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I don't know about average Joe's, but I've heard the legend of 'Ol Crickety, Aka The Swamp Girl. Legend has it, she's a way above average Jane in Maine that regularly catches 20# sacks before breakfast, and she only uses three lures to do it. Seems impossible, but the locals swear it's true.

I think I understand why this thread was dead for 3 years..

I'm a rental jon boat bass fisherman who goes on weekends with my wife and son and I have nearly beaten a lake record that was allegedly set in 1967 - no verifiable pictures of fish on scale that I'm aware of for that 12.2 lber - my 11.5 lber - I got pictures and videos and everything. I caught submissions 4 times last year for the tri city big bass bash - I won finally in December with this fish. Never underestimate the average Joe.

Home lake put every boat in a 30-day quarantine with golden mussels being "discovered" well over an hour away, and after being rather upset my annual pass was worthless the past month it lessened the sting just a tad when they decided to allow non-motorized kayaks to access the lake without any quarantine or inspection. I had a short work day and figured I'd dust off the kayak to see how the lake was doing after no pressure for the past month. Afternoon air temps were in the 60's and water temps were upper 50's... no complaints there. Only had a couple hours to fish so figured I'd start with a ned since it tends to do well here in the winter. It did not disappoint with a solid spot within the first few minutes. Not going to complain about an almost 18" spot in January! Worked my way around the bridge mindlessly casting finesse baits while taking in how odd it was to be on an empty lake. Since finesse wasn't delivering any consistent bites I figured I'd switch it up and throw a swimbait. I almost couldn't believe my hands when I felt that hit! Couldn't have been happier with that plus-sized spot and figured it was the perfect time to call it a day.

My poor attempt at a joke opened the window to FFS talk and I just want to apologize to the BR community. I will learn from this an try to be better next time.

0% The ability of top level pros is downright magical.

Completely different ball game in competition when comparing it to recreational fishing. Plus you don't get to pick the body of water you want to fish, it's picked for you in advance. There's no freaking way I could do it. 8 hours is long time on the water, plus days of pre fishing ahead of time. I'd be wiped of energy. I'm not a jack of all trades when it comes to presentations either. I focus on my strengths. That being said, I do a couple of friendly derbies with family/friends/co-workers every year and I did well last season, winning both. They are 4 hours events and the losers have to buy beer/lunch afterwards. That's the extent of my tournament fishing.

24 days later I can officially announce a very happy ending to my lost GoPro data saga. While I wasn't able to recover the entire cast to catch video, or other ones from that day due to not wanting to spend more money, they were able to recover the one video I wanted most which starts the moment the fish is in the net. It's total amateur hour with me being in half a state of shock hooking myself 50 ways from Sunday so don't judge me too harshly 😅 Jeremy at Recovermyflashdrive.com is truly a magician and miracle worker. He's extremely fair with regard to pricing. It should have been a flat rate to recover the full 128gb, however GoPro files require more extensive work. If he would have recovered everything on the card, it would have cost about $1450 which I just couldn't do. @Bluebasser86 It might worth sending your card to Jeremy, especially if you think you might not need everything recovered and you can help him home in where exactly the data is you most want off the card. Lastly, a huge thanks for all the love and support from my friends here when it happened......I was crushed and you folks made me feel better! Katie was even checking in to see how the progress was going.....everybody should be so lucky to have a pal like Katie in your corner.

@Pat Brown It’s the same concept. You can make the same argument for anything. How many naturally gifted basketball players never had time in their schedule to join a basketball league? How many naturally gifted fishermen don’t have the capital to get their foot in the door. But we’re not talking the entry price. We’re talking about skill level to dominate of the best in the world. The percentage of that is effectively zero, in my opinion. Is there that one great white buffalo out there? Of course, odds say there has to be. Is there a non-zero percentage of these people who could dominate? I don’t see how that could be possible.

