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Had a chance to catch up with Bassmaster pro Dean Rojas at the 2016 Classic. He had a lot of great things to say. Check it out!

I found a lot of deep fish today but couldn't hardly get um to fire up. Caught 10, but found one school with probably 75 fish in it. It was a funny bite, they would knock the fire out of a jig or a dropshot but wouldn't hold onto it. I did go shallow for an hour and look around. Saw a lot of cruisers, but nothing locked on yet.

LOVE the big spot fights. I thought I had a striper when this freight train spot hit it; even took a couple minutes to land her. Caught it on the rod that can't be mentioned here, 6' 7" MH, 1/2 oz Wedge spinner in sexy shad with a sexy shad Big Bite Cane Thumper trailer. Deduct 4oz for the fish grips, which were holding the fish when I weighed it...

Fishing the home lake last Friday was a little tough, it was pretty breezy with the wind in our face and bright sunny around 3 in the afternoon. We were just poking around a bit and had caught a couple little guys earlier. I was using a pumpkin red flake 5" Senko and Ben had the same but in June-bug. I had a swirl on mine , but it didn't eat it, so Ben cast in the zone and it was "Fish On!". After a short fight with one above water headshake that had me praying, he was able to ease her ashore for her photo session and release with our many thanks. Ben was using a 7' star rod and Okuma RTX 25 spinner with 10lb power pro and a 12lb fluorocarbon leader. Ken P.S. Also started getting a fair amount of bites on smaller fish dead sticking them way out deep.

We caught up with Greg Hackney - The Hack Attack! - to talk about this year's Classic, and a whole lot about what it's like to be a pro!

Bass anglers are somewhat like golfers that start out using 1 club and evolve into needing everything ever made to improve our ability to be better. At some point in time we figure out it isn't the equipment that made us a better and put away or sell the things we don't need. Some of us figure it out sooner, others later and some are still trying to figure it out. Tom

Lure? No, technique! Texas rigged plastic! Give me a hook, a weight, a piece of plastic & I will catch bass!!

Spun hub??? Simple and relatively inexpensive fix at the shop, if so. If you have a spare prop, throw it on and you'll know real quick. If you don't, now you know why you should always carry one onboard -T9

Daiwa Tatula 6.3 w/Chinese BFS spool on St.Croix Legend Inshore 6'6" Light Shimano Conquest 101 HG on Abu Garcia Villian 7' Med Mod Abu Garcia Winch and KVD TOUR 7"11" MH Mod Daiwa Tatula Type R 8.1:1 on Abu Garcia Veritas 7' MH Shimano Aldeberan BFS XG on Shiamano Compre 6'6" Med XF Shimano Aldeberan 50 on St.Croix Legend Xtreme 7' Med F

It is obvious that I am the only on stupid enough to drive 15 minutes in a snow shower on slick roads just to get to Gander Mountain to take advantage of the promotions. 10 minutes early and I'm the only one in the parking lot. Yep, I'm an idiot.

Yes to this. Jim's comment about pulling the bait is spot on. During the cold water period I often just pull the bait with the rod tip for 2-3 feet. Then pause, twitch & pause. Try working the bait with a series of just pulls then try twitching or jerking with pauses in between. The colder the water the less movement you need & the longer you want to pause. The fish will respond to different techniques on different days based on water conditions & their own metabolism. When it is colder water the fish will often hang with the bait before you feel much. Warmer water once the fished metabolism has sped up they will flat out crush it. When you get really proficient with a jerkbait you will often sense the bite before you feel it. There is a ton of info about jerkbaits in this pinned thread in the tackle forum if you have read all of it.

In colder water, I catch a lot more just pulling the bait between pauses. Instead of snapping or jerking the bait, I just reel it in six inches or a foot maybe then pause it. If the water is less than 55 degrees, I start with an 8 second pause, but will go clear up to 20. I looked in my log and last year the best day I had on a jerkbait was early in April, on an X-rap with a 12 second pause! Tight lines! Jim

After you put it in your hand it goes away reel quick .

