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So black-n-blue will not work in clear water & green pumpkin will not work in off colored water! Quite looking at color charts & chunk it! ?

Got my boat today! Already about to get it opened up to install some gear. Everything is really accessible and there should be no issues at all. My dealer gave two tracker shirts to us... Almost gave the pup one, jk. They set me up with the VIP same day, just have to wait for the gift card. I am about to put up some videos on my YouTube channel later tonight.

me and a friend took our grandsons down to MCRD at Parris Island, SC today. we left town at 4 am this morning and just got back home a little while ago. i hadn’t seen the place since i graduated from boot camp, almost 40 years ago. good times ?

I suspect the younger anglers are more adept with todays electronics (and electronics have become extremely important in tournament fishing). I am in the computer business. What I notice is that if I hand my teenage nieces and nephews a new IPAD that it takes them about 60 seconds before they are navigating around at light speed. If I hand my brother who is in his late 50's the same device I am still getting phone calls two weeks later about how to accomplish what should be a straight forward task. He gets there eventually but it takes him a lot longer to integrate the device into the way he works.

Time to check your local Wal-Mart's...year end inventory is coming up for them in a week and lots of stuff is being clearanced out, in fact some stuff hasn't even made it onto the sales floor and has been buried out back only to be seen now at inventory time. I just got two Berkley Lightning Rod Shock casting rods, 1-7ft. MH and 1-6'6" M for $9 each. They also had all of their fishing baseball caps on clearance for $1 each so we bought like almost 20 hats (I like collecting them...lol.). I also bought some of the Yum spray on attractants in shad and crawfish scent for $1 each. Last night I picked up an instant up 13x13 canopy by Ozark Trail for $15 and it's normally $88. Go check em' out while there's still good stuff to be had...especially this week as I was told at my Wal-Mart last night their inventory will start in about a week!

Yesterday's forecast was too good to pass up. I took a vacation day and headed to my favorite big Plymouth pond, launching around 8:00. After 3 1/2 hours of nothing I packed up and headed to Hedges, where the smallies are more cooperative. I tossed a gold blade bait, green/red flake Rage Tail Menace, a red DT16, and the Yozuri square bill I caught Larries with at Ponkie the other day. Water temps were 42.x to 43.x. I launched at Hedges around 12:30. I kept it simple with the gold blade bait, green/red flake Menace, and a perch Rapala DT6. The Rapala was all I needed. I hooked onto six SMB and got four in the kayak, all around two pounds, with the biggest coming in at 2-4. Water temps were 46.x to 47.x and the SMB are AWAKE! They had a LOT more fight in them than just two weeks ago. Check March off the list....

To expand on the technology part, learning curves for younger anglers is incredibly shorter and more expansive than it ever was for older anglers thanks to websites, social media, their penchant for networking, etc. They're learning a majority of what took the old pros sometimes a decade or more to figure out in a matter of a couple years now. Additionally, their growing up with technology (wireless, hand held, immediate, etc.) means they embrace it and are the fast adopters of things like networked depthfinders, SI/DI, Panoptix, newer hybrid TM (Ultrex), Google Earth and other online imagery, and on and on. I'm sure the older anglers are aware this stuff is out there, but how many are actually mastering and utilizing it in a quick and efficient manner is the difference (see Turtle135's comment above).

Ok. Started ripping this thing open. This boat is so easy to modify. Bravo to tracker for keeping it so simple. The bow is 100% prewired for a fish finder. The wires are positive and negative with crimps ready for in loom ready die your connection. The problem is getting the cover off to access to them. They used tapping screws which are so dang tough to get out. Most of them stripped and I had to use vise grips to turn them out. The screws are in the top and bottom of the panel... Every screw must be removed or the panel will not move. I was about to mount my batter charger, but I want to out it on some wood first. Tomorrow I will install the new console fish finder.

I don't view it as the same thing at all. I think in your example above, technology is central to the position and keeping up with changes in that technology as part of a broader platform is an advantage (and arguably required). To professional angling, I don't see the comparisons. There is really no benefit to having grown up with paper graphs and flashers in the age of Mega-imaging. How great you are on a trolling motor means nothing to a GPS programmable unit linked to every depth finder in the boat and controlled by the press of a button. Everything you ever learned about baits, techniques, lakes, etc is available to today's anglers, and absorbed in weeks instead of a lifetime. Every major tournament ever won is available for them to study and dissect, and learn from. As it seems to be turning out, there is very little advantage to angling experience when these kids started at such a young age and have the ability to learn from every mistake ever made on the pro trail. An Elite friend of mine chides me all the time about me "fishing history." Today's young pros, for the most part, have no fear of, and could largely care less about, how we fished in the past (baits, technology, patterns, etc.). Just my take on it having experienced it first hand.

