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With the Elite Series stopping on my home waters of the Potomac River I had to sign up as a marshal to see how these guys attacked it. I was confirmed for the first 2 days and got as lucky as you can get by drawing KVD for day 2 of the tournament (Friday). After launching we had some time before take-off so in between him doing a couple quick interviews we got to discuss his first day and his plans for day 2. KVD's first day was a nightmare...Other boats in his spots, timing off, best areas trashed by the wind, and lost fish. He told me that it was one of those days where everything that could've possibly gone wrong did go wrong. We spent the first few minutes in the morning on day 2 talking about the weather, he was hoping the wind changed direction enough so that his best area wouldn't be blown out again. After checking the weather a few different times he concluded that it was probably still going to be trashed, but there was enough of a chance to at least go check on it when the tide was right. When we finally took off as boat #60 he started up river to a spot where he saw several good fish in practice. The first thing that jumped out to me was how he drove the boat...It was like a race car driver, not becasue of the speed but the 'path' he takes. He runs right on the shoreline when he can (said it was smoother, and it was), as in you could touch it with a fishing rod, and cuts corners/points literally as close as you can. I knew that in some areas he was in less than a foot of water. It reminded me of race car driver cutting the apex of each turn...Zero wasted time and not even a foot of extra distance traveled. None of the other pros seemed to take it to this extreme, including my day 1 pro (Cliff Prince). It wasn't a far run to his first spot and there were 3 other competitors already there from an earlier flight. He told me that all 3 were there yesterday too and had the very best spot locked down. He wouldn't encroach on them, but said he was hoping to pick up fish on the periphery. Two of the three were Hackney and Vinson and they did not move more than 50 yards all day, for both day's 1 & 2. He caught his first fish quickly on a popper and made a joke about finally having something weigh in....He hung around for about an hour and besides one other blow up that missed his popper there was no action. His next stop was a short distance down river, a stretch of docks with good grass in front. He spent most of the time here using frogs. The new Poppin' Perch, a regular KVD frog, and a new SK toad with 'flat' feet (like a Ribbit). He had two good blow ups just inches behind his toad and had a good fish knock his KVD frog in the air on a blow up...All were decent size fish but they never completely got the bait. He switched colors a few times to see if that would get them to commit a little better but it ultimately didn't result in any more bites. As he was re-tying he pulled out a bunch of the new Poppin' Perch frogs to show me and explained how he worked with SK for almost a year to get it how he wanted....After a few passes up and back with the frog he went into the docks and flipped them with a Menace, but had no bites. From there we ran upriver to a popular creek with another spot where he saw several quality fish in practice. As we rounded the corner and set down he cursed when he saw Gary Klein sitting literally on his waypoint. He showed me on his GPS and sure enough, it was exactly on top of his mark. Klein was getting bit almost every cast on a walking bait and we watched him put his whole limit in the boat...KVD said that he probably got there just a few minutes before we did. He got close to Klein but stayed away from the main spot. The fish weren't as interested in his popper so he said he had to try a walker. He pulled out his walker box and I learned that besides his Sexy Dawg bait, he also really like the Evergreen Shower Blows...He asked if I'd ever used it and when I said it was one of my favorites he agreed and I think his exact words were 'yep, it's a baaaaad sum-b****..." . Even KVD likes a little JDM style . He got no love on the walker since he couldn't hit the main spot, so he started digging in his rod boxes and pulled out a spinning rod. He rigged up a 4" Caffine Shad and started skipping it quickly across the surface, trying to imitate the needlefish we get in the river this time of year. He cycled through colors every few casts before finally settling on one. This was the ticket for him as it resulted in 4 fish to fill his limit in the next hour or so. Nothing huge, but he was happy to get 5 after the disaster on day 1. The tide eventually brought too much dirty water into the area and it was about the right time to go check on his primary spot. We headed down river and as we got closer he looked over holding up his crossed fingers hoping for a little luck. Unfortunately, the wind had it trashed again. He still gave it a few minutes before giving up and we ran back up the river. We bounced around to a few more areas but he wasn't able to connect on anything else that helped him. I know a lot of that is a little vague, but if i went into all the details this post would 4 pages long! Honestly, the actual fishing part was awesome...But the real highlights to me we the conversations about tackle, strategy, locations, and everything else. I asked about a lot of his baits and colors and the level of detail he considers for everything he has is impressive. There is a reason/purpose for everything he uses and/or has his name on. For example, we talked about the Caffine Shad and he told me that he designed it specifically to be different from the Super Fluke. He said he wanted it to fall completely horizontal like a stick-bait instead of gliding around like the fluke. He also told me that they have the Jr sized Rage Bug in the works . His name on the package isn't just marketing, if it's got KVD on the package it's because he either designed or modified it to his liking. The thing that impressed me the most was how well he knew the Potomac. He knows this river better than any local I've met, which obviously includes me too. I'd like to think I know this river better than most and he was on another level. He never went to an area that I haven't been (and neither did my day 1 pro), but the level of detail about each area and the history he knew was insane. A few of the places he hit were some of my favorite areas and he had those places dissected to such detail that I never once thought "I wonder if he knows about 'XYZ' in this spot"...He knew it all. I know he has a long history on this river, but even still it's unreal to me how much detail he knew. He couldn't have been a nicer guy and was very easy to talk to. We talked quite a bit about some other waters in the area like the Upper Bay, James/Chick rivers, Gaston, and Kerr which was fun...Nothing like comparing strategies with greatest of all time . I know in his mind he was probably fuming since he was having a tough tournament, but you never would have known it from talking to him. At the end of the day I helped him bag his fish for weigh in and with a handshake I thanked him for the day wished him good luck with the rest of the season and he wished me good luck with rest of mine (which was cool, even though I'm just small time). It was the best day I've spent on the water and I never even made a cast. I also don't want to overlook my day 1 pro, Cliff Prince who was also great...But I'd be writing all day/night if I put everything that happened on both days in text....I'll just end by saying that if the Elites ever make a stop in your vicinity you should jump on the marshal opportunity...Even just hanging out before launch or at weigh in is awesome, every single pro was friendly and approachable. It's worth every penny and every second.

