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Like so many of us, I watched this entire event unfold on line. The past few season's I've been vocal here regarding my disappointment surrounding the poor live coverage of this event. Well, after this weekend, I'm singing a totally different tune. As an angler and overall BASS fishing fan, I can not remember any event that I enjoyed more than this years Classic. Always been a Fan of Randy Howell and to watch him come out of now where on the last day was fantastic. How can you not like this guy ? Really looking forward to televised version of this event and will be very excited to heard Randy's account of the events of the entire tournament and last day; after he's had time to relax and think about it for a while. BASS really needed an event like this and a Classy Champion like Randy Howell. Well Done. A-Jay

Congrats to Alabama anger Randy Howell on winning the Classic this year. Won it by 1 pound exactly with 67-8. Came from 11th to 1st on day 3. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

It's silly that people would run out and buy them based on that only.

He just won the bassmasters and was very humble and gracious thanking God and his family. He even said he doesn't win many Tournements! He said he was going work his but off for the sport of bass fishing this year. A very genuine guy that will be a great ambassador for bass fishing. Congratulations to Randy Howell a real class act.

no one deserves this more than Mr. Howell! Always gives thanks to the man upstairs and I really respect that!

Here's the thing- Red Craw is a KNOWN good color throughout the South during the pre-spawn. It's no surprise to me that it was that color, none at all. Look in any of their boxes and I'll guarantee you there was a LOT of that same color or a variation thereof. It would have been full of Red Craw, Demon, Chili Craw, Chili Bowl... It happens every year, in and out. When KVD won on the Black Chart 1.5, it sold out in hours all across the US. Then, a year later, they introduced the Catouache Special color, and said, this is what he REALLY was fishing- IT sold out all across the US. When Chris Lane won it on Otters- you couldn't buy them regardless of color. Cliff Pace? Couldn't find a V+M football or twin tail anywhere they were sold. Think anglers aren't looking for a magic bullet? Look at the threads here, even! "Top Five Baits" "If you could only have Ten Lures", "Top Three Soft Plastics", "Soft PLastic Colors". It never ends. We, as a whole, are always looking for the latest and greatest. That's the way it is.

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Congrats to Randy Howell for the win. He had an amazing and impressive last day to squeak out the win. That last day we tore them up !! I was equally if not more so impressed by Paul Mueller, falling a pound shy of the win.... A northern amateur angler who had never fished there before came out of 43rd place on day one to miss winning the classic by one pound. He didn't even get a limit on the first day. He only had 3 fish. To do what he did and set a 5 bass bassmaster classic record limit of 32 lbs 3 oz was incredibly impressive.

DT- 6 & Livingston Lures ~ this happens Every Year . . . . . My question is - do you think BASS will Ban the Livingston Lure like they did the A-Rig ? A-Jay

I've been on a solid 1-2 hours a night for the past couple weeks. So glad I found you guys! It's hard being this passionate about something and having nobody to talk to about it. Even my "fishing buddies" thank I'm nuts. But you guys... you guys are awesome. I feel at home.

It doesn't matter to me. It was an awesome comeback. What a day for him. How many of us have a spectacular day on the water and wished it was in a tournament? He had the best fishing day of his life and it happened to be on championship Sunday at the Classic!!!! I'm getting goosebumps typing this! LOL

It's a no for me because you would probably kick the bucket after you caught the fish. Some people live to fish but I fish to live and those genies are tricky. I was in a cave one time and found an old lamp. I rubbed it and a genie came out and said I will grant you 3 wishes but your ex-wife will get double what you get. I said I'd like a new car, the ex-wife got 2 new cars. I said I'd like 1 million dollars the ex-wife got 2 million dollars. I thought about the 3rd with and said I'd like to be scared half to death.........

Back in My of '91 fishing lake Castaic and using a modified* original Scrounger I had my best ever day bass fishing in regards to number of 10 lb to 12 lb bass caught in one day; 18. The modification was cutting off the original 3/0 Mustad hook at the hook bend, straighten the hook shank, cut the lead back on 3/4 oz to about 1/4" behind the collar, the head now weighs about 1/2 oz. Next step was add 6/0 round bend straight shank worm hook by wrapping tight with 25 lb mono and covering the wrap and hook shank with super glue. I used 6" trout color Sluggo, the wrapped hook shank held the Sluggo from slipping. The trick is to get the Sluggo on as straight as possible to the Scrounger has a tight wiggle. Fished in about 20' depth parallel to major points. Cast, let sink to depth then retrieve with steady pace until you get bumped, then reel faster. If interested I could email a photo of modified Scrounger. Tom

After laying out the scale and the camera, and then setting up the video camera - I'm casting - and then handing the rod to my wife. A-Jay

Simple backing up tip. Put your hand at the bottom of the wheel (6 o'clock). Which ever way you move your hand, the trailer will go. Slow is fast and don't panic.

