Alpster

I'm no expert, but I try to do this as often as I can. I think it works. Ronnie

To muddy the water even more, the rural post office in Robert, LA. moved while I lived there, so post offices move and change location as the population grows sometimes. Also, if they headed out at 4:30 AM while it was raining (too wet to plow) they could of made the trip, fished a couple of hours and been back by 8:30. We will just have to believe George's story till we know better, I guess. It is fun to play C.S.I. Ronnie

I was a witness and a member of the Shimano posse. We only got to fish for a little while on Friday, but RW threw the Revo quite a bit, even let me & Wayne give it a whirl. It's a beautiful reel, but for me, it takes a while to really put one through it's paces and play with adjustments and line & lure weights to really make my reels perform to their potential. It's almost like they have a personality and you have to get to know them. I will look forward to a detailed review when Kent has fished it for a while. Looking forward to that. Ronnie

You can call it controversial or disputed or under documented or you can even call it a carp, but old George has still got the record until one of us beats it. Like it or not and believe it or not, it still stands. That's just the way it is and only a larger fish caught properly will change it. That's just the way it is. Ronnie

THANKS Bobby, The giveaways are sweet and I know everyone appreciated your generosity. I was with Mike when he caught his hawg. He said "she's the first bass I ever caught on a jig" I said "must be the right one". It was good day. Ronnie

I don't know how you came up with this. I have fished Curados for years and there is no comparison. I quit using Curados when I started using the 50 Mgs. Sold my Curados on the flea market here. JMHO Ronnie

I don't think even you or I are that old Roger, but it's a great story, and who's to say you wrong? Ronnie

I liked Kilmer in 'Toumbstone' also....."Why Johnny Ringoe, you look as though you've just seen a ghost".... hehehe Another favorite line from 'Outlaw Josey Wales' was Eastwood talking to the bounty hunter in the bar when he returned to say he had to make a living........"Well, dying aint no way to make a living". I love that one. hehehe.

I have 4 50Mgs and I think there is no better reel for the money period. I also have a Chronarch 100BSV, Chonarch 200TEDC, Stella and a Twin Power, so I guess I would say yep, they are worth what I paid for them. Ronnie

The only pic I have seen that is purported to be the real fish is with a small kid and a buddy or uncle. Perry is not in the pic, but it is a massive bass. Like you said, Chris I would be OK with one that size. The 50s model car definitely rules this one out, but it's a real hawg anyway. Ronnie

I just wanted to get in here because I love talking about rod building. 1. I use a high quality pair of fly tying scissors for trimming thread and never have to worry about damaging the blank or wraps. 2. I like Flexcoat. I follow the instructions for using high build from their website. Look for "exactly the way we do it" on their site. Use syringes to be sure the mixture is perfect. I have also found that working in a very warm room is a great help. I turn up the heat or go out to the garage in the summer. The finish behaves much differently (better) at 85 degrees than at 65. This year I will build a heated drying box. 3. Biggest mistake I have made and repeated is trying to heat the finish (with heat gun) to remove bubbles after coating. I have found that proper preparation and careful mixing will solve bubble problems. I only apply heat in extreme cases where I have screwed up and am trying to save a rod build. I have a couple of beater rods that prove that it does not always work. LOL Keep on keeping on. Ronnie

Sorry, I booked him for the week last Tuesday 8-) Sorry boys, not only did I book him earlier but I bribed him with some Mattlures.

I was with MassHoleMike last week at Guntersville when he caught his first bass on a jig. 6lbs 12oz. I think he will use them again. LOL Jigs are awesome. Ronnie

Some companies like to go way beyond for customer relations. I used to have "C.F Martin" commemorative "Zippo" lighter with the serial # of my guitar engraved on the lid. I broke the weld on the lid by dropping the lighter on a hard floor while open. I sent the lighter to Zippo to get it fixed because the original engraving was done for my wife and could not be reproduced. I asked that they weld it back together and send me a bill for the repair. Not only did they repair my lighter for free, but they sent me another one, sans the engraving. All at no charge, thanking me for being a loyal customer. I also broke a Loomis GLX rod while taking off the guides to re wrap them. My total negligence. I called to ask if I could get the same blank to wrap it from scratch and the guy insisted that Loomis would replace it, no questions. I told him the whole story, I broke it, with a heat gun and some stupidity. I was very clear that the rod had no defects and that I was solely responsible for the breakage. He said you send it back and we will replace it, that's our policy. So I did, and they did. I am a loyal Loomis customer and will use their rods when ever I can. I say call them and tell them the truth about what happened. Give them a chance to make you a customer for life. Ronnie

