bigbuck

If you send the reel to me, I'll gladly dispose of it for you........LOL Like Lew and Blake said, first make sure you have some backing on (mono) then look at replacing the drag washers.

I was bored last night after putting the kiddies to bed so I went downstairs and started to clean and oil my favourite reels (my Quantum 760PT baitcaster, and my Abu 6500 C4 that got a lot of use last year, relatively speaking). Once I did that, I went into the gym bag that serves as my tackle bag and started organizing my tackle trays and finally my tackle box. 3 hours later it was bedtime, and what I dreamed about was.........you guessed it........fishing. With all the new stuff I've bought over the past year, I figure I'm good for another 10 years (yeah right!!). I'll be mothballing my old rods and spinning reels to make room for the new stuff this spring. They'll be relegated to a place of honour in my garage while the rest winters in the basement. Anyone else out there getting ready??? The next step for me is to start sharpening my hooks - next week's job.

I'm a lion tamer............... Seriously, I'm a Financial Advisor (for the past 9 1/2 years) and Life Insurance Agent. Hey Rich, I used to cut meat and did just about everything in a grocery store when I was in school many years ago.

Go with the C5, it'll hold up fine for you unless you are fishing for musky every day of the season. Oil it once in a while and it'll be well worth the money. Otherwise, spend 2-3 times as much on a Calcutta.

ST, I'll definitely take you up on your advice, my two little girls are gonna get huge hugs and kisses from daddy tonight. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

I'm gonna be here for a while, here goes: Quantum Energy 760PT baitcaster Quantum Tour Energy Baitcaster Abu 6500 C4 baitcaster (2) Shimano Sahara Spinning Reels (2, 1 1500, 1 2500) St Croix Premier MH 7ft Muskie rod Pete Maina H 7ft 6in Muskie rod St Croix 7ft H baitcaster rod St Croix 6ft 6in M Baitcaster rod BPS Walleye Angler spinning rods (2, 1 6ft medium light, 1 6ft6in medium) Tackle galore: 2 Suicks 2 Ernies Big Bucktails Plastics Hooks Assorted Rappalas And other odds and ends............. All told, I spent a LOT!!

I've broken 6 rods in 30 years of fishing (2 tips on the Muskoka river on snags, 1 Berkley had the handle crack, and 3 this year (I should change my handle to Snagglepuss), my St Croix Muskie rod on a snag up on LOTW this past summer, my St Croix bass rod on the Muskoka river by the falls in Bracebridge (a snag) and my replacement St Croix Muskie rod on Lake Muskoka on a snag going for big pike. All were bought at JB's and all were replaced no questions asked. Those guys are great for service. Hopefully, next year I'll be a teeny weeny bit more careful and won't break anything (just cut the line and move on).

JEEZ!!! I'm green with envy. Those Peacock Bass need an X-tra heavy duty Muskie rod to get them in along with a big dang' winch of a reel. I've heard some stories about them. I look forward to reading your blog to hear the stories.

Ehg, try to exercise as hard as you possibly can, lots of jogging (treadmill or outside), and light weights as often as you can. A friend of mine started a heavy exercise program after living with MS for over 10 years and being laid up many times after it acted up. He dropped from 260lbs to 175lbs and has not had his MS act up for over 5 years. His doctors are stupified but say that all the exercising definitely did him a heck of a lot of good. He even wrote a book last year about his trials and tribulations.

Coffee's a tough one to quit. You'll be over the headaches in a couple of more days, just keep taking the Advil. If you like the taste of coffee, drink decaf, there is only about 10-25% of the caffeine of normal coffee. We mix half decaf and half high test for our morning brew. (Try the president's choice decaf in the green tin, it's pretty good and doesn't taste watered down.)

I've been an Investment Planning Consultant and Life Insurance Agent for 9 years now and have helped hundreds of families manage their finances. Please PM me if you have ANY questions. I don't believe in high pressure sales tactics and enjoy meeting people and helping them achieve their goals.

It's always darkest before dawn. Congrats on getting accepted. Now for the back, go see a Chiropractor. Depending on where your pain is and what is causing it, a good chiropractor might get you fixed up with 1 or 2 visits.

I would think that a State funeral for the last survivor would include a tribute to all those who gave their lives for King and Country (I'm talking about back then, not now). It's a great idea, especially for the young kids out there now who have never spoken to a WWI vet to hear some stories about life in the trenches.

Well finally I got around to sending this pic to the office so I could post it. It's a pic of me on LOTW somewhere on the N/E angle of the lake (sorry but I won't mention what bay, gotta keep some secrets). Needless to say, we caught probably about 30-35 smallies on crankbaits and spinners in about 3 hours (3 of us on the boat, 2 wanted wally's but had a blast catching the smallies). It's REALLY gorgeous up there and I'd highly recommend it. I know of a couple of good lodges up there too that were lauded by some of our southern neighbours we met out on the lake for those looking for a place to stay.