If you are just talking about the average older adult or the average angler, then the above would be true. I don't know about your familiarity with network engineering, but it goes well beyond just the computer business and encompasses a gamut of technologies including the implementation of voice servers, data servers, phones, firewalls, routers, switches, ACD servers, ACD scripting, DMVPNs, SDWANS, virtualized environments, wireless phone integration, etc. We build entire converged computer networks for corporations. And the younger network engineers tend to be not as savvy as the 4 older senior engineers where I work. It is a matter of time spent studying, experience, and continuous study to keep up with technological improvements. Maybe older professional anglers do not keep up with the technology in their field like we do, but I would think they have a step up on using it since they are already familiar with the older technology and should be presented with newer technologies to play with every time their sponsors develop them. Maybe they choose to just let it go after a while and not learn how to use something newer - living off their past laurels so to speak.

Besides the reasons mentioned above don't forget about family life. Many of the "old guys" have spent decades on the road, traveling from one place to the next and simply see family as more important than they use to when they were younger. Its a tough life to put so much of your time and energy into one thing with very little time for anything else. We all have jobs and lives outside of those jobs with a somewhat equal balance. Professional anglers don't. Its a constant grind that many older anglers don't want to do anymore. So they may not practice for all of the events or choose a granddaughters birthday over time on the lake. Priorities change the older you get.

Combination of youth (desire, physical abilities and energy), technology (both equipment and learning curves) and versatility (esp. with "newer" techniques).

You can't go wrong by buying all your plastics in black/blue, pumpkin and/or watermelon. If they're going to get a long look at it, naturals are my go-to's. There are exceptions. Fish imitators should more closely match the hatch, but maybe with some variation to trigger bites like chartreuse. Then there's the old standby purple worm. For years I never bought any other color for Lake Wateree. I was so convinced of it that it took me a couple years of fishing other places to buy different colors. I still have packs of them and they still work. And then there's the Trick Worm and stick worms that seem to do well with brighter colors. These seem to trigger reactions. So I guess the deciding factor is if you'e trying to imitate a craw or fish.

Hubcap issue resolved. $136 for a set of 2, delivered to the front door.

Our dealer gave us a bottle of " new Lund scent ". we crack it open every so often and take a whiff.

Sweet Rig ~ You could always go there & just sit in it - You know, just so you could smell it. A-Jay (OK, I'll admit it - I do that to mine out in the garage several times a winter. I can't help it. I miss it.)

No rest for the wicked,, I definitely got lucky when I found a way to get a spot on these lakes. The Gills are great,, and I ain't much for loud moth bass, but it's full of em, to me it's like fighting through the junk fish to get the ones your after. this was a couple others from February before we lost the ice,, The smallest one I got this winter on the left. and the gills aint bad either, this is a typical mess, mostly 8" to 9" once in a while a 9.5"-10"r, but the even the 8's are thick and meaty.

He said he walked up to it, not with his back to it. Duh.

Yes

Were you expecting a reach around?

1016 3/78

Platoon 2038 9/79

For we poor saps living in Minnesota, we buy our lures in the frozen tundra time of year and just drool over them until the middle of May when we can fish again. Taking 6 months off during the winter is horrible. Count your blessings in South Carolina!! I am jealous!!

It was my last cast tonight from the bank, 30 minutes past sunset. She was 6.4 pounds, nailed via my trusty blue-back Rage Menace grub, Texas-rigged on a 4-0 EWG with an unpegged 1/8 bullet weight. Yahoo!

Antares DC with the Diablo Spec-R

Most of these guys who were once dominant , seldom make the cut anymore , let alone qualify for year end championships. Guys like Clunn, Grigsby , Yelas ... Do you think because they already made a success of pro fishing that they just are not motivated like they once were or do you think the younger anglers are just that much better?

On our recent trip to Daytona, and our daughter's home in Georgia, we stopped at a rest area to use the facilities. I walked into the men's room, and staring me in the face as I walked up to the urinal was a sign. This was not graffiti as there was a brass plate over each urinal that read, "This is a hands free operation urinal". So, I walked up to it and stood there waiting to see how it would work. Shortly thereafter, a fellow walked up to the urinal next to me, saw the sign and started laughing. I looked at him and said, don't ask me. It must be broken. I've been standing here for a couple of minutes and nothing has happened yet.

