CWB

Very nice!

Great vid Mike! Hope you didn't just put yourself out of business.

Good luck to both of you!

Kelley- Remember that my M-I-L is staying with us. The old bird isn't getting used as much as normal these days.

Keep in mind pleasure boat traffic and intelligent angler boat traffic are 2 different things. I do agree fishing is easier and usually better during the week but most of us are at work. I think if there was a 4000 boat tourney going on, I'd look for somewhere else to go. Might not be an option though.

X3. My favorite bait by far! Only issue is they tend to tear right where the tail makes the bend. Mend-It to the rescue. Also that If you have a weak heart, it's probably not the bait for you.

Agreed. At one time or another, I'm sure we've all kept a nice fish or 2 for the sole purpose of showing it off. Then as anglers we evolve and adopt the catch and release mentality. Nothing wrong with keeping one for mounting either. As long as you have a license it's perfectly legal. Stringers do not harm fish any more than the clip on culling systems used by many tournament anglers. Keep the fish in the water it was caught in for as long as possible. As others have said, it will die in a bucket. If your on the bank and the water is too shallow for the fish to live on a stringer, snap a pic or if you want to mount it, ice it ASAP and get it to a taxidermist. Let your consciencence be your guide.

On weekends, boat traffic is horrible up here with pleasure boats, jetskis, etc. They have as much right to use the water as we as fisherman do, as long as they keep their distance. If you can fish and don't fall out of the boat, the bass don't seem to mind.

1. Triton 2. Yamaha 3. Chevy 4. Bass Pro Shops 5. Abu Garcia 6. Strike King 7. Bank of America

WTG! Good one.

I see you couldn't convince them to wear the "lucky" shorts. I'm sure you guys had a blast!

Big-O was born happy. P.M. sent.

If this is it: http://danddfishingtackle.com/keystone/goldandnickel3.html it doesn't look like anything out of the ordinary and it looks like they're still available. Maybe try to match the skirt color up with a spinnerbait of similar design. Should be a skirt manufacturer out there that makes something close. Out of curiosity, can you post a pic of the color you're after?

Finally got pics from last weekend. Super hot for up here. Got a few nice ones Fri night. Fished alone so no pix. Got out at first light Sat. and did pretty good again. Headed in around 8:30 as it was too hot. The whole family came up Sat., including my brother. Haven't had him in the boat for a few years so we went out for an hour or so. I handed him my rod with the Rage Shad attached and headed for some shade. I started flippin a Space Monkey to a shaded seawall and heard a slurp and my brother said "got him" A couple minutes later I got this guy.: We got a few more and decided to spend the rest of the day in the water. Everyone left after dinner so I went out with my dad as the sun started to go down. He had another big one break his line and take his last Sluggo with it. I gave him my skippin setup with 12 lb. hybrid and tied on a Smokin Rooster. 3rd cast the boat rocks and I see he had one on: We each got a couple more but nothing huge. Good to see the old man get one to the boat without breaking his line. Plus I think I have 2 more Ragetail converts.

If you were a fish, who would you rather be held by? Good times with the Missus!

Check S.W.A.G. Jigs. You can choose blades, weight, skirt color etc. Dozer has a pretty huge selection that might have what you need also.

My $99.00 50E and St. Croix 6'6" med. is now my Fluke, Houdini Shad, Caffeine Shad combo. Get the same distance I did when my STX was on it but lighter weight is a plus. Flukes etc. were what i had in mind with this reel and I haven't been disappointed. Still not part of the posse though. I have a couple of just about anything. Revo's are my fav.

You're one sick puppy. That's what I like about you though!

Just put on the gloves and finish it already!

+ 1'd. Hey Mike, is that grammatically correct?

Weighted Stroker from Moaner. http://www.moanerhooks.com/ I use 6/0 1/4 oz most of the time but I'm in water 10' or less.

Been drooling over this since the sneek peek at KY lake earlier. X2 on the Black and Blue.

He's not big. You're just little.

Sounds like a good day!

for me, the Bird is the word.