The #1 key to consistently catching bass is between your ears not between the folds of your wallet.

If it turns into a war, it won't be a long one.

Hi folks, I'm nearly done recarpeting my 2004 Tracker Pro Team 185; the boat looks amazing. I've been at this for about a month and thought I'd share a few things I learned along the way before I forget them. I did a lot of research on how to recarpet a boat before I started. I read multiple articles and watched numerous YouTube videos. I suggest you do the same if you're thinking of replacing the carpet in your boat. Having said that, I didn't see most of the items below mentioned (or at least they didn't sink in!). I thought I'd post what I learned from my experience in case someone else was thinking of replacing the carpet in their boat. To be blunt, some of the lessons below may (should?) have been obvious. I can now laugh at some of the mistakes I made that should have been obvious. Having said that, hopefully someone else may learn from my experiences. Plan for the job to require a lot of time and effort. I'm a month into the job and am close to done. I have 6 more pieces of aluminum from rod lockers to recarpet before I finish. I've worked on it for 3-4 hours a day, 3-4 days a week for the last four weeks. Call it 50 hours invested so far, with another 5 hours left to go. I thought I could finish in two weeks, but clearly mis-judged it. Even thought it is taking longer than I thought, I'm still really glad I started. My 12 year old boat looks just a couple years old now. On a related note, I had a very understanding friend that I hit the water with a few times in his boat while mine was in pieces. Gotta get that fix of time on the water! Plan on doing more maintenance/repair than just the carpet. I found it easiest to do some deferred maintenance when my boat was already in pieces, like lubricating remote control gear linkages, re-running wiring, replacing broken accessories, etc. There is no better time to do these things then when nearly everything is accessible to you. I'd recommend you think about what other maintenance items you may want to do when your boat is disassembled and plan in advance. I made a list of maintenance/repair items and bought all the material I needed before I started the carpet job. That list didn't include things that would pop up during the carpet job, such as broken throttle-only buttons. Stripping the old glue takes forever. Even after I found the nuclear weapons of carpet adhesive stripper (Klean-Strip Carpet Adhesive Stripper, found at my local Walmart and Home Depot), I would guess 50% of my time was spent prepping the surfaces for the new carpet. The rest was around 15% for disassembly, 15% for reassembly, and 20% for actually applying the new carpet. Getting ready to lay the new stuff is by far the most time consuming task. All of my research mentioned stripping carpet and glue. Some of my research mentioned the prep work takes a while. None of them prepared me for how much time it would actually take. Don't underestimate how much time you'll be wearing gloves and eye goggles, painting glue stripper on, scraping glue off, painting glue stripper on, scraping it off ... Also, be careful with the Klean-Strip stuff. You will know within seconds if you get any of that stuff on your skin. Having said that, please don't use the stripper I used without knowing it is safe for your boat. I used it without problems on an aluminum boat, but it stripped glue and paint off with equal ease. I have no idea what that stuff would do to fiberglass. Order carpet samples! Did I mention some of these would be dumb/obvious? I should have ordered a free sample, but I was in a hurry and decided I liked the grey color I ordered based on the picture on the website. Unfortunately, the product received was a MUCH darker grey than the picture on the vendor's site, and it had a blue tint to boot. I thought of complaining to the vendor I bought it from, but realized it was my own d**n fault for not being patient and ordering a free sample. The samples are available and free for a reason. Having said that, I still like the shade I ordered. It looks great on my boat. I also plan on sending a note to the vendor recommending that they update the picture on their site. Buy more carpet than you think you will need. My boat