left field

They’re the honey badger of the reptile world.

Yeah, I was surprised to just read that as I grew up believing it was the bacteria. You'd think that 12 feet of cold blooded dragon teeth would be enough to get by, but no ... venom too. I couldn't watch the video of three of them eating a deer alive. There's small quirky movie called The Freshman starring Matthew Broderick and Marlon Brando playing a version of Vito Corleone that features a Komodo Dragon. Worth a watch.

Really? I thought Storm for certain.

He did come on strong out of the gate. Should have played the long game. Interesting assertion. I had no idea (I assume what you're saying) that republican/conservatives/right "own" the outdoor sports world.

Sorry to hear. Best thoughts to both of you.

Would make an excellent biathlon with Whip Boxing.

They can be dangerous. Or put another way, I didn't want to find out. They are fast as hell and would kill cats and dogs in the neighbourhood. The Komodo Dragon is the largest of the monitors. There's a lot of video of them eating deer and pigs alive but I won't post them. The real bitch were the monkeys who would climb in your window to steal and eat your food. Of course, then there was the guy I met who kept a tiger in his apt in Mexico City. I'll save that for another time. P.S. But I'd rather face a monitor than full-on gout. Or dengue again.

So this one time, in Malaysia, I parked in front of my house and saw my neighbour sitting on top of his car. I got out and was about to ask him what he was doing when an 8' monitor lizard came around his car and headed toward me. We spent an hour chatting on top of our cars until the lizard went back into the jungle.

This one time ... in Malaysia ... I lived there for a number of years. Great country, lovely people, amazing food, bad mosquitos.

Go for it. Get back to me on that. I contracted dengue fever in Malaysia. I was in so much pain the night it hit that I would have agreed to remove my head. Like someone took a sledgehammer to every joint in my body.

Thought I had gout in the big toe joint. Doctor said that maybe it was false gout and she had to take a fluid sample. You gout guys ... imagine someone sticking in a large needle in and moving it around a little to get enough fluid. Is she wasn't insanely cute, I would have passed out.

Just saw this bobcat video on another site. Ninja moves.

When we trained, dogs were free to pull in a harness and we would use the control of the harness to get a dog to target a leg or arm correctly and to develop a deeper bite. Dogs are creatures of opposition so the more we would pull back, the more the dog would lean forward. Correction collars were to teach them to heel. I think it's a lot tougher to teach a dog to heel with a harness than it is with a properly fitted correction collar.

I think I need to practice.

And whisky. Good whisky.

First time? It may be worth doing a lesson if you have time. My guess is that you're going to a lake? If so, you won't have a lot of back casting room so you'll have to develop a decent roll cast. I might also add a collapsible net as it may be tough to handle fish if you're dealing with a line, leader, etc for the first time. Good luck.

My pleasure. Lots of stuff you can add in if it's a fishing-first trip, but you really don't need much if you're just casting for a few hours a day. Or tenkara.

Thanks, Sportsman. Fair points. Finding this stuff in Delaware County seem like a bit of a challenge.

I assume you're fishing for trout. From someone who used to carry a shit ton of stuff with me, I now have it down to a few pockets or sling if I feel I need some extra. Rod, reel, two new leaders 9' 3x (will handle any streamer), one small spool of 5x tippet (will take care of any dry), nippers, hemostats, ten flies (you can add more), floatant, magnifying glasses. The rod tube gets strapped to the outside of the pack, everything else goes into a small bag.

Thanks, J. Can you share that load and bullet? I grabbed some powerbelts but I guess they're not well thought of.

Thanks. Doing some quick reading shows that a lot of people have varying results when measured then weighed. As much as 10 grains off. Depending on how it's loaded, tapped, etc. https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/blackhorn-actual-weight-in-grains-vs-volume.90800/ Are the calibrated BH tubes best or is there another option? https://www.westernpowders.com/charge_tubes?product_id=146

I just ordered the plug for my Optima. Do you guys measure by volume and weight? There seems to be some issues that the BH tubes aren't accurate when checked on a scale. Thanks.

Do you bleed them out? It's supposed to make a real difference in taste and texture. https://guide.michelin.com/sg/en/article/dining-out/what-is-ike-jime

That works as well. It just has to be quick before the fish stresses.