of lures they're most likely to hit, and finally getting them to hit. Conversely, the bad days become more irritating because I think to myself, "Man, you spent all that time learning all this crap and you STILL can't catch a fish you loser!" > But seriously, I don't know anyone who goes out for a full day (or even a couple hours) of fishing, gets skunked, then thinks, "Well, what a wonderful day that was!" Being out on the water itself is relaxing, but not if you're trying to catch fish and aren't catching any. Then it becomes annoying. I agree with you to a certain extent jwo1124, we do need to keep it in the back of our minds that we fish to have fun, especially on those days when the bite is really tough and we're not really having that much fun. However, understand that "fun" is inextricably tied to catching fish, moreso for some than others. Even if you're lucky enough to be able to have fun when you're not catching fish, you'll have more fun if you do catch fish. I said above that it's not possible to be slamming pigs all day and not have fun, but if you somehow reach that point, it's time for a break.

Definitely good advice Mayassa. However, I think a float tube anchor is not necessary at all. I bought one when I got the tube and used it once. There's really no need for it since your feet are in the water with flippers on. You can control exactly where you are with the twitch of a foot, and after you get used to it, you can pretty much do it subconsciously. Although now that I think of it, I guess the anchor would be handy on a really windy day, IF you plan on fishing into the wind. That's the only application I can think of because if the wind is at your back it's easy to stay positioned. EDIT: I realized you were talking about pontooning - then an anchor is definitely a good idea. But for float tubing, not necessary.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the responses. It seems the IMX is a little better than the Bronzeback (i.e. more expensive), but I wonder what the difference is, and if it's noticeable. Lighter, more sensitive? Or just a different feel?

Maybe, but that's not the issue. And the problem originated with them in the first place. I doubt a mom and pop store would make that error. Either way, we have another argument on our hands, as usual, and I'm not saying that's a bad thing. The "right" thing to do is at least alert Dick's about the error. I'm sure they'll be grateful (or at least act so), and I'd be very very surprised if they didn't compensate you in some way. If you keep the putter and sell it, I that would be unethical. I don't know if you're "selling your soul", as some people have said, but rest assured, it's the "wrong" thing to do. It's not as bad as shoplifting, but it's still wrong. I'm pretty sure your soul will remain intact though.

So screw Dick's because they are a bigger store? How does that logic work? Dick's is affected in exactly the same manner as the mom and pop. They are both out the difference between the cost of the two items. I'm not saying this consideration justifies keeping the putter, but it's just a consideration, as I said. And Dick's is not affected by $100 as much as a mom and pop store would be because they do exponentially more business. 100 bucks isn't even a blip on their radar. Again, that doesn't justify anything, but it's just something to consider.

Maybe shoot them with something more permanent, like a pellet gun, and make an example by displaying one of their fallen comrades on a stick. They do that on golf courses in Scotland - shoot crows (after getting drunk, of course) with a pellet gun then hang one up on a stick every couple of holes. It keeps them away. Of course, with buzzards, dealing with the carcass may be less than pleasant

This has probably been covered somewhat in several posts, but a couple questions: I'm looking to get two new setups this winter, and was wondering what the best rod choice would be for my situation. 1. G Loomis rod, probably gonna put a Revo on it, but reel suggestions would also be appreciated. I want a rod for $200-$250, and it will be used mostly for smallish crankbaits and jerkbaits. 2. G Loomis rod, probably gonna put a Pfleuger Supreme or Shimano Stradic on it, mostly for soft plastics, but also for jerkbaits. For this, I'm thinking the Bronzeback rod. Any suggestions or feedback on the Bronzeback vs. GL3 rod are greatly appreciated 8-). I don't think I'm gonna want to dish out the $450 for a GLX, but I'm looking for a 7 foot casting rod and a 6' 6'' spinning rod. I'm looking for advice on exactly which model, power, and action. I have the length down. I'll be using 10-12 lb test flouro on the casting, and 6 lb test flouro on the spinning. Thanks!

The right thing to do is obviously to let them know about the problem. Personally, seeing as how I'm a big Dick's customer and they've always treated me great, I'd probably let them know, and they'd probably give me some type of gift certificate. However, if it were a crappy company that mistreated me, I'd definitely keep it. Another consideration is that since Dick's is a huge company, they will not be affected by the mix-up. If it were a little mom and pop store, there's no chance I would keep that putter. There's probably also no chance that they would have made the mix-up. By the way, what kind of putter was it? A Scotty Cameron?