is 18.5' long with a beam width around 7'. The bow and stern areas are painted metal, leaving around 17' of carpeted area. I thought that a roll 24' x 8.5' would be more than enough for the job, but I was wrong. I needed around 6' more, but I ended up having to buy another 10 linear feet due to order minimums. In my case, most of the difference between 17' of carpeted length and and the 30' required to complete the job is from the compartments that are carpeted both inside and out on my boat. I didn't realize that until after I had bought the carpet and pulled all compartments apart. This leads me to the next lesson I learned ... If you have to buy more carpet to finish the job, make sure you get it from the same roll (or at least order exactly what you bought the first time). As mentioned above, I bought 24' x 8.5' of carpet in my first batch only to find it wasn't enough. I ended up buying some more, but had to buy it in 10' minimum lengths. In order to save a few bucks, I decided to buy 10' x 6' as it was $4 cheaper per linear foot than 10' x 8.5'. Dumb move in hind sight, as that means it was coming off a 6' wide roll instead of the 8.5' roll from the first order. Both orders were for the same color, but the rolls were slightly different in shade. Another one that should have been obvious in hind sight. Thankfully I was able to use the new stuff in places that the slight difference isn't noticeable. Again, I could have complained to the vendor, but I should have realized this one before I ordered the second batch. It was my own fault. Make sure you have more bracing wood and clamps than you will need. Both are needed to hold the carpet against the boat/compartment pieces while you wait for the glue to set. I started off buying 16 nylon clamps and two 2x2x8 pieces of wood that I cut down into smaller sections of different lengths. I ended up buying 16 more clamps and another two 2x2x8's and still ended up having to wait over night for glue to set before I could continue. Mark screw/rivet holes when you are putting the boat back together. On some parts, it will be obvious where to run the screw/bolt/rivet when you're putting things back together. On others, you will end up carpeting over both sides of the hole like around the edges of a deck board. I used a long pin to find blind holes by trial and error. Once I knew where the hole was located, I heated up a drill bit with a blow torch and pushed it through the hole to melt the carpet and make it easy to find the hole later. Take pictures as you disassemble the boat. I took pictures of anything I thought I would need as a reference in the future. The pictures were as good as gold on things like wiring the console back up. I also added items like tape measures to the pictures when it would give me a reference when putting the boat back together (i.e. where screws were in relation to other parts of the boat). Buy more "paint" supplies than you think you will need. Nearly all my research mentioned using a trowel for applying the new glue. Only one video mentioned painting the glue on. The glue I used was more like paint and less like tile grout, so using painting supplies instead of a trowel was an obvious choice. I used 4" rollers and 1" chip brushes to apply most of the carpet glue. Since I only had few hours at a time to work on the job, I ended up having to break up the carpet laying over multiple days which meant I used more of the rollers and brushes than expected. In total, I think I used three 4" rollers and around 10 chip brushes, including a forgettable trip to Walmart just before midnight on a Saturday night ... Use a beard trimmer on tight compartment lids. All of my compartments were tight once they were wrapped in new carpet. A $20 beard trimmer off Amazon helped fix that. I used it to shave off some of the carpet around the contact edges. All compartments are comfortably tight now, but not difficult to open. This was a great tip I read on a forum post during my research, but it wasn't mentioned on any of the articles or videos that I found. Well, that's it for now. Hopefully this was informative to folks thinking about replacing the carpet in their boat. As mentioned, I'll post pics once I'm done with my boat. I am really pleased with how it has turned out. I hope yours ends up looking just as good or better!

