Fish Chris

I love my 08' Ford F150...... but I think among all the 12' trucks, the GMC's look the best, and get best mileage. Interiors on GM trucks are the nicest too. Tundra's are the fastest, and are great as a "sport truck"..... But I wouldn't buy one as a work truck Oh, one thing I have to add, because I still kind of trip on this (even though I do understand why this is) but my truck will get 19 mpg under optimum conditions, with cruise control set dead on 65mph, on flat high way, without the boat. However, when I'm pulling my boat, under optimum conditions > I also get ther exact same 19 mpg ! How is that possible you ask ? Well, two reasons, 1) I have the best kind of bass boat... a really light one , and 2) when I tow the boat, I slow down from 65 mph, to 59mph {which is still actually exceeding the CA boat towing speed limit by 4mph} BTW, I used to drive a 97' Tacoma. Even pulling my light boat.... especially up hills, I used to have to beat the $%#& out of that poor thing, and because of this, I only got about 18 mpg !!! With a dinky 4 cyl motor no less ! I also wore it completely out, in only 187K miles > even with religious oil changes My F150 with the 5.4L though, doesn't hardly no my little boat is back there. Yes, it was more than I really needed, but it works so lightly, I think it will last for a LONG time ! Love it, or hate it, I bet you ain't seen another like it Peace, Fish

Yes, I'd say "Largemouth".... Just a pretty oddly colored / weird looking one. Then again, take a walk through Wal-Mart, and see if you don't see this fishes human counterpart LOL Fish

I'd have never guessed Fish

WHAT !?!? That sound blasphemous to me ! Bowfins are cooool ! I've caught them on spinnerbaits, and live baby pond perch in North Louisiana. My biggest was 32" (if I remember correctly). Wish we had them around here. Those and Gar's ! Totally cool sport fish I don't care what the species.... If it will bite my hook, and give me a fight, I'm always down Peace, Fish

Hey JF, yea.... I know there are a very few 5+ males out there, but obviously rare. On the other hand, I have seen two or even three BIG, like 10 to 14 lb Florida females on a bed, with as many as 6 or 8 little dink males running all around them (on another of my trophy bass lakes)..... but never did I see "just" the big females. Are these darn creatures just SOOO unpredictable sometimes, or what ??? Peace, Fish

Well, the the fishing was pretty tough. I only caught 3 bass, in 11 hours on the water. Granted, they were all nice ones... Two Smallies, spawned out, and still pushing 5 lbs each, and 1 Largemouth, also spawned out, and in the 6 lb range..... but none the less, tough fishing. And sorry, but nothing worthy of photos. I did have one very interesting situation though; So, I find two really nice Northern strain Largemouths on a bed. But the first thing that trips me out, is that either this was two females..... OR, that was the BIGGEST male bass I've ever seen ! Because these two fish were like 6 and 8+ lbs ! Now, for whatever weird reason, I can NEVER seem to catch a big (over 6 lbs) Largemouth, in this lake, bed-fishing ??? {And I think I'm a pretty decent bed fisherman} So anyway, I through everything I had at them.... but no luck. Now here's the other really weird thing > The bigger of the two fish, seemed to be the most interested of the two.... However, each time she would swim over, and even start to nose down on my bait (I threw a 6" Hud, Huddlebugs, and live crawlers) the Smaller fish would charge at the bigger one, mouth open, and shove her, while biting at her, as if to say, "Hey ! Don't eat that ! Get out of here" !!! I swear it did this at least 10 X's, during the hour I fished for them. Now, while the bigger one was away, the smaller 6 lb'er would come over, nose down on my bait, and act SOOO interested too.... But I never could get it to go either ????? That whole thing was just so weird. Anyway, the weather was great. Not very much of a breeze.... and I just love that lake so much anyway, tough fishing or not. However, I had gotten up at 3 am. Drove 100 miles. Fished for 11 hours, then had a 100 mile trip home, and was feeling a little zombied out. So (not recommended) I used a 24 oz sugarfree rockstar, to wash down two caffeine tablets. Granted, I made it all the way home, and I don't think I ever even yawned !!!! But then yesterday at work, I felt like I had been hit by a truck all day. Not really worth it..... but since I can never pry myself off of the water until dark, no matter when I start, or how tough the fishing is..... Not to mention, I think the fish are pretty much in the whacked out post spawn mode. ***************** So anyway, I think I will be taking several weeks off. I do want to go back in late June, or July, to try for some BIG Sunfish + then the catfish are up spawning all over the place..... and ALWAYS a good shot at bass on this lake. But for now, I want to concentrate more on my weight lifting and cardio + going back to Louisiana to visit my parents in the next few weeks.... I'll be back though Peace, Fish