21" and 5.19 pounds this morning, just stopped for lunch and going back out again. We got about 5-6 crappie and another 6-8 bass in the 12-15 inch range too! The 5 pounder went back and we're culling the rest to keep the pond healthy. I will update with a full report and accurate numbers for the weekend when we're done.

at that price, i couldn't resist and just ordered my sixth NRX (an 822S SYR). NRXs are far and away my favorite rods and i've never seen new ones for less than 40 percent off. i may yet add another one by tonight if they still have any of the 872S left.

Honestly I have a jerk bait tied to a rod year round, and they work year round.

Somehow no one mentioned the old school Mepps spinner. You're going to catch dinks, and virtually every species in the water, but an old school in-line spinner on 4-6lb test line will catch something even when virtually everything else is shut down.

I hope you carry plenty of sun screen if the only thing you wear is a hat while fishing. LOL Tyler

Thank you!! Thanks! Looking forward to it. Thanks!!! Thanks! Noticed you are in TN, one of my favorite states! Thanks! What part of Florida you in? Lived in Ft. Myers for awhile 10 years or so ago Thank you kindly! Thanks!!!!

A little preseason TW order.

Alright, after reading all the posts, I bought one. Thanks a lot, everyone! Hopefully, my Tatula rod still feels nice even after using the NRX lol. I just need to think which reel to pair it with now...

Ok, so we can easily recognize professional anglers when they're wearing their jerseys. But happens when you dress them up in biker garb? See if you can guess who all these anglers are in this video. I got a chuckle out of it.

682s work, can haul in fish...

This little chunker...

This spring, if you're looking for something new, just a little different and super effective ~ Get yourself the 6th Sense Crush Flat 75X squarebill crankbait. It's going to really surprise you. A-Jay http://www.6thsenselures.com/#!crush-flat-75x/c1rev

Yep, looks about right. Have to admit I really liked getting same weekend coverage of the event up until they changed it a couple years ago to reportedly get better production quality out of the showing. That being said, the past two years I've still enjoyed catching up on the live blog and then watching the weigh-ins.

I like a 7'1" H/F or a 7'3" MH/XF for swim jigs. Megabass, Daiwa, and Powell are my preferred rod brands. Line type depends on the type of cover. 30lb braid around grass, 15-17lb fluoro around rocks and wood.

One thing you may be doing is using the wrong tool at the wrong time, or in the wrong location. Spinnerbaits shine as a reaction bait and as such are a poor choice in many situations, which can be said for most lures. Like any lure, you need to put it where the fish are. Many anglers when starting out with spinnerbaits will cast them out and wind them straight back. This will keep it up high in the water column, often within sight. That's fine if the fish are active there ( think late pre-spawn), if they aren't, you're just churning water. If you were fishing a shallow running crank with no success, wouldn't you consider switching to a deeper running one if it didn't produce? Just as with Crankbaits, a steady retrieve will catch an occasional fish, but it's the erratic action of bouncing off of something or using a stop and go retrieve that will get you bit much more often. The same thing applies to spinnerbaits. My advice to gaining some confidence in them it to hold off using them until late pre-spawn and then pick an overcast or breezy day. Start working it shallow and then down the water column. They're only as versatile as you make them.

I never understood this? Whatever worked pre-fishing is what I start with on game day and adjust as needed. As for what lures cost when I was a broke 14 yr old I could only afford so much. Now that I am older I still look for deals but my fishing time is limited so I don't really care what a lure costs since I am no longer a broke teenager. Allen

I have a bunch of Mister Twister sassy shads in the 2" size. I put them on a 1/8 ounce jig head, and I am set.

Had a great talk with John Crews at the Bassmaster Classic. He shares his tips for becoming a better angler, and ways to make it as a pro. Hope you enjoy it!

I agree with Fishing Rhino. My advice is look for a smaller tin that is newer, lighter and will perform well with an electric TM or small gas outboard.

Got a chance to talk to the reigning Bassmaster Classic Champion, Casey Ashley. Hope you enjoy it!

This was from my last last trip.

