danc

Stick with Rogers. We all have to help to pay those ever increasing Blue Jay salaries.

I use spinning reels only and they all have the instant anti reverse on them, so back reeling would involve flipping a switch in my case. So no, I don't back reel. I am a constant drag adjuster though. I've been doing it for years and it's just second nature to me now. I use 6 lb. test mono exclusively these days in my pursuit of Brook Trout, Steelhead and occasionally Walleye. While doing so I've latched on to the odd Chinook and the odd mid 40" Pike and have not had a problem landing them this way. I also use fairly long rods which are great tools when a big fish wants to run. Works for me. Great topic by the way..

No, Brook Trout on your resume?? Pffffffttt..... Just kidding. That was an awesome intro. Welcome aboard..

This thread reminds me of the Rapala commercial when the guys say their fishing pledge/prayer on the dock. Funny stuff..

And what if Lee happens to not go fishing with you that day?

I'm not sure why they call them Mayflies. We get them in the north from May into September. And yes, they can put a damper on your fishing plans. It's amazing how fish will turn on to them. I've seen Lake Trout in June that should be 40 feet deep concentrating on them on the surface. I don't have an answer for you. And it's difficult to predict a hatch as well. Good luck.

Beautiful photos Phil. Looks like a great time.

Tony used up all his stuff getting from the back to the front. He had nothing left. Specially tires. He drives too hard 100% of the time IMHO. Arguably the best pure driver out there, but he gets himself in trouble with his temper and his aggressiveness. Maybe next year.

Twas a great 500.

Geez Art. You have more snow there than we have up here.

Thanks for the reminder Lew. Sadly, there will always be such idiots on the road. I hope that Sheri recovers quickly both physically and mentally.

That is such an awesome photo!!

That is incredible Pam. I've been following the progress on your blog. You'll have your release form this week. For the record, here's the photo that I sent to Pam.

I've done my share of illegal downloading. But in some cases it helps the artist/producer to sell his or her product. Here's an example. A few times I've managed to catch a part of a documentary called "Winged Migration" on tv. It's an incredible film about the migration of various birds around the world. I'm thinking that I would like to see the entire film and perhaps purchase a copy. So, I downloaded the film and was so impressed that I bought my own copy off of EBay. Had I not seen the entire film on my download, I would not have bought a legal copy. Same goes for music. If I like it enough I'll go out and buy a copy. By the way, if you have not seen Winged Migration, I highly recommend it. :thumbsup_anim: from me.

Look for Bowyer to make the chase this year. I'm not sure that he can pull off the win this weekend, but I'm predicting a banner year for him. Casey Mears too.

I'll go with Kyle Busch. The kid can drive.

I go to the Kansas race every year. What an awesome 4 days it is.

Can you imagine coming home to this in mid summer when it's 90F and humid outside?

I got carded in a Cameron Missouri Walmart last fall while buying a carton of Marlie Lights. I was 48 and I was flattered.

I hear ya Tom. I remember the 96 storm too. I didn't get any mail for 3 weeks because the sidewalks took that long to get plowed. I cleared the walk to my front door to the city owned sidewalk. It stopped at a 5 foot wall of snow. The street in front of my house was one lane and probably had 20 foot high banks. I wish I had a digi cam back then. I've had similar photos e mailed to me from around the world that rivaled that storm. And do you remember that a day or two after the storm it was something like -42C? Those were the days my friend. I thought they'd never end. We'd sing and laugh.... Oh, never mind. You know what I mean.

I'd be looking forward to both the fishing and the scenery (photo ops). Do you know if you'll be paddling with or against the current? With or against the prevailing winds? I'd want those questions answered if I had a bad back for such a trek.

I made it to work today. Of course we didn't see even a single snow flake up here. But it was -28C when I started work this morning. With a wind chill that was pushing -40C. The afternoon was a balmy -25C with the wind factored in. My job today was to open up a 30x30 foot opening in a steel roof on a 30 foot high building so that we can remove several large tanks from inside the building. We pretty much got the opening made in the roof and I'll be back tomorrow morning in similar temps to remove the tanks. Sorry to hear about your snow guys.

Lots of good advice has been given here. Probably the most important thing that I look for at any time of year is water temperature (for Brookies). Mid 50's F is prime. A simple thermometer can save you lots of time finding the fish. If the overall lake temperature is lower than this, then the fish will most likely be scattered. But if you can locate the prime temperature, or any cooler water in a lake that is generally warmer than this, you can find the fish concentrated there. One day last June I had a difficult time finding the prime temp zone. The water seemed to be mid to upper 60's everywhere I tried. Finally, several miles up the lake I found the magic temperature and began catching fish. It turned out to be a good day.

Nice MuskyBill. I'm looking forward to your photo thread. DW hasn't aged a bit since that photo was taken. But you, on the other hand...

Tony was up to his old tricks again last night. He was the guy that complained last year about bump drafting in the corners. "Someone is gonna get killed out there" he said. So what does he do last night? Bump drafts the 5 car in the corner to win the race. Not much of a deal was made of it because it was a meaningless race. But if this happens next weekend, look out. I predict a Hendrick car will win next weekend. Not sure which one. They're all that good.