Well, for 20+ years, I ate about 6000-8000 cals of the most horrendous, fat, sugary, slimy, processed garbage one could ever imagine. Apparently, my metabolism is pretty excellent, as it took me a LONG time to become obese, and on the verge of killing myself from high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc, etc. Now, for the last 20 months, I've fluctuated between 2600 (cutting) and 5000 (when bulking) but now I've narrowed that range down to about 3000 to 4300 cals a day > all of which is just about the healthiest, cleanest stuff a person can eat. If you know anything about it, my macro balance is about 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% healthy fats. Granted, nowadays, even when I'm bulking at 4300 cals, I'm still constantly starving, but that's because finally after all of these years, my digestion is working like a super charged food processing machine Down the hatch, shredded and gone, and ready for more, in no time ! ################# Oh but hey, as for the excitement, or bragability or whatever you want to call it, when young people eat a whole bunch in a sitting.... When I was about 17 to 20, I would go to those all you could eat pizza buffet places, and I'm sure I ate at least 10K cals in a sitting. My stomach would look like I swallowed a watermelon. Granted, years later, my stomach always looked like that ! Never again.

I've seen this hundreds of X's. Totally normal behavior. Like it has already been said, survival of the fittest.... and, nature at work. Fish

I didn't fish at all last week, but the week before, I had bought four 20 packs of big, nice crawlers (to begin with)..... and you should see them now ! If you are thinking about live lining some crawlers on micro-light gear, and you want the biggest, fattest, strongest crawlers you can possibly have (and of course you do, right ? ) Try this > First insure that the bedding they came in is moist, but not wet. If the container is totally full, get rid of about the top 1/2" or so of bedding. Next, put a nice scoop, like two heaping tablespoons of "used" coffee grounds on top of them. Then, take a half sheet of newspaper (no colored ink though, B/W only) and basically fold and crumple it into a round, flat disc, that will fit perfectly into the top of your worm container. Then run this disc of newspaper under the sink, in cool tapwater, then shake it off. It needs to be fully wet, but not dripping. Finally, place this disc of paper on top of the worm carton, with the used coffee grounds sandwiched between the newspaper, and the original worm bedding. When you squeeze the lid on, it should be snug, and it might bulge just a tiny bit, but if you really have to smash it, or have trouble getting the lid to stay on, you didn't remove enough of the original bedding. Of course the bigger and healthier your crawlers are to begin with, the better the finished product.... but no matter what, this will make your crawlers gain probably 30% or 40% in size, and strength ! Typically, they start to show improvement in 2-3 days, and will be maxed out, in 1 week. After that, if you haven't used them up yet, you can pull the cartons out of the fridge, lift the newspaper, and add a pinch more of "used" coffee grounds. This will keep them maxed out, until you are ready to use them You guys should see the crawlers I have ready for the next trip ! These freaking things are huge, and stupid strong ! Just hoping I can find some monster Smallies to crawl them in front of !!! Whoo Hoo ! It will just be ON ! Peace, Fish

I was never into fake wrestling.... But I respect anybody who goes over the top, with whatever it is that they do in life. RIP Mr Savage, Fish

Like has already been said... Not really smarter, just more conditioned. And these are the kind of fish I like to bfish for. The harder they are for most people to catch, the greater the chances they will end up getting really big. Then, since I often fish differently than just about anybody else out there, this gives me a big advantage. Peace, Fish

