Originally Posted by Trent Buxton (Post 20346)

Well the basic truth is I'm not gonna try and throw sympathy out there just the truth and see what this gets me. The most expensive rod in my arsenal is a 49.99 allstar I got as a gift from my wife, the rest are 29.99 special from walmart. The most expensive reel I own is 49.99 h2o express reel from academy the rest are hand me downs from my buddies that i repair and use. I have slowly but surely gotten cheaper and cheaper with my own personal toys due to the fact I like to see my wife and kids have the nicer things in life and I can catch just as many with the cheap equipment. I sacrifice every other week of my life to being away from my family in the oilfield to support them and make sure they have the latest and greatest gadgets, clothes, shoes, and whatnots. I have came to a point in my life where my satisfactions take a back seat to my children's happiness. I guess what im trying to say is heck I feel I have sacrificed enough to see them happy and in some way feel I deserve the rod as a sort of gift from above for thinking of others before myself. Im sure im not much different than most on this site. Im sure a lot of others that read this fit in these same shoes as I do. We all sacrifice some everyday to see our children are better off than we were at there age. So Billy any consideration for my chance to get one of your awesome rods will be greatly appreciated...and thanks for just stepping up and helping the site survive with your advertisment. If I could I would.

Originally Posted by bigdog (Post 20483)

In the summer of 2004 my Best friend was working in the local sporting goods store. He was a well-known fisherman in the area who was often asked his opinion about fishing and the best tackle to use. One day a sales rep with All Star came in who knew of my friend’s local celebrity. The rep gave my brother a 6 foot 6 inch medium action rod in hopes of garnering orders once he had used it and discovered its unequivocal serviceability. Having many rods already and knowing that I was also an avid fisherman and acquiring my own reputation as such, my friend gave the rod to me. From that day until today, 5 years later, I caught thousands of fish using this rod. It outlasted at least three fishing reels. Today I had the misfortune of losing my treasured rod when a fish jerked it out of my fumbling hands. I was fishing alone, actively fishing a jig and using the rod to drag a live croaker in about 15 feet of water. When I saw the rod jerk, I first thought that I had snagged something and didn’t immediately pick it up from the rod holder. The rod made a sharp bend again and I knew I had a fish. As I was juggling my other rod and attempting to switch fishing hands to land the hooked fish, the rod slipped through my fingers and was sucked under water within seconds. I and a fellow angler, in the boat next to me, who had witnessed the incident tried for over an hour to retrieve the rod without success. I am heartsick. Only another fisherman can understand my despair. While I know it was an inanimate object, I feel as though I’ve lost a true and loyal friend. This rod supplied me with untold hours of angling pleasure. I will try again another day to find my unwavering companion but if we are not to be reunited, I can reconcile myself that it has met a fitting demise resting in the murky depths of a lake where it reigned supreme.

That why I think being the new owner of a Billy Stix would be like have my old friend back.
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]