Lund Explorer

I'm still planning on getting down there on Saturday, but won't know for sure until Friday afternoon. One last issue to clear up that just isn't in my control. I'll shoot you a PM once I know what's going on.

Locationist! I know those little buggers are down there. Prime structure with good cover will always hold fish so it is simply a matter of putting the proper lure within the bass' strike zone. When those fish are in a negative mood, that zone can be extremely small which can lead you to think that there aren't any fish in the area. Throughout the years, I've found that if the bass are turned off on one spot they will be turned off across the whole lake. With that in mind, there is little sense in thinking that moving is going to change your luck. I'm better off going vertical, slow, and small in hopes of bumping the noses of several fish than to spend that time running all over the lake. The only question I haven't figured out is how to deal with the opportunist sitting in the back of the boat!

At least you got some OT Pay coming in during the off season. Hope you can stash a little of it off to the side for a spring order from the bait monkey!

IMHO you left too many variables out of your post. What type of boat would you be putting this on, how much weight for fishermen and their gear to start with. You should be able to get the torque from Merc's website. The hole shot is going to vary widely by boat, prop, and the variables. I don't think a review from somebody with a boat only 2/3's your weight is going to help.

Did anyone else notice that the final AP poll shows that one clueless bozo actually gave LSU a 1st Place vote?

Darn, I missed the Chumpionship Game of the Century! Maybe someday we'll see a playoff system and teams that can't get over 100 yds of offense will be on the sidelines where they belong.

File name for that jpeg was "Ouch". That just about sums it up. It's hard to tell if the whole axle is gone though. Rhino is right about nuts and bolts. I've been involved with something that could have turned out just as bad. A friend of mine had the aluminum lug nuts loosen up on him. By the time we got pulled over to the side of the road, only one bolt had not been sheared off and the tire was NOT aligned with the hub. Fortunately for us, we were still within the city limits where speed was kept down. A guy could save a lot of time and money by using a checklist that covered things to look out for daily, weekly, monthly, and so on.

Good luck with your new adventure. I'm not sure about spending five years to get a teaching degree right now, but hopefully it works out for you.

So much for inflation being any part of the problem! My take on the cost of this sport is that it's a hobby. With any hobby, a person should fund it with disposable income which becomes larger as the person ages. When your house is paid for, when the kids grow up and move out, or when Uncle Harry dies and leaves you a small fortune, then there will be enough to spend on the high dollar goodies. Until then, life is going to be a whole lot easier if you accept living within your means and not waste the energy it takes to *** those folks that can already afford those things you think you need the most. I'm much more impressed with the guy that gets the most out of what he has, than with the guy that has everything and thinks that somehow makes him better.

What has the price of oil done lately?

Wellllll, I thought that was self-explanatory. When you married her daughter, she became yours!

There is a darn good reason why Mother-in-Law jokes are so popular, but all of us guys need to remember several things. 1/3 of those jokes deal with the woman that raised you, and another 1/3 is (or will be) aimed at the woman you married!

That was a great post Snook! I can't even begin to say how many graduates have sent resumes to me over the last 30+ years, but I can count two or three times on the same hand how many of those people were worth what they spent on those degrees. I can't tell you how many people I have know (my own kids included) that are working completely outside of their chosen education background. There's a really good reason why the saying; "Would you like fries with that?" is directly tied to recent graduates. With regards to the linked author, I will repeat that almost every point made was because the student made the wrong choice(s). IMHO the biggest mistake many young people make is taking every summer off during their college years. Universities operate all year long, and the vast majority of students could be taking classes during the summer, especially during the first couple of years. Just by doing this one thing, most graduates would get their diplomas in 3 to 3 1/2 years, which will reduce their cost of living during time in school. Sadly, many students fall back on the excuse of not finding the class they want instead of taking the class that fills the requirement. Perhaps worse are those students who spend the summer off without picking up part-time work. The bottom line is that college life should mirror working life rather than high school. Unless you think you want to become a school teacher, there aren't too many decent jobs in the real world that gives them three months off each summer. While I'm at it, I should say that A-Jay's comment about military service was spot on as well. I think many young people would be better off spending a few years away from school, and then perhaps hitting up their favorite Uncle to help pay for it later.

Another boring rerun that won't answer any question of who a national champion could/should be. If LSU wins, what's the big deal as they already beat Alabama before. If Alabama wins, LSU whines that they have now split their two games and could/should get at least 1/2 the championship. WILL be a good evening to go to bed early as there isn't a Red Wings game on!

Seems that most of the authors "points" deal more with the choices made by the students. Most of them poorly thought out.

Gosh A-Jay, couldn't you find a video of a 50 mile road trip using an entire gallon of window washer solvent? My favorite part of winter is watching my black truck turn white from all the salt on the roads!

Since you showing that rigging off at last year's road trip, I've found this to be my favorite way to fish a Rage Craw. I'll still use it for shallower water next year but I'm thinking of trying them deeper on a Jika Rig. Has anyone tried them on one of these rigs? Results?

I find the best way is to spread them in an even pattern under the rear tires of my tow vehicle for traction on icy boat ramps.

Right off the bat, let me say Welcome to Bass Resource! Just as importantly, congratulations on your success with your new show. Hope to see you on these threads, and maybe someday on WFN!

A couple of potential sources for your idea. Have you ever seen the fish cradles they use for landing/releasing muskies? I'm not sure of the material used on these things, but it allows a person to land one of these fish without use of a regular net. I was thinking perhaps a three sided contraption using this same type of netting. Another source you might want to research would be the bags that European bank fisherman use. I've seen pictures of them but can't remember their names. These guys use them to hold carp, so holding a bass shouldn't be a problem. Keep tinkering!

That's an interesting looking camera Rhino. Was this a camera that you had purchased back in the day? I just came into possession of several older models. They include a 1950 version of the Argus C-3 Brick, an older Super 8 movie camera, along with a couple of others that are from back in the 1930's. The Argus was my Dad's that he bought just before going into the Navy and it's taken an untold number of color slides that I got also. Those slides will be slowly scanned and labeled onto the computer this winter. The Super 8 movies are getting outsourced to a company thatwill get them put onto DVD's.

I will be down there for the weekend. Planning on being at the show on Saturday and hitting BPS on Sunday morning before heading back north. We need to figure out how/where we could all meet up.

We looked into this many years ago, and I might have to do a little digging to see if I still have the manufacturer's information. Suffice it to say, it is an expensive option as most companies are going to require you to purchase an entire run of product. You have to remember that besides the material, they have to setup the run and clean up molds/machines after the run. On bait shop I shop at frequently used to have special order colors made for Kalin's grubs. If I remember, the owner said his minimum order was in the thousands. You might be better off to look in the "Tackle Making" section to see if any other member might make you a smaller order. Or, you might want to consider making your own. These same members can steer you to companies that will get you setup with everything you'd need to make them.

Making your own or having someone special build them?

To Glenn & Keri, all the mods, those intrepid road trip coordinators, to all of you who've I met and to those who I hope to meet sometime in the future, to young and old and anywhere between.... May all of you get everything you've hoped for this holiday season and throughout the coming year. Merry Christmas, Steve & Jackie And a very special shout out to Deb Warner. You gave us a very special gift this year that I'm still hearing about.