I've caught a couple fish like that - I agree with some of you guys. I think it's just old age, especially if the fish looks otherwise healthy.

Nice fish there ;D - I've never caught a walleye, but it seems like they fight pretty hard

Jimmy Houston is my favorite of the pros I see on TV all the time. I never understand how a person could be that happy all the time though, even on the lake. One thing I appreciate about his show is that he's not one of those guys who shamelessly pushes certain products (hi Roland!). He does endorse products (RoadRunner, Terminator, CC Wally Diver, etc), but doesn't shove them in your face like Roland Martin, and Jimmy's show is very educational. He really seems to make educating viewers one of the main points of his show, much like Lindner's Angling Edge. It seems the point of Roland's show is to push products and catch huge bass (more than his fishing partner) on private lakes. I can't freakin' stand the plugs Roland gives on his show, mainly because some of them are so planned and blatant. I mentioned one time on another post that he put Mega Strike all over a big dead baitfish when he was fishing for Jewfish in Florida. Ridiculous! Mega Strike is great, but let's get serious. Didn't mean for this post to be a bashing of Roland, but anyway... And yes, I have kissed some of my fish thanks to Jimmy Houston.

A day at the spa? Spa-type stuff (bubble bath, bath salts, etc.), something personal like a nice picture frame with a pic of the two of you?

...definitely did NOT poop my pants, so I don't know what that smell is you're talking about...

Yeah the prices on those are a little disturbing when you get to the high-end ones. I don't have a pontoon, but I'd LOVE one of those that I could stand up on (with that stability bar thing). However, I'm not gonna pay 1500 bucks for it. I'd rather buy a freakin' boat. I do absolutely love my float tube though - and those are pretty cheap. My trout Kennebec thing was about $150, and I've gotten a lot of use out of it. Nothin like catching smallies from a float tube out in the middle of the woods.

Wow, great news, and congratulations!

To rig it so it swings freely, put the trailer hook on, then the tubing. Bugman, I just bought some of those Gammy stinger hooks, and they look awesome. I rigged one up on a spinnerbait (even though I won't be using it til next summer), looks great, looks like it will track straight, but one question. Do you find it works as well (or better) than a standard trailer hook?

Great post guys, I've always wondered about GULP! baits, but now I guess I'll stop wondering and save them for catfish (if I ever decide to fish for them) and saltwater.

Mind you, I'm not a tournament fisherman, but I don't see how planting your own brushpiles would be cheating in a tournament, unless it's not allowed by the tournament or it's illegal to do so. IMHO, if you're gonna go through the trouble of planting brushpiles and plotting them, you're putting in hours of work for that advantage, so why not? Am I wrong?

I have to say, I love smallies and wouldn't trade the fight for anything.... except the fight of a peacock bass. Those things somehow fight harder - somehow they like being caught even less than smallies do. Those peacocks in the pictures were caught by ticking them off with little 3 inch senkos while they were guarding beds. Sometimes it took 20-30 casts to get them to hold on to it long enough to get a hookset. They would suck it in and almost immediately spit it out, literally within a second. Of course all fish were released in good condition, but very very ticked off >

And almost the worst time of year for LMB in ponds :-/

I think it's just the maximum force the drag can withstand - so if it says 8 lbs, you can't set it to 9 lbs - 8 is the max. I remember reading that RoadWarrior said a good drag setting is 25% of your line strength - sounds good.

Thanks guys, man do I miss catching fish like that. I can't buy a bass in those ponds lately, and it's been a while since a fish pulled out drag.

You need to get Plano 3701 boxes. They're the same length and width as 3700's, but they're about 2/3 as thick and you can do A LOT more as far as customizing each little slot. They also come with diagonal slots that you can put in, and you can really save a lot of space using these. I like Falcon boxes a lot, but they're too small for normal 3700-size tackle bags. Get a couple Falcon boxes for when you're fishing from shore or from a friend's boat - you can pick a bunch of baits for the day and just use a box or two instead of taking along all that dead weight.

Finally got around to getting some of my pictures onto my computer...I hope these work, and enjoy ;D First few are from a couple night fishing trips to a local pond/lake. My brother with a nice chatterbait smallie And another... Chunky LMB - don't mind the headlamp Hawg Trophy bluegill on a Pointer And a couple peacock bass from earlier in the summer in Miami Ok I edited these after failing the first time...this should have worked

Two women sitting quietly...