CWB

Big-O. Great guy, great fisherman, great teacher, and of course great storyteller!. One of the best fishing days I've ever spent. It was "turbalicious"!

Just had a friend tell me it might have been from insect repellent. Anyone have any similar experiences? Might explain why the screen wasn't effected. Still need to find a safe way to clean off the case.

Thanx guys. Dwight, 50/50 mix and is it safe for the screen? Ken

I left my 597 on the boat overnight which was tied up to the dock. The next morning there were little white spots on the black casing only, none on the screen. At first I thought a bird had made a strafing run but that would have hit the screen also. Plus the spots are all very small, not a big blotch. I tried wetting my finger and wiping them off and it did help a little, but that is as far as i went as I do not want to damage the unit without knowing how to properly clean it. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Easy. All of them! Rage Shad has become my #1 bait the past few seasons as soon as it warms up and the grass starts growing. After that, Craw on a jig, Rooster, Monkey, Lizard. Tough to pick. That's why I have 100 bags of each.

Doubt they stage catching the fish as the OP suggests, but Mr. Dance does fish from a private pond. I would bet on it. Every bass show he does looks like it is shot on the same long, narrow pond at different times of the year and with different baits. He does have a fetish for dragging a fish around at boatside waiting for it to jump. I don't like the way he holds the fish up near horizontally either. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for him and what he has accomplished and given to the sport. Would be refreshing to see him fishing a public body of water and see another boat on that water once in a while. I rarely watch his show anymore. Lindner's Angling Edge is shot in my neck of the woods and always on public water. Even Roland fishes public water. I would love to have access to Bill's pond though. Some pigs in there for sure!

Hey Deb- If Mike puts on a wig and some makeup, could he qualify?. Probably not enough makeup on the planet.

If you haven't tried the Mega Stick, give 'em a try. I watched a fish grab one and followed him/her around for several minutes actually tugging on the bait to get him to let go. He wouldn't. Had to practically lift him out of the water to get him to let go and get my bait back. It would be fun to see Bobby and Dozer going at it again.

Good one JF! I like a Rage Craw and try to match the color of the jig.

Like painting a Toyota a different color, calling it a Lexus, and charging more for it. (Couldn't resist)

I clean and "re-lube" all my new reels so that isn't the issue. Sounds like I need to use it more and break it in. Thanks guys.

Maybe I wasn't clear in the OP, but the problem is it seems like it takes more "effort" to re-engage the spool after a cast by turning the handle. Everything else after that is smooth as silk. Picture reeling the bail closed on a spining reel. Seems like I have to turn the handle harder than any other reel I own to re-engage the spool after a cast and it makes a distinctive clicking sound when doing so. All else is fine. Yeah, I bet they sold quite a few at $97.88.

I have a question that perhaps one of the posse members can answer for me. I sent an email to American Legacy about the Curado 50E sale and I got lucky about a week later I got an email that they had a cancellation so I snapped one up. I like it so far but one thing: Handle seems a bit hard to turn to engage the spool after a cast. Also is a pretty audible "Click". Will this get better with use or is this how it is? Not a huge deal. Just curious.

Without getting into a political discussion here, first, I believe all life is sacred. I also believe we as humans need to eat and being at the top of the food chain, animals must die, through hunting, fishing, farms, whatever. I also believe human life should always be considered above animal life. I do love animals but if push came to shove..... On abortion, I feel in most cases, like just about everything else today, it has taken the responsibilty out of the equation in a very personal decision. Act first, think later. I don't like it but that seems to be the way it is in today's society. It is almost like going to the pet store, buying a certain fish, getting home and deciding you don't want it, then flushing it down the toilet. JMO

I've seen T.V. shows where Gator Gar were stalked and shot at night. I believe it was in Texas. P.S. What's a Gar Pike? Shooting a Pike, or any gamefish for that matter, is illegal, here in Illinois anyway. Currently Gar are not considered gamefish. http://www.ifishillinois.org/awards/bow_table.html

I think she saw my wallet and never looked up. P.S. When is the last time you snuck up on the mirror and took a good look before it broke?

What a beauty Roger! The fish, not you. Great pic.! Stupid question but how do you like the Big Easy. Reasonably priced bait and great colors.

I would also advise staying away from Massachusetts. If a certain individual's behavior at the BBQ restaurant at the KY lake Roadtrip was any indication, you will not be safe. He actually tried to steal away the waitress that was flirting with me.

WTG Girl!!!!!

Only time I ever followed any loons they led me to a bar. Oh, did you mean birds?

I have the exact same Everstart trolling motor battery (120 AH) and have not had any issues for 3 years now. I charge it out of the boat with a Sears 15 amp charger set at 12v deep cycle. Never takes more than 5-6 hours to fully charge, even after running for almost 2 days. Are you using both batteries to start the engine and run the T.M? You should use a separate battery for each. If T.M is 24V, use 2 separate ones for that. If the starting batt. goes dead, you can usually rig up the good one(s) to start the engine.

You found a Pawn Star but did Danny find a Po*n Star? First glance at the pic I thought it was Dozer with long hair.

Like most have said, I re-spool as needed. Mono more often, Flouro as needed, (it does not last forever but does last longer than mono) http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/fluorocarbon_line.html and I usually check braid after every outing and always re-tie at least once or twice during the day. My frog rod has had the same Power Pro for 2 years running and is still holding up fine. I keep all my line in a tupperware tub in the garage where no light can find it and it stays relatively cool. The reels stay in the rod locker when not in use. Read more about fluorocarbon stretch, water absobtion (soak test) best knots, etc. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewfluorocarbon2.html These guys are usually pretty unbiased. I like Big Game Mono, Yo-Zuri Hybrid, Sunline Flouro if I can get it on sale, or Trilene 100% or BPS, and Power Pro Braid. I'm sure everyone has their personal preferences. Like R.W. said, maybe the most important thing is checking it often no matter what your preference.

Carp, yeah. Gar no. As Ted Nugent says, Whack 'em and Stack 'em. Our lakes management association uses them and the weeds they harvest as fertilizer for the local farmers and they take all they can. Some people smoke them and claim they are pretty good. I cannot confirm this. I go out with my son at night and we have a ball. I do not think gar are a threat to anything and Gator gars are one of the last true huge freshwater GAMEFISH in America. They were once hunted to the brink of extinction here. I understand the thrill of shooting a large fish and handlining it in but why gar? I'd rather catch a 100lb gar than shoot one. But then I'd rather catch a 40 lb. carp than shoot one also. Could be a local overpopulation issue. No problem then and it is legal. As said previously, conscience needs to be your guide.

It should be easy enough to find out if there were studies done or recommendations made as to which weed killer or method to use. Contact the DNR. Illinois is usually behind the curve in this kind of stuff but we had 2 years worth of meetings before we came up with an agreeable solution. They should have a plan in place to selectively remove unwanted weedgrowth in specific areas only. Not the entire body of water. The time to voice an opinion is before it is done, not after. Not always the easiest but if you pay attention and do some research, you can usually find what the DNR is planning. If you're in a club, that's more voices to be heard.