Old thread and I am 4 years older now. Age is very important to be able to fish a pro tournament trail. With few exceptions pro anglers between 30 to 50 years dominate the pro circuits. Average Joe is in their prime wage earning period of the lives unable to dedicate time to bass fishing and keep up with the fast changing technologies and time sell themselves to sponsors. Tournament bass fishing is night and day from recreational bass fishing. Tournaments have time restrictions, specific days to fish and off limit areas you can’t fish plus lots of rules that Average Joe doesn’t have. Pressure to catch bass under tournament conditions few Average Joe has the skill set to perform and make the cut! Tom

I don’t think you have to guess. The recent success of the rookie classes suggests there are likely anglers not on tour who could be competitive if/when given the chance. IMO, advances in technology have been a great equalizer.

I think it is very naive to say that 0% of recreational anglers could compete on a pro level, and even win. Though the percentage is probably very very small across the US, you can't tell me there are not several expert level recreational anglers in our country that genuinely have zero interest in chasing a pro level tournament series, or even competing at all. Of the what...350 million?...people that live in the US alone, you really think that only 104 of them are good enough to fish the elites? That is like saying between the estimated 100 billion to 400 billion planets in our galaxy, earth is the only one that sustains life. There are more out there.

According to the local NWS, it has snowed at least a trace every single day this January here, and going back to 2024, 63 out of the last 69 days. Meaning I'm on the clean the snow one day, get more snow later that same day and overnight, clean the snow one day, get more snow later that same day and over night, clean the snow one day, get more snow later that same day and over night, clean the snow one day, get more snow later that same day and over night, Program. Move to the snow belt they said. It will be fun they said . . . . There had better be several giant smallies in my future. And I do mean several ! A-Jay

Fished the power plant lake with my buddy today in our yaks. Weather wasn’t bad but pretty chilly, 21 at launch and 37 at take out but winds were pretty light so it made it more tolerable. The normal rock was was very unproductive, and Stony wanted to fish some different places we normally couldn’t get to, but I wanted to fish my flat point first, so we went there. We were immediately on fish, both fishing a Ned rig. I caught a football of a 17” fish that weighed 3.60. But I hadn’t even released mine when Stony hooked up with a tank that went 6.25. We caught several more small fish before it slowed down a little. I was slowly dragging my Ned rig on 10lb Seaguar TacX and 8lb Seaguar Pounce leader when my bait just disappeared. When I caught up set the hook, the fish bulldogged for deeper water and then under the kayak before sliding into the net. Not quite as heavy as most fish with a fish this size, but still a 4.73lb fish. We caught a few more little ones before we decided to go fish some other areas of the lake. I hung around a little longer than Stony and started to notice what looked like schooling activity to me and caught a few fish before I left and caught up with Stony, but I kept thinking about those fish. A couple hours later, I had one small fish and lost a big one on a crankbait. I told Stony I was going to spend my last couple hours on the flat point and he thought that was a good idea. They were biting again right away and the schooling activities had ramped up. They were chasing shad on the point and into the shallow pocket next to it. I caught several small ones off the point, but the fish in the pocket looked bigger. I caught one on a 2tap that was a little bigger and called Stony over and told him what was happening. He took that information and immediately stuck a good one. I don’t think he weighed it but it was another 4-5 pound fish. I rotated through several baits trying to find something different. I took off the 2tap and put on an Ima Suspending lipless. First cast I pulled it down and paused and got thumped. I knew it was a good one, but the mini blimp that surfaced was bigger than I expected, and it liked what I was throwing. I though she might go 7 but not quite long enough, still a little over 6.5lbs, biggest of the year so far. We made a few more cast but both had to get on the road. A great winter day on the water.