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My Lund dealer teased me with some pics. of our new boat with all the goodies installed. We are scheduled to pick it up April 10. It's going to be a long 40 days.

Watermelon Seed is my most used color, with Senkos and worms. If I'm throwing a crawfish style plastic its almost always black and blue. I use white for flukes and soft swim baits. I tend to choose color based on what bait I'm trying to imitate more often than water clarity.

In off colored water i like the same colors I use for clear and muddy water. Just because water clarity changed doesn't mean the forage changes.

7' medium spinning rod, 15lb braided line with 8lb fluoro leader, good for shaky heads, wacky rigs, drop shots, lighter baits. 7' medium moderate action baitcasting rod, 6:1 gear ratio reel, 12-15lb copolymer line, good for shallow/medium crankbaits, topwater walking baits, poppers. 7'2" Medium heavy fast action baitcasting rod, 7:1 gear ratio reel, 17lb fluorocarbon line. Good for fishing jigs, texas rigs, swing heads, chatterbaits, and spinnerbaits. I got by for a long time with 3 set ups like this and it worked really well.

What I was most concerned about was getting pinched by the zipper upper.

Yes, your original colors. Black and blue, June bug.

Had a pretty good January, Chase'n them Water Wolf's while walk'n on water! Just a few, but 5 fish over 38" and out of 11 none under 29". Have plenty in the freezer till next year. Now with the party over It's time to get ready for the Walleye,, less than 2 weeks and will be hammering them in the big river! Dam this retired chit just never gives a guy a break,,,,

16 sounds excessive. Doesn't really matter if the line touches but If you're concerned about keeping line off the blank, wrap it spiral. Without seeing the static test, I'd wager a guess of 10-11 guides is all that is needed.

You all are bass fishing not tuna fishing. Tom

I would definitely look at a Penn Battle II combo. Check West Marine's website.

That's my queue

Didn't it come out like yesterday?

I feel the yak is all about simplicity (just me) so in the old yak kept it to 3 combos. New yak has 4 tubes plus 2 holders so I could take 6 combos but don't want to. Haven't had it on the water yet but will probably do 4 combos max, and hopefully just keep it to 3. Trying to make the rod choices before I get in the boat, rather than when I'm in it. I don't like retying (would rather fish) but would rather force myself to think more carefully about which lure to use than manage more rods. Besides, when I get swamped, I lost only 4 combos because I'll be too stupid to remember to leash them.

The Core is the best reel made. It is very easy to self-service and fishes great. Actually, I take that back, get the Chronarch and let me know where this deal on the Core is.

Not sure if this is allowed to be here, or if I should have put it in one of the regional threads, but I couldn't help myself. New PB, baby! Didn't get a length measurement (left my tape at home like a dummy), but the scale wavered between 5.54lbs and 5.66lbs. Hard to keep her still to weigh and take a photo of. Already swapped the profile picture over to feature her. Complete photograph below. Wish I had someone with me and/or a better way to take photos. She wouldn't even fit in the frame with my arm completely extended. Anyways...Woohoo!

When I first threw a ned rig, I caught nothing,and I've fished finesse rigs a lot through the years. My second time out bankwalkin caught 16 bass walking one long bank. I slowed my retrieve and it worked! Now I won't be without it

I use 8,12,15 and 65 braid. Thats it. Mostly 15lb flouro though

If your kayak have enough room and stable enough to maneuver around go for it "the more the merrier". Me I only carry 3 all the time, one for moving bait (Fluke, chatterbait jerkbait) another one bottoms contact (fat Ika, Senko, Jig) and last top water. I can rig for mores, but I found it is more cumbersome than merrier. I fish only a few hours each trip and found myself going under tree more often. I only have 2-3 Plano boxes in the front storage. one plastic binder and a net.

Found a minn kota 2 bank charger on walmart.com for $68.actually when i first found it,it was $55 so i bought one then the price changed.Good price and minn kota chargers seem to have the best reviews.

Yikes! I didn't know people were into that. Just watch out for rogue hooks. Maybe you're on the wrong site? Sorry I had to.? Congrats on the new boat!

Perch are super plump with eggs and getting ready to spawn around here. March is the month for them

Spend the last couple days in cedar key...caught my first topwater redfish, my biggest redfish, and got my brother on his first redfish and his biggest trout. Tore up the trout, reds over all were a little more tight lipped. Also hooked two big black drum on artificials I lost the other one after about a 10 minute fight, we went out today looking for topwater trout lol