Raul

I still have pistol grips and it 's true, they do have some advantages but not everything is milk and cookies with them.

A back pack to carry the stuff, stowaway plano boxes and a multipiece rod in a nice tube case . Japanese rod manufacturers have lots of options for multipiece rods and many of them aren 't THAT expensive or THAT hard to get, for ex the Major Craft Slicer ( around 100-110 ) is a great rod, most of them come in tube case.

Let 's look at it from another perspective, the man in the truck is to a certain point correct in his assumption ..... where he blows it is that dogs don 't read too good ! :

"deviled" crawfish ........ mmmmmmmm, YUMMI !

EWG 3 or 4/0

So after discussing about our beautiful weather and in order to become a real southerner first of all u yanks have to taste some of our food, it 's not subject to negotiation, it 's a must do, otherwise you 'll never be considered a true southerner : CHILI CONTEST These are notes from an inexperienced chili taster named FRANK, who was visiting Texas from New Jersey... "Recently I was lucky enough to be the 10,000th attendee at the State Fair in Texas and was asked to fill in to be a judge at a chili cook-off. Apparently the original Judge #3 called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there when the call came in and was assured by the other two Judges (Native Texans) that it would be a fun event and a true taste of Texas hospitality. They assured me that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy and besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted. Here are the scorecards from the event." Chili # 1: Mike's Maniac Mobster Monster Chili JUDGE ONE: A little too heavy on tomato. Amusing kick. JUDGE TWO: Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild. FRANK: Holy *****, what the hell is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway with it took me two beers to put the flames out. Hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy. Chili # 2: Arthur's Afterburner Chili JUDGE ONE: Smoky, with a hint of pork. Slight Jalapeno tang. JUDGE TWO: Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously. FRANK: Keep this out of reach of children! I'm not sure what I am supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to walkie-talkie in 3 extra beers when they saw the look on my face. Chili # 3: Fred's Famous Burn Down the Barn Chili JUDGE ONE: Excellent firehouse chili! Great kick. Needs more beans. JUDGE TWO: A beanless chili, a bit salty, good use of red peppers. FRANK: Call the EPA, I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting *****-faced. Chili # 4: Bubba's Black Magic JUDGE ONE: Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing. JUDGE TWO: Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chili. FRANK: I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Sally, the bar maid, was standing behind me with fresh refills, that 300 lb birch is starting to look HOT, just like this nuclear-waste I'm eating. Chili # 5: Linda's Legal Lip Remover JUDGE ONE: Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick.Very impressive. JUDGE TWO: Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement. FRANK: My ears are ringing and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me burst into flames. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from a pitcher. It really pi**es me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw those rednecks! Chili # 6: Vera's Very Vegetarian Variety JUDGE ONE: Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spice and peppers. JUDGE TWO: The best yet. An aggressive use of peppers, onions and garlic. Superb. FRANK: My intestine's are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulphuric flames. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that **** Sally. I need to wipe my a** with a snow cone! Chili # 7: Susan's Screaming Sensation Chili JUDGE ONE: A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers. JUDGE TWO: "Ho hum", tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment. I should note that I am worried about Judge Number 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably. FRANK: You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin and I wouldn't feel a **** thing. I've lost the sight in one eye and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chili, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava-like ***** to match my **** shirt. At least during the autopsy they'll know what killed me. I've decided too stop breathing, it's too painful. Screw it, I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4inch hole in my stomach. Chili # 8: Helen's Mount Saint Chili JUDGE ONE: A perfect ending... this is a nice blend chili, safe for all, not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence. JUDGE TWO: This final entry is a good, balanced chili, neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge Number 3 passed out, fell and pulled the chili pot on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor Yank. FRANK: --------------(editor's note: Judge #3 was unable to report) Our mommies break us in early:

Castaic SBTs are good ( even though if you rub them a little the paint comes off ), don 't bother purchasing the smaller ones ( 4" ), 6 inchers are a little above 1 1/2 oz, internal head Optimums are also good.