I have some interesting info for you guys about our National Championship 2nd place finish... The rod that I threw the spinnerbait on, which caught 75% of the fish we brought to the scales, is a BPS Extreme, that my uncle gave to me many years ago. I'm pretty sure the rod is older than I am, it is balanced differently than rods nowadays, I think the reels back then were way heavier. The tip on that rod is a replacement, as well as the last 3 guides, including one that I had to replace a second time with a little glue and sewing thread. The reel I was using on that rod, is a Lews Lazer MG (their most inexpensive reel 79.99), that I actually snagged this winter while jigging a blade bait in 35 feet of water. It was all gunked up but I took it apart and with a little grease, oil, and love, she was ready to go! And the spinning rod that I used to fish a drop shot, is a rod that used to be a baitcaster. A member from this forum contacted me a while back to see if I wanted it (thanks again, by the way!). He said he wasn't impressed with the rod as a baitcaster and decided to replace the first two guides with spinning guides, shave down the pistol grip, and chop off part of the cork to make it balance better. The problem you run into then, is a bass-ackwards spined rod that is supposed to load for a cast the way it now loads on a hookset, and vice-versa. Tell that to the 5lber I caught with it on the final day. The reel on that rod is a Shimano Sienna 2500 (29.99) that has been used so much, that the bail is actually starting to wear out and sometimes when you flip it, the wire is the only thing moving, not the rest of the reel that should move with it (you can still cast it like that though ).

Nah, I don't know the first thing about that enter net thing.

If you're fishing rivers, the jighead and soft-plastic grub is an oft-overlooked producer... And, they're inexpensive (assuming you're somewhere that can use lead weights) enough to be a good option for your guests. If they get tree'd, it's not a huge deal. Beyond that, I still think that weightless senkos flat-out catch fish and do so at an affordable price - particularly if you're willing to use non-GYCB versions.

I paid 20 dollars for my last rod . From Gander Mountain .Lady Guide series and its not pink . Its a manly lavender .

Funny you should ask. Glenn and A-Jay both asked what I was thinking. Here is my reply. Since I joined the staff, and now read every post as often as I can, I've noticed something. There may be thread about a particular reel, or rod, or bait; and somebody will jump in to say use braid. Not in every thread, but often enough I took note of it. I was online one evening, with my mouse in position to hide one of these off topic posts, when my wife said, "guacamole sounds good; why don't you make some?". What squirted out of some odd, unused corner of my mind was this. Don't delete these posts, don't hide them, leave them as is. But, in every thread about braid, I say something about avocados. And try to make it fit the theme of the thread. Trying to make a point, in a somewhat humorous fashion. Been waiting for somebody to ask if I've been smoking that stuff again. No, I haven't.

