Long Mike

The word "murse" should be outlawed. For the uninitiated, it means "man's purse." Real men don't carry murses or purses. They can carry briefcases, duffle bags, back-packs, ruck-sacks, tackle bags or boxes, creels, paper bags, trash bags, or anything else under the sun that does not, even remotely, look like a purse.

Those who have signed up: BassnChris and BeckieC Kyakr Fishing Rhino Bighead and Sharon and son Chad Long Mike Alpster Road Warrior Glenn and Keri 00Mod Maybe J Francho

Dealing with the deaths of loved ones is, oddly enough, just part of life. When anyone near to you is lost, the pain in the heart is almost unbearable, but we all get through it, and then forever cherish the memory of the ones we have lost. As I have aged, I have had to say good-by to too many of my family and friends. Rather than grieve, I prefer to cherish their memories. Our culture demands that we have a funeral in order to promote grieving. That's really a shame. Instead, we should have a party to celebrate the life of the departed!

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get back to Fork for the last couple of years. I used a Pfleuger to pull out my PB from that lake, 7-11. It's the photo in my Avatar.

Louisiana? I grew up there, but would never retire there. The humidity is brutal, and every living creature bites. Family and food keep drawing me back.

What's a Shimano? Do they make reels? I've heard of Pinnacles and Pfleugers, but ...

The music I like to hear comes without an amplifier or speakers. It's the sound of nature.

I have several 7.3/1 reels also. When I want to slow down my retrieve speed, I simply crank the reel a little slower.

Welcome back!

I have a Garcia Mitchell 301c spinning reel, still in very good condition, that I keep for no particular reason, other than nostalgia. My best guess is that it's about 50 years old.

Tom, FWIT, I agree. Bass will hit most anything that they "think" will fit in their mouth.

Well, let me think here. I have four Patriarch baitcasters, plus two Patriarch, two President, and two Trion spinning reels. I'm also too lazy to tell you which rod they are paired with. I remember that I have one President mounted to a St. Croix Avid 6'6" M/F.

I hate to rub it in, but I'm one of those guys headed to Baccarac in March. It's going to be the trip of a lifetime for me. I am by no means a wealthy man, but I have scratched up enough money to make this my first, and last trip in the effort to complete one of the last items on my Bucket List - a DD bass.

I like it. It's about time that the Mustang has some new lines to it, but it still doesn't outshine the new Camaros. The Camaro looks like it's doing 100 mph just sitting still. And BTW retiredbosn, I don't know about those ugly Mustang IIs from the seventies, but the first new car I ever owned was a 1967 Mustang 2+2. I hope you are not referring to that one, because I loved it and so did everyone else of that era. Its pick-up rate was astonishing - about 1 gpm (girl per mile.)

The BPS Extremes are excellent rods in that price range. I have several of them, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

I live in Tulsa, so I am unbiased. My recommendation would be to look at the TVA chain of lakes. Probably the best all round weather, all year. My first choice would be in the Pickwick, Wheeler, or Wilson Lakes area. It may get a little chilly in the winter, but there are few mosquitoes to worry about in the summer.

Actually, Gary chose the word Ghoti from the language of the Huaorini tribe in Ecuador. It means "Big ugly man who sucks toes."

Take a look at these. They all can take care of your needs, and they all have been the headquarters for one of our annual BR Road Trips. Why don't you join us on our next trip? Pickwick Landing State Park, Pickwick Dam, TN Hampton Inn, Guntersville, AL Moore's Resort, Kentucky Lake My personal recommendation is Moore's Resort. It's probably the most "fisherman friendly" place we have visited. The caveat is that Kentucky Lake, because it is over 90 miles long and runs almost due North and South, can be deadly if the wind comes up in either direction. A close second is Pickwick Landing, followed by the Hampton Inn. All of them will suit your needs, as they have ours.

We all know there is only one Power conference. Need I say it?

Got about 4" of snow today. Luckily no freezing rain. That went south of us. Brrr, it's cold! The temp never got above 22 today, and the forecast is for 2 degrees tonight. That's OK though, we'll just hunker down, and turn up the thermostat.

A little trick for you braid fishermen, and I'm one of them. I carry a piece of 1" PVC pipe with me about 1' long. If I need to take a hard bind on the braid to break off, I make a few wraps of the braid around the PVC and then give the line a tug. Works like a charm and I never get cut. On a side note, when I was very young, about five or six, when I was ill, my grandmother would feed me a concoction of honey and bourbon. I don't know if it cured me, but I certainly slept better, much to her delight. It took me sixty years to kick that bourbon habit.

Pete, all of the cabin lay-outs are identical, so it doesn't matter which cabin you will be staying in. We would love to have your opinions about the cabins and their environs prior to our deadline date for reservations. I would be most interested in your opinion of how fisherman-friendly the resort is, vis-a-vis boat/trailer parking and electrical hook-ups. Secondly, we will happily accept your offer of the smoker. When any of the guys offer to do the cooking, we happily pass the hat among the attendees to help offset costs of the chef.

I had a SeaEagle 9 that I really enjoyed. As said above, it is very robust, and with all the independent chambers, it is all but sink-proof. I gave it up because I wanted to fish larger waters.

We are part of the same weather event. Luckily for us, the freezing rain went about about 40 miles south of us. We will have snow only. It doesn't bring down tree branches. Give me 6" of snow instead 1/4" of ice any day.

I think it is the camaraderie that has, over time, been developed by the regular contributors here that has kept me coming back to this site year after year. There are so many of you guys and gals that I would very much like to meet face to face. It is my fervent wish that all of you could attend one of our Road Trips.