Champ188

I think you are just pretty much anti-wildlife altogether. Wasn't it you who took the life of an innocent "40-pound raccoon" or something of the sort with your full-size SUV?

Whatever you do, just don't let any of those big kitties wander over into Arkansas. They aren't allowed here. Never been any here. Not a one. Our AGFC will be happy to confirm that for you. No such thing as panthers, mountain lions, etc. in Arkansas.

Awesome. You da man.

(To the tune of the old Green Acres theme song ...) Bull Shoals is the place to be, bass fishing is the life for me; Water stretching out so far and wide, keep The Rock just gimme that countryside! Get on down there boys! They're chomping! Evacuate Table Rock immediately! And no, I don't have any mind bleach to get that song out of your head!!!!

I have not tried them but will certainly look into them before making a final decision.

Holy crap, 83? And 71 last trip? Ease up, man. You're gonna have every fish up there looking like he's been chewing on a porcupine!

Hopefully no one is suggesting that family doesn't come first. Our children are grown and out on their own. Have been for years. Donna and I spend a pretty fair sum taking care of our 7 fur kids (six full-time indoor cats and one feral outdoor cat). We take care of things around the house. Beyond that, we play every chance we get. Fishing and golf, that is. Our priorities are identical, and we are thankful for that. I suppose "horror" was a bad choice of words in my original post, although it was intended as humor. I have no doubt that chi0082 has a wonderful wife and I'd be disappointed if he didn't show her and his family the respect to put them before fishing. Lots of varying priorities and budgets here. I'm somewhere in the middle, although I'm always looking to buy the best I can possibly afford. As much money as I've thrown away in the past few years on piece-of-crap spinning reels (Johnny Morris Signature Series and Lew's), I'll probably be looking at the sealed Daiwa models in the very near future, staying as close to $100 each as I can.

I've had some of my best naps stretched out in the boat. Slept out a 2-hour storm in a Central Pro-Am derby at Truman Lake one time.

Horror stories like this make me soooooooo glad that my better half is also my best fishing buddy. We scrimp on household stuff in order to buy better fishing and golfing gear.

Good stuff, Hammer. You owe me ... I was gonna go today (Tuesday) but decided to hold off until tomorrow. That'll shut em down.

I agree. I've had two of the $79 models go kaput on me after very light use and, in both cases, the main drive gear failed. I haven't pursued warranty coverage on either one because it just doesn't seem worth it, but one of their retailers told me they are awful to deal with in that respect. I'm still using 4-5 of their Tournament Series baitcasters and haven't had any issues with them.

You must be secretly sponsored by Matzuo. The sickle hook is no more magical than the Whopper Plopper, else every maker of single-hook lures in the industry would be using them. More fish are lost because of mismatched tackle and poor fighting technique than any hook can be blamed for.

Not Lew's.

In my opinion, this site is not and should never be about specific locations. Nevertheless, you can pick up more information here than anywhere else on the internet. The intent is for people to take the wealth of information here about techniques, patterns, equipment, current conditions, etc., and go become proficient at catching their own fish. In a word, it's not Obamafish.

Can't be beat.

Just about everything a guy needs to know about conditions, and in real time. Thanks again, Ben!

Congrats to you and your buddies. Very good call to stick with where you knew they were.

Mr. Bill does a fine job of writing, indeed. His missives are widely enjoyed here.

I haven't been in about a week but up to then I really struggled to get bit on the Fin.

I get a super special uber-deep discount on them, hence the shortage. Chi0082, I could tell you where you're going wrong but putting that knowledge out for public consumption could wipe out the entire bass population in Table Rock.

I have a pretty simple theory when it comes to topwater colors. Not saying it's right or wrong, it's just mine. Under brighter light conditions and/or in very clear water, I like natural shad colors. In low light and/or stained water, I like black because it creates the best silhouette as fish look up against the sky. And 99% of the time, I like a feathered hook on the rear.

Me too, Ham. Except my "3600" is a gallon Ziplock bag. I just put all the hooks in there in the packages they came in and I have a big Rx bottle full of rings. Works for me.

One-time deal. Won't happen again until Halley's Comet comes back around. Sure of it.

Come by my house. I'll sell you some.

Ben, this is some serious real-time data. Wow. Just wow! Guys, think about how much this could save you in truck gas and/or boat gas/oil, not to mention time spent traveling to different areas of the lake only to find conditions weren't what you hoped. Dang, I love technology. And I love that we have young folks out there like Ben who are determined to put it to amazing uses like this.