I was able to get a large portion of Bob's talk on video. With his and Glen's permission I will edit it and post a shorter version on the board for those who didn't make it. Mr. Lusk has a wealth of knowledge. Very valuable to those who fish for bass. JMHO. Ronnie

Yea, the fish were OK, but that Monster Mag rod is extreme. ;D I am canceling my trip to El Salto and coming to fish with you instead. You are incredible Jay. I only asked for one picture of a monster bass with the rod, but no, you had to catch a dozen. You are the MAN! Thanks for the pics! Ronnie

7-1/2' Black shad Culprit worm with a 1/4 oz bullet weight. No question about it. Ronnie

Sadly, I have to make my own rods from parts lying around and I buy all my reels on the board flea market & ebay. Ronnie

I would like to know what kind of a camera trick would make that fish look small. LOL FC is a hero of mine also. Ronnie

What can I say that has not been said? Everyone caught fish, some caught a lot and some caught big ones (2- new PBs) that I know of. A great time was certainly had by all. There were a lot of reasons why the trip was special for me. Here's the quick list...... Working with Glen & Keri on the trip details was more a joy than a job. Glenn taught me a lot about polishing up the website and organizing the info. and getting to talk with them on the phone (mostly Keri) about details was fun and very helpful. I won't say anything about who I think is the brains of this organization. Risk kid put Wayne & I up for the night going and coming. Fed us an amazing steak dinner, loaned me & Wayne his 19' Skeeter to fish with all week long. This is one of the most generous acts of kindness I have ever experienced. I met Carl last year on the Fork trip and he's just one of those guys you become instant friends with. It was a dream come true to fish Guntersville in that fancy boat. THANK YOU CARL!!!!!!!!! As an added treat, Shadcranker and his buddy Ron were there for dinner and Rob made it to Guntersville for the Wednesday night dinner. Speadbead was an excellent roommate in the bassbus and a first class fishing partner for the week. He outfished me by a couple, but we both had a blast. We had a magic time on the lake. He is a pleasure to fish with. Everyone thought he was my personal servant because he kept running up and down the stairs to get stuff for me when my arthritic knees were hurting, and drove the buss half way home as I was feeling poorly on the way home. Thanks Wayne, you are the best! MassHoleMike caught his PB at 6lbs 12oz while we were fishing together. I got to reach down and grab her for him. I will never forget the look on his face when that big girl came out of the water. He was only a little more excited than I was. Congratulations Mike!!! I got to fish this week with jeff and roadwarrior. Jeff put us onto his spotted bass honey hole on Wednesday and Wayne and I caught a dozen fish there in the afternoon. We squeezed in a few hours of cold, windy fishing with Kent on Friday and had to cut it short to get on the road home. Let me tell you, our mods are great fishermen and very classy people. We arrived Sunday afternoon and put the boat in the water for the maiden voyage. I even caught a little LM on the rocks where Mike got his PB. When we got back to the ramp and loaded the boat, Jimzee and A.J. came in right behind us. Jimzee was shaking like a dog passing a peach pit. He could barely push the buttons on his camera to show us the pictures of his new PB 7+ lbs. Jimzee and A.J. had this lake lake figured out. Later in his room, Jimzee was telling us exactly where and how they were catching fish and if that's not enough, he was giving everyone around the table his jigs. Jimzee is a true 'Southern Gentleman'. Meeting and getting to know him was one of the highlights of my trip. Send me those rod specs Blaine. Muddy's meatballs were awesome as expected. I can go on and on about Dominick, because there aren't very many out there like him. Proud to call him my friend. Ghotti (Gary) and his wife Mary did a pile of research for information on the website. THANK YOU! They also fed us like kings on Tuesday! Awesome food and desert. You guys are top notch! CJ & Ryan fished together part of the week and tore em up, but let