Darren.

Welcome aboard, Andrew!

Hey now.... Yeah... I guess that could be me. But I sure RESPECT what they've done this year, as I noted in an earlier post. As hard as that was for me to do, mind you.

Likewise. They were my 1 and 2, respectively.

I kinda have the feeling the NFL will put some tight reigns on the ref squad for the SB in the light of the public relations nightmare. Those things aside, I think the SB should be a great game with two genius coaches going head to head. I feel the Pats have the real momentum here. But the Rams will hopefully come to play hard and make it a tight game down to the wire. While I will pull for the Rams, I'm rooting for a great game overall, and will give Brady his due applause if he wins yet another... I'll be watching, as we have a family SB party at my house every year.

I use it as a leader in 6, 8, and 10# tests. Strong line. Diameter is larger, so 6 is more like 8, and 8 is more like 10# test as compared to some other lines. But both have breaking points above ratings.

Wow. Gotta hand it to Brady. Play calling at line of scrimmage, sure-handed receivers, another trip to SB. Hate 'em as much as I do, Brady is amazing.

Respectfully, in a game that close, the call DID matter. We're talking the #1 and #2 teams in the NFC. Any given day...

Likewise for me. I was pulling for Brees, but told my wife either team would be fine. I just wanted a fair game all around.

Assuming this is accurate, the refs are, in fact, to blame. If call was made, game would have been over. Simple as that. From NFL Network's Ian Rapoport Twitter report: #Saints coach Sean Payton referenced it post-game: Senior VP of Officiating Al Riveron did, in fact, acknowledge the missed call vs the #Rams to Payton. The NFL admitted its error — the call should have been have defensive pass interference, source said.

Yep. I edited my post a minute ago to note the score. Don't feel like editing it any more for the rest of the game. As Mike Greenberg tweeted (ESPN):

Welp. Chiefs should be very thankful the score is only 7-0. Correction. 14-0 Pats D is eating Chief's O line for dinner. Was hoping for a better game than this. Plenty of time left, but goodness, Chiefs better put some points up or it's gonna be a long game....

Congrats Rams, but let's be honest, the game was over if the refs made the right call in regular time. I hate when refs decide the game. Hate it.

I would be OK with a Rams win IF they earned it. But if those two calls from the refs they utterly miffed decide this game, I'm gonna .... dadgummit.

#1 Go Saints! #2 Go Chiefs! Go home Patriots!

Welcome aboard, Jeremy! I'm sure we have some folks here who can give you some advice on Castaic. Unfortunately I'm not one of them. So did you do Match fishing with a long pole, or a traditional carp spinning outfit?

Welcome aboard!

You can use spinning for every single bass fishing technique. Casting, as @roadwarrior suggested, probably handles moving baits better. Cranks, for instance, can get tiring if thrown all day on spinning. As has been said, confidence is what it boils down to. My own experience has led me to spinning for the majority of all I throw, and I have one casting reel and two rods to change out based on what I want to throw. I set out to go 100% casting, and did quite well doing so. But one day a light came on while I was on the water with only two casting rigs. One of them backlashed (and I'm very competent at casting, BTW). That day it dawned on me that there are certain things spinning rigs excel at, including windy conditions, straight drops, etc. Point being, use what you feel competent/confident in, and don't bow to pressure that you *have* to use x or y in order to be a complete fisherman. That's just not true. If @Fish Chris and @SirSnookalot were still around, they'd have some good spinning advice. And Fish Chris has caught some of the biggest bass you and I will ever see - on spinning gear.

Welcome aboard, Michael....

I've been fortunate to have had by and large excellent experiences buying on eBay. I typically buy from established sellers with ratings over 97% as a rule-of-thumb. Years ago I did inquire about a MacBook Pro for sale, they emailed me back that they were out of the area and would send the MBP upon receipt of a bank check...Yeeeeah, no.

Sometimes doing a google search of bassresource.com actually reveals more info than an actual forum search.... It's all good. Ask away, as Dumbledore said, "there's always help to be found at bassresource.com to those who ask." Or he said something kinda like that. If you have some spare change, get a couple/few spools of 4 and 8 strand braided lines and test them out for those techniques.

I bought a fly tying kit from BPS, contains an AA Vise. It suffices, but if you can afford something over $20, then I'd say go for that. I'd love to splurge for a much easier to use vise. Not sure BPS still sells it, can't find it online. Was maybe $30 or $40 for the whole kit - bobbin, scissors, vise...

There is discussion on this topic on a weekly basis. Best is entirely subjective, but here's some favs on the forums: Power Pro Power Pro Super Slick Sufix 832 Daiwa J-braid, Samurai Sunline SX1 Seaguar Smackdown To name a few. Some like 4 strand others prefer 8. I use Power Pro and SS8, would try more but it's expensive.

I have no plans to ever live up north again. Kudos to all y'all that love it, do the ski thing, snow mobiles, dog sledding, etc. Living in the Rochester, NY area in the 70s, early 80s and mid- late 90s was enough for me. Not a wus, just prefer to be in weather that is more friendly. And I like year-round fishing that doesn't involve drilling holes in ice.

Welcome aboard! I'm on the Peninsula, we've got several places up here that are good for bass year-around including Big Bethel, Harwood's Mill, Newport News Park, Waller Mill Park, and more up the peninsula. Others will have to chime in for the South Side as there are MANY places there for great bass. I know of Lake Prince, but that's the about it for me. Never fished down there.

Welcome aboard, Scott!