MSWV

Im so disappointed in my finish.. I seriously thought the local guys would show during this event.. Brandon Card bombed during this event and I thought for sure he would do well.. One of his fishing buddies was whacking them on the Damiki rig just a few days before.. Oh well, Im in the 68th percentile & hopefully Ill turn it around at the Big O.. Heres my son last week.. We were up river after we couldnt catch them deep..hehe

Bassmaster Live working for you guys? I walked out for a second, came back and its not working....??....

im fairly satisfied with my picks but cant believe Card only caught 1.. He knows this lake as good as anyone & he choked.. I hope Skylar Hamilton takes it..

Have a buddy that went 1 day last week & caught 40 on red crank baits.. we went 2 days later & caught 4, trying everything.. Hes a local that fishes there with tournament success.. We couldnt find them.. Each day is different there.. Brandon Card is showing a zero but I know he has 1 fish.. im hoping he has more than that.. i cant believe hes struggling that badly

Seems sometimes basstrakk is fairly accurate but is usually not so much.. Its showing Jacob Wheeler with 0 fish but his marshall says he has a good limit & has culled twice

How bout Marty Robinson! Hes showing 19 fish caught & a 5 fish limit of 20lbs!! I bet hes dancing today..

My lineup is showing up with no probs.. I made a few last minute changes yesterday & went "local".. Bucket A - Ott Defoe... He was just too safe of a bet for me.. Bucket B - Brent Ehrler Bucket C - Brandon Card Bucket D - Brandon Coulter Bucket E - Skylar Hamilton (anyone that fishes from a tin boat deserves some love)

There will be alot of changes in this tournament, IMO.. Im predicting deep smallmouth for tomorrow.. 30' deep on a damiki rig or dropshot but by sunday they will be cranking & fishing for largemouth. Ive also been changing my lineup daily..hehe

Im going to Cherokee tomorrow!! Ill make my decisions after the weekend!! hehe

My theory for the New River before April is to fish areas where fish can stay out of current during high water events. I usually stay clear of mid river. Behind Islands & deeper areas areas are my go to.. Ive also noticed they like sand/mud more during winter.. New River fish seem to like "Brown & Down" when the water is in the 40s but dont forget the crankbait during warming trends. I like "spring craw" crankbaits & even white ones on dark days.. Look for the mushy bite.. It will usually feel like leaves on your bait. Also remember there will be slow days but the rewards are great because small New river bass dont seem to bite before April..

I joined.. I play every year and fail but maybe this will be my year!! Looking forward to discussing each event..

Geez Senko!! You are smoking it this year! Good Job man! This is my worst season since I started. Im starting to think the worst thing for any angler is for me to pick them in fantasy..

Good Job SL! Im having the worst year for fantasy ever.. I feel clueless this season as Im in the 28th percentile.

I made a few last minute changes.. Looks like I went with popular names but I need a comeback!! Group A - KVD.. Hes had some good finishes this season and I think he will win soon! Group B - AMart can catch them anywhere and he will be confident! Group C - Dean Rojas has killed me this year but I truly believe hes one of the best and this could be his type of tournament Group D - Ott Defoe is a great "junk fisherman"... His home lakes are Douglas, Cherokee, and also the smallmouth rivers of East Tennessee. He wont have problems catching them this weekend! Group E - Chad Grigsby - Clearwater with LM & SM? This could suit Grigsby well!

Senko - You are killing it man!! Congrats! Im having a terrible year so far! I actually put more time and effort into these first two tournaments than ever but my guys have bombed.. Rojas is usually a very safe bet during the 1st half but he has killed me.. Im going with this at Bull Shoals.. Group A - Im predicting KVD gets back to winning and this is his tournament! He is Hungry!! Group B - AMart can catch them anywhere and he will be confident! Group C - Jason Christie won here in 2013 and will finish well again. Group D - Scott Rook is a local angler that finished well in 2013 Group E - Keith Poche - Im not sure why Im taking him again (hes hurt me bad already this season) but I think he will do a lot better at Bull Shoals..

Yeah, I was hoping to see Ott Defoes swimbait he was throwing.. It was a good show but I like seeing baits & such.

My favorite river in winter!

Ive played with the shadow raps some in very clear water just to watch how they suspend and Im very pleased. Yeah, they will actually sink 3" or so during a 5 sec pause but wont sink too much in a cast to give you problems.. Most jerkbaits actually rise 3" or more during a 5 second pause.. I like the sinking better.. Personally, Im not much of a jerkbait guy (I hate to fish with them) but Ive found the Shadow rap to be my favorite.

Im a river(rocky river) smallmouth guy and my 5 go to baits are: 1)Cabin Creek Tube - I can fish a tube all year. Ill drag it in Jan & Feb, bounce it in March, Texas rig it in April & May, bounce eratically through August, then reverse sequence. 2)Strike King 1.5 SB or 3XD Crankbait - Crankbaits seem to always catch some of my biggest fish during March & April when the water is Sexy Green to stained. 3)Spinnerbait - Rivers seem to be muddy atleast 30% of the time therefore a white spinnerbait is tied on! 4)Senko - Theres always those days when a senko will just outcatch everything else.. 5)Heddon Topwater Torpedo will bring in numbers of Summertime bass! I fish a clear one mostly during clear water. And Ill fish with a Rapala Skitterwalk alot also..

Of course I would also like another day with my dad but here are the pros Id prob enjoy: Randy Howell, Todd Faircloth, and Aaron Martens. Im sure all three would increase my fishing knowledge by leaps & bounds. Id also like to smallmouth fish with KVD. Throwing a spinnerbait or jerkbait and whacking brown fish all day seems like it would be fun!!

I thought this would be Dean Rojas's year but even though hes leading, I dont think hes the odds-on favorite. There are too many smallmouth guys on his heels! AMart, Ehrler, and KVD can whack the brown fish!

Bought 2 ZX rods back in March.. Ive fished them hard and so far, so good...

Got poked in the palm by a catfish several years ago. It was a mild cut and I didnt think much of it but my hand had a sore feeling for the rest of the day. I cleaned the wound but woke the next morning to see my hand very swollen. I went to the ER and spent 3 days in the hospital. The DR said had I not came to the hospital when I did, I could have lost all function in my hand due to damage to tendons the toxins were creating..

First smallie of the year was a small one. I caught it in a small stream while dragging a Strike King Bitsy tube back in January. Here it was:

I also just found this out.. Wonder why it has been changed?