SPEEDBEAD.

Started off the day cruising the lake looking for bedding fish. Found some aggressive little males holding shallow (great to get the skunk out of the way) Came across some bluegill beds with some mysterious dark figures looming around the outer edges, so I says to myself, "Self, I think they might just eat that Mattlures Hardgill today." Yep, sure did. ;D 6lb 4oz of swimbait crushing fury. Had to get the bait in the second shot there.

I bet he copied that technique from someone else...

Yeah, seeing him get worked up over that first big one that got away, I was real surprised he didn't get up and choke slam the camera man after that one. Ike's passion and drive to win gets away from him at times but thats what I like about him. LOL @ choke slam the camera man. ;D That boy better eat his Wheaties. He might be 115lbs soaking wet with rocks in his pockets.

LOL, thanks for the plug. I hear they like their chicken cooked though.... : ;D

Dwight, you ever need a tag-along? ;D Erie isnt too far for fish like that!!!

I couldn't agree with you more man(love your lures BTW)! :-*

I believe one of the criteria is a central location so as to maximize participation. There are plent that travel from the NE, see you next year!!

I still suck on my own lake... ;D

Not everyone fishes for money !! dont fool yourself there are some weekend worriors that can hold there own with anybody and you better believe it . These pro's you all watch came from somewhere, they just took a different route than the rest of us. I fished one tournament on t-bend 15 years ago, was asleep a the boat launch be noon and won by 18lbs on a 10 below day, GOD AS MY WITNESS !! My nerves were so shot by the end of the tourney I swore I would never fish another, and I havnt " and I won the @#$% thing " DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERNT FOLKS !!! You truly are the epitome of awesomeness. Your confidence is admirable, but I still know who my money would be on in any conditions on any lake.

http://wiredangler.typepad.com/wiredangler/2008/02/10-ways-to-rig.html There are quite a few ways to rig it.

Yep, Baby Bass would be a good choice to throw on that rod. The 6" Hud weighs a little over 2oz, so you could probably lob the bait with your rod. Either one will catch you fish.

The only thing I use Hot Sauce for is the clippers I shave my head with. Other than that, its either the bottles that came w/ the Shimano reels or Ardent.

I'm not a rod builder, Eric, so I am not really sure. I thought they were a new trend; I didnt know they had been around for a while.

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

No doubt man. I am right there with you on "I am Legend"

Burley is a pop tart.

I am not a big baseball fan, but at least I know who this guy is. Apparently, he is being suspended for 50 games for a positive test with performance enhancers /

A man who dreams of eating big marshmallows will wake up with no pillow.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here, but maybe they operate under the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra. Newer builders might be trying to find what works for them or is visually appealing. I can say with a 100% certainty that I have seen the rods that Booten built with these guides on them and they are FRIKIN SWEET looking. I had to do a double take when I first saw them to make sure it wasnt just a blank with a reel seat glued on. They fish very well also, as Jimzee can attest. Very stealthy.

Gotta work tomorrow and then do Mother's Day stuff Saturday. I really want to get up there and do some night fishing at some point this year.

I am pretty sure both of you still have my number, I know Muddy does. Give me a call when you are going out.

Simp, Carl gave me one of his cards on the road trip for Ol-Nelle lures. I will PM you his phone number, I hope he doesn't mind. Carl makes one hell of a spinnerbait too, check those out. I will second that on Carl. I mentioned this in another post, but I called their shop the other day. Carl answered the phone and I said my name. That was all it took for him to remember me. I have only met him twice and he recognized my name immediately. All I could hear in the background was JJ and that big southern drawl... ;D Carl is a great guy to deal with.

Definitely one of the very few.

LOL, dont worry. She likes you guys too.

LOL, thats awesome. What is even more awesome is the fact that it is not valid on 5/10, Mother's Day. If you are so cheap that you need a KFC coupon to take your Mom out to eat, there is no help for you. ;D