senile1

Getting skunked is like dying except it happens more than once. You know everyone has to face it, but you just don't know when.

Good point, HPBB. I've never been a tournament angler, but I am thankful for what B.A.S.S. has done in the past to help the sport. Every small organization that becomes large has its problems once the bureaucracy begins to take hold.

I've read this a few times since joining the site and I keep forgetting to ask this question: Glenn, do you only receive money when purchases are made through the banners, and/or do you also receive some advertising dollars for the number of hits generated by the banners, or a certain dollar amount per thousand hits?

Who was it that first suggested WD-40 as a fish attractant? Was it Homer Circle? I've noticed that Gary Yamamoto's Mega Strike appears to have a WD-40 smell. Interesting.

I've been a member for a number of years and it has been for the magazine as well.

Ditto to what Hawgin said. I was there the same night in KC but I went to the 8:00 seminar. We discussed the KC seminars in the Central Bass Fishing forum. Ike was entertaining and intellectually engaging without being condescending. I enjoyed the seminar. While I was familiar with most of what he covered he gave one tip that I appreciated. I have tube weights with the holes in them that I use to slip in my tubes for Texas rigging. Ike uses a cheap bell sinker inside the tube and threads the hook shank through the wire loop at the top to T-rig his tubes. How's that for a money saver. Why didn't I think of that?

I missed the original comments that led to this thread also. Craig, I don't know if you're still reading this thread. I'm not going to pile on here. I think you can see that expressing respect for one another on this forum is paramount. I still believe you could contribute a great deal of information to this forum, but I hope you can understand that whatever level of knowledge any of us have truly attained, it doesn't make the denigration of another person's post acceptable, even if that post possibly contains incorrect information. I'm more than willing to have you as a contributor here and I'm sure others are as well. I think I am speaking for everyone here when I say that nobody expects you to agree with every post that is made. We just ask that you disagree respectfully. Is that too much to ask?

Thanks for your post, Avid. In all of these threads where we, as a group debate the pros and cons of different issues, I have always tried to make the point to everyone that our favorite media outlets are biased and aren't giving the full truth either. Your post is exactly correct. They frame the debate for us, and if we read or hear an opinion that fits our pre-determined view we agree with it and run with it in our arguments and debates, often, without considering that we should read or listen to information that doesn't fit our pre-determined view. In any debate, the best way to remain open to the best ideas is to always keep in mind that you and your ideas could very well be wrong. Debate your points, but understand that the best solution or ideas aren't usually proposed by the media. The media tends to push us to the extremes on issues. Confrontation sells. Listen, and be open to the best courses of action whether these ideas come from you or those you oppose. Don't be fooled into useless arguments by the media.

FlukenLizard, rather than wait for a tournament at month's end, I'd bundle up and get out on the lake and relieve some of that anticipation.

LBH, please send me your school's brochure and an application. That is such a beautiful fish.

When I read RW's first post in this thread, I knew the link to the Stella was coming. As for Lightinrod's photo, don't you guys know a meat grinder when you see one???

Sweet . . . . 230 days of fishing in one year would definitely make for a very good year. I'm jealous. I wish I had the time to be on the water that much.

Ohio State received a real Tush kicking last night. I didn't expect it to be so lopsided. Kudos to Florida and the SEC.

Absolutely. I've been deeply into music since the ripe old age of seven in 1967 (seriously). I have so many favorite tunes I couldn't begin to pick them all.

I like jokes that make a good point. ;D

I haven't caught a lot of fish on this color either, but it is due to the fact that I have success with shad, bluegill, white, and chartreuse colored baits. I haven't used baby bass enough to give it a fair shake, compared to these other colors.

My year was good in some respects and bad in others. I became more adept at using the Carolina Rig, and at times, it was my go-to rig in the summer. I caught a larger number of 3 - 5 lb fish this year than I usually do, but my luck with catching a real hawg was dismal. So, for catching numbers of decent sized fish it was a good year. For catching monster bass, I performed poorly.