I believe you could state a budget of one million dollars, and there will always be someone tell you that you need $10.00 more...lol. Hootie

Well, I start the day by leaving the drain plug out of my boat. Then, I make sure to flood the engine by priming it too much. I will intentionally forget to lift the trolling motor out of the water so as to create a big rooster tail to shower me and my passengers with dirty lake water and finally, for good measure, I will often forget to pull the anchor up and drag it around for awhile-all the while wondering why my boat is moving is so sluggish. Usually these practices will ensure that I will only fall out of the boat once.

Nice fish, but it's a little disturbing to see the fish rolling around in the dirt.

As a bit of a preface, I wanted to get rid of my kayak because I've outgrown it. Too much gear, not enough space or comfort... It was time for an upgrade. I didn't, however, want to break the bank nor did I want to compromise in what I got next. I considered kayaks in the $1k range, but then eventually decided that I could do and get more out of being patient and buying a used canoe to build up myself. (Disclaimer: I'm a lifelong custom metal fabricator with a full shop at my disposal) I ended up finding this 14' OT Sport canoe on Craigslist for $225, snatched it up as fast as I could and started brainstorming. The basic idea was for four ultra-secure rod holders, room for a livewell, custom brackets all over for of my growing cache of gear and that it could support a real, actually comfortable boat seat. The rest of the details I can dial over time, but these were my most basic requirements. This thread will continue to be modified as projects get wrapped up, and I'm really looking forward to getting this beast finished up and out on the water! The first order of business was rod holders. I only use 4 combos on any given day. I have a few more, but these are my 4 horsemen. I wanted to design rod holders that would keep them in front of me and out of the way of my casting, have enough room between them so I wasn't knocking them into each other all the time, keep them super safe and locked in (in case of a rollover), also I wanted the tips below the bow line and make sure they're fully supported and not just bowing out all day in the sun. I also wanted to leave enough room in the middle for a livewell cooler. This is what I came up with after standing on the shoulders of giants (Fishing Rhino, 00 Mod, A-Jay and a few other guys too) and used a few ideas from just about everybody's design and came up with this so far: The bracket itself is made from I believe 11 gauge carbon steel 2" strip, has six 3/16" aluminum rivets on multiple facet reinforcements and all the faces that touch were gobbed to the max with marine epoxy to make sure I have the maximum adhesion humanly possible. The rubber clamps are fastened securely by 1/8" aluminum rivets as well. That's the only piece I've fully completed so far today, but I am loving how it keeps those rod handles locked in nice and tight and it is really easy to use with one hand. The tips will be supported by fixed golf club separator tubes (Thanks Mod 00!) held in place by similar bracketry so they can't fall out, knock into each other or anything else undesirable. Below I've shown how they lock the handles in but the angle is a bit off, as the tip tubes aren't installed yet and they are resting really low so the butts are a bit high. I'd say it's off to a solid start in any case, but what do you guys think? I love hearing peoples' opinions, and the input of others is literally how I came to finalize any of these ideas in my head. The brainstorming power and experience that can be had here is invaluable in putting together a project like this, so thanks to everyone who posted in my other thread, as well as a 'thanks in advance' to anybody who participates here. You guys are the best. I'll do my best to keep working on it & updating as I can! Cheers!! Matt

So this can't be correct, can it?? https://www.bassmaster.com/tv-schedule And if so.....why???

I have a black medium and an elite heavy. Both are very nice rods. I use the elite for some Jigs and Frogs and the medium for a number of baits. Lipless cranks, jerk baits, swim jigs... They're under rated rods. I also have higher end rods that are task specific. You don't always have to spend heavy for all your rods.