Well, it's like this.... It's become apparent that I can talk about fishing on the BB forums, and most of them are totally okay with it. But I can't really talk about BB on the fishing forum, because most you guys are not okay with it. Heck, if I ever do get really buffed, I might have to start putting a shirt back on to take my fish photo's huh ? {btw, I still kind of dream of the day, when and if I get buffed enough, that somebody says, "He must be on roids" That's going to be so flattering } Hmmmm. Even as much as an extremist as I tend to be, I still try to be open minded about most things.... except alcohol, or human overpopulation LOL (and even the latter of those two things might not make any difference in the end}. Peace, Fish

Every dog here is so cool ! Hey BTW, check this out..... A girl I work with has two Golden Retrievers that are absolutely her babies. She spends so much of her paychecks on those dogs (not that hard I guess, when you live at home...) but anyway. A few weeks ago, the most beautiful, healthy, young, (about 2 years old) Australian Shepherd (don't know about you guys, but I REALLY love this breed) shows up in front of her house ! So, it had a collar, with a tag that said, "My name is Miko, and my home ph # is ###-####", So she calls it.... And some freaking dum-bass answers and says {are you ready for this ???} "Oh..... yea.... that was my dog.... but I'm in an apartment now, and I can't keep it.... so you can just call the SPCA if you want to.... And he hangs up !!!!!! I guess he just shoved it out his front door and slammed the door behind it ! Are you freaking kidding me ! Why did that idiot ever get a dog in the first place !!!! URRRRGGG ! So anyway, as it turns out, it also gets along great with both of her dogs, and even small children. It totally listens to her when she tells it to come inside, go sit down, whatever ! She totally wants to keep it, but her parents are not cool with "3" dogs.... and she doesn't really have the extra food money either. She is going to keep it though, at least until she can find an excellent home for it. Man, I sure wish I could take it ! Fish

Okay guys, I'm sorry for getting so defensive. I just think it's really great that this old guy was able to pull himself up out of the hole, and regain a tremendous quality of life. As for my whole personal health kick, it's like this > I do think every 40-50 year old guy should at least pull himself up to about where I'm at right now. Not overly buffed... not overly lean. Just relatively healthy and fit (if they are not this healthy, or moreso already). And knowing that most guys do have some balance in their lives, they could probably just get right to this level, then back off, relax a little, and just skate along with an easy maintenance. Unfortunately for me, I've never known 1 oz of moderation with anything in my entire life ! If I were not trying to do everything I possibly can, to look like Zack Kahn, then I'd be falling straight for the bottom, right back to obesity, high blood pressure, probably diabetes, then a stroke, or a heart attack, within a handful more years. In other words, knowing myself, I really don't have a choice. I have to keep pushing for the very top. Anyway, when I talk about you "normal people"...... I have to admit, that every once in a while, I am a little envious. I wish I had just a little moderation, once in a while. My AADD, and obsessive / compulsiveness can be kind of a PITA sometimes too. On the other hand, for being such a psychological mess, I'm pretty proud of some of my accomplishments some times LOL Peace, Fish PS, Deakn, you are absolutely right ! A lot of those guys (like my buddy) cutting down to 4% or 5% body fat, with tons of lean mass.... that is REALLY hard on ones organs, and totally not healthy. I personally do not even like the look of 4-5% body fat. Oh BTW, my buddy is back to about 10% right now, and yesterday he asked me, "So you really think I look better at this BF %" ? I told him, "Yea.... now you look like you are going to survive" ! My long term goal is only 9-10%. Tyrius, I have been totally surprised how many of the guys on the body building forums have posted comments about "Nice fish" ! "Wow ! That's huge bass" etc, etc..... Sending me PM's and all > Ya' see, I have yet to post any photos of myself fresh after a workout, pumped up, and flexing (mostly because I feel so little and scrawny compared to a lot of those guys) but instead, every photo I've posted, was of me holding a trophy catch LOL I think their was one guy, who got all but hurt that I didn't take his diet advice.... who said, "Yea', whatever... well fishing sucks" LOL Okay dude

JF, those are yours ? I swear those are two of my favorite breeds on the planet !!!! Fish

