.ghoti.

I'm officially signed up to room with Dinky, Rhino and ProCrafter. Never let it be said that I will hang out with just any Tom, Dink and Larry. Note to Long Mike: my registration form is a work in progress.

Ditto.. Just take that thing out and fish with it. Be a bit careful the first few casts. You may just be impressed with yourself.

Now that's a d%$#@d good answer.

I get one bottle of Essence du Borderies each year. My fav local wine merchant gets two cases each year, and one bottle has my name on it. Not cheap, but it's what Henessey wants to be when it grows up.

The flea market is the only one I miss from the drop down list.

All I can say to you Jeff, is it's darned good thing I don't own a liquor store.

My grandmother used to make hot toddys for us when we were kids. Probably be arrested these days for such behavior. A cup of hot water, a shot of whisky, tablespoon of honey, juice of half a lemon, pinch of ginger. Good medicine.

Johnie Walker is, for me, the standard by which blended scotch judged. For single malts, it's Macallan.

I've had two of those samplers in the past; bought in duty-free shops. They had Black, Green, Gold and Blue. Tasty!! The Green Label is a single malt. I'd buy it again if I could find it.

iphone5 user here. I had my previous phone for almost 5 years, which means it was beyond obsolete. I too, have to text to communicate with most of the people with whom I wish to communicate, PITA that it is. Voice-to-text is cool, particularly when driving. camera is decent. calendar, maps / navigation, alarm clock weather newsstand and facetime are all very nice to have. I've only purchased two apps, so far. A utilities app includes calculator, voice memos, compass and contact listing. The iFart app is always good for a chuckle. So yeah, I'm an old guy with smartphone, but I wonder if maybe I'd be better off if I were still a smart guy with an old phone.

I'll pour some in my flask, and you can see for yourself when we're at Bull Shoals in a couple of weeks.

I also just found a grocery store selling Black Bush for $30. If you haven't had it, try it sometime.

The wife and I went to Jamaica for our winter getaway this year. Had no plans to vist the duty-free shops this trip, but while walking through, found a deal. Johnie Walker Platinum. one liter for $100 or two $150. I bought two. Last year I found Double Black, and said to myself, "self, this is my new fav". I took one bottle along on a fishing trip last February, and RoadWarrior declared it the best scotch he's ever had. Well, they upped the game again. This one is better yet. If you're a scotch enthusiast, look for this stuff next time you want something special. I just had to do a quick comparison. Had about 1/2oz of Platinum next to a 1/2oz of Blue. Personally, I'll take Platinum over Blue Label any day.

Go to Fuji's website. Just about everything you want to know will be there. Mudhole also has good info.

If you manage to get some JJ's, and you have a wife, do not even open the bottle in the house. I made some very effective flukes, using JJ's to "paint" the top edge of the bait darker, and paint some stripes down the sides.

Mike does insist on cranking with the wrong hand.

I also promise that my car will not run over the new one.

i will brimg along some soft-set Loctite; to keep the new reel attached to the rod.

An off-the-wall thought, if you will. Check out some JJ's Magic. It's the only dip for soft plastics that will actually change the color of the bait. If you can get some of that stuff shipped across the pond, try "painting" some light color tubes, using q-tips.

I was along on that trip with Mike, and got to handle that combo but not fish with it. I had a Steez/Certate combo I had out on it's maiden voyage, and thus did not beg really hard to try out the Pinnacle combo. My quick impression was; a nice crisp, light weight rod; maybe a bit heavier in powere than a ML, with a nice fast taper. The reel was a bit on the heavy side, but felt very smooth in hand. I was looking forward to trying it out on an upcoming trip, but that's not gonna happen. By the way, although I was not at the wheel, the SUV in question was my Jeep Commander. Like I said, a nice solid reel, but no match for the Commander.

Exactly!!!

That really makes me want get in the boat with you again, you long-legged jamoke.

That's the stuff shooter. You can also use it full strength, but wear gloves. Prolonged exposure will make your hands peel; just like you get a sunburn. 50% doesn't seem to bother my skin. I'm gonna try what John recommended as well.

David, I don't disagree with you at all about quality oil applied in the correct amount to clean parts. Sounds like a recipe for success to me. But, I like to experiment. And I like to push the envelope a little. I jumped on the rocket fuel bandwagon when it first became available, and like everybody else, soon discovered that once per year was nowhere near often enough. I tried a lot of different lubes over the years, before settling on 321. TSI has been around long enough now that you would think most of the disinformation has been answered away. But it has not. Comparing WD40 to TSI321 is like comparing fingernail polish to epoxy. They are two different products, designed for completely different uses. WD40 was designed to displace water, not for use as a lubricant. TSI321 is a synthetic ester. Esters were developed as lubricants for high speed, very high temperature applications. Originally, it was the development of synthetic esters that made the jet engine possible; which is not at all to the point. TSI301 is a penetrating lubricant. It is 321 ester mixed with a solvent. The solvent is harmful to some plastics. They do not tell us what the solvent is, nor is it listed which plastics can be harmed by it. Again, doesn't matter to me. I use 321, which has no solvent. I'm starting with properly cleaned parts, and don't need the penetrating, cleaning properties of a solvent. This particular ester is a molecule with polarity. In a nutshell that means the molecules link together and bind to metals. This provides long lasting corrosion protection along with excellent lubrication. I find this to be just what the doctor ordered for spool bearings, and for levelwind lubrication. When used on the levelwind parts, grit does not stick nearly as much, and can be simply rinsed away with fresh water; which does not wash away the lube. Try this sometime. You may be impressed. In fact, if you PM your address to me, I'll send you some. I have a good sized container of the stuff, and, being an old fart, I may not live long enough to use it all up. I'd be happy to send you a sample. Like I said, it ain't magic, but it do be pretty darned good stuff.

baluga, next time you order, try TSI321. When you buy 301, you're buying 321 lube mixed with a solvent. The solvent is what evaporates, not the lube. I'll agree, there is no "magic" lube, but 321 comes as close as I've found. Just have to careful, and not use too much. I dip a thin, steel pick in the container and get a very small drop to apply to the bearing. This gives the speed of the very light, low viscosity oils, but lasts all summer.