jdw174

I agree that last years selection was way better. I passed on this years....thank goodness!!

Sounds to me like it might be time for giving some Texas-rigged soft plastics a try.

I think RW is right about no smallies there. I bought my (then new) Triton from Beech Lake Marine in Lexington and did the initial run on Beech Lake. There are several lakes in the area that are watershed lakes and they all require a permit, available at the local water dept. office. They do get some nice fish out of there.

I like culprits, but one of my favorites was always Gillrakers. Fantastic action and good color selection. Haven't seen any in tackleshops for sometime now.

I fished Erie out of Erie, Pa for years. I've seen springtime tournaments there where a five fish stringer weighing 25 pounds would barely get you into the money! I had a half dozen days where I hooked and boated 120+ fish myself. They might come a little bigger down south, but I'd take Erie over any southern lake when it comes to smallie fishing.

LBH, you ain't crazy by a long shot. While I wouldn't walk across the street for a Starbucks if it was free, I do buy Folger's Coffeehouse Blend regularly. Costs about $3 more per large can than their regular grind and it's worth it. I've tried the "House Blend" and "Gourmet Supreme" and both are good. The one Folger's that I haven't tried yet is the "Black Silk" and that's going to be next.

OH. MY. GOD. his wife is absolutely intolerable. Is she any more so than Roland?

Bandit, Bomber, Norman, and Manns.

To clarify my choices, let me just say that for a fishing program to get and hold my attention, it has to at least demonstrate something that is useful to me, I.E. technique, lure choices, color selection, use of sonar, etc. That being said, here are my choices for best/worst fishing programs. (Some are no longer being made.. ) Best: 1. Schooled With Denny Brauer 2. Fishing With Larry Nixon 3. The Bass Pros 4. Bass Pro Shops Fishing (usually a good segment there about bassin) 5. In-Fisherman/Lindner's Angling Edge (Bass fishing segments only) 6. Scott Martin Challenge 7. Ultimate Match Fishing 8. Bassmaster Series 9. Day on the Lake Honorable Mention: World's Greatest Fishing Show Worst: (In no particular order) Roland Martin - (I'd only spend time in a boat with him if I could tape his mouth shut) One More Cast - (Like RM, a half hour infomercial interlaced with shots of the host giggling like a girl everytime he hooks a fish) Bill Dance - (I cut my bass fishing teeth watching his show, back when he actually traveled to different lakes/rivers and hardly ever pushed his sponsors so blatantly as he does now. And those "captive" fish in those phosphate pits in Florida are getting a bit old....) Bass Edge - (promises much and delivers little) Bass Champs- (The show is 30 minutes long. Actual fishing time on air is probably 10 minutes. The rest is interviews.) FLW Outdoors - (This show is a joke. Way too much time spent on interviews, personal items, local sites, and when you finally get on the water you have to set through the same fish being caught from four different camera views! BOOORING!!) Fishing University- Another half hour infomercial.

Last I knew, Zercom was bought out by Humminbird. You might check their website to see if it's ever still available. Otherwise, Lowrance.

JMO of course, but the best fishing shows are no longer being made. "The Bass Pros" is currently the best out there. Sadly missing are either of Denny Brauer's shows and the "Fishing With Larry Nixon" program. Those programs were designed to actually teach you something. While I might occasionally pick up a thing or two from one of the other shows I don't think they're in the same league.

I bought a (then new) '05 Tacoma 4-dr w/V6 and auto tranny. It pulls my TR20 with no trouble whatsoever, and gives about 14mpg while doing it. When not towing I average 19mpg around home, and 24mpg on longer trips. Absolutely no complaints here.

1/2 oz Cordell Spot, chrome/blk back.

Have you tried checking with the company? I had one come loose and break after six months on the vehicle and they sent me one to replace it. Said there was a lifetime warranty on it. Worth a shot........

First off, let me just say that if you have the cash to plop down on a fully equipped Z520, my hat's off to you That said, my opinion is this: Go and climb over, under, around, and through every single one of those boats you mentioned. Next, take every one of them for a test run, preferably with at least some chop on the water. Look at the interior layout, storage bins, the works. Pay close attention to the items that are most important to YOU. You'll find one that suits you more than the others. Buy it. Of the three you mentioned, I would lean towards the BassCat. I would also take a gander at the Skeeter I-Class boats, Champion, and Legend. For engines, I've had good service from Johnson/Evinrude for over 20 years and see no reason to change. It would be the E-TEC for me.

Since I only fish Kentucky and Barkley, looks like it don't affect me one bit 8-)

If you're buying used, I'd look for something with warranty left on the engine.

IMO, there are plenty of "cheaper" lures out there, in a sufficient number of fish-catching colors that keep me from feeling the need to drop a wad of cash on just one lure. Bandits, Bombers, Mann's, Strike King, and Bill Norman lures to name a few. Out of those lures, it's seldom indeed that I might have to do more than make a slight adjustment to the line tie....and that not very often. As for hooks, I will only make changes if they're either chrome/nickel plated, or if they're the old Eagle Claw "Beak" type. In soft plastics I long ago gave up on just having to have the original Senkos. One fish = one senko torn up. Funny thing....I found that the cheaper priced "clones" caught just as many fish as the original. For those of you that think you need the high-priced spread and can afford it...more power to you. I can't afford them and I'm not sure that I'd buy any if I could. But it's all JMO of course...

I will be throwing the same lures that I've been throwing for years...(and catching fish with). Last year I picked up a few new spinnerbaits to replace some that were lost or worn beyond fixing. This year I intend to purchase perhaps a half dozen new crankbaits and that will be it. (Nothing over $5-$6, I might add)

Go and watch the last couple of years episodes of Ultimate Match Fishing and see Luke Clausen dishing it out from the back of the boat using the shakey head rig

I hope not....this is a brand new machine, 2.2Ghz Intel Dual Core, 2GB RAM, NVidia GeForce 8500GT graphics, et al.

Is there any way to adjust focus? When I zoom in on my home, everything is just a blur and the image is terrible. I can't find anything that would allow me to adjust this.

It's a 2 hour drive from my house to the one in Nashville, but 15 minutes up the road is a tackle shop that will order anything you want from the BPS catalog at the catalog price and there won't be any shipping charges.

My '65 Chevelle with the L71 option (327/350hp) and 4-speed. About that time I also got GAS for a new guitar (was in a band at the time). In the space of 2 months I bought (and swapped back to the dealer) a Gibson Firebird, a Rickenbacker, and a Gretch Tennessean before finally settling on an Epiphone Sheraton. If I'd have kept all of those, I'd have a very nice chunk of change right now due to collectibility. The one that hurts most is that Sheraton. Cost me $750 new with hardshell case. Last one I saw appraised came in at $7500!!!

I'm not going into brands, but the best is the one that's paid for