Jrob78

I think it's good that it's the first event of the year. It kicks off the fishing season for BASS, bass fishermen and retailers. Everyone gets excited about bass fishing again. Plus, you don't have to worry so much about fish care when the water is cold and you are more likely to have bigger bags.

Congrats on your new Ride! I have a 135 and absolutely love it. I really like that new color too!

LIvingston is a sponsor of BASS. If Howell upgraded his catch on their lures, it will show up on the telecast this weekend. BASS wants Livingston to do well.

I would not under any circumstances buy a manual only for fishing. There are too many variables to worry about if an accident happens, your pfd doesn't need to be one of them.

I wear an inflatable. Mine has to be completely submersed to inflate. It also has a manual pull cord. I probably wouldn't wear it on a casual float trip where going in the water in a non life threatening situation is a real possibility. It will inflate and you can't really wear it comfortably after it's inflated. You would have to carry extra co2 cartridge kits to recharge it. As far as fishing though, they are so comfortable, especially in hot weather. I wear mine 100% of the time I'm in my kayak and never really notice that I have it on. Several of my friends wear the Chinook and love them. It just felt to bulky to me.

What kind of baits do you plan to throw, hard or soft? A lot of Ugly Stik's are fiberglass and probably wouldn't work well with single hooked soft baits. The rod in your link didn't say what it was made of. If it's graphite, it would probably work fine.

The bottom deeper diver is the prototype Livingston Lure Howell used to catch some of his fish yesterday.

Since you're in WI and probably won't be able to use it for awhile I would keep saving and get yourself something a little better.

Really happy for Randy, it couldn't have happened to a better guy!

The 50 sized reels generally come a couple of years after the full sized models.

EE by one ounce. It doesn't get any better than that. Tomorrow is going to be awesome.

They are actually $17.99, so you can get 2. It looks like Monster Tackle has some of the Dark Trout color in stock.

J-first initial Rob-first 3 letters of my last name 78-date of birth

Sell that sucker as quick as you can.

I think if I was pressed for an answer, I would probably agree with you. Without Clunn there might not be a KVD. In the end though, I think KVD will be considered the greatest tournament angler of all time.

I bought a couple a few months ago but I haven't fished them yet. The one negative thing I did notice was how hard it was to get the hook out of the slot. I really like the design and the fact that the hook rides in the top of the bait but it did seem like it could be tough to actually get the hook to pop free.

Who would you say is the best tournament fisherman ever?

The OP asked about "pro bass fishing." If it had just been "bass fishing," I don't know that any tournament guys would necessarily belong. To me, pro bass fishing means tournament fishermen only. Currently fishing or not, I don't know how you could leave KVD off the list. Rick Clunn, KVD and Roland Martin are the best (most successful) tournament fishermen to ever fish. The 4th spot is debatable.

He's talking about spinning rods.

I thought you could only catch bass like that on "modern" lures.

This thread is silly.

We tried to tell you in your original thread asking about that rod. 6" off the tip of any rod is going to drastically alter the way the rod fishes. You might be able to use it for something but not for what it was originally intended.

Custom rod built on a NFC HM blank with a 2014 Steez LTD SV TN.

KVD Rick Clunn Roland Martin Bill Dance

I'm a fan of what I guess is the northern style swim jig. I like a swim jig with a sharp, round bend hook that isn't too stout, a thin hand tied skirt with the inner layer trimmed away completely, a bullet head, a thin weedguard and grub trailer. I throw 1/4oz or 3/8oz 99% of the time. I like the Brovarney swim jigs a lot but I make my own now.