For enthusiasts, technique specific gear is fun to collect. However, three rigs cover all the basics: #1 6 1/2' or 7' MHF baitcaster for jigs, some soft plastics and spinnerbaits #2 6 1/2' or 7' MM baitcaster for treble hook lures #3 7' MF spinning rod for lighter lures and a variety of techniques

I'd like to say this was my first classic / expo experience and it was, in one word, INSANE! I was so jacked up! I looked, and looked.... and looked.... and looked some more for Glen but I could never locate them. I asked the MTB guys if they had seen him around and they I missed him by 5 minutes. Can't wait to hang with you guys on the road trip! For anyone who hasn't ever been, I would highly recommend going to a Classic event. It's well worth it. And I don't know if it's been louder at other events like that, but when they named Randy the winner - that place came undone!

How much will you be paying me to advertise for you? oe

being Native American i chose something related to my tribe. The Haliwa-Saponi tribe out of North Carolina. Haliwa is a combination of the main two counties of NC that my tribe is from, Halifax-Warren counties. the name actually used to be Haliwar-Saponi, but the "r" was later dropped. Saponi is basically the bloodline and it means Red Earth People, so thats where i get Red Earth from....

Name your kid FifthWheel and you're all set

She unknowingly gave you the green light on buying a high end rod. PS, A woman like that and a reel like that are both keepers.

I have NEVER EVER bought a lure because I saw it on TV and it caught fish! Besides red isn't my color.

Up until 2 years ago I had fished jigs here and there without any luck as well. I spent a few days of using nothing but jigs to build confidence in how it should feel and how to detect bites. Now it is my go to bait and you won't find me on the water without one tied on to one of my rods. Put in some time with them and it will certianly pay off for you

don't bi so hard on urself. dat is wrote better than the minority of the stuff eye read online bc most rite 3 sentences in one dat never seam to stop an are confusing wat is questions and no periods

These replacement scenarios are "Free to me" not free. Everyone who buys one of their rods is paying for the ones that use, and few that abuse the program. Replacing items "no questions asked" is a customer retention tool. By keeping their brand in the consumers hand they keep a competitor from possibly getting a foot in the door. A rod with a true defect will fail the first few times a good bend is put in it.

Too bad your fish couldn't test those carbontex drags huh??? Jeff

Hi jlew, Here in Florida we have lakes filled with heavy weeds especially hydrilla. When you hook a fish deep in the weeds you can accumulate a huge stack of weeds and you can't even see your fish or be sure it is still hooked. The problem is not hooking them but keeping them on coming through the weeds. I have tried several different things and it all comes down to a reduced landing rate in this type of fishing. Once hooked you have to keep pressure on the fish and pull it through as quickly as you can. I have thought about this and I think one of the main problems is this. As you get the fish close to the surface you have accumulated a big gob of weeds. When a fish swims to the side or shakes its head the weeds hold the line and gives the fish some leverage to get off. Somewhat like with a big top water bait and the fish jumps shaking its head. I have pulled up fish with a weed gob bigger than a five gallon bucket. I haven't found that a snelled knot makes any difference in my fishing. Looks good on TV though. Frank

I like Zona, he has personality and isn't afraid to let it come out. He can make it entertaining for people who aren't in to fishing as much as I am when I force them to watch it; like my girlfriend. haha Mercer is a good announcer. He is well spoken and quick witted. Sure, he repeats a lot of stuff, but what else are you going to say about a guy walking up on stage with a bag of bass? He will be at our Spring Fishing Classic here in Michigan, as well as Jonathan VanDam.

I wanted to update this tread with my learnings. Switched to Owner Weedless Wacky hooks in 1/0 size. The Gamakatsu weedguard seems to work a tiny bit better when it accidentally gets thrown into a tree branch. That said, I've only lost one Owner hook due to snag. The Owner hook isn't a cure-all to my hookset problems. I lost one fish (see below), but landed 4. Owner weedguard seems to keep its shape and stay glued better. The Gama ones only last about 3-4 fish before weakening/ungluing. I'm still testing rubber bands versus o-rings, but o-rings currently have the edge. Perpendicular hook placement with rubber bands = 2 fish Parallel hook placement with o-ring = 2 fish I've lost three senkos due to rubber-band failure. One the bands snapped on hookset. A fish pulled the senko out of another, leaving band and hook. Third one snapped during cast. With old Gama hooks, I lost several o-ringed 4" senkos. With the looser o-ring fit, they seemed to just work their way off the hook. I haven't experienced this with the Owner hooks so far. As most have noted here, slack management and hookset technique have been the more/most important factors. I've been practicing (while standing on bank, sitting on bank, and in kayak) counting to 3 as I reel up slack with tip down and then lifting or sweeping the rod tip. This has proven successful for the 4 wacky senko fish, as well as the numerous other fish I've caught the last few weeks with open-hook wacky and drop-shot setups. The one wacky senko fish I lost was because I dorked out and didn't do the above steps. Minding the line slack has helped as well. I suspect just paying more attention to line in general has translated to better attention placed on the hookset when a fish does bite. Thanks again to everyone for the help! While I feel like I still have lots of room for improvement, I think I've "solved" the problem.

