Champ188

My old 998 Birds definitely have it. Pretty useful, even for a doodle-socker like me. 😂

This makes a very strong case for fishing over gardening. Dogs can't sneak up on you very well when you are out in your boat. Golf will suffice as a second option, as you can probably dispatch any attacking dog with a 7-iron or run it over with the cart. But since you do garden, can I have some okra next summer, please? 😆😂

Launched at Eagle Rock and the dock had not been adjusted. Had Donna pull up and pick me up on the ramp. God bless keel protectors.

It's OK to be a queen, vernon. It's OK to be anything you want. Just ask your nearest neighborhood snowflake. 😁

Fished Roaring River on Saturday. Water was brown in areas but flushing out and clearer towards the back. Very, very tough for us. Managed two fish in 6 hours and had to leave the dirty water to get them. No debris to speak of ... maybe saw one floating log. Dumb strategy on my part, I guess, but on the other hand I've had some incredible numbers/size trips fishing runoffs after heavy December rains.

Thank you, Dave. As Sprint said above in different words, it's a privilege to share information that helps others catch more fish. You don't have to include every detail but you don't want to be too vague either. Like him, I'm not devoid of ability to fish deep and catch a few. Shoot, I enjoy winding a DD22 or DT16 down as deep as they'll go. Even more, I will drag a football jig, Ned or shaky head out to 30 feet all day long. But Sprint's dad was wise to tell him to fish to his strengths, which is what keeps me inwards of 20 feet whenever I can justify fishing that way.

That's putting credit where credit is due, brother. He could also catch em shallow. Our own Bill Babler was closer than a brother to this fine man, and as he often says, he was blessed in every way from it.

Cool, just wanted to be sure I hadn't blurted out something that offended someone. I'll leave that to Wrench ... he's a master of it. 😁 I'm certainly not blind to how the deep game could be exciting, especially with all of the recent technology developments. But my true joy is the skinny-water approach. Probably explains why I so greatly enjoy looking at em in the spring for fun, although I absolutely won't do it in tournaments because no matter of the legality of it, I'm not going to knowingly take a spawner and haul it away from its nest. That's just me. Everyone else do as you will.

Bill, I hope you or no one else on this forum has EVER taken my comments about "deep sea" fishing as criticism. I'm the "class clown" type of personality and ANY comment directed toward you or others fishing offshore was meant as comedy and nothing else. However, such intentions can be lost in written communications, and for that exact reason, I abstain from making such comments toward those forum members I don't know as well as I do you. On the other hand, I pride myself in my casting/pitching/flipping/skipping skills, boat control, and general knowledge about fishing shallow. Heck, other than my late father, I probably learned more about fishing from old-time Bassmaster pros George Cochran and Ricky Green than anyone. I spent a lot of time in their boats as a young outdoors writer and the lessons never stopped for my spongy young brain. I'll say this one thing about fishing shallow on Midwest highland reservoirs and I assure you that guys like Sprint and Fishrman will back me up ... it is NOT Rambo fishing. To consistently catch shallow bass from clear water is even MORE of a finesse deal than drop-shotting, ice jigging or counting down a tiny swimbait. Why? Because you are closer to the fish! Also, light penetration is far better at 5 feet than 50 feet, so they can see much better and are constantly on the watch for unusual or threatening movements! Finally, I've guided a fair amount over the years. Unless you are in a purely instructional environment, you cannot put most guide clients within two casts of the bank unless you want to spend all day getting them unhung. It's just a recipe for disaster. Kind of like a brand new War Eagle spinnerbait that I remember hanging for years from a weathervane on top of a certain dock in Aunt's Creek. 😂 Please excuse me if I jumped on the defensive too fast, but I have never, ever set out to upset anyone on this forum. I've made some long-lasting, real-life friendships here. I'm the kind of guy who likes to be liked by everyone, and you don't do that by offending people. Great article. Truthful from beginning to end and enjoyable to read. Just felt the need to clarify my position. Merry Christmas to all and best wishes for a markedly improved 2022.

Does this mean Bill's gonna initiate a hostile takeover of all the Branson-area golf courses from Johnny and return the greens fees to reasonably affordable rates? Seize the White River Marine boat group and restore decent quality to their vessels? Dispense of the $5 use fee for Long Creek Park, which was built with taxpayer funds? Donate sufficient funds to the Corps of Engineers to reopen the Viney launch area (both ramps)? 😁

In the St. Croix offerings, I've owned a 7-foot Avid, medium action, fast tip for a long time and have been very fond of it as a shaky head/Ned/dropshot rod. AVS70MF is the model number.

