MoBassFishN

If BASS works the same way as the FLW, you would be able to fish their tournaments, but you would need a waiver or consent form signed by your parents. The recommendation to contact them directly will be the best one you'll get.

SEarch baits is a generic term. There is no single search bait that is right for all situations. Very seldom is there a search bait that can cover all the situations you can find in a small stretch of bank much less a larger body of water. I use a combination of baits as search baits depending on the season. Always, my search baits will allow me to cover water quicker. IE: heavier jigs, heavier worm weights, heavier spinner batis, etc. I will have several rods rigged. This time of the year, I'll have for example a spinnerbait, a shallow square billed crank or rattle trap, a 1/2 oz. to 3/4 oz. jig, and a wild crank bait like awiggle wart tied on. I'll fish all those baits down a stretch of bank (possibly a whole cove) while disecting every type of cover I can identify. Once I start getting bit, I'll pay attention to depth, cover type and how I think they are associated with it, speed of retried, etc. then try to duplicate it in similar locations on the lake while trying to find a bait that they are biting better like a lighter jig or worm, a smaller or larger crank or spinner bait, etc. Fishing is a big part about confidence. Fish hard and it will come after a few successful outings. Good luck and good fishing!

Worse for me, it's been since '92! Just getting the desire again. Now, I just have to get in that "zone" again. I think the head is the hardest thing to get right at that level.

CATT, your behind the times. BASS, FLW, BASS Federation Nation, and The Bass FEderation now require the boater to carry $300,000 liability. Proof must be carried with you in the boat at all times.

;D ;D ;D :o ;D ;D Man, what a thread! I'm still rolling at some of these comments. Catt, I'm interested. My guess it's a bout 120 to 150' wide and Swindle's boat passed between 10 and 15 feet of the camera boat. Figuring the angle of the camera, if he was standing and on the tallish side, he might have been more like 20' from him.

ROFLMAO!!!! Man, you guys are something. The guy made a mistake and he didn't cheat. He appologized, shed tears, and gave his reasons for why he did what he did. Some of you feel he should be crucified. I've fished tournaments since the late '70s and I've seen an aweful lot. Was what Gerald did wrong. Yea. He was going maybe 45 or 50 in the distance from where he nailed it. He was not traveling 75 mph! Have any of you fished any upper lake arms where you turn and twist through stump fields and trees for miles and miles? Gerald runs a boat almost exactly like the one he was in yesterday so he was familiar with it. What he did, I would almost guarantee he has done many many times before if you would just put a rock wall or a large tree in the position of that camera boat. I know I have. I have driven that close to other folks boats, but that was long ago when the practice was accepted by the masses. The film makes it look like he was within 2 or 3 feet. I'd say more like 10 or 15 would be correct. We didn't like to have guys running creek channels shut down when they saw us because it would cause a washing wake effect that shut the fish down more so than if someone just kept it up on plane at a decent rate of speed and kept going. Sure, now that I'm older, I wouldn't do that to someone else. In my younger days, I'd have done it without thinking twice about it. No harm, no foul. Times have changed. Gerald got caught up in the enourmous pressure of the BASSMASTERS Classic and doing well! I mean, he's never won one a tour level T and he is in contention of one of the biggest events known to the sport. He made a judgement mistake according to the acceptable practices of this day and age. Why crucify him? As far as the camera boat shouldn't have been there? LOL are you serious? What about the spectator boats that were sitting on the other side of where Gerald ran. He ran right between the spectators boats and the camera boat in that small channel. These guys fishing this tournament WANT those camera boats on them! Some of them even want the spectators if they are thoughtful while their fishing to advance the sport. That's why they are there, to make money! i'll guarantee to you that they would rather slow down than to have the camera boats gone or further away. The further they are away, the more likely it is that they miss some of the action because it gets blocked. It's all about angles. I'd bet if the cameras weren't so costly, they'd have the cameramen in the boats with the anglers rather than in chase boats. They use chase boats so they can cover more anglers with less cameras for those that don't know it. Boating safety course? LOL, you don't think being taken out of contention for a half a million dollars is going to have an effect on him?

I agree with those that believe athletes are not worth what they are being paid. I also believe our protectors, first responders, and teachers are worth much more! The problem lies with the ones that pay them. Police, firemen, and teachers are either paid through our tax dollars. Someone is monitoring what is being paid out. The multimillion dollar athletes are paid by a group that knows it has a huge market base and enough those of customers will pay their asking price to get into a stadium or theater. It is basically, a closed venue to all except those who pay to enter. If we were taxed enough to pay police and emergency crews decent wages, Joe taxpayer would have a fit. Yet that ignorant son of a gun will pay $100 to sit in the nose bleed section to watch a football game or pay $30 to watch a fight on TV. Sorry, sore subject guys, didn't mean to rant. The problem for fishermen making big bucks like in golf and Nascar or even the ball sports is because these athletes perform in an open arena. There is no way that someone can charge the big bucks for someone to be a spectator. All they have to do is pay the required launch fee and show up at the public lake where the tournament is being held. BASS fishing will always be a lower tier sport becuase of this.

