Lund Explorer

When I began my quest to become a certified weapons instructor, the goal was to promote safe weapons handling and marksmanship. By the time I left them, the organization's goal was to skin as much cash out of the wallets of its most gullible members to enhance the payroll of a lobbyist firm.

Interesting weekend and plenty of highs and lows to finish the tourney. Kudos to Mr. Spieth for a great run in the majors, but without a doubt, Jason Day earned a ton of my respect to play the way he did suffering with vertigo. If I was Dustin Johnson, I don't think I would have slept very well last night or for the next week or two for that matter.

Funny that you should mention this, as I was already seriously thinking of an April 2016 trip. Original plan was a Sat. 4/23 -to- Sat. 4/30 trip, but I could get talked into a later date. How does Sat. 5/14 -to- Sat. 5/21 sound? FYI, I'd probably be making the trip solo this time as the War Dept. is getting a new job and won't have the vacation time. As long as it doesn't sink, I will be towing a boat, will gladly be willing to pickup someone along the way, and will gladly rent a multi-bedroom cottage if anyone wants to share. The only bad news is that I couldn't make a trip during the first 10 days of the month. In a moment of weakness, I have been talked back into my former career on a part-time basis.

Almost correct. I'd get into the truth, but Glenn has already warned us. Let's just say that I hope you made your latest "urgent donation"!

I found a place where every fish I catch is released unharmed. It's located on my computer screen. Perhaps there are some people who would be better off limiting their fishing to the same venue.

Does anyone remember what the stated purpose of the NRA was when it was originally formed? When you can find the answer for why their message changed, you will understand why these events will probably never end.

Good point. A lesson learned from my Dad many years ago gave me a new way to look at complaining about poor service. The man had no qualms about registering a complaint about a bad product or bad service, but he always took it to the business owner and never to the employee. His reasoning was that as a business owner, they had a large monetary interest in seeing that their business was performing at its best. If an employee wasn't doing their job, he wasn't trying to get the employee into trouble, he was trying to help the owner.

I'm very sorry to hear this. The fact that your Mom has given you this most difficult chore tells me that she has a lot of trust in you. But being put in the middle of following her wishes and keeping your family informed needs to be resolved for your sake if for no one else. Has her doctor suggested calling in Hospice? Most Hospice organizations will have numerous staff on duty to help your mother and the entire family through this time. If they have not been brought in at this point, I would suggest that you contact her doctor to get them involved. Besides in home nursing care, Hospice should have available both social workers and clergy that should help in making Mom understand that the entire family must be informed. This takes away the need for you to confront her on the subject which is something I'm sure you don't want to do. Leave this to the professionals, and talk to her doctor or hospice today.

Tom, I have to say that the problem of outright cheating in tournaments isn't nearly as widespread as it may appear, but I do know that tournament anglers take the subject quite seriously. There are also different levels of cheating. There are those who try to bend the rules. They bring in a fish that bumps just a little short, come in a few minutes late, or maybe push a no-wake speed limit. These infractions are usually taken care of in-house with preset penalties. Then there are the guys who flat out break the rules, such as this guy did. I've never seen law enforcement involved, but then in all of the tournaments I've fished in, there was only one where such an event took place, and the tournament director actually caught three individuals that day. One was caught with a fish basket, and the other two were caught using live bait. All three were told not to show up at the weigh-in, their names where given out to all of the attendees, and a letter was sent out to all of the area's other clubs detailing the infractions. This type of public shaming was the big penalty, as almost every other club or TD would make sure that the cheaters couldn't move their act to another group. By the way, my partner and I won that day and we were even checked by the TD. We were fishing one small sunken island within sight of the launch all day and the TD's wife mentioned to him that we hadn't moved for a very long time. Of course when the TD saw that we were parked on a large group of beds, he understood why. Had we lost that tournament and found out later that a cheater had stolen it away from us, yeah, I would've been peeved. It really wasn't about the money for us, it was the recognition. We were fishing someone else's home water, and on that day we came out on top. Our goal was to proof that we could beat the hometown boys in their own backyard. We wanted to return the next year, and hear the groans that they just might be fishing for second place. Tournament fishing is one of the few amateur sports that doesn't have a built in handicap system like golfing or bowling has. Nobody can sandbag for an advantage, and no individual or team gets to start the day with a fish or two in the livewell at blast off. I saw too many times in those other sports where the golfer with a maxed handicap shot a course record net score, or the bowler who threw a 900+ series when his handicap was added in. It always amazed me at how many people just accepted these things, and I got to the point where I refused to compete in either of those sports. But fishing started everyone out even keel. Maybe that is the reason why cheating is looked down on so much.

