Champ188

I own five of the TS1H reels. Love them. One tip. It has both internal centrifugal brakes and a magnetic brake. All four centrifugal brakes will be "out" from the factory, limiting your casting distance. Push a couple of them in and you're good to go.

With fluoro, you can get away with 8-pound test. I throw my grubs on mono (just don't like fluoro on a spinning reel) so I prefer 6-pound test.

Jim, I have a 998 on a 2.25 ram mount on the front of mine. I lay it over face down on the carpet and lock the knob down before making rough runs and when trailering. Keeps it snug as a bug in a rug -- carpet cushions it and no bouncing.

This one had the fun factor because it lacked what ruins a lot of the others ... money and the yayhoos who will do just about anything for it.

You make a great point (pun intended), mixer. And unless me and my buds are complete idiots (shut it, peanut gallery), the norm is to throw grubs on 6-pound line. You aren't likely to straighten any hook before you reach the breaking point of the line.

Whatever you buy, I wouldn't make a decision based on price. I doubt that was your criteria for picking your graph, so you'll certainly want good hardware keeping it from getting beat to death or flying out of the boat.

I will say again, you (usually) get what you pay for ... and sometimes in ways beyond the product itself, such as over-and-above customer service and warranty backing.

Better change those hours to 7:30-3:00. Since the time changed, it's pitch black at 6:30.

Babler likes to give his guide clients brand new mouse-colored War Eagles and let them decorate weather vanes on top of boat docks with them.

So what's the outcome when those whites are snagged. Can they be legally kept or are they thrown back to die? Be a shame if it was the latter.

Another suggestion might be for those who can't/won't trailer or travel long distances by water to pair up with another boat owner who doesn't have a partner. I think those who paired up (Daryk for sure) this time really enjoyed their time on the water and made new friends.

Just want to echo what everyone else has already said. Thanks so much to everyone who worked to make this happen. Incredible that a website could bring so many good people together for fishing, food and fellowship. Takes a pretty darn awesome website to do that. Let's do it again.

Beautiful fish, Richy. Congrats on your new personal best. I admire your dedication to that big swimbait.

Good job on a very tough day. Ready for things to get better and I have a feeling they will this week.

Gorgeous.

I didn't make a cast with it but I held it and checked the action against Randy's hand. Also watched him throw a 1/16-ounce Ned at least 60 feet into the wind. Wow. Perfect "fast" tip and plenty of backbone to handle a good fish. And light as a feather to boot. Very impressive.

Wishful thinking, Trophy. The Kings had only risen a few inches on the gauge at Berryville as of 2200 Friday night. All is well in Champ/Donna Land.

Don't be so hard on yourself, man. You sound like me! Your paint work is plenty good and it's very generous of you to offer it as a prize. Tim has been doing custom paint work for gosh knows how long and has been featured in Bassmaster magazine. We don't expect any amateur to match his work. Good luck tomorrow and thanks again for your donation.

Coach K does a great job. I just find him irritating. Calipari is a confirmed criminal.

Thanks, Tim! Very generous.

Truest post I've seen here in awhile. Not sure that airboats, standing timber and nighttime mix well. That's a Jekyl and Hyde lake if there ever was one when it comes to bass fishing. You can hammer the crap out of 'em on the weekdays, and they they shut the water off every darn weekend and only the locals can catch 'em then. At least that's been my experience up there.

I will laugh loud enough for them to hear me in Lexington if (when) Cal gets dinged for cheating. I'd call him the Bobby Petrino of college basketball. Slimy. Just reeks of snake oil.

Both Bo and Dave have superior products. Thanks, guys, for the generosity.

Darn right his odds are better than that. He's fishing WITH BILL. He's at least a 5/4 favorite. Bill is a guide. No matter how much he may want to win himself, he'll be stuck in guide mode and will end up helping Phil catch the winning fish. As far as Donna and I go, we have a USABassin derby next Saturday, so any big bass we might catch is probably going right back in the water where it came from. Besides, we honestly have not caught a fish over 4 pounds since Christmas and maybe longer. The only thing we are likely to bring to the weigh-in is a big batch of tater salad.

I've had the pleasure of knowing Mike and his family for quite a few years and can testify that he is darn good people. What you see is what you get. Doesn't ham it up to get more camera time. Lets his fishing do the talking. And yes, one can bet that when the Classic comes back to Grand next March, Mike will be a strong factor. I think he wanted the one in 2014 to the point that it affected his fishing, especially mentally. Next time he will have already felt the pressure of being the local favorite and should be able to deal with it better. Same for Jason Christie. In fact, could be a real shootout between those two. Bill Babler, Bill Beck, Hughesy and others on here also know Mike well and can tell you their opinions of him. Bet they are very close to mine. Good luck today and tomorrow, MIkey!