I'm so disappointed in Roland Martin. I liked him back in the day, but between the constant plugs for products on his show, endorsing junk such as this, and yelling "I gotta' a big bass, I gotta' big bass . . . . " over and over every time he hooks a bass I'm getting where I can't stand to watch him.

Same for me regarding big bass. I caught a few 5's, but no hawgs at all.

I've been close but I've never broken the 7 lb barrier. I think this is the year. I'm really looking for an 8. I've got this large pond that I've been fishing and the owner nailed a 7 lb'er during the spawn last year. He doesn't fish it very often. I've caught quite a few 4's and 5's from it in 2006. I'm going to try to do this in January and February because the few other people that fish this aren't winter fishermen.

This is downright wild!!! Wow. Great pictures. Be careful if you like to wear a coon skin cap.

I wouldn't want technology to do everything for me regarding locating and catching fish, but I would welcome improved livewell technology.

Very well put Ronnie, it 's funny, many of you guys think that spending 3 or 4 hundred dollars in a rod and a reel combo is waaaaaaaaaayyyyy too much, however are willing and spend 10,000 dollars and more in bassboat. I think this might be comparing apples to oranges. A new $10,000 bass boat is the low end of the price range, and therefore would compare with the low end of the rod and reel range. Due to the boat's purpose and the expense of making it fill that purpose, it is naturally going to cost much more than rods and reels. Of course, here I still follow my principles. I bought a cheaper used boat that meets my needs fine. Well, we all have our own opinions. I don't think anyone is ridiculous for whatever they buy. If it's good for them, great. Much earlier in this thread, before some of us started getting miffed, I stated that for me the benefits received from the highest price gear aren't enough to justify purchasing anything more than around a couple of hundred dollars . . . for me . . . . maybe not for anyone else. And as always, I'm more than open to changing my mind if I find that some of the highest priced equipment proves me wrong. My opinions aren't set in stone. We are all trying to achieve the same thing . . . . catching that big Momma bass. We just have different priorities and different ways of reaching the same goal.

This is always a good topic for generating many thoughtful posts. As I have said, I tend to stay in what I consider mid-range equipment (rods and reels below $200) but I am always open to persuasion. There is no reason to be close-minded about which equipment is the best for the money. I read an interesting article about how our own expectations will influence the value we perceive that we receive from a product. The link is below. http://finance.yahoo.com/columnist/article/moneyhappy/19279

I agree with the concept of "you get what you pay for," but only up to a point. Once you leave the bargain basement and are purchasing mid-range to high end equipment I believe that "you get what you pay for" is a bit simplistic. At the risk of offending every Harley rider on this site, I will say that Harley-Davidson motorcycles are the perfect example of this. I have ridden motorcycles since the early 70s and raced motocross in my teens. At one time, I read four motorcycle magazines cover to cover every month and I used to do all the mechanical work on my motorcycles. During that time, Harleys have never been close to being the fastest motorcycle, the best handling motorcycle, the most powerful motorcycle, or the longest lasting motorcycle. Why then do they command the highest prices and the best resale value? In a word . . . . . image. They sound cool, look cool, and they are marketed as individualistic and against the grain. If they are so against the grain, why is everyone buying them? The success of Harley's marketing is so phenomenal that the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers have tried to copy the Harley mystique with their own big V-twins. None of these bikes perform to the standard set by other Japanese and European bikes but the almighty dollar is what business is about and these bikes sell by the truckload. Are they the best for the money? If you are a performance afficionado like me, the answer is no way. If you like a solid bike that looks cool, sounds cool, and gets attention then maybe they are the best for you. Are they the best performing bike for the money? Absolutely not. (For years, Harleys have been awesome in flat track racing, due to the tremendous torque produced by the long stroke V-twin engines. This successful performance hasn't transferred well to their street bikes in most instances. The recent introduction of the V-rod in 2002 gave Harley one production motorcycle that could be considered high performing but you can get the same performance for a lot less money in other bikes.) I think the same can be said for high end fishing equipment compared to some of the best mid-range equipment. The high price doesn't justify the meager benefits received over mid-range equipment. So I buy mid-range rods and reels: $115 - $200 for reels and $110 to approximately $200 for rods. I am open to being persuaded, however.