Watching Glenn's vedio reminded me about being observant. I have been bass fishing since a young child and learned bass behavior by mostly being observant by watching bass. You can actually see bass before catching them if you open your eyes and look into the water. When fishing with a partner I am always amazed that the majority of anglers never look for fish. Everyone usually see's the swirl or splash a bass makes but don't see a bass following a bass hooked or the lure or just sitting under cover. Seeing bass takes practice to learn what to look for. It's easy to see bass in clear water following a lure , not so easy to see a bass in the same clear water that isn't swimming. Off color water requires close attention for water movement, pressure wake or cover movement and flashes underwater indicating a bass just turned away from a lure. Look closely and you see a dark lateral line on lighter background movements or tail or mouth flashes revealing the bass. I can't tell you how many times I have pointed out a bass to a fishing partner or found giant bass by looking for them visually. Tom

Followed this estate Auction and ended up buying a 16' Alumacraft Maverick at a terrific price, but here's where the Senior Moment came in. There were a couple dozen lots of fishing supplies. This guy really loved his fishing, but more than that, he LOVED the Bait Monkey. There were boxes and boxes of vintage lures still in the package. I mean Hellbenders, and Jitterbugs still in the original boxes. At least a dozen tackle boxes spilling over and gobs of rods and reels. Some of the lots went for over 100.00. Anyway, one of the lots showed a Shimano Bantam B-Mag 1000 still in plastic. Well the "Bantam" got me unhinged and I started biding on it. Bid it up to 45.00 and won! I was high-fiving myself and slappin' my back! Giggling just like a juvenile, doing the Fargo Strut and laughing insanely. Got home, checked it out on E-Bay, and you can get one for 30.00 plus shipping! 😶 What! Dang! I spent 45.00 for a 30.00 reel? Well, I can't undo the celebration, but I can have fun with it and share the humor! Unfortunately, I told my wife, and with her memory, I will hear about this forever! Anyone else have a senior moment at an auction?

This is an interesting and entertaining topic to read through on this cold and very snowy day in the north woods. I'd like to leave this one right here . . . How could you not root for this guy ? A-Jay

The question isn’t how many average Joe’s could compete. The question was how many could dominate the pros. And I think the answer to that is a resounding “0”. Or such a small percentage that on any scale that isn’t minuscule, it’s effectively zero. I think people underestimate the gulf between pros and Joes. There is always that guy who thinks he can hit a major league fastball because he hit a couple dingers in beer league when in reality the bat would still be on his shoulders as it whizzes by him.

I'll second the lil man. It's a different head shape and weed guard, but an excellent jig. Here it is next to a bitsy for comparison (3" rage bug on both). excellent build, wire tied, any color you can think of really.

To be fair I'm talking about the top level pros.......like the top 50 guys in the world. There are a ton of guys in the pipeline of the BASS Opens, and MLF Invitationals and Toyotas that are close to being there. I don't consider those anglers average joes. I also don't consider anybody on a forum dedicated to catching Bass to be average joes for the most part either. Nobody who has posted in this thread is an average joe. Haha, that's exactly who I was using as the example. I could fish a hundred more lifetimes and never be on Walter's level. Whatever the thing that Wheeler, Walters, Fujita, Mckinney, etc. have is something I don't personally think can be taught. They have next level instincts if I had to guess.

You should also look at @Siebert Outdoors “Lil Man” jig.

You say that’s insane, I say that’s Patrick walters

I struggle to comprehend the skill level gap between myself and the average Elite Series pro. It's like we're doing two different things lol. Your right about casting, one of the easiest ways to see the massive difference b/t folks like me and the pros is casting. It's not edited at all, you can watch the BASS Live during the events and see the guys go down a line of docks and make perfect skips under every part of the dock they want to hit. To me the ability to find, pattern, and catch winning bags on lakes across the entire country is what really defines the top level anglers. Imagine being able to win on the SLR with 100lbs of SMs, and then winning on Lake Fork with 100lbs of LMs. That's insane.

Average Joes? None. If they had the ability to do it they wouldn’t be average. There are probably lots of guys in the pro/semi pro ranks that could do it but have funding or time challenges.

BPS has a huge clearance center beside the mothership store in Springfield, MO.