It's okay. I'm used to it. Anytime a person thinks for themselves, and is not afraid to step out of the box, this is what that person should expect. Fish PS, As I mentioned on the body building forum, it's amazing how our society has become SOOO incredibly out of shape (health cost spiralling out of control, etc, etc) Yet a person can walk down the street skinny (but often still with more fat and less muscle than is required for great health) or moderately fat, and nobody will even take notice > because this has become the norm. However, if a guy has a substantial amount of muscle, and pretty low fat, from a very healthy diet, and a lot of good exercise, he now stands out as "different". So now you will hear > He must be on roids.... Well that's not even healthy.... I wouldn't even want to look like that.... etc, etc. I'm quite sure the same things would have been said about the late Jack LaLaine, had he been 30 or 40 years old today {the guy was pretty darn buffed at 30-40.... and rediculously so, for a 90 year old !} Now there was guy who blazed his own trail, and wasn't afraid of what people thought.... And lived happy, and very actively, right up until he died last year at 96 years of age ! So, has enough truth been told to lock the thread yet ?

All cool dogs posted above I love the Akita's, and Alaskan Mamute's. Dascuhnds are cool too. I had one of those myself. Their is hardly a breed.... or a mutt, for that matter, that I don't like I just love dogs This one actually belongs to my Landlords, but he's one of my best buddies His name is Tepu Kahn (Indian, for little tiger) He's half pure bred German Shepard, and half pure bred Gold Lab, so I guess that makes him a pure bred mutt But he is super friendly and loving like a Lab, and a seriously hard-core guard dog at the same time, like a German Shepperd + he's a big boy, too. About 110 lbs ! Glad I don't have to feed him Peace, Fish

Well that would be because 99.9% of the old men out there don't shoot any steroids > when in fact, they really should (prescribed of course, for their exact situation). I know a lot about cenegenics, and I believe they are a fantastic thing for many people above 60 ! And for a few even younger, should their test and HGH levels start to drop off substantially, sooner. {or you can just get weak, sickly, and have a much lower quality of life in general} This guy has a most excellent diet, cardio, and resistance training program, or else he would never look as great as he does. His body fat is also not unreasonably low. Probably about 11% or 12%. I hope to be below 10% myself (if just barely).... in fact, I'll be about 13%, 3 or 4 weeks from now Don't get me wrong, steroids can be, and certainly are abused by a lot of people, but andropause is a prime example of a condition which great medical science, can now fix. The bottom line is, no amount of chemicals can make a 72 year old look as good as this guy, without also a TON of hard physical work, and an excellent clean diet. Anyway, come on, given the choice, would you rather look like this guy did at 59, and maybe be dead before you make it to 72 ? ....or look (and even more importantly, feel) the way he does at 72 now ? I'm sorry, but to hear from anyone who is not impressed with this guy.... All I can think is jellous haters. Fish PS It would be much truer to say, the majority of the people you see walking down the street, have a VERY poor fastfood / junkfood / overly high calorie diet, to help them hold so much fat.... even many of the skinnier ones have a much higher % of fat, and less muscle than is healthy. And after being obese for more than 20 years myself, I'm the authority on that !

Again, this thread was not about my idol Zack Kahn. It was about Dr. Life. I'm sure he has an even greater range of motion than 99.9% of all the 72 year old men out there. In fact, he speaks of flexability being a very important factor in his training. Fish

But why all the talk about girls ? Don't get me wrong, NOBODY likes women more than I do. God's coolest creation.... But I posted this thread to show that it is possible for a guy to stay really fit as he gets older. I mean yea, I know Zack Kahn is WAAAY overly buffed (which I do think is cool) but I'm the first to admit, that being THAT buffed, is also WAY beyond healthy. On the other hand, Dr. Life is, IMPO, not even a little bit too buffed to be at max health, for his age, no moreso than was Jack LaLaine, who was very active and relatively buffed, right until he passed away a few months ago at the age of 96 (I think). Peace, Fish Speaking of which, I just finished a great workout, and I'm feeling just a little bit buffed myself LOL