For the swimbait Gang ~ Straight from the man himself ~ "We are now offering a collector's edition 8" called the "Extinct" series. The above photo is the first species, out of many, we are reintroducing to the world. It is an extinct cutthroat based off of paintings that I've seen. There is much more to this story, but I will fill you in at a later time. Each bait will be numbered, initialed on the tail, and will come with a certificate to match. This is a project I have been wanting to do for a very long time. One of the main reasons is to bring awareness to endangered and extinct species. I will personally be painting each run. Our first run will begin August 15th at 9AM pacific time. In the meantime, feel free to checkout the page below." Ken Huddleston https://www.huddbaits.com/store/extinct A-Jay

His casting and accuracy were excellent as you would expect....However most of the fishing he did was in open water so it wasn't really on display as much. Every time a bass or baitfish would bust on the surface he would be able to land exactly on top of it. When he flipped the docks his technique was impressive. Just a little loop-style flip with his left hand and it was under the dock and skipping every single time. All of his gear and tackle was dialed in how he liked it...His rods and reels were all his signature series models (the higher end ones). I did ask a lot of questions about his gear choices...He used 17lb mono for his popper, 20 lb flouro for flipping, braid obviously for frogs, braid with a short 20lb mono leader for walking baits, and braid with a 12lb flouro leader on a spinning rod for his Caffine Shad. Most of his tackle was Strike King as you'd expect, however he had a lot of other stuff too. I already wrote about the EG Shower Blows, but I also noticed some Zell Pop's in his box. A few others I recognized in the topwater box were the RI Vixen (had a bunch too), Brians Bee's prop baits, and what looked like Ima Big Sticks. He also had some Spro frogs in his frog box. His soft plastics were mostly SK as well, but he did have a lot of discontinued colors and he talked about how some the best colors simply didn't sell so they were pulled. He said SK would make him batches of those colors when he needed them...Benefits of being KVD . His Nitro was impressive as well...It's on my shopping list now . Not the fastest boat out there, but the holeshot was great even loaded down like he is. It drafts incredibly shallow too...His 21 footer seemed like it could get into skinnier water than my 20' Stratos. Everything did it's job for him...He seemed like a function-over-form and no-frills type of guy when it came to his gear in most cases. We had winds out of the S and SSW at 10-15mph both days. He simply needed it to be just a little little more out of the west...The spot is a main river-type spot and if the wind is blowing against it or in-line with it the waves get it all churned up and muddy. It's a hard cover area instead of grass so it really gets rolling like a washing machine and the fish don't like it. It's a GOOD spot and one that's not very well known....You get 5 bites there and you're looking at 15lbs at least.

Hook keeper because well.... That's what it's made for. Yes, you may end up with a minute scratch on the Rod every now and again, but it super convenient.

Glenn, you are so helpful and informative. You should start an informational bass fishing website.

Welcome to BR.

Got on the water pre dawn this morning. A couple of days of much needed rain had reduced the water clarity down from it's usual 15 ft plus down to 3 feet at best. This is often a good time to be on the water especially in the heat of the summer. Today was no different. Started off popping a tube along & through a weed edge. I caught 3 mid size fatties right away. About an hour after sunrise I moved north & fished the same type of cover. It was a pretty morning but Flat & Calm. Took a couple of smaller fish on a drop shot. Around 9am a few puffy clouds rolled over head and a NW breeze freshed up the air. Since the water had so much color, I decieded to move on to a shallow flat on the inside of a long mid-lake point. With water temps in the mid 70's, burning a 1.5 squarebill in 4-8 feet seemed appropriate. Smallies were all over it. Got to love a wide open crank bait bite - the strikes are just so much fun. Had one go 4.85 ~ Very respectable. The loon call in the backround added a nice Up-North touch to the fight. A-Jay

I was going to change out a few split rings for some treble hooks on some larger baits (Whopper Plopper 130, S-Waver 168 etc.). What size split rings would you suggest for size 2-1/0 trebles? I was thinking Owner Hyper Wires but I have no idea on size. Thanks.