I'd hop all over one of those Squirrel Tails. Heck, even if it ended up not doing what you wanted (and I can't imagine that), you could get your money back out of it.

Wow, that just screams superhuman right there. You guys who are still derby fishing could win a lot of money if you could get inside his head. The Finebaum scuttlebutt continues that Smart converted some Tide recruits on his way out the door to Georgia, putting Kirby in the unenviable position of being on Saban's scat list. Not a place you want to be. Can Bama win another national title? I say yes. Might as well just skip the formalities of the semifinals (saving Cincy and Michigan being proven pretenders on national TV) and get on with the rematch.

Gotta start redacting the background on your pics like Alex does. Me and Babler are all over that honey hole in your third pic. Did you purchase the required license addendum to fish there? 😆😂 Seriously, glad you guys got in a decent trip. Wish you had caught more but unless you just land on the right deal for the particular day(s) you are fishing, it's just tough as dried buffalo hide right now.

OPINION ALERT ... I REPEAT ... the following is MY PERSONAL OPINION: He's a blooming idiot. I'm guessing his next-door neighbor didn't die of Covid at age 39 like mine did. Young police officer with a fiance and a good man excited to become a stepfather to her two young children.

Saban is a mastermind and not someone you want to get into a gunfight against. He proved that a few years back when he pulled his starting QB at halftime and put Tua in ... a FRESHMAN who totally flipped the field horizontally (being a lefty changes everything for the defense) and came from behind to beat Clemson in the national title game.

He won fishing shallow? No livescope? Say it ain't so, bro!!!! 😂

You don't change hardware on your stickbaits? Like Daichi hooks?

1. Yes, there were definitely some problems with the early models. Broke a couple myself. I'm using mostly Denali stuff these days but still have some newer model Ducketts that work well. My biggest complaint with the older ones was not breaking the blanks but those dastardly micro guides. 2. Don't think for a minute that I don't hear everything you say, Mr. Bill. Yes, I thought it odd that you were pitching docks spiderweb line. But whatever is good enough for you and the late Mr. Beck is good enough for me to go out and try. These days, it is others who cast a sideways look when I pick up a spinning rod and thread a leadhead worm, Ned (aka The Little Guy) or teeny tiny jig back into the dark corners of those docks.

No laughing here. Just wish the ones I have didn't have those cursed, dainty micro guides. I swear that I stared at one with a mean look one day and it fell off. Rod sleeves don't help much coz the dang things just poke thru the webbing. I bought a newer model a couple of years ago that has the solid metal guides and I really love it ... enough that it's my primary spinnerbait rod.

I have a deal with Keitech, too ... I pay and they smile. 😁

Deep, deep waters here, Mr. Bill. Reaching the point of having too much money would come pretty quick for me because I would want to help every homeless or struggling armed forces veteran and every needy animal I came across, and so on. Although, if my funds were truly unlimited, I suppose I'd be OK in that respect. As for spending it on myself and Donna, I'd want a sensible yet roomy home with a boat garage big enough for a couple of rigs. And garage doors on each end so I could just drive straight thru. A Vexus would have to be in the picture. Livescope but only for crappie fishing. Beyond that, I'm afraid the simple fact that nothing was out of reach might leave me unmotivated to chase my dreams. I've certainly never had everything I've wanted at a particular time in life, but the thought of it is kind of scary to me. Seems like I'm always in pursuit of something and if anything and everything was in easy reach, I'd probably miss the thrill of the chase. Maybe I'd buy back all of the Ozarks properties and amenities that Johnny Moneybags has grabbed up and restore them to "everyman" status ... no more paying to launch your boat at ramps the taxpayers already paid for ... and affordable golf fees at every golf course in the Ozarks.

See, now here's a case for never betting your heart. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you're a big Georgia fan. That's great! Without dedicated fans, our sports world suffers. But this game basically meant "notta" to Georgia. Win or lose, the Dawgs were bound for the playoffs. On the other hand, if Bama had lost, they risked falling out of the playoffs. I try to never bet against motivation. It'll bite you fast and hard.

Saw several fish floating belly-up in livewells on the Johnny-palooza coverage last week. Appeared they were deep-caught fish that weren't properly cared for.

A hot July day is one of the best times to catch spots on top. I've seen them schooling on top at all hours of the day in July, August and September.