ww2farmer

Either way is fine. I like to use as big of a hook as I can get away with. So I am more partial to the bottom tube in the picture. But as long as your hook up % is fine, keep doing it your way.

Can't beat Crown, I'll drink that over the two I mentioned in my post.....but he asked about bourbon.

I like Maker's Mark, but I can afford Evan Williams.

If they don't want the rod back, I remove all the guides and keep them. You never know when they will come in handy. Then I usually give the broken blank ito a local rod building buddy of mine who can do what ever the heck he wants with it. It's a nice trade off, in exchage for the busted blanks, he usually dosen't charge me to replace a guide or something like that.

If I want to listen to music out on the water, it's with headphones on (which I do quite often). So I am the only one listening to it. A lot of people are out there for some peace and quiet, why should they have to listen to my music? Sadly, few others think this way, and whatever they are listening to, everyone else is as well.

You were gone? Hmmmm never noticed......

A guy in our reenacting group was a NG 1st Sgt who spent a lot of time at Ft Drum. He swears it's on the North Pole and not in NYS.

Funny how a few broken rods will sway people one way or another. I feel the same way about Kistler's...........every one I ever had turned to dust in my hands, pretty sure most of it was my own fault, but I won't touch them again. Yet other guys love them, and have never had a problem.

I know it's subjective, but IMHO the Veritas blank is better performing than the SC3 blank, and cheaper to boot. If you think the SC3 (avid/rage) is better that's your perogitive, but I have had all three rods in my boat at the same time, and kicked the St Croix's to the curb based on the "bang for the buck" factor with the Abu rods. I'll give you the St Croix's are finer crafted, and have a better warranty, but................oh well. never mind. You like what you like, I like what I like, no sense in having a pee pee stretching contest over it.

Not usually, but I have bought some NIB stuff from places like Simmons SG, Brad at JBC, etc... when I have only needed a bag or two of something and didn't want or need to make a trip to the city to the nearest tackle store, or make a TW order.

I had a love/hate relationship with my Rage..............but in the end I decided I mostly hated it, and sold it. Micro guides...........not a fan. That handle..........really not a fan. The only thing I liked about it was the reel seat, BUT all that did was make me switch to another brand of rods that used that type reel seat, good job St Croix. I don't "modern" bass rods.........IE split grips, EVA foam instead of cork, max. exposure reel seats etc....but the direction St Croix has gone with the Rage, and Legend Tournaments has turned me off of them for now. If you couldn't tell, I didn't like the Rage, and I really don't like the current generation LTB. Yes there's always the more traditional Premier, Avid, and Legend Elite, but............they blew it for me, so I switched brands, and honestly have found a better bang for my buck elsewhere.

6"..........pssst........please. We have had 20"+ here in the lake effect bands of WNY since Thursday.

I usually buy all my new stuff during the winter....It's like Christmas the first day out on the water in the spring.

Do I have to limit it to three? LOL Off the top of my head: #1..... I really don't know how to put this, because I enjoy fishing, and running tournaments, but the whole tournament culture bugs the crap out of me. That's why I started running my own, I get good turn out's, and it's a bunch of decent guys for the most part. Laid back atmosphere, low stress, low pressure, low entry fee's, 100% payback, open to all....we don't keep track of points/standings, we just have a little invite only "classic" at the end of the year for the guys who cashed during the season. I understand the structure and competiveness at the higher levels, but when it creeps down to the local weeknight/weekend tournaments........enough is enough. #2.......The slobs and there garbage.....it's bad enough when the weekend pleasure boat crowd does it, but when it's other fisherman? I come unglued. Yeah we have all lost things in the water, or had crap fly/blow out of the boat, but as a fisherman to litter on purpose.....don't let me catch you doing it. #3.......Excuse making and/or over analytical fisherman. I see people who spend lots of time on the water, and have for years, but are TERRIBLE fisherman.........if your out there for relaxation, and all, and it dosen't matter if you catch or not.......fine. Have at it, it's your right. BUT if you put the time in and still suck, man up and face the fact that you suck!! Don't blame it on the lake, the other guys, the weather, etc.....other people are figuring it out, your not. Go play golf. The flip side is the guy who has a scientific answer for everything under the sun, includeing why seagulls fart in one direction on low pressure days..................listen pal.........it's bass fishing............not the manhattan project. I'm sure if you would have selected the proper crankbait, that had just the right water displacment to imitate a perch sucking bloodworms off the bottom, in 73.4 degree water on the third sat. in June, under a new moon, you would have a won by 20lbs.........but you didn't, and you lost to a guy throwing a brown piece of plastic at a dock post......that's a shame.

They make water/weather proof back up camera's for farm equipment cabs, we have them on several machines. You could mount the camera on your outboard cowling, and the screen on your dash. http://www.abilenemachine.com/cab-camera-kits/

16* here now, and I wish it was colder.........Ice dosen't make it self.

If your set on the President spinning reel, get the 6930 size, it's light, and has plenty of line capacity. I won't get brand specific for rods..........everyone has there favorites, but if it were me, I would be looking at a 6'8", 6'9", 6'10" range..............ML power, fast or extra fast action rod. Plenty of decent rods to choose from in your $150 or range. St Croix, Abu, Shimano, Fenwick,etc.....

I have seen a bass swipe at a bird that landed on matted grass..........he missed, I tossed my frog in there, I didn't miss............

Right now it sits in a box, with the drag backed off. I have the 6930, it was on an Abu Vendetta 6'9" ML spinning rod, and will either go back on that rod next spring, or IDK, something new and shiny...I might grab a Veritas spinning rod, or a new Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth rod.........IDK, I have all winter to decide. It's my 2nd President. I had one of the older 6735's with the wood knob, for many years, and wore it out. Not because it was junk, but because I used the heck out of it with ZERO maint. Since then I have had several Daiwa's and Shimanos that are/were in the Presidents price range, and after a few years, I have gotten rid of them, and went back to the President.

Done. Hope it turns out OK

Don't worry............in fact I might go too far the other way to over compensate. In other news.................yesterday.........the two week mark was brutal. I didn't cave, but I am sure it had nothing to do with being stuck in the house all day with my two kids because both my work, and their schools were closed.................yeah, that had nothing at all to do with it...LOL Today was much better, they had school............

I know exactly what your talking about, but for the life of me I can't explain it. One of my tournament partners does this with baits that are prone to slide down the shank of the hook, and it works well for him, and he catches plenty of fish. It dosen't have to be a tube either, it will work with any t-rigged plastic bait.

Nope, all my Citica's are gone. I had the chance to replace them with Revo STX's so I jumped on that. All I have Shimano wise now are Curados.

Seemed like people stopped playing along..........I had a great year, but I didn't want to keep rubbing it in. LOL

All the Curado's I have came with the red on the reel, and spare green ones in the box.......Citica's came with red on the reel and grey in the box, and they ARE NOT the same as the Curado's. The Curado's are round, and the Citica's are more oval/semi square-ish.