Well Grundle, the reason I asked how old you are, is because most young people can't imagine an old guy being in really good shape, any sooner than they can, an old person having sex. It just tends to freak them out. But 30 or 40 years from now, you will see that old people are still people, and they still think about many of the same things they did when they were young. As for girls liking really buffed guys.... I have to say, "Not usually". I see that girls typically like skinny, wimpy 'cute' guys. The thing is though, their are a small % of girls who do like REALLY big, buffed guys. And if you happen to be the 1 in 100 million guys as big and buffed as Zack Kahn, I'm sure your choices would be endless Speaking of which, I had asked a former room mate of mine (a cute little Indian girl) what she thought about that photo of Zack Kahn (he's actually of Pakistani decent, raised in Britain, btw, not black)... fully expecting her to just get totally grossed out. Instead, she surprised me, when her eyes lit up, and she said, "Wow ! He looks really good ! He would be a great protector" ! Uhhhh.... really ? Okay.... well if she would just give me a few years {too bad she was married} But enough about Zack. I do think I can be in the shape of Dr. Life is in right now, in 3 1/2 years though. Peace, Fish

Wow, really ? Couple things come to mind... First, how old are you Grundle ? Second, I guess I have to realize that anything out of the norm (like a 72 year old man, who is really good shape) tends to freak out normal people, like yourself Whereas, for me, the crazier, the more different, the more out there, the more over the top, the better ! Kind of the same thing as where I don't think this guy (one of my body building idols, Zack Khan) is too big and buffed If you think he's too big and buffed, I'm sorry... You must be another one of those normal people. It's okay. I know you can't help it My boss asked me about this guy, and said, "Yea', but you wouldn't want to be that buffed, would you" ? I looked at him and said with a totally serious face, "No... bigger". {granted, that would be a total imposibilty... but given the choice} Do you just want to catch a big fish ? .....or the biggest fish ? If you were a racer, would 3rd place be good enough for you ? I dunno, about you, but I haven't ever wanted to do anything part way It's all out or nothing. Peace, Fish

I've often wondered the same thing... But what still trips me out to this day, is when I hold a fish horizontally, with both hands, then shift it's head away, and back towards me, and it's eye will shift to stay focused on me ! You ever do this ? If not, try it ! And then tell me that fish is not totally aware of you, and where it's at ! I often talk to them, like, "I bet you didn't expect that, huh" ? Then when I release them, I often say something like, "You need to get back out there and be more careful the next time..... Until I stick you again in a few years" Peace, Fish

You guys know I have been trying really hard to get back into top physical shape, right ? And I often catch myself, kicking myself in the arse for letting so many valuable years slip by me, with all those years of self abuse. I try to tell myself that it's just water under the bridge, and try to keep looking forward, but I can't help but wonder how I'd look and feel, if I had kept up my health ever since I was 19 years old ? All that said, I have this big long term goal for myself 3 1/2 years from now, when I will be 50 years old. Partly, because I think that is plenty long term enough.... but also, because I have often wondered how much, if any, I could actually improve my fitness beyond 50 years of age ??? Meet Dr. Jeffery Life He didn't get onto his back to great health kick until the age of 59 ! And look at him now ! Granted, every body is different. And sure, he might well be the exception to the rule. But a person would never know, unless they gave it all they had ! 72 years old in the left pic, 59 in the right Here is an interview with him; http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-friends-weekend/index.html#/v/4694717/get-healthy-at-any-age/?playlist_id=163197?test=faces Hat's off to this guy ! I can only hope to be in 3/4's as good of shape at him.... at 60 ! Peace, Fish PS, Just had an AWESOME Salmon breakfast, and getting ready for a hard-core workout right now

I've never heard of a reel in which you could not adjust the drag ! That seems ludicris to me. I'd never buy such a reel. Drag setting is SOOO important to me. It's one of those things (like hook sharpness) I check over, and over again. For myself, I do it by feel, and with 40 years of experience. Checking the drag is almost like a nervous twitch for me.... I literally check my drag probably every second or third cast throughout the day. And like J F said, "If it's too light, you can always feather on some additional pressure by hand, or even adjust the drag tighter during the fight"..... but once your snapped off, it's a done deal ! Peace, Fish