Hootie, Thanks for posting this! I wasn't even aware that these books existed. I searched "Bassmaster Best" on Amazon and found 5 of these compilation books!! They are around 350 pages each with lots of great articles that are all still new-to-me, dirt cheap too :) I put the can in the pic as a size reference. There's more reading here than War and Peace, without all of the literary symbolism and complexity to bog you down...sorry Tolstoy, it needed to be said :)

i think he is saying more because you will want to buy them all

You are not wrong! These are about working the very fringe edge of the weeds with minimal entry noise (sounds like a bluegill smooching the surface instead of a big splash) and a profile that is SUPER easy to say yes to as well as fully inhale... The more exposed hooks translate to great hookups even with the rod you'll need to cast a tiny frog well. I am usually trying to cast directly on the last fat pad before open water if it's heavy and concentrating on the first 2ft of open water, or working through sparse or light pads etc. I use this technique in conjunction with a heavy combo and a normal 1/2oz or so frog for actual heavy cover and deeper back into pads, not as a replacement for it.

I use the slip on rubber one's for several of my reels. Certain reels they don't stay on as well such as my curados. The ones I do use them on I feel they do help when my hands are getting wet. Also I like the little cosmetic touch they add. For the price, I'd say give them a shot. You might love them. If not you're only out 5 bucks.

I'm sure there's hundreds of little things that go on in his head...But the thing that jumped out to me was how much he keyed on color. When he was switching out frog colors he was really concerned that he didn't have the 'right' color. Same thing with the Caffeine Shad, he was really concerned with it...And once he settled on his color for that he got bit almost immediately. He was also really in tune with the tides and how the wind and weather would effect it. Being a tidal guy myself this wasn't too much of a surprise, but just like his overall knowledge of the river it was pretty awesome to see how much of an expert he was at it despite not being a 'local'. Little things like looking up the offshore winds for the main Chesapeake and Atlantic to determine if the south winds would have a big or small effect on the tide height and timing.

I'm fairly new to bass fishing (1 year seriously into it) and therefore only have one small story to tell. I went fishing with a buddy of mine mid march. I was using a drop shot while my buddy was throwing a grub on a jig head. The fish were in a biting mood and we were catching one after another in quick succession. I was starting to get slightly annoyed because for every fish I would catch, another would rip my worm off the hook; mean while, my buddy was able to just use the one bait. I was starting to run out of my drop shot baits when I noticed one of my worms floating on top of the water near the boat. I leaned down quickly to grab the bait, and before I knew it, i was going end over end into the 50 degree water, pole and all. I somehow managed to keep my pole out of the water (sort of a "saved my beer" kind of move). My buddy helped me back into the boat and I fished the rest of the day shirtless and dripping wet. I did however land my PB that morning, so it has been a running joke that if I want to catch quality fish, I need to go for a swim first.

Dubya, you have just opened the door to a fun discussion of a topic in the bass industry that has been around for years. As for the pros, and us guys who tournament fish: we just attach the hook to the reel. It is easier and faster to do this and we also avoid getting the hooks stuck in the boat's carpet as we can have the rod lay down with the reel up and the hooks out of the way. As for the reel, some say by hooking the hooks to the reels it can damage the reels. So far, I have not found this to be true. As for the line, some say by hooking the hooks to the reels it will damage the line. So far, I have not found this to be true. I just attach the hook to the reel and forget it, knowing the bait is safe; will not get stuck in the carpet; and I can have a fast release when I go to use the rod. Concerning the pros reeling the baits tight to the rod's tip eye, they care, but not as much as we do. If a pro needs a new rod they can get one free or at a big discount from the manufactures. All of us other guys and gals can't. Once again, it boils down to confidence in how you want to protect your tackle vs. how fast you want to store or start using your gear while fishing.

