Felix77

For affordable senkos it's the Strike King Shim-e-sticks. Get them for a few bucks at WalMart.

Perch are amazing. I have had LMB and SMB as well ... not all that great.

Holy crap ... you sent shivers down my spine with that last one ... OUCH!

Pretty cool ... If it were Tiger Woods the fans would have knocked the tree down. LOL Remember the boulder incident. ;-)

I am in the same boat as you buddy. With 4 kids it's tough to spend any time prefishing tournaments. Last year I went the entire season without prefishing. It's even tougher for me because I am a co-angler. When my partners pre-fish I generally can't commit to getting out. So what do I do ... I definitely start with a gameplan. Talk to as many trusted friends as I can about the waters and the conditions. I prep with lures for those conditions but I also keep a well stocked tacklebag to get me through other conditions which may arise. When tournament day comes all you can do is trust what you see (water temp, water clarity, weather, etc.) and fish accordingly. Junk fish for a while until you catch a pattern. Exhaust that pattern and repeat. Stick with high confidence stuff and it should work out for you in most cases. This was a hard lesson for me to learn last season. I spent too much time thinking and retying last season and not enough time fishing. Hope this helps.

Another vote for PowerPro although I am always up for trying new stuff. Heard mixed reviews of Seaguar's Kaizen Braid and Nanofil.

2 things 1. Never start learning (this site, books, DVDs etc.) 2. Applying what I learned on the water. If you are looking for advice on what to learn and when then I would suggest picking one finesse and one power technique and do as I described in #1 and #2 until you are very comfortable with it.

Can anyone suggest some lakes/ponds where I can fish in this area? I will be there next week for work. Thanks

It's still all new to me. 1 - Sick Fish 2 - Dream Shot (Drop Shot) 3 - Shellcracker (Punching)

They sure seem setup for it ... They got engaged. Either way Glen is done!

Another example ... New York This link says ... New York It is legal to fish the Alabama Rig in New York with (5) hooked lures. …each line is limited to not more than five lures or baits or a combination of both; and in addition, each line shall not exceed fifteen hook points in any combination of single, double or treble hooks. The NY State DEC site says the following Lake Champlain including most tributaries upstream to the first barrier impassible to fish: Castable umbrella rigs are legal to use in Lake Champlain and most tributaries, but each fishing line may have no more than 2 baited hooks or artificial lures. Adding hookless attractors (e.g., flashers, blades) to any remaining wires would be legal. Lake Champlain Tributaries with additional restrictions: Castable umbrella rigs are not permitted on the following tributaries: Saranac River from Catherine Street bridge upstream to Imperial Dam Ausable River from D & H railroad bridge upstream to Rainbow Falls Boquet River from mouth upstream to Wadhams Falls North Branch Boquet and tributaries from mouth to first upstream barrier

Be careful with just using this when you go and chuck your Bama Rigs. Some states have additional restrictions based on the region or body of water. Check your states regulations books just to make sure.

I knew about this vid but swore you were talking about something on the Elite Series in the last tournament and not FLW. If this is it then that's great. He's an awesome guy! I fished with John Cox as my guide. Great host and it was his trip which motivated me to get into fishing tournaments in the first place.

There is also a rumor that they are opening up the Cabelas just outside of Albany Airport near Wolf Road. Read it on the Times Union.

This was recent right? The 2013 tournament. I saw the footage but can't recall the name too. I don't believe it was Menendez.

I got mine on Craigslist for $400 from some guy who abused the hell out of the thing. It came with a trolling motor too. I thought it was a good deal. I figured I could invest in some stainless screws and new foam as long as the rest of the boat is in tact and it floats.

My one and only ... pales in comparison to some of these others ... 5.89lb Smallmouth - Shakey Head w Zoom Shakey Head worm.

Tubes seem effective year round IMO. Finesse tubes under those highly pressured conditions in particular. Flipping tubes I generally don't do so I can't speak to them.

When I found my guide in Florida I did the following ... 1) Browse the web for the guides in a particular area or lake of interest. 2) Compared prices and then called each of them. I essentially interviewed them to get a better understanding on how they would fish with me and what I could expect on that day. Two key questions I asked are ... What type of fishing do you plan to do? Looking for live bait versus lures. I preferred one who would do both. Can you teach me a particular technique, explain why we are doing what we are doing? Looking for some energy in their response. In my experiences teachers love to teach and tell others they love it. You will know if they are excited about the opportunity to tell you what they know. 3. Lastly as RoadWarrior has mentioned use this forum to ask for feedback. I have never tried this but you could also ask for a reference. A prior customer if you are really trying to find out something before you go.

Any rod you throw hard enough will make great bottom contact. <<I know bad joke ... LOL>>

Welcome ... another New Yorker ... WooHoo.

I agree. It's hard to beat the original in just about anything. I was referring to the last episode being one of the best episodes of Season 3.

They say the grass is always greener. I don't have a boat either but I think of bank fishing as my time! It's relaxing, peaceful and there is very little to worry about except where you are walking and where you are casting. Doesn't get any simpler than that. Don't get me wrong I love fishing from a boat, or my canoe, but I will take what I can get, when I can get it. Most of the time it's the local bank.

Another vote for the Palomar.

I keep things ultra simple. 1/2 oz Chartreuse/white with double willows. One gold, one silver. I can cover all parts of the water column with this bait. Top: burn it just under the water or enough to cause the blades to come out a bit. Middle: moderate retrieve with pauses, jerks and twitches. Bottom: slow roll or yo-yo. The one thing is to get a quality spinnerbaits that doesn't roll over on you when you burn it.