Great ! just what we needed, a mook squad with T-shirts advertizing mook power running wild all over the country ..... I just hope it 's a seasonal thing. :-/

Really, man better get them sweaters on, you don 't want to ketch pneumonia or sumthin. ;D

However let 's make a warning on this subject, the southest you move south the earlier it begins and the later it ends, for me it begins around March the 1st and ends by October 31st. Btw, today the temps are chilly down here, in the vecinity of the lower 90 's, it 's cloudy and most probably it 's going to rain, which is rather normal considering it 's the hurricane season, no you know why I have to mow the lawn twice a week or it turns into a jungle in a couple of weeks, I don 't want my kids to get lost there.

Thanks Muddy for leaving in my mind an image I don 't ever want to remember ever again. :-[

A Diary Review: Moving South, 2007 May 30, 2007 : Just moved to Nashville, Tennessee from Chicago, Illinois Now, this is a city that knows how to live! Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. What a place! I watched the sunset from a park while lying on a blanket. It was beautiful. I've finally found my home. I love it here. June 14, 2007 : Really heating up. Got to 100 degrees today. Not a problem. Live in an air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to see the sun everyday like this. I'm turning into a sun worshipper. June 30, 2007: Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today. Lots of cactus and rocks. The yard is a breeze to maintain! No more mowing the lawn for me. Another scorcher today, but I love living in Nashville. July 10, 2007 : The temperature hasn't been below 100 degrees all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat? At least it's kind of windy, but getting used to the heat and humidity is taking longer that I expected. July 15, 2007: Fell asleep by the pool. (Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body.) Missed 3 days of work What a dumb thing to do. I learned my lesson, though. Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this. July 20, 2007: Morgan (our cat) sneaked into the car when I left this morning. By the time I got to the hot car for lunch, Morgan had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag and stank up the $2,000 leather upholstery. I told the kids that she ran away. The car now smells like Kibbles and shi**. I learned my lesson, though. No more pets in this heat. July 25, 2007: The wind sucks. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer! And it's hot as hell! The home air-conditioner is on the fritz, and the AC repairman charged $200 just to dri ve by and tell me he needed to order the parts. July 30, 2007: Been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now. The monthly house payment is $1,500 and we can't even go inside. Why did I ever come here? August 5, 2007: It's 105 degrees. Finally got the air-conditioner fixed today for a cost of $900. The temperature gets down to 78 degrees, but this freaking humidity makes the house feel like it's about 95 degrees. I hate this stupid city. August 8, 2007: If another wise *** person cracks, "Hot enough for you today?ââ'¬ I'm going to strangle him. **** heat. By the time I get to work, the radiator is boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat! August 9, 2007: Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts and sat on the black leather seats in the ol' car. I thought I disagree was on fire. I lost two layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and ***. Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried ***, and baked cat. August 10, 2007: The weather report might as well be a **** recording. Hot and sunny. Hot and sunny. Hot and sunny. It's been too hot to do anything for two **** months, and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Doesn't it ever rain in this **** desert? Water rationing will be next, so I might as well watch $1,700 worth of cactus just dry up and blow into the **** pool. Not even cactus can live in this **** heat. August 14, 2007: Welcome to HELL!!! The temperature got to 105 degrees today. Forgot to crack the window and blew the **** windshield out of the car . The installer came to fix it and said, "Hot enough for you today?" My wife had to spend the $1,500 house payment to bail me out of jail. And he didn 't say anything about the food.

High end gear is just a tool, the magic, where the pus is located is right behind the rod handle, it 's been that way always and it will always be.

Aw man ! I would do a killing with that rod down here in Zimapán, La Laborcita, Duarte & Otates ...... I can see meself with 6 lb test casting them itsy bisty soft plastics and ketchin them basses one after another with rigging and fishing techniques right out of my bag of sirty tricks and bad luck charms ........ something I 's gonna do preciselly this weekend .

