BredMan

I have the Sahara and Symetre models......5 to be exact......1 Sahara 750 and 1500, 2 Symetre 1500, and 1 Symetre 2500. All front drag and love them all. Can't beat the price and the quality of the reel is great. IMO go for either one.

Have no idea what models of the G Loomis rods are left but they were priced in the upper $200 to mid $300 range. I checked out the price on the Shimano rod I bought and the original price was actually a bit lower than what BPS and Cabelas sells it.....really didn't need it but at another 40% off I could resist. You will have to go and see what they have left. In the past week or so I have been in there 3 times. Getting to be less and less but still worth a look. I am sure you will find something to buy.

FYI to those in the ST Louis area. Gateway Outfitters (the old Dunns Sporting Goods store at Cave Springs/I-70) is closing and clearing out all their stock at different percentages off. Everything and anything related to fishing is at 40% off. As of Saturday afternoon there were some very nice G Loomis, Shimano, Fenwick, St Croix, and a few assorted other makes of casting and spinning rods left. Reels are practically all gone. This was not advertised but word of mouth has spread quickly. I also saw that all their bows in stock were 20% off but much of the hunting things are gone. It may may be worth a stop if you are in the area. New hours are now 11:00 - 7:00 Mon-Sat only. I just couldn't pull the trigger on a $350 Loomis rod but did get a very nice Shimano rod, several Rapalas (CD and Floater at $4 or less), few spools of line, and some misc items.

"Check's in the mail"...when you cash it just don't spend it all in one place!

This started out as one topic and slowly tuned into another. I must admit the reading is very entertaining to me. You guys definitely have a special gift-of-gab and I certainly am enjoying it all! Hope this saga continues a bit longer.

Most all stocked Nov 3-4.........With a warm weekend coming there will definitely be a crowd. And as always a few bad nuts! Although you get them most everywhere these days.

This is a picture I found which is actually a comparison of two size #32 hooks based on different manufacturer specs. The hook George showed me was the size of the #32 shown on the right in this picture (smaller hook). I also remember him saying he used 12/0 thread. Didn't know either existed!

Not sure if George has but the other person claims to have, although I would like to witness such a feat to believe myself.

I have talked to two different people this past year who tie flies on a size #32 hook. One gentleman in KC uses a hook that I believe is even smaller. This guy is a fanatic about tying the smallest fly. He said that he uses magnifying goggles much like a surgeon to create these small flies. He also buys wooden ink pen blanks, embeds the fly into the cap, covers with clear epoxy, and gives them to people as gifts. Pretty neat looking too. BTW - his name is George and he works part time in the new KC BP (fly shop). George has some of his creations stuck to the counter in the fly shop. Very interesting gentleman to chat with as well. My question is just how small of a hook size do you tying fanatics honestly go for a fly to be realistically functional for fishing? I have a difficult time seeing or threading anything smaller than a #20 anymore. Just curious.

FYI - - - As of Nov-3 three lakes were stocked with trout so far in the St Louis area. Koeneman Lake - 1800........Busch Lake 21 - 1026......Busch Lake 28 - 2160. Since there are some against this program I guess the number of anglers will be down this winter. BTW.....all three of these lakes are 'Catch-n-Release'.

That is a true statement for the state of OHIO.......that I know. Not sure about Missouri.

There's no secret to the smallmouth on the Salt River. Not sure why that was stated other than to make the article seem more appealing. That's been known for a good while. Also there have been many bass tournaments held on the Mississippi that include the Salt and they all fish it and know about it. Thats been going on for years. I had one of my best days if not my best day ever fishing on the Salt. It holds just about every fish Missouri offers except trout. One thing, don't expect a crystal clear stream because it's not especially the lower part closer to the ole Miss. It's always dingy or kind of muddy. Lots of farm land run off.

Welcome Steve......you will find most everything and anything fishing and more here. Oh yea, plenty of opinions too, be careful! :>)))))))

Left your place Thursday at 9:30 AM and drove 4 1/2 - 5 hours directly with a monsoon all the way up I-44. 12-15 wrecks along the way, ditches full of water, many spots on the highway with heavy water, and the creeks were definitely rising. Wipers were at full speed much of the time and my dear wife was doing some co-pilot functions off and on the whole way. What a miserable drive to say the least and I was so glad to arrive at home. I could only think along the way how this much rain would really mess things up again down there. 3 1/2 inches in the rain guage this morning but on a better note, I actually saw some blue sky this afternoon.