I just purchased a Daiwa Steez Real Control Rod and was this close 🤏 to putting a Shimano Metanium DC on it or I thought of waiting for the new 25 Antares but it just didn't seem right. I picked up a 24 Steez SV TW instead. With that said I mix and match my reels all the time to whatever rod feels best. I think I have 3 or 4 Daiwa reels on G. Loomis (Shimano) rods now..... Sacrilege

Nonsense, there's nothing between my ears but about 8" of air space. Shine a flashlight in one ear, it'll shine right out the other. 😂

I’d say Abu Garcia is living rent free in the OPs head.

Good ol’ California, got this guy in a small local lake in about 2-3ft of water in the evening flipping a rage bug near some tules. Weather has been very nice, but we definitely need some rain.

Til this past weekend, I have been a small water bass angler. I don't own a boat, so all of my fishing is either bank fishing or, when at my in-laws' property with a 7 acre pond, in a johnboat. My dad just got a new Bass Tracker and a camper at Kentucky Lake. Just got back from my first weekend down there. My dad is mostly interested in crappie fishing, so we did that most of the weekend. I bent his arm into bass fishing one evening. Have been watching lots of YouTube videos, how to study maps and read your electronics, postspawn patterns for early summer, yada yada yada. Thought I had at least a little clue....until I got out on the water. ?? Came home with the skunk that evening. It dawned on me the fundamental difference between the fishing I am used to and this. For most of the ponds I fish, they are places without a lot of obvious cover or structure. I've developed some ability to look at a (small) body of water that doesn't have any real apparent place for fish to relate to, and find a little indention in the bank here, a slight dip in the bank that I think might indicate a "channel" or ditch out in the water there, a small weed clump, a guess as to where there might be a foot or two dropoff out from the bank, those kinds of things. I realized that in the fishing I'm usually doing, it is all about finding a likely target zone where there don't appear to be any. In contrast, I realized that on a major impoundment like Kentucky Lake, everything looks like a likely target zone. Kentucky Lake in particular has mile after mile of banks with flooded buck brush, weeds and pads, and tons of offshore structure. Obviously there's not fish in all those places. So whereas my normal fishing is determining good spots where there don't seem to be any, the trick with fishing a major impoundment is going to be finding good spots where there seem to be good spots everywhere. I know lots of you on here are old pros when it comes to fishing major impoundments. I feel fairly confident at this point in my small water fishing ability, but I'm looking forward to the new challenge of working to develop skill in finding fish on big water as well. But as for this weekend, I'm enjoying a cold glass of lemonade with my slice of humble pie that Kentucky Lake served up.

So this arrived in the mail yesterday, I haven't seen one of these in years. Interesting to leaf through.... Old buddy of mine used to work for cabela's, and talked about how they laid out those catalogs. Interesting to see that Bass Pro puts the Ranger boats on page 215? Lots of emphasis early in the catalog on forward facing sonar and forward facing sonar lures. ....and 20 minutes later....catalog going in the recycle bin. Far easier to search online.

So prior to my current job I spent almost 8 years running the meat department of the local grocery store. Learned alot of skills like breaking down primal cuts,grinding fresh ground beef and pork as well as brat and sausage making. Decided to get myself a LEM #8 countertop grinder, a roll of Weston freezer paper and a freezer tape dispenser. Excited to do a little meat cutting and grinding again. Have a pretty good hookup for whole sirloins and pork butts so time to buy a small freezer and fill it up.

I'd get pretty sick of hauling around a heavy fiberglass boat too. Even 2 hours one way with my lighter tin rig is a long ways for this guy.

Alex, you know that YouTube video that I referenced above? Not only was that pro casting under overhangs, but he was catching big bass under those overhangs...in current! I wouldn't even attempt the casts he landed. I'd hook the tree and then be struggling to bring my boat back to free the lure.

As you can see, opinions are many and varied. It all comes down to your budget, how you fish and how fast you fish. I’ve owned a bunch of boats with different t/m’s, some 12 volt and some 24. Operated a few of my buddies 36 volt t/m’s. For me I fish painfully slow and deliberate, choosing to pick apart cover. I tend to get in a good creek or on a bank and stay. I’ve gone back to a Minn Kota Edge, 12 volt 45 lb thrust and I love it. Have a lithium 100 a/h battery hooked to it. Extremely happy with this setup.