If you're on a $100 budget I'm assuming you don't have a boat, and only have 1-2 rods. So going with the assumption that you're a shore guy carrying two rods (a finesse spinning rod and a M or MH casting rod) - Stick to mostly soft plastics - drop shot, split shot, c-rig, t-rig, shakey head. A lot of the plastics/terminal tackle for these techniques can be used for more than one technique. Hardbaits from shore you don't need a whole lot, I'd grab a couple of squarebills and a couple of lipless cranks. I'd wait on topwater and swimbaits as you may need more specialized gear for those. One place where people sink a ton of extra money, and where your money can quickly disappear, is buying different colors of the same bait. You really only need a lighter shade and a darker shade, and most of the time you just need one shade (some kind of watermelon/green pumpkin variant). So I'd get something like this - $7 - (25) 1/8oz drop shot weights from eBay $4 - beads for C-Rig, T-Rig - buy these at a craft store like Michaels or on Amazon $88 from Tackle Warehouse - the Senkos and Rage Craws are pricey so you could always substitute, but I haven't found a better bang-for-the-buck than the Zoom Trick worms and Yum Sharpshooters Yama 5" Senko Watermelon w/Black&Gold Flake Color: Watermelon w/Blk&Gld Size: 5" 2 update In Stock $7.49 $14.98 Strike King KVD HC Crankbait Neon Bluegill 2.5 Color: Neon Bluegill Size: 2.5 1 update In Stock $5.69 $5.69 Strike King KVD HC Crankbait Sexy Shad 1.0 Color: Sexy Shad Size: 1.0 1 update In Stock $5.69 $5.69 Strike King Red Eye Shad Chili Craw 1/4 Color: Chili Craw Size: 1/4 1 update In Stock $5.89 $5.89 Strike King Red Eye Shad Chrome Sexy Shad 1/4 Color: Chrome Sexy Shad Size: 1/4 1 update In Stock $5.89 $5.89 Gama Offset EWG 3/0 5pk 1 update In Stock $3.49 $3.49 Gama Offset EWG 5/0 5pk 1 update In Stock $3.49 $3.49 Zoom Trick Worm Black Red Flake Color: Black Red Flake 1 update In Stock $4.19 $4.19 Zoom Trick Worm Watermelon Red Flake Color: Watermelon Red Flake 1 update In Stock $4.19 $4.19 Danielson Removable Split-Shot Sinker 4 15pk 1 update In Stock $0.89 $0.89 Bullet Weight Egg Sinkers 1/2 7pk 1 update In Stock $1.99 $1.99 Bullet Weights Painted Black 3/16 5pk 1 update In Stock $1.79 $1.79 Bullet Weights Painted Black 3/8 5pk 1 update In Stock $1.79 $1.79 Owner Shakey Ultrahead Green Pumpkin 1/8 Color: Green Pumpkin Size: 1/8 1 update In Stock $4.69 $4.69 Gama Drop/Split Shot Hooks 4 6pk 1 update In Stock $2.99 $2.99 Gama Drop/Split Shot Hooks 2 6pk 1 update In Stock $2.99 $2.99 Strike King Rage Craw Black Blue Flake Color: Black Blue Flake 1 update In Stock $5.49 $5.49 Strike King Rage Craw Road Kill Color: Road Kill 1 update In Stock $5.49 $5.49 Yum Sharpshooter Ghost Shad 4.5" Color: Ghost Shad Size: 4.5" 1 update In Stock $2.99 $2.99 Yum Sharpshooter Green Pumpkin 4.5" Color: Green Pumpkin Size: 4.5" 1 update In Stock $2.99 $2.99 Estimated Order Total: $87.59

And scene....

Probably about .5 inches bigger!

Have y'all seen mikeybalzz fishing on you You Tube? He's a young guy with a lot of style, and catches a lot of big mamas in the thick stuff on Lake O in Florida.

Something a little different. Megabass Orochi 13 Snake Slider balsa bait.

Fat cat newton and his high kicks

KeepinItReelFishing... it's all in the name.

Fat cat newton for life!!!! BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!

Okay if we are gonna talk about bassin youtubers, let's talk about keepinitreel fishing. The dude does rediculously meticulous in depth reviews on lures. Which is awesome in my book. Kevin Bullington also has a lot of reviews out there on lures.

I hear that. When I remodeled my house I bought a cheap faucet for my tub so I didn't get it all messed up while it was under construction. When I bought the final faucet (same brand) the valves were different. So now my hot side is cold and my cold side is hot. It was either deal with it or go through the sheet rock on the other side and fix it. Texture and paint was already done, so I'm dealing with it.