Now thats funny! While you are on that subject, one of my favorites was two rookies trying to load a brand new 20' Bass Cat. They totally submerged the trailer, tied off tight to the wench, and then pulled out thinking the boat would set on the trailer. Current would carry the boat off so it ended up on the trailer guide bunks every time they pulled out of the water. I tried to tell them to pull the trailer up out of the water more and drive the boat up onto trailer but according to them that wasn't the way they were told to load the boat. I gave up and walked back to my vehicle to watch. Finally they did decided to pull the trailer up out of the water a bit but that's when things got real ugly. You guessed it, they gunned the boat up onto the trailer and straight into the wench assembly. They eventually got it loaded but did some major damage to that pretty metal flake finish. Lots of scratches, deep gouges, and bent trailer guides.

The Davy Knot is a great knot and also a great story on how the knot came about. I've been using it for a good while now on smaller hooks when you can't get two strands of line through the hook eye for the palomar knot. I don't use braid so I never experienced any problems at all. Actually surprised this was never posted before.

The Cuiver River in Old Monroe would be something to consider. Hardly any boat traffic anymore. Most everyone puts in below the Cuivre since it's really clogged at the mouth where it dumps into the Mississippi slew. Hard to navigate in or out from that spot so most boats never go up the Cuivre anymore. There was a ramp in Old Monroe but it's been a while since I have been out there. If it's still usable you definitely can drop a canoe in and float that area. Just up river from the ramp both the old and new bridges cross over the river and always offer some nice log jams around the bridge supports to fish. Beyond that is some nice slow moving water to fish also. Most every fish you could think of in that river. White Bass, crappie, large mouth, catfish, etc.

Bait fishing as mentioned by FRENZEL. Regardless of the leader size you need enough weight (lure size or add on) to get that 10lb test line off the reel effectively and for casting distance. I have used 6lb line with 4lb or 2lb line leaders OK but normally change spools with the line size I want to use. What type of fishing are you doing?

Not sure where you reside but TriState Trolling Motors outside the STL area does a great job and very good customer service. They fix the motors that other dealers mess up fixing. I just purchased a Motor Guide 54 Digital last year and found out there are two pin sizes. One is thinner than the other and I was advised to throw out the thin ones. The wrench I was given had the thinner pins as well and the extra pin that came wih the motor and the motor pin itself had the thicker diameter. Otherwise you can fabricate your pins if you can find the right stainless rolled stock. TriState Trolling Motors

My question is the physical appearance of this rainbow other than the size. Is there anything in the appearance of this 'genetically altered' rainbow that differentiates it from a standard rainbow beyond the enormous size they can achieve? Anyone know? I may not have read into this deep enough if it was discussed.

I use the Bill Norman speed clips for lures but not for fly fishing. Friend of mine who does bass tournaments showed me how he uses them in tandem with a good snap swivel. Claims these clips allow lures to have their natural designed motion as you would get if tied direct using a Rapala knot. Using only a snap swivel takes away some action and natural movement. I've tried them and like how easy they are to use. I hate tying line directly to a lure and a bit lazy about that as well. BPS sells them in 10 and 50 packs. Bill Norman speed clips

Busch will amaze you sometimes and provide some very good fishing. Best times are early Spring, Fall, and Winter(winter trout). Although no matter what time of the year Busch is also a magnet for stupid people who could care less about anything. Hence the piles of garbage under trees, beer and soda containers everywhere, not to mention the balls of mono and bait containers tossed all over. It's a real shame that it continues to be that way. Years ago it was a great place to fish. I once asked at the office as to why they don't have as many trash containers around the lakes like they once had. They told me people would just bring their home trash and filled them faster than they could dump them. Another problem is the minimal staffing so repairs and routine maintenance just doesn't get done. Lake number signs have fallen down, road directional signs missing, and some roads in poor condition. I've had my share of good times over there but the real glory days are long gone.

I didn't know you were a movie critic too! What other hats do you wear? You must have a rack full!

That is quite a story about "Rip". Hard to believe there wasn't much of a fight from the fish and sad that it ended as it did.