I'm wanting to do more offshore fishing (no FFS but using side and down imaging). I'm going to throw some 20+ft diving cranks, big football jigs, heavier drop shot, and maybe some heavier Texas Rigged plastic. Specifically, I'm trying the Megabass Deep Six and OSP Blitz Magnum EX DR. Drop shot, I'm going to do a 3/8oz weight with something like the 6th Sense Whale. I'm also trying a split drop shot rig. I saw this in a Japanese angler's video. It looked cool. I ordered the split barrel swivels so we will see how it goes. Oh and dice, lots of fuzzy dice.

I might have a chance if the tournament were a canoe fishing tournament. Those poor pros would be zig-zagging across the water and tipping too. Seriously, I watched a video where a pro was fun fishing a tight river with laydowns on both shorelines and he had mad casting skills. Of course, he might have edited the video to show only his best casts, but some of those casts were beyond me.

^ I'm with Allen - since I never even got Bass Trek wet last year, it was all shore fishing which sucked for bass. I plan on using everything I can from my stash this next year to make up for it.

My buddy who worked for Cabela's at the HQ in Sidney, Nebraska used to be in charge of the Bargain Cave. He also ran the sidewalk sales. I got some smoking deals back in the day. Sad they no longer do either.

That's amazing you got to share that with your father! Me and dad took several trips down there when I was growing up where we'd hire a guide for 2-3 days like you. Every single time out was just spectacular. I lost a 175-200lb fish after about 2hrs right....and 1.7 miles away from the buoy we hooked up on right at the dang boat. That fight is seared into my soul for life. I'll never forget that fish. Saltwater fishing takes the wonderment factor of fishing off the charts. @king fisher always reminds me how special Bass are though, he earns a living fishing for the most amazing saltwater pelagic predators in the world and chooses to spend his free time exploring Mexican lakes for DDs.

Wowza, that's a tank. Amazing what a lake can put out when all the other boats get kicked off! haha Nice job in the yak! I bet you will be going back again soon?! I'm surprised you were high 50's water temp, all my lakes here in cen-cal are high 40s or very low 50s.

You have no idea ! A-Jay

I think it will help your son if you buy him a forward facing sonar unit...

I just am now seeing this otherwise I would have responded weeks ago. Honestly, one of the best options is exactly right where you are already: the Brainerd Lakes area. There's a bunch of lakes, big and small, plus the river. Mille Lacs is half an hour away too. My wife's family is from the Brainerd area and I am relatively familiar with it. Brainerd/Baxter is a big enough city with entertainment and dining options too, but it's not overly bigger like the Twin Cities. I don't know if you're a golfer or not but that area has some of the most spectacular golf courses in the state. I've played most of them at least a couple times. The one downside about this area is that it's a popular summer vacation area on the weekends and during holidays. It's like a mass entry on Friday and a mass exodus on Sunday. But if you live there, you will have these lakes mostly to yourself during the week.

@Lottabass Sensitivity has 4 elements: Line, rod, hands, & brain. The absolute most essential element is the brain, interpretation of what's going on with our lure

Personally I’m looking forward to getting my 2025 BPS catalog. I order tackle and clothing from BPS quite often as the closest store is over 2.5 hours away. They are a little more pricey unless you catch a sale. One thing about BPS, unlike TW (twice) my card has never been compromised.

I can tell every last one of you friends this: Florida bass under a sheet of ice do NOT bite in big lakes or small ponds in NC. 👍🏼😂

We made it above freezing today , got out in the kayak and caught a few. One LM had a lamprey on the top of its head, thankfully it fell off while boating the fish. You can see the scar on its head in the picture Tried to go back upstream of the dock to catch some crappie and the water was frozen…….. called it quits after that . Beautiful day, fun paddle

I don't think anybody is going to dominate. A lot of ppl, if they didn't have normal life pressures and unlimited budget, would be competitive.