Christmas is all about the gifts. Some are big; some are small. The best gifts always seem to be the little gifts. Little gifts change our attitudes, beliefs, and hearts. Today, I went out fishing. From my first cast to my last cast it was one of those days where you catch fish everywhere you go even though it rained for most of the day. I didn’t care; I had my rain suit on and it was keeping me dry. The rain suit was a Christmas gift last year. On August 14, 2011, at 1:07 a.m., Laken Reil Hines was born. He weighed in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces and measured 18-inches long. He was a keeper. Laken’s parents, Chris and Debra Hines, couldn’t have asked for a better gift than a child. They couldn’t be more proud; however, Laken was born with some serious health issues.
I have got a feelin’. That everyone who attended Meet the Pro’s Night 2011 at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers, Arkansas, had a good night. A feeling tonight was a good night where everyone in attendance won. No matter if they went home with a new bass boat or any of the other prize giveaways. No it was a time to live it up with buddies or family while learning fishing techniques and tips from 6 of the top FLW Tour professional anglers and hear Mark Rose give his testimony.
I just found this out about FLW Professional Angler Ray Scheide. He loves frogs. Yep, that’s right. He loves frogs. He loves frogs so much that you will always find one on the deck of his bass boat and if you dig around you would find them stashed away in his rod locker or other storage compartments. Now Scheide isn’t keeping them around as lucky charms. No, Scheide is using them as lures for catching bass, big bass!
When I was growing up fishing tackle was sold in gas stations and hardware stores. The first spincast rod and reel combo I got was from the Holiday gas station. It was suppose to be simple to use and refill with fishing line when I messed it up which happened often. These infallible spincast reels were great for young, inexperienced anglers who had not mastered the art of casting with a baitcaster. Like most young kids we were only allowed to go fishing at the pond or river with a parent so that often meant waiting around and that’s where this story begins. I suppose my dad would have more hair on his head had I not insisted on casting that fishing rod every opportunity. Of course sometimes that meant casting it in the backyard. Now, we had a large lawn next to our house with large windows that normally in the summer would be open since we didn’t have air conditioning.
Do you love smallmouth bass fishing? You should join the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance. They are a group of anglers that not only love to fish for smallmouth bass, but also a conservative oriented organization working to improve the quality of smallmouth fishing and look after Missouri smallmouth streams. You don’t even have to live in Missouri to be a member of this organization; only a desire to be part of a solution to improve the quality of smallmouth fishing and learn more about fishing for smallmouth bass.
In this world of fast food, drive-thru windows, microwaves, instant rice, and ATMs, faster is better right? Everyone wants something right now. It’s a hectic world, where customer service is almost none existent. When you go to buy something, they want you in and out fast. More customers equal more money for the business. No one customer is more selective than an angler. Anglers like to kick the tires, sit in the boat, open every compartment, find out what all the specification are, hear what the pros say about it, and finally go for a test ride. For a number of anglers, buying their boat, motor, and trailer is one of the most important decisions they make. While the cost of purchasing a new boat may be out of their budget with some ranging up to $70,000. Many anglers will instead decide to purchase a new engine for their current boat; however, this is an important decision too with the cost of outboard engines. Anglers are also looking for customer service after the sale. If their boat or motor breaks down, they need to know that where they purchased it has the service crew to fit it.
Bass Professionals 
Christmas is all about the gifts. Some are big; some are small. The best gifts always seem to be the little gifts. Little gifts change our attitudes, beliefs, and hearts. Today, I went out fishing. From my first cast to my last cast it was one of those days where you catch fish everywhere you go even though it rained for most of the day. I didn’t care; I had my rain suit on and it was keeping me dry. The rain suit was a Christmas gift last year. On August 14, 2011, at 1:07 a.m., Laken Reil Hines was born. He weighed in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces and measured 18-inches long. He was a keeper. Laken’s parents, Chris and Debra Hines, couldn’t have asked for a better gift than a child. They couldn’t be more proud; however, Laken was born with some serious health issues. 
