RichF

My fishing days have been few and far between over the last few years but covid and telework has allowed for a little more time back home in upstate NY. I was able to get out 2 days early in the spring and beat up on the pre-spawn smallies. 50+ fish day with a 27-28lb 5 fish limit. Stayed a month up in NY over the summer and was able to fish 4 team tournaments with my dad. Ended up with a 1st, 2 2nds, and a 3rd. Overall, pretty good year, just wish I had more days on the water!

I've lived in the same condo for almost 6 years before realizing that my utility room had pegboard on the inside wall! Not nearly enough space for everything, but it'll do until we buy a house.

Kistler is running a good sale right now. 45% off when you buy 3 rods/reels. I know folks are critical of the price hikes on his rods this year (myself included) but this is a great deal. 3 KLX's for $495 puts them at $165 ea. You'd be hard pressed to find a better rod out there for that price.

Senko. I used them a lot when I was a kid but now I can't throw one more than 3 or 4 casts before putting it down. It wears on me mentally.

I have 18-20 rigs in my rotation and I use all of them (some more than others). I have my couple favorite techniques but I enjoy catching bass on all different types of baits. My problem is I want more but have a hard time justifying it. I tell myself that I'll only replace, not add. That obviously never works because I like 95% of my stuff and don't wanna get rid of it!

I really wish this was a thing when I was in college. I went to Potsdam and had friends at Clarkson. Glad to see that club growing.

I'd definitely try a swimjig on top the weeds if you're seeing bass actively chase the gills but my #1 would be a 3/4 - 1oz jig flipped in that deep grass. The bass will only feed on those suckers at certain times. They're most likely hunkered down in that grass most of the day. You'll need to "go get them."

I have 2 Snipers (7'0 MH and 7'6 H) and a new Invoker Pro composite. The x-fast taper on the Sniper MH makes it fish much stiffer than I'd like. Works fine for light jigs up to 1/2oz. I wasn't a fan of how it handled light t-rigs. Overall, they're decent rods but nothing too special. I didn't pay full retail for any of mine and don't think I would.

I know very little about them so I don't want to be discouraging but...I talked to a guy in my local club about his AVX1980 back in July and he said the hull cracked on him. He had to run his bilge pump all day during our events. Other than that, he loved it. He also said Vexus was building him a replacement which is good.

Super happy for him winning in my backyard. So refreshing to see new faces gaining some success!

Limiting equipment is the #1 thing for me. No crazy electronics, no auto-pilot trolling motors, no $5000 batteries, etc. We all know that the number one thing preventing the most talented anglers into the realm of professional fishing is money. Obviously there are a lot of pros that belong due to their skill but there are A LOT that don't. Fishing new places could be a good thing, although, I'm not sure how sustainable that would be. I like the idea of not advertising tournament waters until closer to the event to prevent the mass info grab and pre-practice. Practice is good but maybe just a couple days before the event. Of course, this would be difficult too, due to the logistics of travel, lodging, time off, etc. I'd like to see: Max HP - 150 1 bow graph, 1 console graph, downscan, gps No pre practice on tourney waters until right before event, 1 day practice 2, maybe 3 day events CWR format but only count biggest 5 each day

Anytime a pro wins a big tourney on a bait, it flies off the shelves. Personally, I don't see it being any different from any other small, drop shot, worm style bait. If you find a feeding school of smallies, they'll bite just about anything. It probably seems like it's a magic bait because EVERYONE is buying, hoarding, and using them almost exclusively. A bass can't bite what's not in the water;)

I don't think it matters as long as the tail isn't sideways (with respect to the hook). I fish speed worms a fair amount with a regular trokar worm hook and 1/8th to 1/4oz weights. I don't notice any rolling. I never burn them in though. Maybe a fast retrieve would cause the rolling.

Try rigging the worm with the hook parallel to the tail. The hook point sticks up through the body like a normal t-rig but you also want the speed worm tail to pointing upward like the hook.

The north end of the lake is the most popular for bass. Haven't been to Cayuga in a few years so I'm not sure how the grass is. It usually gets super thick and grows down to 22-25ft. The vast majority of bass should be pretty deep this time of year. I'd try 12-17ft deep around any thick milfoil you can find. T-rigged soft plastics and drop shot produce well. A lot of guys crank out there too in that depth range. Expect LOTS of pickeral.

The river has been under intense pressure since the bass opener and it ain't stoppin anytime soon. The smallies are getting smashed all up and down the river. If you're going out of Chippewa again, the green fish are pretty overlooked. You should be able catch some around shallow cover. We're getting into the dog days of summer so the pike fishing won't be great.

100% agree here.

While I don't agree with the "dissing" going on, I think the folks that have an issue may just feel like he was getting special treatment here because he was a pro, even though he wasn't contributing all that much. There are a lot of members on here that contribute A TON and have been for years, yet they don't have a thread dedicated to them (not saying any of them even care about having their own thread, it's just an example). I couldn't care less honestly, just thinking that may be why there's some shade being tossed around. Definitely not trying to justify it as I think James is a true gentleman of the sport. Just trying not to cast judgement prematurely.

I honestly think he did the multiple tour thing to get extra notoriety and it certainly has worked. He's attracted a lot of attention this season. His has been a big (if not the biggest) story in pro bass fishing this year. He's lucky to have a wife and kids that will support that kind of lifestyle. It's definitely not for me, that's for sure.

Yep, most places are running the Pline fluoro specil all month. Either Bogo free or 50% off like you mentioned.

He seemed fairly critical on Dunkins podcast, in that smiley, Jon Cox manner. But no, you're probably right. He probably doesn't care. It's just a classic spot. Not like these guys are "literally doing this for a living." Fans of the sport have no business discussing what goes on in the sport, especially on the internet.

If he wasn't, none of us guys on the internet would even know.

I'm confused. Your previous post made it sound like you were catching the same fish over and over, which led me to believe you were takin them off beds. I haven't been on the river yet this year but the BPT guys and my local team trail wore the smallies out. Seems to be alive and well.

The BPT is a tour built on special preference! It was literally formed by special invite. How is that professional?! Hahahaha