After last weekend's Classic, I think everyone will be throwing a DT6.

Is it perfect? No, but this is not a controlled environment like football or baseball. Miles and miles of water to cover with 55 guys to try and keep up with. The finished product that you will see on espn 2 will be polished and much better. I did however love the live stuff all weekend and will continue to be glued to the computer every classic.

Like so many of us, I watched this entire event unfold on line. The past few season's I've been vocal here regarding my disappointment surrounding the poor live coverage of this event. Well, after this weekend, I'm singing a totally different tune. As an angler and overall BASS fishing fan, I can not remember any event that I enjoyed more than this years Classic. Always been a Fan of Randy Howell and to watch him come out of now where on the last day was fantastic. How can you not like this guy ? Really looking forward to televised version of this event and will be very excited to heard Randy's account of the events of the entire tournament and last day; after he's had time to relax and think about it for a while. BASS really needed an event like this and a Classy Champion like Randy Howell. Well Done. A-Jay

Just be glad that it was an option to watch online. No one made you watch it for three days.

Bassmasters website posted a GoPro video with clips from Randy's Day 3. Randy really interacted with the crowd and just had a good time with it all. I love to see stuff like that and I bet all the spectators standing on the bridge had a great time. I'm glad Randy won. He seems like a great guy and I'm sure that truly was a moment that was beyond a dream come true. Here is a link to that Go Pro video http://www.bassmaster.com/blogs/2014-bassmaster-classic-live-blog/watch-randy-howell-hook-guntersville-keeper

Here was my best producer from that week! Jeff

True story....I heard it with my own 2 ears!!!!! Jeff

I was always amazed at how many people would come into BPS and want a particular lure in a particular color basing their decision solely on so and so won a tournament with it. No consideration given to their water color, season, or other factors that are much more important. For example, the lake I fish is so muddy and murky that throwing a jerkbait is a waste of time. You can't see a white spinnerbait six inches deep. Yet let someone win a tournament with a jerkbait, and guys will be throwing them with wild abandon. Hootie

I know what you're thinking: Arkansas...mobile home aka "trailer", but actually that's not it. My dad and I worked together. He loved campers and RV's so our buyer at Ally bank always called him RV. After I bought a camper our Ally buyer called me Trailer as in not quite as big as an RV since I was the son. I didn't choose it and it stuck because other buyers that I never had met referred to me as trailer when I called so I ran with it!

According to my wife too much... but still less than she does on fb

Randy caught most of his fish on the riprap in Spring Creek. When we were there for the BassResource Roadtrip in 2012, we fished spring creek with limited success, maybe three fish, but we NEVER fished the riprap and the bridge pilings that day! Doh! Later in the week ChrisatTech and I were going under the bridge at saulty creek (way north) and my Humminbird 1198 LIT UP with fish. We stopped and and caught a few, only because we didn't want to move in on another boat that had the "garden spot". We watched them pull in around two dozen bass in about a half hour! Now I was on to a pattern! When the dam was pulling water it creates current and the bass stacked up at the bridges! Using that pattern I caught several the next day at another bridge (I forget the name of the creek, it is the first creek northwest of the dam). It was there we broke several crankbaits trying to sidearm cast under the low bridge! Easily our best day of the Guntersville Roadtrip!

Interesting. I don't know if anyone else caught the live take out footage on bassmaster.com What I caught, even with the cruddy feed, he used a Rapala DT6 in a red crawfish pattern to catch most of his fish today. Now all he had to do was catch some fish on the lure you speak of above but to me that sounds like a smoke screen. Main reason is he also stated that he wasn't sponsored by Rapala.

Yeah Livingston will get some attention for sure however he did not "win" off a Livingston lure he "won" off a $6 Rapala DT6 in the "demon" color.

Hypothetically...........I'm on and off the site all day at work.......then on again in the evenings. I'm probably on at least as much as you are most days.........but I could spend my time in much worse ways and company!

A-Jay pretty much nailed it! I am the junior of the seniors...... :grin: Jeff

I could have had a new boat with all the crap I buy between seasons over the last 10 years. Just when I say..."okay that's enough" I go and buy more. It's a sickness, but it's not the end of the world.

LOL! good one slonezp

Chorizo

I can only hope to be as cool as him when I'm in my fifties.

I use Uni knots for them, faster and easier for me.

The best pike lure, is the bass lure your killing them on right now, and your down to your last one.........and TW is out of stock, and none can be found locally. They will be all over that.