What a great read! Sounds like the experience of a lifetime. One that I am sure you will not soon forget, and learned so much from. If you have the time at some point, a part 2 would be amazing. I, and I am sure others as well, would like to learn more about his attention to detail and a lot of the "little things" he does that the average angler doesn't think about.

I wrap clear box tape on my rods just above the hook keeper. I use about 6" or so length of clear tape and wrap the rod, overlapping the tape. This keeps the rod from getting small scratches and if the tape starts to undo cuz it gets damp, I just take it off, rub 90% rubbing alcohol, then rub water and dry, to take off tape residue and rewrap.

My first tournament when I was 16 I fished in an adult club. It was at Table Rock and I ended up in 4th place. I was using a 6' light Cabela's Fish Eagle II that I found in the bargain cave with a broken tip. I put a new tip on and slapped on a TX1000 with some 4lb Pline fluoroclear that I tied to a 1/8oz ballhead with a bronze hook from Wal-Mart with a 4 or 6 inch purple Mann's Jelly worm threaded on. The fish were spawning and I believe the light line and different looking bait was the difference. I enjoy my nice equipment I have now. Buying nice, new gear is half the fun of this sport, but it's certainly not required to be effective. Woo Daves used a Zebco 33 to catch some of his fish that helped him win a little derby called the Bassmaster Classic. It doesn't get much cheaper than that.

Man I was thinking about a post like this when I got my new Aetos rods this week. It is almost sacrilegious to put those hooks where they will be rubbing and lure banging on the rod. Seriously I always used the hook keeper but I never owned a $180 type rod and I had reservations when I was setting them up here in the house. I actually hooked a reel like the way you have pictured and realized that the large spinner bait hook could contact the line. I was afraid it would nick it up so I moved the hook to the reel handle. Maybe after I use them a trip or two and get them dirty it wont bother me. I typically am not that guy that is freaking over his cork getting a drop of sweat on it so hopefully my nerves will chill a little after I catch a few.

If it works well let us know! Who knows, could be the next hot bait!

Been doing pretty darn good with the ff's lately but I snuck out after a massive thunderstorm today before I went stir crazy and had a KILLER afternoon. Nailed this fatty within the first 5 minutes. and about a half dozen decent smaller guys after that also saw a fox a heron ... and a beautiful sunset. Cheers!

If I had the time, I would custom make every rod I own. All things equal, A rod built to your exact speifications and requirements trumps off the shelf everytime.

I must have hands like bricks. I can't feel the difference between my custom made G Loomis Rod that was $400 and old IM 6 rods that were about $60. At least on rods that have similar ratings. I buy nicer rods today, not so much because I can tell the difference but I have appearances I must keep up! ???

If your shoulder is hurting from casting a lot, then it's possible your casting form needs some tweaking. Most casts are done with your wrist, not your arms and shoulders. Here's a video where I explain the proper technique. Hopefully it helps you!

If you buy a license and fish legally it is your choice to keep or release any legal fish caught. End of story.

