A-Rob

I agree with ya dude, I think he was joking but it just came off a bit...off

I didn't know if it was a joke or not if it was a joke, i've heard better haha Wirth defended merc after (supposedly user error, he overheated and wouldn't give it a break to cool) I guess my main problem with it is making excuses for missing the cut is lame. Just like any other sport.

So when I first saw it at the weigh-ins I thought Ish was mad at Wirth for making him late by holding up the locks??? Then I heard on bassmaster that Ish stopped to pick up Wirth and give him a ride b/c his motor overheated. But he mocked Wirth for making him late b/c of his Mercury, causing the penalty that would prevent him from making the cut....which it didn't matter he missed it regardless. He seemed to use Wirth's misfortune to then sell his Yamaha sponsors.... what the heck actually happened and you guys got thoughts on promoting your sponsor by personally attacking another colleague/competitor???

Chris Lane....pretty cool seeing a new face holding that trophy! I was pulling for Edwin he's been so close so often...he's gotta be one of the most consistently good guys out there (among a handful of others)

I got a Clarus for flipping/pitching It's a 7'7" telescopic MH I wouldn't say it's underrated much. I did notice it had a softer tip to it for sure compared to some of my other 7'0"MH rods (note the difference in length tho). But the softer tip turns into back bone pretty quick. I would say its flex is approximately a "75/25" or "70/30" rod. I actually use it with braid. The softer tip gives the bass the ability to inhale the bait and gives you time to react as well protects against ripping the lip. Bottom line is the rod has some tip but good MH style backbone. It's perfect for me. I know it isn't the exact same rod as yours but I've been happy with the MH Clarus. It has a limited lifetime warranty to I believe which is what swayed me from a Daiwa with a 5 year limited warranty among a few other minute details. Just make sure it feels good in your hands before you buy it

In those conditions.... straight braid man you won't deter any bites and you won't miss hookups or have break-offs I even fish straight braid in clear water b/c all my lakes are grass lakes and if you are pitching to places with clear open water you aint catching fish. The weeds will cover the braid. So I'm sure you'll be good. Edit: I agree with above about the sharpie marks, I do that to

Don't grind your gravelly shoe into the gel coat Don't try sneaking up onto the front deck to get a better cast at his bed hahaha

line conditioner may help a bit? if the looseness forms at the beginning of the cast add more brake action if the looseness forms at the end of the cast tighten the spool tension if that doesn't work throw out your line, it is cheaper than throwing out your reel hahaha

I found the same website when looking online for new bearings. I was a bit suspicious of the price as well and kept clicking thru the reviews to try and get an idea. For the price it's almost worth giving them a try! The ceramic bearings are more expensive of course. Let us know if they are any good or not, or if you can compare them to a boca bearing I'd be really curious!

maybe just not the right tool for the job, at this time. For me the crank bite comes alive at certain times of the year...other times I just go pitch my jig haha. My point is don't lose confidence, it will work when the bass want it!

I use a david fritts american rodsmith crankbait rod MH It's a glass/composite rod. Slow action, lots of back bone. I've been happy with it....I actually catch a lot of fish cranking smallies with it to, it is fairly versatile for the average angler.

I lay the point of the hook on top of the slot With my hand I just double check to make sure that hook point will pop out clean without any nuisance of the plastic I know you know this but.....just slow down even more reacting to the bite. I have to tell myself that all the time hahaha I get excited

Zoom Lizard 6 or 8" Dark Color

You have done a good job at having a little bit of everything! I started fishing as a co-angler a couple years ago and if I can add my 2 cents.... 1. Call the boater and ask what he plans on fishing. He will let ya know if you are gonna be in the pads all day flippin' or out on the ledges cranking and that helps you simplify that gear. 2. Look at what season you are fishing the tourny in and pick the gear you are good at fishing. So if it is the summer the classic patterns are fishing the slop shallow or ledges, best bring a crankbait, worm, jig, and frog rod... etc. Here is my rigs for a typical summer largemouth tourney (just to give you another example, not saying it's right/wrong or even applies to your seasonal situation...just an example) 1. Jig Rod (always! haha) - 1/4-1/2oz jig/craw 2. Frog Rod - Hollow-belly or Buzz Toad 3. MH All Purpose Rod - Worm or Spinnerbait 4. Crankbait Rod - whatever crank suits the season (ie shallow in fall, deep in summer) 5. Spinning gear with a senko That's my basic set-up...it isn't too much gear, keeps everything simple and organized. And suits my favourite style of fishing. Take from that what you want haha but I do know after your first tourny you will be switching all your gear up to make it better for the 2nd tourny! hahaha Good luck dude!!!!

i fish 65# PP on my jig/flipping od 65# Tuf-line on frog rod tuf line is similar to PP but cheaper

I will use a leader on my spinning gear for smallmouth and open water largemouth (ie drop shot, wacky senko) and I use light hooksets I use straight fluoro or braid otherwise. I tried flipping with braid/fluoro leader....broke that off Reaction baits I use straight fluoro Frog/Jigs/punching plastics I use straight braid

I like braid but I don't use it all the time. I like having some stretch on reaction baits (cranks, spinnerbait). With that being said I rather spinnerbait with braid than flip with heavy cove with mono haha I guess just depends what your typical water is like?

Yep you can pain over it, I think you need to wait up to a week (depending what type of paint you use) to let the Thompson water seal set. I was going to paint mine over top as well but decided not to b/c it would be easier to resurface every off season and re seal...But I was going to paint mine and put some sand in the paint to give my deck some grip.

any finesse worm or senko style worm works great Just take a hook like the one you use (I use the Gamakatsu EWG finesse hook) and hook it thru the middle of the bait. Use light line (6-10# mono to keep it simple, I throw it on braid with a leader but thats another huge debate). Throw it ANYWHERE, you can skip it under tree limbs or docks. Or just throw it out over whatever (weeds, rocks, wood etc) and let it sink down and do its magic. Good luck dude!

Snell works great for me with braid. If you find any slipping when you test your knot add another wrap or 2. But I've had no problem with braid slipping. It is a strong knot I had no failures last year. I haven't had a problem with the braid popping thru a non-welded eye but I add a drop of krazy glue/epoxy to seal it in the pre-season on all my flipping hooks that have a non-welded eye. I've had 0 problems and lots of stuck fish! Give it a try and do whatever you have the most confidence and and the best results!

I built a plywood deck for my tin boat. I was going to get fancy and seal it with epoxy/paint/carpet but I ended up buying Thompson Water Seal. It cost me 13 bones and works phenomenally. It is supposed to be for decking or vaneering. The other reason why I did it with this is b/c in the offseason I just lightly sanded it to get the dirt off and rough up the finish slightly then I sealed it again. It is "bare" plywood and has lasted me years. You can use your left over sealant on your deck haha

I fish a 7'0" MH Glass American Rodsmith David Fritts Rod It is a pretty good rod for general use. It is heavy enough to fish cover or deep but with the glass it is soft enough to fish open water smallies to.....it lacks specifics but if I had to have one rod it does the trick I'm fishing it on a shimano cruxis, it does actually really really well....but I want a Revo Winch so bad!!!

mono for sure dude maybe 8-12# depending on the structure/cover is probably my range

My carb rebuild was pretty straight forward (thank goodness) Sometimes the gaskets get stuck pretty good and leave parts of it stuck to the frame that can be a bit of a pain to get off but there is a product to help unstick it all. I took a picture with my digital camera of everything I took apart so I had a step by step set of pictures to refresh my memory if needed when putting everything back together (especially b/c if you start it one day and put it together on a later day) some parts should only be hand tightened, don't crank them down with the wrench (I broke a high speed control off when I wasn't thinking, $2 to replace). My float is crazy old but was still in great shape, hopefully yours is to. Maybe open it up and inspect it before purchasing a new one? Good luck!

I'd fish it!