Agree with CB and Cabela. You signed a contract, received no money, use your gas to run around to hunt for a shirt or whatever to promote their product, buy their product and use it, geesh, did they get you to provide startup money for their business? Why in the world would you use your money to promote their product? Just to "say" that you have a sponsor? Why would you do this? Use your money and time more wisely. Learn to become a proficient tournament angler first. Good sponsors will sign on once your reach a certain level in competing and become better known. Companies like this are in business of making money, not blowing it. Good businessmen will get things as cheaply as possible and it sounds like they have found inexpensive way of getting a little promotional effort out of you. . If you do not value your time and effort, neither will they. Want another sponsor? I have a remodeling company that you can promote. I'll pay for 2 tournament circuit entry fees. I will provide the digitized graphics CD for both your tournament wear and the wrap for your truck and boat. You'll in turn agree to work 3 sport shows in your area, secure a local graphics company to wrap your truck and boat, write and secure publication for a minimum of 3 articles directly related to your experiences on the tournament scene in a local media with significant mention of the afforementioned company. You will agree to never speak in a negative or derogatory way concerning the afforementioned company. What say?

You know, I just looked through the top 31 from the Elite series for this year and honestly, there probably isn't more than about 6 - 10 that I would choose as not being able to win it. It's going to be a tough one this year for sure.

If your not stepping up and taking a good stroke, your not playing in this game. This one isn't about points, it's about bringing home the championship. Its time to lay it all on the line because second place is the first looser. The "safe" fishermen will win a few of these on a tough changing bite, but it's the Brauers that are looking for the long ballx and the Cluns and Van Dams that are relying on their speed steeling bases that excel in these. Don't get me wrong, you'll have to manage your fish still to make them last 3 days, but you still better be looking for some long balls or just plain making things happen.

I use an amber/yellow lense about 80 or 90% of the time. Only for the very brightest of days, I switch to a vermillion lense. I see much more with this than I do with the green/grey lenses in bright light. Everyones eyes will be different on this one, but low light, you can't beat the amber or yellow lenses. I like one that is more yellow.

I say it all depends on the weather leading up to and during the tournament. I feel anyone that ties their strategy to one or the other too far beforehand are going to be doing nothing more than tying their own hands. If the weather is stable, one species or the other can take it from start to finish. If the weather is changing and then stabilizes, I'd say that a mix will more than likely what will be needed. Anyhow, my thinking is that there won't be a good guess until right before the tournament.

Great technique when the bite is tough. As far as what it was origionally called, there has been many names. Don Iovino and Dick Trask probably were some of the innovators although used it in some form or another prior to that. It started out as a darter head technique and has developed from there. The old darter heads still work, but some of the new stand up heads will work better in slower presentations. Alabama seems to like to get credit for a lot of things. Maybe it's just a matter of where someone saw the technique used. Sometimes it's because one specific angler that get a lot of press does well with a technique. The actual roots of this bait go back farther than any one anger as a jig/worm. The texas rig is much newer than the plastic worm and the harness and jig head were probably two of the first techniques to use it.

Fisherman without a plan right now. I've fished team series, Red Man, IBAA, and as high as the old Red Man Golden Blends which were the predecessors to the FLW Series or maybe the Stren Series. I did OK and was climbing the ladder when personal crisis struck about 10 years ago. I gave up fishing completely with the exception of some kids fishing trips for that time and totally kept it out of my mind while I raised a child as a single father. Well, the kids growing up and I'm happily remarried and getting back into it. Right now, I"m going through all the same stages as a new angler, club, small series, etc. In my first year back, I finished slightly in the red on expenses and won one tournament so it doesn't appear that I lost it all. ;-) This year I will fish the BFL's, TBF Fed, and maybe some pickups (Stren nonboater?) I tried fishing in the back of the boat in some local pro-ams when I started back, but after being able to control my destiny from the front for so long, it would have drove me nuts so I decided I'd go at this the same way I did the last time. The only exception is this time I won't be doing it with small sponsors, at least until they start approaching me. The committment in time for the small stakes and just to wear a tournament shirt just doesn't add up for me, I'd rather just fish my way up the ladder. FLW vs. BASS????? My club went FLW which I wasn't happy with, but I understood their ire. BASS kind of left the small guys out of their plan. At least there left many holes in their program. I was very dissapointed in them as I am a life member and have always believed in the old B.A.S.S . Hopefully, they'll come back but for right now, I think that the FLW, has more to offer the small guy coming up and learning and I'll go that way. Good luck to all those wanting to move up, the road is tough. Keep your nose to the grind stone and compete against the lake and the fish. Make the comparisons at the end of the day or the end of the tournament rather than doing it all day long and thinking yourself out of contention.

RW? If a thread is being answered and different opinions arise, does someone have to start a new thread here? Most long thread evolve into what guys want to talk about, is that wrong? As far as the start small, you better believe it, unless you got more money than sense! If you start small, you need to dominate at that level before being ready to step up. I say that is necessary for any level. *** MODERATOR NOTE *** Sometimes the line is thin when it comes to "evolving" or being "hijacked." We generally want members to start a new thread. This thread is NOT about "fast boats," but we now have a thread going that is about boats as it relates to this section of the Forum, "Tournament Talk." -Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior Global Moderator