Smaller stuff on top should work. Do you have a fly rod? Have you ever tried using a casting bubble in front of a fly/bug? I've always done best when I can get as close to match the hatch when the mayflies are going full bore.

When I tuned in, my first thought was that this is what golf will look like when you can't water the course. I'm still not sold on fairways and greens that look like they are suffering from some dreadful disease, but it does look like a challenging layout. Fox Sports? All I can say is pitiful. Of course, there is also the train wreck of a game Tiger Woods has been putting together lately. I've never seen such a collapse and it is starting to look like nothing is going to turn it around. The swing mechanics are completely FUBAR, and I don't think its physical at this point.

I'm surprised her mommy didn't show up to protect her. I can remember when parents would say that they would be happy if their children had it better than they did. Back then, this meant that their children had the chance for better paying jobs, better homes, and in general a healthier happier life. Parents taught their children what it took to succeed, to respect others, and that there were consequences when you goofed up. Somewhere along the line, those goals have morphed into today's helicopter parents whose only goal is to make sure that Little Johnny or Mary Jane gets whatever they want. Heaven forbid that their child is punished by a teacher at school, is left off the starting lineup of whatever sport they aren't really good at, or anyone else who expects their babies to live up to anyone else's expectations.

Well on the bright side, if you bought one of each the price would be about the same as for a real reel!

Losing draft picks doesn't hurt. If you want to put the pinch on a pro team, take away some of their salary cap!

This effort is like a complete 180 from your original one. It deserves a different tact. So you state that your goal is working as a fish or game warden, or something else that's close. What are the required qualifications? Should be easy to find if you go to your state's employment website as they will show job openings, salary, and any required education or prior experience. From your original post, I would have said that the choice of college would require a Google search using the term "Blutarsky". But if the only thing holding you back from a higher degree is money, then I would suggest looking at either active duty or a stint in a local Nat'l Guard unit. GI Bill benefits, possible signing bonus, and if available the chance to work in Security/Law Enforcement for some job experience. However, if wearing a uniform isn't your thing, I would really hesitate going into the debt needed for a four year education to earn a rookie fish cop's wage.

If it comes to creating entertainment, I must bow to the master. I'm just trying to become the grumpiest member, and some of your posts are making it really hard!

I don't think you can wrong on any of the brands you've listed, and I promise not to mention the one I'm running around in! If I were in your shoes, I would base my final choice on: #1 Layout, #2 Price, #3 Service.

Big time mayfly hatch going on right now. The kids said the lake's surface was carpeted with hulls a couple of days ago. Might want to consider fishing just below the surface rather than dragging anything on the bottom. 1/8oz jig head with a 3" smoke grub?

Kudos! Hope you survive the flood of Yankees!

And that is, was, and shall continue to be the problem. If you watched MJ win all those rings, do you remember the years the Detroit Pistons kept sending him home early? The Jordan Rules were alive and doing quite well while Chicago based their team around one player instead five guys on the floor that could produce. Nothing wrong with MJ, but he needed four other decent players on the floor with him before he got his first ring. It's going to be the same for Lebron or anybody else.

Congrats Raider, I really think that you've learned something that Tooter Turtle never did. Mr. Wizard would always give Tooter the same advice: "Be what you is and not what you is not. Folks that is what they is, is the happiest lot."

News reports say that Lebron and the rest of his team were simply "relaxing and chilling" which I recently learned is the best way to approach life!

In a perfect world, Gitmo would now have a professional football and baseball team! And Bucket Fishermen! Lots and lots of bucket fishermen!

The OP stated that the lake was ruined for 5 years. Even if every adult keeper sized bass was removed from this lake, it makes little sense that the sub-legal sized fish didn't replace those keepers within a much shorter period. Also missing from the discussion is the fact that the OP didn't mention if this club's members stayed with the creel limits established by the state. If they did so, then it was within their legal right to do so. The only possible problem this bunch may have created would be a public relations one, which in truth was the primary reason why other bass organizations began practicing smaller limits along with catch and release fishing. The final part of the OP's initial post included the statement that they wished banned from fishing and somehow publicly shamed by others makes little or no sense whatsoever. This is the same tired argument made when others don't agree with their perspective on them matter at hand. The bottom line? The world would be perfect if only everyone would act the way I want them to!

A few simple truths. Anyone who decides to cheat, whether in a bass tournament or any other competition has decided that the prize exceeds the value of their name and reputation. For some, the value they place on those things is quite low! The easiest way to cheat is done when you think no one else is looking. This is the best reason to never enter a competition that allows an individual to perform without a disinterested second party.