Macsimus

Have no idea if it's the best but the Fillin Station's fried chicken sure makes me smack my lips. It's the saturday special. And, where else can you get a genuine mechanic's rag for a napkin!

What can I say? I have an unquenchable wanderlust. Must get to the James and soon!

Very well stated and I agree totally. What I failed to mention previously is how completely satisfying it is for me to take the winner's check standing there in my Dickie's grey pocket T right next to the 30 percenter in the jersey with the stickered-up truck. On a different note, your lawn "issue" is giving me regular laughs. I grew up in a middle-income suburb of Cleveland with manicured, postage-stamp-sized yards (well, except for ours) and I wish I had a dollar for every time I fetched a ball from the neighbor's front yard only to look up at him glaring at me from his picture window.

I've been tournament fishing for 16 years now and I think it's mostly about the competition. It's a real kick being the guy that figured 'em out on a given day better than everyone else. That said, I vastly prefer team tournament over draw formats although I have made some great friends that way as well. The last 8 years, I've team-fished with my youngest son and it has been the highlight of my adult life (other than grandchildren). The way we click and complement each other during a fishing day is very special to me. The wins and Team of the Year wins I've enjoyed with him have been some of the highest highs I've ever experienced. That said, as I get older and lose energy, more and more I enjoy just a relaxing day on the water with family and friends.

Oh come on. Just tell us. Congrats on your recent Open finish. I appreciate your positive attitude. I suspect that a Co-angler who starts the day with a pro on as positive a note as possible, goes a long way in setting the tone for a good day. Of course, there will always be the exception.

That could very well be, Quill. In the 9 days I've been here so far, I've fished the Cow Creek area, Kings, Eagle Rock, Baxter, and Long Creek and struggled at each. I think TR is an especially challenging lake unless you just really know the lake, even more so this time of year with the majority of fish still deep. There are so many, many options and these have to be matched with the right locations at the right time with the right conditions I followed the recent Open closely and to hear Mike McClelland make statements like "I had to be lined up just right" to catch fish out of deep trees is a bit intimidating. I've been trying hard this year to figure out the deep bite and so far, it just has not clicked. But, I live for the puzzle just because solving it can be so rewarding. Thank goodness for the Ned or I'd probably be becoming a regular at the Hawg Trough in Lampe.

Looks like the worst is over, at least in Stone County. We had nickle size hail here in the Blue Eye area. Do y'all ever just get plain old rain down here??

I was thinking about that as I reported my meager numbers!

Heading for the basement in a few minutes.

Lol. Wish I could...

Fished from 8:00 - 1:30. Caught 8 with 4 being keepers: 1 Spot, 1 LM, and 2 SM. The LM went 17" but was skinny and looked like it was suffering from too many livewell rides. All caught on a 1/8oz Little Guy with lo-o-o-o-ng gaps between bites. 6 were SM which didn't hurt my feelings one bit. Love those guys. Water temp started at 51 and the warmest I saw was 57 in a wind-blown pocket in Jakes Branch early afternoon. First 2 hours of the day were dead. The "fish ah da day" pulled off the Little Guy boatside probably due to a whimpy hookset. I need to start pumping a little iron I guess. Argh!! Most of the fish I caught were relating to bluff ends except the Spot which came from a rock outcropping in the middle of a bluff. Fished both sides of Long Creek from the ramp up to the State Park. No love whatsoever for an underspin/swimbait, crank, or spinnerbait.

Have to agree with mixermarkb, especially the 24/7 aspect of it. I recently noticed a family near us in a restaurant. Mom and Dad were looking at their 2 kids across the table and the latter had their faces buried in their mobile devices while eating. It was kind of sad. On the other hand, technology does have its moments. Yesterday evening, our 6 year old granddaughter "face-timed" us and read us a story. And that, was downright special. It seems that with everything new that comes along, some folks figure out how to use it for good and some figure out how to abuse it.

Whatever, you young pup.

Maybe try a rope launch? I've got a cab-high topper so getting into the bed is not an option. 50' rope does the job for me. I'm assuming you have a bunk trailer...

Well, that stinks. I've got an open seat if you get the itch to get off the bank (and catch less fish).

Based on my results, you might want to keep wondering for a little while longer. When do you get your boat back?

Thanks James. Great to be here and looking forward to seeing you and Donna at the OAF shindig.

Fished from 2:00 - 5:00 this afternoon in the Cow Creek area. Caught 6 with one Spot that just made 15" and a beefy LM that went 18" and put a real nice bend in my 7' ML Varmint rod. The keeper Spot came on a ballhead jig with a Pearl Menace Grub fished on a deep, main-lake point. The rest came on a 1/8oz PBJ little guy. Very slow fishing inside the creek but it picked up nicely as I got out on a main-lake stretch of bank. Or, the fish just got a little more active the last hour. Water temps were 50.5 - 52. I'm going to have to find somewhere else to launch. With the low water, the bottom end of the ramp at Cow Creek is very steep. I had to bounce from boat to truck several times to get loaded. Felt awesome to get back on the water and I managed not to break anything today. Win-win!

Lol. Please do. Got some steaks that need a good charring.

Thanks Dave. Awesome to be here. It has been a warmer winter up there too but the lakes are still frozen so temp is immaterial.

By the way, have to go with MN guy, Seth Feider, for this one. Of course.

Lake sure is flat this morning. Wonder what that will do to the bags. Not exactly the prime conditions I've seen many of you describe over the years.

Did you remember to scream, "It's a giant!!!!"?

Brownies with thick, rich, chocolate frosting. Courtesy of the missus, of course.