philB

Welcome Muskyman I would love to see a pickerel. We do not have Musky or pickerel here in the UK only Northern pike. Have fun on the TU there are some great Guys here. philB

Welcome Mike philB ps wish I was 40ish (again)

Bruce Here's the deal, include Pete and I in the Block booking as per my pm to you . I will not book the rooms myself . Cheers philB

Hi all All my plans, ideas ect re the TU conference will now be here on this thread cos PM's are wizzing past each other in cyberspace . philB

Hi Following a post by Hazmail with regard to battlefields in the thread TU Conference I did some digging here in the UK and found the American civil war society right here in England and thought I would not hijack any further the conference thread but post to a new one. Looking round what is a fascinating site I was suprised at some of the links during the war with our country such as the fact that 45,000 Brits participated. The site is well worth a browse. http://www.acws.co.uk/ philB

Hi All Well fellas I booked my flight tonight so you'll have my company for sure . Looking forward to seeing you all in April philB

Hi Wook and welcome philB

What might be a problem here Bruce is that folk will be staying different lengths of time, would that make a difference ?. I cant believe there are only two places to stay, are there not other smaller places pubs/bars, guest houses/ B&B's ect. philB

Hi My head is on the block and ready for counting philB

Hi Saltyross Please dont think I'm being a smart **se here but try less hair in each bunch, it is an easy temptation to overdoo bucktail as it is a very heavy hair and you dont need a lot. Also use very high quality hair, the best you can get as this will be straighter and have less tendancy to flare. Bruce is right here get yourself some kevlar tying thread, you cannot break this thread and although high in diameter you only need 2 turns per bunch of hair. Let the hair spin round the shank with the first turn of thread and then lock it in place with the second turn. One of the beauties of bucktail is it is a fast tie. Here is an idea which works well, when you get near to the last wrap, tie in 3 or 4 sword tips from a genetic cape, it really finishes off the bucktail nicely, I don't know if it makes any difference to the fish but it looks the part . philB

Hi Saltyross Always, always wear a respirator. There are several different kinds and you should take the advice of the seller as to which one you choose. Mine has interchangeable filter cartridges so I can use the mask for both 'spraying' and 'sanding', most tool outlets will stock masks of some description and you should not skimp on cost here get the best you can afford. As much as we all enjoy creating these lures they ain't worth a health risk so make sure the only thing you breath in is OXYGEN philB

Hi rlcam Dont know if this is your problem but are you sure you have your album set for public viewing ?? Check in the account settings on your album home page. philB

A warm Yorkshire welcome Rob philB

Hey Bruce Saw the weather on the news tonight and the mid west is having it rough at the moment. That doesn't last till April does it. philB

Frank Great idea. A bit like boilies without the boiling. Thanks philB

Hi Wantsome I cant tell you which or what specific paint that is but that type of finish can be attained by laying a base coat of metalic followed by a transparent colour, in that case it may be green over silver the depth of colour being governed by the amount of top coat. philB

Hi I have already made investigations into my options and I can get a flight non stop from Manchester right to Kansas City. It would be great to team up with some other guys and fish the local waters, I gather the nearest water is Trueman Res. I would make a full week of it though probably Friday through to Friday kind of thing and that would give me a chance to take in some local life and fishing. Ideally it would be great if another UK member fancies becoming a travel partner as can imagine it being a bit miserable on your own 6000+ miles from home in a strange place. Also I've got to find out what can be taken in the way of tackle ect. As you say Bruce perhaps Nathan could let us know what we need to bring to a TU meet. philB

Bruce I am intending to do my very best to attend. I really want to come over and I'm sure I'll make it . Iv'e a little longer drive than you though philB

Dave Damn!! I forgot that site is really wierd cos you cannot copy and paste the address from the address bar but Spike-A-Pike has got the baby OK. philB

http://www.lureparts.nl/content.php?pid=2&osCsid=nkrsgai30e3b4i5qmh0co3rhb4 philB

Hi Seeing as most of the guys on the TU are USA based can you answer a simple question which has baffled me for a long time. I have used baitcasting reels for a long time now and love em. I am right handed which means I hold the rod in my right hand and wind with my left hand, this is my natural way and observing others I know that is the case with them as well. Most baitcasting reels come as right hand wind and I see it all the time where anglers who are clearly right handed will cast as normal with the right hand then pass the rod across the body to the left hand so as to wind with the right (because the reel handle is on the right). This I simply cannot do, it is a totally alien way of fishing/casting to me and is uncomfortable. I always buy left hand wind reels which means I don't have to swap hands after casting. I think I am right in the assumption that most folk are right handed (I may be wrong but it seems that way) but left hand wind reels are always a special order and some are not even available in left hand wind. Why is this philB

I fish rivers and once spent 15 minutes bringing in what I thought was going to be my personal best but it turned out to be a plastic bag full of water. Boy that bag put up a mighty fight. philB

Welcome Laydog Only fishing for a year and already making your own tackle, well done that man it took me 40 years before I even thought about it (making fishing gear that is ). philB