Fat-G

Seriously. There's so many people that try and correct you, and when they're wrong, they won't admit it. I mean come on.

Two of my friends mumble into the phone, can never understand them. Calling me "bud". Constantly criticizing the gear that I have, and giving me reasons why your rods/reels are better. Trying to hold something over my head, like I "owe" you something. Ie - "keeping score". People that will NOT stop talking about all of the partying they do. I don't think I could possibly care any less. When someone that is of a lower intelligence level than myself trys to speak in a condescending manner, or talk me down. That's when you break out the big words and hope you don't stutter. When my mother keeps yelling my name, then asks me to pass her the remote or take a picture of the dogs. Her computer is ridiculously slow with over 15,000 pics. Of our dogs. When she constantly asks me about the same thing to make sure I heard her. I do love my mom though. Best mother ever.

I really have no intention of fishing public waters, simply because I do not have a boat, will not be getting a boat, and don't want to use the '79 F-100 to tow said boat. Really, I don't care what people say regarding pond fishing - it's what I can access and at the same time have some fun. In the end, it's all fishing. Sayith what you will, don't bother me none.

For enthusiasts, technique specific gear is fun to collect. However, three rigs cover all the basics: #1 6 1/2' or 7' MH baitcaster for jigs, some soft plastics and spinnerbaits #2 6 1/2' or 7' MM baitcaster for treble hook lures #3 7' MF spinning rod for lighter lures and a variety of techniques I recommend #6 Yo-Zuri Hybrid for spinning gear; #12 Hybrid for baitcasting.

You were DUE Cliff, so happy for you man. That jig'n craw combo is SO DEADLY. Way to go man, and I totally understand just wanting to see the pics!

Can't help you with the cranking rods as I don't throw them, but... If you're wanting to swap the SS704 for a more powerfull rod, keep this in mind: The 735c is a Flipping/Pitching/Frog rod. It has a completely different action than the 734c. Very, very fast with a quick, light tip. It's hands down the BEST frog rod I've ever used. It has the perfect action for walking frogs and tons of power to pull them out of slop and other heavy cover. I could actually make a Spro spin in circles in place with the 735c. I bought it to use as a pitching rod, but it was a little bit too fast for my liking. The 734c will also be slightly more powerful than the SS704. Compared to the SS734, the 734c will have a slightly faster action as well. Seeing as you're going to use it for jigs/plastics, I would get the 734c with the full handle. To me, the full handle version is VERY important. I'll break it down even more, maybe in a less-confusing way, LOL. Jigs: SS735 / Champion 734c, 735c, or 764c / DX745 Plastics: SS734 / Champion 734c / DX744, DX784, or DX745 Frogs: SS735 / Champion 735c or 736c / DXnoneed The Dobyns rods have a ton of different actions, and they change from series to series. It can be a PITA to try and pick one, and I know that from experience!

One time I pressed the button on a shock pen.... Just kidding, glad you're alright homie. Sounds to me like another pawn shop trip is in order...

Oh.my.god.

The jig bite is getting pretty hot around here.As the water warms up a little, it will catch fire. Throw a flipping jig into any wood cover you can find, especially when it's next to deep water, a creek channel, or a hump. Let it sit for a while then VERY SLIGHTLY twitch it. Like just twitch the line, don't move the jig with the reel at all.

P-Line C21 is an excellent, cheap copolymer line. For $5 a spool you can get four for the price of a cheaper flouro. Very abrasion resistant and STRONG.

Good God, I will never have to buy Jackall Sasuteki Craws (in every color), Flick Shakes, or RI Flirt's again. Bought everything they had plus all the stuff in the back. Wow. It's like they don't even know. The girl checking me out was asking why I was laughing while she was ringing it up. Too bad I really have no use for all of this stuff, LOL.

Ahh man, our late Golden Retriever was named Ginger. Best dog anyone could have ever asked for. When I joined my first forum (BPS), I couldn't think of anything, looked over at Ginger, and typed in "fatg", seeing as she was a LOAD. Close to 30 pounds overweight! Kind of stuck ever since, and a lot of you guys refer to me as G, which I like. I'm really not fat, LOL.

