Logan S

He's still around, he sold his boat but still fishes with FOBA as a co-angler.

An external heading sensor is invaluable if you're going to fish WP's. Once installed, you setup your unit make to your position determined by the GPS of your unit, but make the heading determined by the heading sensor. The chart won't spin and your boat's position and direction will be very accurate (even when stationary), enough to hit stump sized targets with a cast once you get used to it. I believe all the major brands have their own versions and some may require NMEA network (my Lowrance does)....But it's worth it many times over IMO.

The big fish showed up at BH yesterday....FOBA hosted it's first derby of the season there with 15 boats/teams launching and there were five fish over 5lbs weighed in and every boat that caught fish had at least a 3lb+ fish. My and my partner had 16-0 and only managed 4th place ?. Definitely not easy, sort of feast or famine...But I think a lot of that can be attributed to the wind-tunnel and sleet conditions. These tournaments are semi-open, meaning anyone is welcome as long as they are paired up with a FOBA member (can be boater or co-angler). We had several guests in this one. We'll have two more in August, if anyone is interested in checking it out you can send me a PM....We had several guests in this one. This was our biggest, 5-3.

I know the actual daylight hours are the same.... But it'll mean later launch/weigh-in times for the handful of tournaments I fish over winter since sunrise will be between 8 and 8:30AM. It means I'll get home 'later' in the evenings - which will be mildly annoying for a couple non-fishing reasons.

Zeroing weights is awful for traditional, consecutive-day tournaments...The last TW Circuit tournament had a guy catch the most weight by about 7lbs over the course of four consecutive days...But did not win. That would and should have been a blowout victory and celebrated as a dominating performance. Not trying to take away from the winner, as all the competitors knew the rules and understood this could happen....But IMO it just isn't the way operate a tournament. If all the competitors are on the same playing field and the same days...Then all of those days need to count at the end. In the BPT where anglers fish different days, different lakes, and are split up, sure you sort of have to reset things...But in a 'normal' tournament it's silly. It wasn't liked when FLW did it years ago and there's a reason they quit doing it.

I have original Vixens and some of the Kicknockers - I can't tell the difference. Only reason I'd pick between the two would be specific colors I want to use....Some I have in the Vixen and others in the Teckel. The R2S is a good choice too, but it is noticeably different from the Vixen/Teckel....Not that it's inferior, it's just different.

Fall/Winter IMO, dealers get the first runs of the next model year starting around then and left over current model year boats might get a price break. Also, if it's a larger dealer they might do demo boats each year, which you can get great deals on but you are still considered the original owner and all warranties start with you. I bought my current boat as a demo and would absolutely do it again. I agree with the others that it's a sellers market right now. With gas prices and people going back to work... Fall 2022 might be when it starts to flip back around? Good luck

Thanks for the replies. The break is 2 guides down from the tip. To be clear, I'm not trying to save the blank... I know it's a little silly to try to save the components of the broken rod, it's just something I want to try for my own little project. I'd purchase a new blank and any additional components I might need. Thanks again everyone.

Hi All, I know a lot of people don't go through this trouble because it's not worth it...But I unfortunately broke a Megabass Valkyrie rod which is JDM and I got used, so no warranty - I'd hate for this thing to just be a waste so I'm looking at removing the reel seat, lock nut, guides, and maybe even the grip/handle if possible and put it on a new blank. A buddy of mine gave me this idea because he did the same thing with a broken (out of warranty) Megabass rod and he's given me some tips already, but I wanted to check with the experts also. I already know it's not cost effective - This is a project I want to do just for fun and to learn how to do it. You guys have helped me in the past removing a hook keeper by heating it up and cutting the threads, so I'm assuming I can do the same thing for the guides on this rod. I was more worried about the reel seat, handle, etc. The Valkyrie has the adjustable handle, where it twists to lock/unlock and then you can adjust the length...I don't think I'll be able to salvage any of that. Thanks!

The hype on the Plopper was so great from that event, that most people forget that KVD actually won the tournament...not Chris Lane . (Not the first time I've seen this either )

Got another good bite today

Lake Anna, especially the hot side, all bets are off - The constant flowing warm water mixes enough to where there isn't really any stratification and DO levels should be adequate top to bottom. 6' is the same as 60'. Anna doesn't follow the rules . I'd guess it's the boat too, big shadow overhead spooking them. I do turn off my sonar in shallow grassbeds on the Potomac or Bay, but thats a different scenario than this.

Set the bar pretty high for the rest of the season with a 6-9 today ?.

Finally able to get out and had a great day to start the 2022 season. Caught over 50 between the two of us in the boat...Most on a small swimbait but jerkbait and flatside were also players. This was the biggest of the day. It was all about baitfish, if you threw a 4" swimbait even the same model and color they wouldn't touch it...Had to be the 3".

Poles and spotlock are great, but also pretty obvious ... It's often overlooked, but having larger gauge, direct wiring for your graphs is well worth the effort. Even if your boat is new or newer, factory wiring is usually inadequate - especially for the larger screens and multiple units that are now more common. The units will be faster, have less interference, have no voltage drop, and (at least for me) produce better images from SI/DI. You can buy premade harnesses but they are pricey, I made my own with a spool of 10GA marine wire and good connectors with fuses for a fraction of the retail prices on the pre-made ones. Tools are good as well, but specifically a multimeter, some extra wire/connectors/tape, wire stripper/crimper, and cable ties...In addition to the normal hand tools. So many systems in the boat are electrical, but many do not carry anything to diagnose or fix electrical issues.