Cabela 's TDZs ........ my mistake, that sale ended some time ago. ;D There 's a big bunch of reels in that sub 250 class and all of them are excellent, on the other hand Delo 's has killer prices on all of them plus free shipping.

WHAT ?!?!?!?

Wanna hear something from somebody who taught in college for 11 years ? I taught compared animal anatomy at the school of veterinary medice, in order to be a vet first you have to learn anatomy, and yes, there were a bunch of stidents that said anatomy wasn 't too hard ....... that was until I made the first evaluation on the second week :; in Mexico we don 't grade students with letters like they do in the States, we grade students with a scale of 0 to 10 with full points and decimals, in order to approve the assignment you have to get a 7, so if you get a 6.9 you are flunked. The Pope asked Giotto if he was a good painter, Giotto grabbed a piece of charcoal and to demonstrate his skills he drew a perfect circle by hand ( got any idea how hard that is ? ), I must have a certain ammount of Giotto in my veins cuz I can also draw perfect 0 's by hand. Half of the students that said that anatomy wasn 't that hard got 0.0 ( yeah ZERO ), none of those who said anatomy wasn 't that hard passed, man I loved to prove them wrong. ;D So don 't say college is easy, teechurs will prove you wrong, all you have to do is leave that cockiness behind and begin styuding hard.

Use braid as main line and a leader of heavy fluoro or heavy nylon.

The 2" senko is one of those baits you don 't hear much about, reasons why: 1.- You look at it and you think it 's a waste of time and money, in a world of 2"+ 1/4 oz+ cranks, 5+ inch worms, 3/8+ oz spinnerbaits and 3/8 plus jigs itsy bitsy baits like the 2" senko, 3" Bait Breath Tear Drop, 3" Ecogear Paramax, 3" Ecogear Grass Minnow, etc, are greatly overlooked & underestimated. 2.- The people who know of have fished with itsy bitsy baits like those keep them as a secret so they don 't talk much about them. 3.- There are many ways to skin a cat but you are used to a few rigging methods and fishing techniques and don 't care to learn new ones or are ignorant about them. Those itsy bitsy baits, rigging and fishing techniques have their place, yeah you catch lots of dinks with them but that doesn 't necessarily mean yopu can 't catch bigger fish with them 'cause they usually catch fish when nothing else does.

Rapala Shad Rap in all it 's versions is a proven fish catcher for me for the last 2 decades.

Got a rod to cast the Slab ? My man, no bait is good if you don 't have a rod to cast it.

Hard swimbaits, specially the ones made from wood can reach prices of 3 or 4 hundred dollars, so that probably makes them the most expensive lures. Crankbaits running to 40+ bones are not uncommon, particularily jerkbaits from Megabass, Megabass produced a color palettè on certain baits that was only available through a year ( reason why you will see Megabass baits with a year number painted on top of the bait ), those baits can cost a lot more than the regular baits, such is the case of several colors of the Vision 110 that sell for 40 or more dollars. Apparently Megabass has left such practice down, none of my newest Megabass lures is dated. Certain Megabass lures like the Gatta X are always expensive, you can find them and they usually run for 40+ dollars. Discontinued lures are always expensive, if you happen to have a Glow Coach Dog Jitterbug in your arsenal don 't fish with it ! that lure is worth around 4 or 5 hundred dollars if it 's NIB.

Oh yeah I know those very well and it always make me wonder if it 's physics thing or some cosmical thing, heck, I don 't know :-?.

I know which rod RW needs to pait up that new Stella he has in mind , the Fenwick Super Techna AV straight from Japan, the rods that the Sighmaster Jun Shoji uses to fish with, at 68,000 - 78,000 yens a piece ( ) is just what the doctor prescibed for Mr Roadwarrior.

Lucky Craft Cat Bug: Lucky Craft Pencil: Imakatsu Kazzla: