Big Fish Rice

Just to clarify, experience doesn't mean just numbers, but these stats will help your potential sponsors recognize something right off the bat. Are you an able speaker who can offer expertise in the products you are promoting? They aren't "show off" numbers or anything of that sort because most of us don't have the reach like many pro's have. My suggestion was to prove that you are a capable marketer, that's all. I never intended to sound like numbers are the only thing that matter because they aren't. Secondly, it sounds like we are similar in our attention to detail. One of the biggest things I have learned is that by including a vast array of detail, you might be actually damaging your chances of a business relationship with said company. Be clear about your intentions but don't be too particular because if the company isn't able to fulfill your request, you might just end up closing your chances of any additional conversation. When it comes to making contacts, no one will disagree with me about "face time". A website will help you promote, a boat wrap will force heads to turn, but unless you make contacts, they will never happen. I would advise beginning efforts, such as online interaction, social media and marketing yourself on a personal level. Do the "daily" things that will help make friends, contacts and acquaintances. BassResource is a superb start- no joke. For particular companies, no matter their stature or size, if you feel that you can help their business in the same manner that they can help you, I say go for a proposal. Non-industry companies might not realize the attraction to the fishing industry, and it just so happens, you have all the tools needed to help them break into a new market. Yes is my answer, especially if you truly believe in the product or service and can find a relationship between them and bass fishing. Lastly (because I know this is long), your persistence will be the most important characteristic going forward. I have heard "no" a few times, but more often than not, I have heard nothing in return. If I do make a proposal, I give the company up to 12-weeks to reply. Is it hard to wait? Absolutely. Is that half of my fishing season in Washington State? Yes. It gives me the chance to approach a company honestly because Marketing professionals are some of the hardest working individuals within an organization. Pick your companies and follow up with them. Attend fishing shows, offer your help in any way possible and show your interests genuinely. You can't go wrong being yourself.

Fall fishing can be fun and Fall fishing can be tough. If you recognize the most probable areas of success, you can eliminate dead water just by trying a few different baits. My biggest advice when the weather gets cold is to find rocks and other types of structure that hold heat. If I can land my Personal Best in 55° water, you can too! Video of my trip from 10/8/2011 This video does contain lure selection. As a helper at heart, I merely try and help others catch fish. If this is considered promotional, I apologize and will remove the video from BassResource.

Michael, You're a very educated angler and you have an excellent work history. I think you have a solid resume, but I think you should expand on your "affiliations" section. Keep everything you have written, but consider what I have to say. Your actual experience in the industry is your bread and butter. You've painted a clear picture of who you are, but you need to expand on your strengths as a promoter. I have never believed in the "cheesy" salesman tactics, but I do recommend and praise the products that I use because I have had personal success with them. I never approach a company that I don't believe in. Period. So, expand on your experiences with Extreme Lures and Ferguson-Keller. They have a basic understanding at this point, but make sure to include numbers, especially when it comes to sales and promotions. Do you speak at these events? How many consumers are present at these shows? How big was your audience? Were you able to bring success to these companies, no matter how insignificant it might seem? As you can tell, you just need to promote your ability at this point. You seem like a well-rounded individual with a passion to succeed - just prove it now

Badger Lake, south of Spokane.

Going through this right now as our local Biologist will be killing off my favorite lake within 3 years. The trout anglers get upset because their fishing conditions are too tough. It makes me sick just thinking about WA state killing these bass. I've caught numerous 5-6lb fish that could easily be replanted at other area lakes. They're 15 years old - at least give us bass anglers something to look forward to as well. I'm not against trout ina any way possible, but it's sad that the majorit of trout anglers don't give the bass guys and gals the same respect. Perspective is right. It all depends on where your interest sits.

I wasn't there, but I can guarantee that you aren't the "tool" in this scenario if everything is as it appears. It's too bad that one person can cause so much distaste in our sport. Can we dress this guy up in a Polk-a-dot outfit and make him fish some trout derbys or something, lol?

I agree that you might want to really take the time to fish the gear you currently have. But, in this case, you want fish "right now". 1) Dropshot Gear: 6lb or 8lb fluorocarbon, #1 Owner Mosquito Hook and a 4.5" Margarita Mutilator Roboworm. Put on a 1/4 oz dropshot weight. Technique: Cast it out, preferably along rocks or shelves. Find the 15-25ft water during the summer. Don't spend too much time shaking your rod tip - if you don't get bit in 30 seconds, drag it back to the boat and cast again. 2) Jigs Gear: 15lb fluorocarbon or greater. Football head jigs will catch big fish. Stick to your natural colors and throw them until you get tired. Most of the time, you will feel a "tap". This is your warning shot - get ready to set the hook. 3) Senkos Grab a 4" or 5" Smoke Yamamoto Senko and start casting. You have to be a line watcher. Any movement, set the hook. Not the most exciting way to fish, but stickbaits work because they appear like an easy meal.

I mostly fish 5" plastics and larger, up to 9". I always have 3/0, 4/0 and 5/0. It's a wise decision to have a full arsenal just in case you need to alter your setup. Buy a few packs, and after a few trips, you'll know which hooks you like to use most.

Ok, let's see if we can't get you on a pattern. Antioch Lake Green = Shallow water for spring/early summer and during the spawn. Fish inside the weedline that appears on the map. In and around docks is a perfect place for spawning females to take cover. Yellow = Summer temps starting to rise. From the map, fishing through and outside of the weedline would be my choice. Creature baits, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Cover all of the water column until you find the bite. Red = Mid to late summer. Baitfish, crayfish and other small creatures want to stay cool too. The bass will follow the food. Like you said, this might be where a sonar unit will help pick up structure and other areas of interest. Dropshot, dropshot, dropshot. Dropshot Tips Grab a 4.5" to a 6" Roboworm and rig it on a #1 dropshot hook. Tie on a 1/4oz weight for anything up to 20 feet of water (deeper depths call for a heavier weight). Cast it, let it drop and let it sit. Shake your rod tip slightly, moving it only an inch or two at most. Give it a rest, then slowly pull it back to the boat. Keep the weight in contact with the bottom at all times if possible. Points Do fish hold on points? Often, yes. But I catch just as much fish on areas of the lake that don't appear "special" in any way. There are 5 main points on Antioch that I would focus on, but if you are fishing for a couple hours without much action, you're on the wrong pattern for THAT moment. Hit those points. You could try topwater, move to a medium diving crank, slow roll a spinnerbait, and finally move on to your soft plastics and jigs. Don't fish one technique and then move on. Cover all the water that you can to try and find a bite. Trophy Lake Same color descriptions as above. You should probably focus on yellow to red at this point of the season. With smaller bodies of water, drop offs are gold. I can't tell from the map if any of the banks drop off dramatically. Move away from those "slow sloping" sides and find some deeper water. No Sonar Tips I fished all my life without sonar until this season. First, get polarized sunglasses if you don't have them already. Second, water color can tell you a lot about the depth. Dark water often correlates to deep water. Look across the surface of the lake...can you spot color changes? If so, get to that line and try and work your way around to get a feel for the bottom. Am I an advocate of the dropshot here? Yes, because it works. Senkos and Plastics From my experience, senkos and other soft plastics will usually tell you a lot about the fish's attitude. Do lizards work? Yeah, I've had decent success. If I had to pick two baits to fish with all day though, it would be some sort of stickbait and a jig. Don't worry about color...stick to your basic black, browns and greens. I rarely use senkos anymore simply because I know I can catch fish with just a flip of the wrist. It's a great way to find the bite and to figure out what depths the fish are staging at. Don't limit yourself to one technique though, a simple change in "action" such as a jig over a lizard can be a successful change. If you have to retie 100 times a day, then do it, but don't leave any stone unturned. If you have multiple rod combinations, then you're set. Tie on a few different presentations and have at it. A boat helps tremendously, and sonar can help find certain useful features of the lake. But they don't shape who you are as an angler. Keep working and you'll come through the other side just fine.

Nice work! Very nice smallies!

2-3 pound fish are some of the best fighters You could fish anything from 4" to 12" and probably catch 'em. Just let the fish tell you what they want and you'll be good to go!

This is my first season fishing with sonar. You know the biggest impact that it has had on my fishing? Observing water temps and depth contours. Most of all, it helps you get lucky every now and then. If you don't have a map with helpful information, message me and I will get you some info on your lake if possible. All I need is the name of the lake and the state/county. We all hear about points and humps during the summer, but I was out yesterday (Pacific Northwest) and found a school of smallies in 20 feet of water, in the middle of nowhere. No points, cover or structure...just a flat bottom that attracted these guys for some weird reason. I'm not into the science, but my point being, you can play the odds and sometimes get lucky with finding some fish. What techniques are you fishing? Just jigs? How about the dropshot? Get back to me and I'll help you figure this puzzle out

Here are FLW's Official Rules, sure hope everyone recovers. In the event of equipment failure or emergency, there will be only two permitted methods of returning to the check-in: (1) by both partners remaining in their boat and being towed by water, or (2) by both partners entering the boat of another tournament contestant. Under these two conditions the contestants’ catches may be counted without a penalty (except for late penalties, dead-fish penalties or other penalties pertaining to other tournament rules).

I have to agree...if they're hitting the spinnerbait, stick with the spinnerbait. Don't ignore what the fish are trying to tell you.

I purchased one and it's installed. I'll let you know how it performs after this weekend. Color is preference, so if you don't mind grayscale, then go for it. $299 is a killer price for Down Imaging in my opinion.

Black is my go-to color when possible, no matter the conditions or the environment.

Wow. This thread got side tracked. From first hand experience, FLW College Fishing is a great start for many anglers who cannot afford full tournament expenses. No entry fees, travel allowances, discounted hotel rates, and fully rigged bass boats for use certainly doesn't qualify any of the participants as "rich". My experience has been great, and I've witnessed how large scale tournaments are ran by observing the Everstart series. I've talked with the hosts and the guys behind the scenes pulling cable and setting up the stage...they all do the College Fishing Series because they truly enjoy watching young anglers compete in the National experience. Does FLW make money? Of course they do. Would you go to work if you didn't? Many guys and gals are military veterans,like myself. A solid percentage of participants are serious about fishing and appreciate the opportunity to fish while in college. Altogether, it's a little tough seeing how people view us when it's clear that words are spoken without knowledge. --Back to the original question-- If the NCAA actually recognized fishing as a college sport, then I would hope others would have the opportunity to fish while in college. Whether or not it would benefit this particular discussion, I'm not sure. I do know one thing though, going to school and fishing the FLW circuit gives me a great appreciation for the early morning hours that the FLW puts in for us, and for the participants who drive 30 hours round trip to fish a 6 hour tournament. I'm one of them, and I'm a full time student. Don't knock it till you try it.

My finesse is much different than Florida finesse or California finesse. I agree that it just depends on the conditions. Wind is usually the deciding factor. A spinning reel and a casting reel have no impact on whether it's "finesse" or not. Too many labels...your 3/8 oz setup is just fine. Minimal movement, few twitches, watch your line.

Topwater - So many different kinds, it's hard to pick just one. Get a walk-the-dog bait and hit it in the morning. Crankbaits - Flooded timber calls for some deflections and straight on "beatings". Run your crankbaits right into the timber if you can, and feed the lure some slack line for a reaction bite. Jigs - If you need to slow down, there is no better way than to flip and pitch a jig. If you are casting, make sure to pass your target. If you are flipping/pitching, hit the timber from all different angles. Vary your speed to get a bite and go from there. Plastics - Last but not least, have your senkos and creature baits just in case you need something a bit slower and more precise. Black and Blue is tried and true. Hope to hear some good results!

Mike, as a long time fan (and as a future guest) I have to say that Lunkerville is unlike any other show on television. I get tired of watching pro's bang out catch after catch, not even to admire their fish. Tournament fishing is exciting and I'm proud to be an FLW member, but sometimes a show like Lunkerville is refreshing, especially when you can sit back and enjoy fishing for what it's worth. Like stated already, you can't please everyone. Just know that you have a huge fan base and we all admire your hard work and ingenuity when it comes to creating each and every show. Hats off to you my friend.

Jighead Part 1 http://www.lunkerville.com/lunkerville1/jighead1.html Jighead Part 2 http://www.lunkerville.com/lunkerville1/jighead2.html

I agree...The Jighead is one of the most informative jig videos available today. That's why I like Mike D. and Lunkerville - real people, real fish stories.

Great to hear you went back and had success! Keep it up Guitarhead!

You say Tomato, I say...Tomatto? Give the guy a break. He probably logged in and was abruptly slapped in the face with an entirely different website. Some people aren't so conditioned to change as others are.

Your friends caught more because they covered the entire water column. Your worms and soft plastics are great for slowing down and picking apart an area with repeated casts. Also, using plastics such as lizards and brush hogs are great this time of year due to the spawn. Jigs can be fished slow just as well as soft plastics, and they offer a larger profile. If you present your jig with a craw trailer, then fish it like a crayfish scooting along the bottom of the pond. You can also put a grub or other soft plastic on as the trailer and swim it, also known as "the swim jig". Crankbaits are just plain effective. If you're getting into the sport, you are going to want to pick up a few different models. Shallow runners, medium divers and deep divers. Stay natural with your color choices...sounds like trout patterns would be a great start. Without knowing the gear you're using, your probably not using the "best" fit rod for all presentations. If you can tell us the "writing" on the underside of your Abu Garcia rod, we could tell you which presentation is best suited for that particular rod. EX: 6'9" Medium, 1/8oz - 1/2oz, 8-20lb line