me tell you, these guys are the real deal. CJ has forgotten more about fishing than I know and is one of the most humble, likable and friendly guys you will ever meet. Wayne got to fish with him on Thursday, But if CJ hadn't promised me a spot on his boat at Kentucky Lake next year me & Wayne would have had a fight. Ryan (Senko77) caught a bunch of fish on Guntersville then ran down to his next tournament and won it handily! He is an amazing young man with a lot of skill and humility. I sat next to him at Ghotti's dinner and we got to hang out with some other guys after ward. If he is the future of tournament fishermen, we are in good shape. Hey, I can say I knew him when he was just a BR member. LOL Great to see Long Mike again. I got to have dinner with him on Wednesday and hang out later in the evening telling fish stories. Long Mike is as sure as the sunrise, whatever he tells you, you can count on it. I wish I could have had more time to spend with Dan & Gary, those Georgia boys were a pleasure to meet. There is simply not enough time to do all you want to do. Glad you guys were there. Electrikal was also on board for some fishing and fellowship. I know he took some of our members out on his boat. He's another one I wish I had more time to spend with with. Great to meet him. Last but not least, the board sponsors who gave away $$$$ worth of stuff. On Monday Night, at dinner we all received a complete free kit from J.J.s Magic and instructions on how to use it. This is an amazing product that will change the way you fish. On Tuesday, glenn shared about "Surelife" products "Please Release Me" and "Catch and Release" and we each were given generous supplies to try for ourselves. We showed up for dinner on Wednesday night and each of our tables were covered with "Evolution Jigs", "Cavitron Buzzbaits, Megastrike", KVD Line & Lure Spray", "Shakey Jigs", "GYCB Swimsenkos", Triangle also provided "Cyclone" visors and a $300 "Cyclone Line Winder" and lots more stuff. I was blown away by the amount of free gear that we received, just for showing up. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CONTRIBUTED!!!! Bob Lusk spoke to our group about the biology and habitat for bass. His knowledge of the species is unbelievable. I had the unique experience of watching him fish with Glenn and Keri. He actually made this spotted bass that Keri caught, cough up a finesse worm Glenn had lost earlier. We know that for sure, because it's tail was dyed with J.J.'s Magic. Wayne & I also overheard (we were fishing about 100 feet away) a phone call from Mr. Lusk to Bill Dance about next year's trip. Don't tell anyone. Finally, (this is my longest post ever) I know the economy sucks. As a Land Surveyor, I am in the housing industry. I am also blessed to have the bassbus, but I made this trip (Wayne paid more than his share of the expenses) for a very few dollars. Be creative, ask for help, but don't miss next year's trip to Kentucky Lake. If you love to bass fish, there will never be a better opportunity to have the fishing experience of your life. Ask MassHoleMike if you think I am exaggerating. I am very proud to have shared this experience! God Bless you all, 2009 NO EXCUSES! Ronnie

Speed & Alpster are here and well fed....it's cigar time and I'm lookin good in the Braves cap.....in fact so good Alpster is gonna get one too and Speedbeads on the verge....It's a Braves revolution!!!! The Mets and Cards are gonna get Tomahawked this year!!!! Hey Hookem you gotta join us....after all the Braves used to be in Boston ;D BTW....this is riskkid under Alpster's sign in!

After a short 900 mile drive. Speedbead & I have arrived at Carl's (risk kid) place. We had an awesome ribeye steak dinner from the grill with Shadcranker and his buddy Ron. We will be heading out to Guntersville with Carl's boat behind the bassbuss in the morning. We are some kind of pumped up right now. All you travelers be care full. We will see you there! Ronnie

The Bassbuss rolls at 5:00 AM. See you all at Guntersville. Everyone travel safe. See ya there! Ronnie

This is my "dream trip" also. Hope you get to make it. Ronnie

I agree with Burley, it's the "Flash" animation in the Allstate ad. My performance only lacks when that ad is running. Ronnie