Definitely, and it looks like they're slightly unhealthy as well. Baby gills tend to get thicker in healthy ponds with lots of cover to hide in. I would venture to guess that you got these out of a river or wide open lake.

Hell yeah paul! I was inspired to post this after reading yours earlier. Wish the pic had come out better to show how purty he was. Only a dink, but it felt good! Biggest today was ~2, but that was probably the best 2 pounder I've caught in a long time! Got a pm coming your way here soon.

The last fish I caught was the 7.2 on December 22, and when 2011 left us, it took my jig bite with it. I've really been struggling to start off 2012. Heck, not struggling to get bites, but struggling to get a hook in them. Lots of missed fish, bad hooksets, stretchy line, rods that are too short/not powerful enough, and reels that are too slow. Struggling to learn a new technique, winter probably isn't the best time to try and gain confidence in something new! I really needed to go back to a technique that I know I can catch fish on... the jig! I got on a pretty good football jig bite for a couple of hours. Air temps in the 30's with freezing rain all day forced me to suit up in the Carhartt coat, bibs, and insulated boots. Fished the pond where I caught my biggest in 2011, about an hour away with a creek flowing in and plenty of brushpiles to suit my needs. I was working the jig pretty quickly along a drainage pipe that has a dropoff and rockpile close by, and the fish were SLAMMING it. No "deadweight" bites today despite the horrible conditions. After a while I moved over and threw the jig into the creek and worked it back out; water depth ~3-4'. I missed what could have been (and probably is) the biggest fish to ever bite my little jiggy. When I missed the hookset due to a long cast and STRETCHY 20# flouro, she actually made a big wake in 4' of water. I saw her head and part of her body - I don't want to be "that guy" , but she was way over 10 FO SHO. I'll get her next time. While it's certainly no monster, this little dude really helped to turn my confidence around. Him and his six little amigos put me in a good, confident mood. Wish this pic came out better to show how pretty this little dude was. That was the main reason for taking a picture, LOL. BTW - I'm never going to use anything but braided line for jigs again. If I remember correctly, that's the 8th BIG fish I've missed because of stretchy line.

Bar none one of these absolute FUNNIEST posts I have ever read on this site. Well done shimmy, very well done. Nice fish Mr. Parks! Caught a couple like those myself today.

Hot dam dude I woulda bought that in a heartbeat. Need to see if we have any pawn shops around here... Can't tell if I'm jealous/ticked at you right now or happy for you haha

Year round, but more recently I got EXTREMELY organized with my three baits for 2012, dropped down to a whopping two combos, and dropped close to 1K on baits, line, hooks, etc.

I agree with all of you, in reality, I've got it made - great family and friends and that is all that matters! When I posted this I was more mad than complaining. You definitely have to push through the sucky weeks to get to the good ones!

It's been one of those weeks. I have a very long temper, but it's running incredibley short. It seems like everything that could have possibly ticked me off this week happened. All I wanted to do today was hit a pond and fish until dark. Got a new technique that I have been DYING to try, but everyday problems arise that don't allow me to go. Today I went to the pond, made ONE cast, got a phone call and had to leave. I mean really? Hopefully all of this bad fortune will lead to some good karma - and hopefully very soon. Starting to feel like I need to hit something over and over again. The bright side is that nothing really traumatic has happened, it's just been things that really hit a nerve with me. I'll just keep smiling and pushing through.

If I was in your shoes, I would look for a used Dobyns Champion 734c for ~$140, and throw a good condition used Citica 200E on it.

I used to think I was afraid of them as well, until I randomly had the urge to pick up a black rat snake on the road one day. Now I'm not afraid of them, but a musking snake smells terrible.

This will sound weird to some, but I would prefer the Curado in that situation. I actually prefer a less smooth reel for contact baits, and I'm not really sure why.

Luna 300... I really like this thing. Like a lot.

I love Ike, he's a great guy and very passionate. I actually think it was cool that he broke a rod on the boat haha.