Team9nine

The one problem with MLF is that the events were all fished last year. So they already know who has won, who has made the Cups and how they did, along with which two anglers advanced to permanent MLF status. However, none of that can be revealed until they play through the entire season on television this year. That precludes them from posting a lot of points updates and brackets that would probably make things more clear. I think they could still do a little better though in this area regardless.

Everything MLF Select including brackets and points explained here: Major League Fishing Selects

The original Select offer went out to a lot of guys from both circuits. Basically came down to the first 24 that signed on and ponied up the money to compete. I'm sure some didn't have the $$ while others simply didn't want to or were on the fence. I believe the original 24 then get first crack at renewing again each year.

Don't count on it. Here's the thing - we already went into winter mode with many lakes getting 5" of ice or more during the severe cold period in December. That was enough to put all our fish into their usual winter patterns. Combine that with short daylight hours, low sun angles, etc., and fish will stay in that mode even if we get a brief warm spell. We actually refroze solid again before this current warm spell, thereby solidifying this pattern. Don't expect much of an early pre-spawn based on present conditions. Instead, watch for what happens at the end of Feb and first of March for signs of an early bite. Even then, we're probably only talking a swing of 10 days or so at best. -T9

Yep, no Texas stripper lipping for me, by the tail or otherwise - no telling what disease you might catch ?

Yeah, if you can throw them on an ultralight or something. You'll also catch a surprising amount of panfish nipping the tails of the larger bass sized worms with the 3-hook rig (last hook at the very tail end). -T9

Yep - 100 yd spool = 1 reel, or split a 150 yd spool between 2. Unless you are just crazy bombing some big baits, 225 ft is way more than the average caster ever needs. -T9

^^THIS^^ Applies to every spool of line and line type I buy You only need enough line for the longest possible cast you'll ever make, and then just enough more to bury the connecting knot well. The magic number for most any spool of line you can buy will be somewhere between 70-100 yds. -T9

You should have no problems at all, unless you seal a wet jig inside one of those baggies. Might lead to hook corrosion from the excess moisture/humidity. If you're concerned about the skirts, lay them in there with the skirt fully extended to both sides of the jig heads (jig heads to the center of the baggie). I solved all my problems and simplified my jig box by going with this option

Have to go with Ned rig. Exposed hook, "no feel" retrieve, and no hook set required. Handles the impatience level of a beginner better IMO (no need to pause or drop occasionally) than many of the other listed rigs. A near tie for me though would be the good old pre-rigged worm (Touchdown, Ike-con, Kelly's Plow Jockey, etc.) with a split shot or similar small weight. Cast it out, slow reel it in and let the corkscrew action go to work. Almost fool proof. -T9

Link says content not found or unavailable for me. Perhaps just a lake name and state you could provide and we can look it up? -T9

Not "caught," perfectly legal by the rules as is many other types of "help/advantage" these guys get. Good move on his part considering how close he lived. Obviously paid off. More a question of should it be allowed at that level of competition in my mind. -T9

Agree - it shouldn't be who does (or can do) the most amount of private habitat enhancement to better their odds, but rather who makes the best decisions on the water when everyone has been dealt the same hand to play.

Probably my biggest pet peeve about professional fishing ? The amount of info shared or obtained before the off-limits goes into effect. It's always happened, and likely always will. Had a friend who was just down on Cherokee and he said most of the Elite guys he saw practicing before the off-limits period had one or two locals in the boat with them. These guys get lots of information beforehand. They're still some of the best in the world, but they get a lot more help in various forms than people realize. It's why at present, MLF is the only true game in town, IMHO. -T9 Some are probably just scouting early, but many FLW guys are probably there for the Open. If you look at the official roster when posted, you'll see a bunch of FLW pros. Some simply have nothing better to do, but most are either trying for an Elite Series bid or a B/M Classic invite with a win.

I use a decent bit of 8# braid for my heavier spinning setups (3# and 5# for lighter stuff). It works well for Ned rigs, dropshot, and smaller finesse jigs (hair). Will also do a pretty decent job with smaller or lighter weight jerkbaits or mini-cranks like small Shad Raps. Works fine for crappie in shallow water or if using an 1/8-oz head or larger in deeper water or when fishing more vertically. -T9

Watched the MLF Selects today and thought of your post. Doesn't answer your specific question, but I thought Mark Rose's comments on the subject of fishing out deep versus "beating the bank" in this format were interesting. He was getting pummeled early, but made a nice comeback in the latter half of the event.

Hard to believe that once upon a time, all they had in "Tackle Town" was... ...wait for it... TACKLE ??

Solaroam Superhard Upgrade by TORAY is the best I've used (16lb.). Very hard to find though. Also, Tatsu is great, but no middle ground here on size I believe, so go with 20#. InvizX in 17 would be my 3rd choice despite the previous issues you mentioned. -T9

Great post. Agree with everything above, except possibly what your definition of "brittle" entails. My experience is that milfoil is like a wet noodle that drapes and collapses over baits and can be hard to snap off with rod and reel, whereas coontail is much more crisp, a lot like cabbage, and it therefore seems baits can be snapped free easier and more frequently.

Got free press passes a couple years ago, so a friend and I drove over from Indy - will never do that again. Hardly any tackle at all. Walked through everything in just over half hour. Thank goodness for the nearby BPS, otherwise that would have been a complete waste of time. YMMV

Agree with the above post. Historically, any time you get lake level rises that cover large areas of previously dried ground, the fisheries tend to take off for several years. This is for a variety of reasons including nutrient influx, expanded surface area (more living and spawning area) and increased cover and food options. -T9

Posted this in another thread which I can't find at the moment, but I've always preferred a more moderate action for jigs (fast action for plastics though). I was definitely in the minority in that thread. Here's Matt Allen on the subject: Mod fast jig rods

No complimentary issues received here yet, but I'm not heartbroken over it ? Cancelled my I-F subscription in 2002 after the Lindner's sold out and left, and Bassmaster a few years later (after 20+ years) when I stopped tourney fishing, about the time marketing and ad space started getting out of hand. I still appear in a few issues of both mags now and then, especially online stories (just mentioned in a B/M story that got published to their site yesterday), but those I just try and buy off the shelf when it happens. I did get a BPS master catalog though... -T9 Hahaha, I didn't notice any difference ? - jk with you Hamma

Absolutely some of the best money I've ever spent on a tackle purchase. Pains me to reflect back on all the years spent doing things the hard way, fingernails and willow leaf blades ?

Triple Rattleback Jig ? Mango jig ?