All the FLW stuff that MLF bought is still pretty good, which is now actually the majority of the MLF organization. Zeroing weights on the TW Circuit sucks though... The BPT and MLF Cup stuff? Meh...Feels more like an exhibition league now than a tournament trail, which some people like I'm sure...Just not me. BASS Elite Series is still the king of the pro trails and live coverage. BASS does need to improve it's grassroots/local stuff - They need a BFL equivalent.

I'd been taken fishing here and there when I was younger and caught various panfish and even a bass or two, but I don't really count that in my 'real' fishing time because I wasn't actively into it even though I did like it. I first got interested in fishing on my own when a friend moved into a new house that had a pond behind it. I was probably 8 or 9 (1994-ish)...And we were walking around the pond just checking it out and saw a bunch of sunfish swimming around near the bank and decided it might be fun to try fishing. Told my dad about it and he took me to the local tackle shop. He picked out some hooks and weights and such but then also threw in a Mepps Comet, the inline spinner with minnow body. Anyway...Few days later I go out to the pond for my first 'real' fishing trip and I had that Comet tied on. No joke, literally my very first cast I ever made, I caught a bass on that Comet. Was a solid 2lber or so and WAY bigger than anything we expected to catch since we had only seen the sunfish. Thought I had just caught the loch ness monster . Anyway, I was hooked from that first cast catch and became a bass head right there on the spot. Fast forward thru several years of bank beating, I scored a hand me down 40 year old 12' v-hull from an uncle when I was 13. I modified it a little to take a trolling motor and make it easier to stand and fish. My mom would drop me off at a local lake on her way to work and pick me up on her way home. That when it really took off for me. Got a 17' Tracker at 16 and started fishing tournaments, won my first tournament that year too and have been at it ever since. So...for bass fishing 'for real' I'd say I've been in it for 28 years (94 to now). Boater in some form for about 23 years. Tournament fishing for about 20 years. I'm 36 now. Fun trip down memory lane .

Destroyer Phase 3 - it was a top line MB rod series from several years back, they still hold their own very well. The Bearing Down and Nautilus are among the most sought after MB rods.

You might want to ask those asian anglers (though not sure why that needs to be specified) to advise you on models in that case. If you want THE best jig rod, try to find a Phase 3 Bearing Down...I have one and would put up against any rod of any brand past or present as a 3/8 and 1/2oz jig rod. Hard to find these days though. This was Yuki Ito's personal design and choice for jigs, so I think it would check the box of "what Megabass rods stand for"...Maybe even more so than any other ?.

From a general brand standpoint each different MB series stacks up favorably against other brands in each respective price point (IMO obviously). The recent price increase changes this a little, but it impacts the Levante negatively WAY more than the XX. I really like Megabass rods, I have almost 30 of them ?....But most of mine are XX's and I don't own an Evoluzion to give you a firsthand report on that line. If you are interested in seeing how the brand stacks up against others, you might consider starting out with the tried and true workhorse of MB rods which, to me, is the XX series....But that's your choice ultimately . What application or applications are you looking to use the rod (or rods ) for?

The BPS branded 3700 size boxes have a bigger interior dimension than any other box I've ever seen, while still being the same 3700 size footprint (IE, still fits in slots/trays/whatever that a Plano 3700 would). This is important to me because I like to cram as many baits in a single box as I can, and it nets anywhere from a couple to several extra baits per box when compared to others.

I stick the reel/part in a clear gallon-size ziplock when removing e-clips or anything that might take flight...Stick your hands in and remove whatever it is inside the bag. When it does go flying, it's still inside the bag.

Cold spell in MD so I've recently updated my list and am just about finished cleaning all the reels.

My guess is that Megabass doesn't offer a top-line sponsorship package for the US touring pros (compared to other companies)...Only thing that really makes sense as to why all their anglers gradually left over time - Martens, Evers, Clausen, and now Zaldain. Zaldain posted a pic of 35-40 new rods in the highest priced model 13 offers, which retails for $350ish...So his dollar value on rods isn't really going down . He'll be a good fit with 13, his highly technical style will probably showcase their high end gear very well. They haven't really had that until now.

Take a step back for a second...You say that every trail has their own rules (which is accurate) and that this trail is not the one you participated in. So its entirely possible that these anglers were 100% within the rules of their trail. There's nothing inherently unethical in what I read in the post, HS fishing is not the Elite Series - There's got to be some provisions in there to allow the boat captains to provide some help/info to the anglers. That's sort of the point of the whole boat captain system, right? Also, you'd think if they put a public video out there they wouldn't do so if it showed them violating rules. The boat captain is an angler himself too, he could have been practicing for his own tournament or just fishing on his own. You can't expect these guys to be locked down outside HS events or no one would ever volunteer to do it. Finally, if you're going to keep tournament fishing you have to get used to this type of thing. There will ALWAYS be someone that gets more practice time than you and/or obtains information/locations from others (99% of the time with in the rules too)...If this situation gets to you, wait until one of the guys you're competing against starts hiring a guide the day before the tournament ?. As sort of a separate point, I personally think high school bass fishing is insanely unfair overall...Not by design or anything, but just due to the fact that some HS anglers will have clear advantages over others if their dad/relative/friend/etc in an avid angler with a bass boat and is their captain for so many obvious reasons. Nothing can really be done about it, just the way it is.