I come from a family of 5 kids, me and my 4 sisters. My dad worked a lot and I did not get to spend a lot of time with just him and me. Dad did not take a lot of vacation time. 4 or 5 days in June when smallmouth season opened on the St. Lawrence and another few days for the opening of duck season. We lived in Northwest Indiana while I was growing up. The summer of 1965, I was 10 and I was going to Chippewa Bay, New York with my dad for the opening of bass season. We drove all night and arrived while the sun was just coming over the tree tops. Even though it was over 50 years ago, I can still remember it like it was yesterday. We unloaded the car and put our stuff in a boat in a dark boathouse and I had my first boat ride to Oak Island where my uncle worked as a caretaker of a large house and property on the island. Uncle Bill met us at the dock where he presented me with my first rod and reel, a Zebco 33 combo. For the next few days, dad taught me to fish for smallmouth, I explored the big house and the boathouses on the island. My bedroom overlooked the St. Lawrence Seaway and I could see the big ships brightly lit as they cruised past my window at night. The Thousand Islands area is just beautiful with the rocky islands, the mansions, and the river. One morning, dad tried to wake me up to go fishing but I was just too tired. After dad went out without me, Uncle Bill set me up with a bucket of minnows on one of the docks where I caught a limit of smallies all by myself. Dad was sure surprised when he found I'd caught more bass than he did that morning. One day we fished out of one of the big mahogany Chis Craft boats and I watched my uncle catch a huge northern pike that looking at the pictures, was nearly as long as I was. Those 4 or 5 days I spent with dad were the most magical I have ever had in my life. I got to back with dad five or six more times before he got sick and passed away. My life today is still influenced by that first trip. My house is decorated in a style that reminds me of the Thousand islands. I have my own boat and fish for smallmouth every chance I get. I am also an officer in the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance. Without that trip, 51 years ago, my life today would be very, very different. To say that that was a memorable experience would be an understatement.

Keep an eye on the local classified papers. My wife bought an old 14' aluminum V bottom boat for $50. Its held more beer than fish, so far...but a boat like this one could get you on the water for cheap. Just add a transom mount trolling motor, and it'll take you anywhere you want to go.

I just got some Owner Hyper Wires to switch out on a DEPS Buzzjet with same size trebs you have and went with #4 I believe (50 lb rated). You can look em up on Tackle Warehouse's website.

Awesome!

I seldom follow the pro tournament fisherman, but I certainly know who KVD is. How cool to spend a day in a boat with him during a tournament!! Great post!!

Whoa! That is incredible!! Congrats for spending a whole day rubbing elbows with The Man himself!

If you palm a casting reel that's right at the fulcrum so I don't see much of any difference by using a heavier reel. I'm also not a proponent of adding weight especially to a Rod you paid extra for to get light weight. If you must, adding as little weight as you can get away with to the very end is the most efficient approach.

Yeah this is more like my price range right now. I have already spent so much this year and I think I am trying to dive in too fast.

i caught a 10 lb blue cat at johnson park. the one with the baseball fields. 2-3 hours of my bait in the same spot a half inch crawfish tail.

This ^^ , last trip I did I found myself using my ugly stick spinning rod more than my st croix eye con or the other 100 buckish series and you know what I did alright. Sure it is a little slower, but it works well fishing snaggy cover, reeds and rocks. The only place I have seen expensive rods make a huge difference is in a fly rod, I was lucky enough to get 4 really nice for the time fly rods that were 500+ new and they really did cast better then the 100 buck rods I had at the time. As far as spinning and bait casting go, I feel we have gotten too specific with rods, when in reality a guy could get away with just a couple of each. I currently only have off the shelf rods, now I am not familiar with MHX rods, is this like Doybins or some of the smaller stick makers on TW, or are these truly guys making a few sticks a year?

Apparently these female squatches aren't as rare as one might think. I've just seen half a dozen of them at my local Wal-Mart this morning.

Cut your avocados in quarters instead of halves, and it won't stay stuck in the skin as firmly.

Ahhhh! My eyes!!!

Well, that got weirder.

So I have been meaning to post this a while now and have finally gotten around to it but last year a week after Thanksgiving I was fishing at Appling Lake in Bartlett. Caught a few bass on really soft bites and then I felt a slight bump and set the hook on this monster using a red crawfish rattle trap.

Irrelevant considering the question at hand.

In ponds I used to quiver a small rapala on the surface and then pause it and then little quivers again. Used to be deadly. Just sayin