Champ188

Well, it's a fishing forum ... we tend to gravitate that direction.

It gets entertaining around here every February. And silly. And bad. And sad. Crap, I made another rhyme. Come on spring!

I find Wheeler's mannerisms offputting. That's a personal thing and I shouldn't let something like that color my feelings toward him. But I do. I'm human. Like Bill, my career for many years was in the sport of fishing. Heck, George Cochran was best man in mine and Donna's wedding. Been in dozens of pros' boats for hours and days on end. Seen the best up close and personal. And Bill is right ... Wheeler is one of those once-a-generation guys who is just heads above everyone else. His knowledge of bass is deep and he has special instincts to guide him. Pretty much the whole package. I'd like him a lot more without all of the "Yeaaaahhhh!!!!" and "Ding" and other celebratory shenanigans when he catches one. But again, that's just me.

It's an internet forum ... where people are encouraged to express their opinion. One thing I love about fishing Bull Shoals when I get over there is the relative freedom to fish the natural features of the lake without being blocked by docks.

I'm agreeable to those terms. Fish on, brother! 😁

Yes, it was Pittsburgh. Another of BASS's stellar choices for a Classic site. KVD won throwing a really old Smithwick Rattlin' Rogue ... an RB1200 model that was out of production even in 2005, when VanDam won. He beat the late Aaron Martens by 6 ounces. As for Marty, he knows his business. Donna and I just can't stand his droning voice and the props ... the sunglasses for More Than Meets the Eye segments; the binoculars around his neck for the Sig Sauer segments; and that dam Yeti cooler they sit between him and whoever he's interviewing at the moment. For gosh sakes, people, NO ONE carries and ice chest in a bass boat anymore and hasn't for 25 years. They are built in!!!!

I just go to the Cove That Shan't Be Named and "Power Pole down." (I hate that phrase! Power Pole is NOT a verb!)

They did Monday at Beaver.

Water may be cold as ice, But at least the weather will be nice.

QB, your rhymes are equally dim, Just hook up your boat and go to Big M. 😂

I do not like this thing called Snap, it makes me want to take a nap. 😂🤣

Sir, can you produce the required permit to possess/deploy custom-made spinnerbaits? 😂

I think at some point you have to just call it skill. When Buster fished bass tournaments, he was among an elite group of guys who could fit comfortably in a small room. Bill Beck, Dave Barker and Tim Sainato come to mind. The common thread is time on the water, hard work, and natural ability.

Might consider hiring a guide for a day. Bill Babler on this forum is one of the very best. That would give you a good idea where the fish were and how to find and catch more.

I was only asking because I bought some shaky heads once from a guy that went by "Pour Dennis" in Shell Knob. Darn things were awesome and I don't have a lot of them left. As I recall, this guy also worked behind the counter at Battery Outfitters in Golden.

Way to go, Dennis! Does he work at Battery Outfitters in Golden?

Good info to know.

Good question ... today's graphite selection provides parabolic selections that don't wear you out like heaving and holding a heavy fiberglass rod will. Ask our resident crank bait king Alex ... it's a bear trying to crank a DD-22 all day on a fiberglass stick. My choice for cranking is the Denali Kovert series ... I use the 7-2 medium power, moderate action for Wiggle Warts and other midsize cranks and the 7-6 medium heavy power, moderate/fast action for bigger crank baits. The moderate actions of both rods allow the rod to bend from tip to butt ... a parabolic action. They give quite a bit when a fish strikes and also during the fight, helping keep the fish buttoned up on those pesky treble hooks.

Prayers, buddy.

That even LOOKS cold!!!!!! Count me out. Not as tough as I used to be. I'm good down to 40 degrees in the rain or 30 if it's sunny.

Awesome.

I don't swim well at all and I doubt I'd do any better with third-degree burns. I'll pass on the lithium ions for now. Lead acid still serves the purpose for me.

Frankly, none of that surprises me. Can't tell you how many times I went to that worthless Branson store looking for VERY BASIC GEAR and they would be completely out. Couldn't buy a single spool of any brand or quantity of 12-pound fluorocarbon line once. Was fishing a Central Pro-Am and had gone off and left my line bag at home. When I politely asked the old geezer working in that department if they might have some in the back, his reply was, "Stuff doesn't sell very well out of the back. If we had it, you'd find it on the shelf." At that point, I replied that empty shelves don't sell well either. I should've called Mr. Bill at that point but it was after 8 p.m. and I figured he was already in bed, so off to Springfield we went ... only after making a call to ensure their flagship store wasn't also out of stock. LOL Have to admit, their slogan "Your Adventure Starts Here" certainly applies to the Branson store because it certainly never ENDS THERE for me. Had a bad experience with Sufix back when they were pretty new and haven't tried it again. Certainly haven't tried the Superior, since it probably came out since then. If it outperforms BPS Excel ... or just works equally well ... and doesn't cost a lot more, I'm in.

MotorGuide + JohnnyMart = a customer service nightmare of which I want no part. Sorry you are having these problems and I hope that a quick resolution is on the horizon.

Dave, one of them shows up every now and then on TR. Don't recall if I posted a pic here but I caught a very pretty one 10 years or so back in the Campbell Point area. I sent pics to MDC and they confirmed it was definitely a LM/SM cross. As far as I know, I haven't caught another one in 20-plus years of fishing The Rock.