K_Mac

Excellent post Senile1. The world is still a dangerous place, though we can't live our lives in fear. I am a big advocate for concealed carry, but it is not a guarantee of anything. For all we know this fisherman could have been carrying. My point is we do the best we can, and life happens.

The biggest problem with both snaps and swivels is most people, especially newer fishermen, don't retie them often enough. I use snaps at times with cranks, but I am careful to retie regularly. The added size and weight of a snap swivel does impact action on many baits IMO, and is just one more thing to catch junk in the water. Just my $.02.

I also have four with many miles on them that are my workhorse reels. I have had no trouble with them. I also have a couple of the old Extremes. They get used often. They are not of the same quality as the PQs, but they have held up well. I think that BPS offers good value for the money on many products, including some reels. I also know that buying anything based on price only is not always the best value. Buying entry level stuff increases the risk of getting something that won't perform as desired. Doing your research first is always a good idea.

Good to know. Very creative and inexpensive. Thanks for sharing.

Great answer. I completely agree.

Firearms guys have the same conversations about weapons. Many call a magazine for a semiautomatic weapon a clip, although it is not. A clip is a different mechanical way of holding cartridges. Many will have to inform someone who calls a revolver a pistol they are wrong. By most commonly accepted modern standards only a semiautomatic handgun is a pistol, although folks have been calling revolvers pistols for centuries. Fishing pole versus rod, bullet versus cartridge and many other commonly interchanged words make those of us who care about accuracy and details, cringe; for most of the rest of the world it don't mean a thing.

Mainebass1984 I agree with most of what you said. I do think that discussion of bass fishing laws among this group is a good way of raising awareness, and that is a good start.

It really is not as complicated as we sometimes make it IMO. Power is defined by the weight range of the rod. Where this gets confusing is one manucturer might call a rod rated for 1/4-1 oz MH, another 1/4-5/8, and yet another something else. Even rods rated the same may have an entirely different feel. Action is simply how much of the rod comes into play when under load. There are many referenced links to illustrate this. Once again, there are huge differences in the feel of the rod depending on taper, material, and construction, but the flex of the rod when under load always defines action.

Well said Sam.

Congratulations RW. Your team got it done, mine did not. I think the Mets will give you a real test. Both teams are playing like losing is not an option. It should be a great Series!

My argument is simply that government is limited in its power to regulate, and when it sticks its nose too far into the lives of the people, it violates its purpose. Yes bass fishing may be a stretch, but challenging those limits is my responsibility, and yours.

Lund you have chosen one of your posts to make your point. I suggest you reread all of your posts on this thread. There is plenty of bloviating being done here, most of it yours. VolFan I think amendments 9 and 10 are what you are looking for.

Shimmy I would take my chances with the hunters for a day like you had! Any of them watching you would have traded spots I am guessing.

I wonder in what topics emotion is acceptable? For those who are passionate about bass fishing, any law that threatens the species anywhere is going to raise emotion. When someone suggests that all laws are equal and that any disobedience puts all in the same boat, emotion will come into play. When someone makes assertions that anyone who questions these ideas does not have the intellect required to understand the argument, it seems overly emotional to me.

The idea that breaking any law is the same as any other is not really valid. Our entire justice system is based on the punishment being equal to the crime. Breaking a fishing law and paying a fine is not the same as a violent felony. Arguing that some laws are unjust, and being willing to face the consequences of disobedience to those laws in order to change them goes back a long way. The "back of the bus" reference does nothing to further this discussion.

I like the mix here. There are plenty of folks at both ends of the fishing spectrum. Ask about budget gear and you will get many responses-most of them useful. Same way with enthusiast stuff. No other place on the web comes close IMO.

I like tea.

This isn't a discussion about partisan politics. It is about laws, their impact on bass fishing, and how we respond to and become a part of the process IMO. Two very different things. Of course that is only my opinion, and I don't have a vote here.

This is the real question. It is not a simple one. When laws are passed, whether by decree or the ruling majority, that are counter to our "God given" rights are we bound to comply? We are all bound by the consequences of disobedience. That is foundation on which all governments are built... and fall.

Very impressive! Nice job.

Two years ago in the spring, a friend and I experienced conditions just like that on Kentucky Lake! That may be exaggerated, but it was as rough as I ever want to experience...and truth be told it was a quiet day at the beach in comparison. That is a tough way of making a living. I have a lot of respect for the men who do.

I like the quote. Some of us enjoy the process of exercise though and it is very rare anymore to find anyone who excels at "real sports" who doesn't pay attention to diet and exercise. Not only does exercise enable us to be better, it also enables us to last longer...whether that's defined by endurance or longevity.

My experience is just the opposite of yours. I really learned bass fishing in deeper, clear water lakes. Fishing long points, bluffs, and old river channels was where I learned that there was more to catching bass than beating the bank. A few years ago I started fishing with a guy who isn't happy if he isn't stirring mud or banging something with his trolling motor. He grew up fishing a river system, and is a true master pitching into spots that most of us can't hit, and finding shallow bass when I can't find the deeper ones. We make a good team most of the time. Of course there are days when the fish win. That is what keeps things interesting!

JDH85 I have caught very nice fish in 8" of water in heavy cover in the dead of summer in a spot where the nearest "channel" was only a couple of feet deeper. Without that path up into the heavy, shallow stuff I doubt they would have been there. I still have trouble understanding why they were there in water warm to the touch. There is much I don't understand about shallow dwelling bass...

Reading the list of ingredients of almost any packaged food will make a man cry. Breakfast cereals are among the worst offenders. Just reading the "nutritional" information is enough to cause weight gain and other physical problems...