EmersonFish

Thanks for the info. Would have loved to go up in the Spring. Maybe next year I'll have a chance if I don't change jobs. Just wasn't in the cards this year. I don't mind grinding it out. I'm just hoping for that one bite. I also don't mind fishing deep/offshore. Just becomes an issue with my boat. This weekend at Lake of the Ozarks, fishing main lake points, with the boat traffic, it was almost too sketchy for me to be out there. I'll keep doing my homework and figure something out. If there is a place where I can fish the main lake, weather permitting, but have a few places that might not be as good, but are safer and still gives me a chance to fish safely if it gets sketchy, that would be fine. If I end up having to wait until too late in the year to take time off, I might end up looking at Tennessee as well.

I have an 18' Tracker as well. A lot of what is working well right now at LOZ is main lake/off-shore, and with the boat traffic, I can see how it can be a little unnerving with little guys on the boat. Obviously boat traffic is an issue at TRL as well, but I would think that there are more opportunities up in the river arms to catch numbers of fish using techniques that are more younger kid-friendly, like a grub, tube, Ned, shallow-crank early and late in day, or something like that. LOZ right now is lot of long casts with football jigs, C-Rigs, etc...; or fishing around docks off of main lake points, which isn't really kid friendly either.

Might depend on what kind of boat you have and how big old your two sons are?

I would like to make a trip up to Sturgeon Bay and go after some big smallmouth. Unfortunately, I can't really get up there until mid-August at the earliest. More likely in September, but can go anytime after mid-August if it works out. Been doing some research, but thought I'd see if I could get any input here. My biggest concern is the conditions and how my little 18' Tracker would handle them. I want to go where I have a chance to catch a memorable fish. What I don't want to happen is I drive all the way up there and the wind and lake conditions have me and my little boat either on the trailer or fishing in areas where I'm not taking full advantage of being at Sturgeon Bay. So I guess my questions are: When is the best time in late-summer/early fall to go to pursue big fish AND have the best chance of the weather being decent? OR, would I be better off going somewhere else (in the US upper mid-west) that time of year? (not sure I'd be better off at a place like Mille Lacs for example, anyway) If I go to SB, can I get away from the wind if I need to in the bay and still catch good fish (I'm not a numbers guy) and get around safely? I know it's a long-winded inquiry. Thanks for your time, even if you just read it. Hope I get the opportunity to help anyone who can help me sometime. D

All things being equal (conditions wise), I guess left to right. Probably slightly more comfortable using my right foot to control the trolling motor, and I roll cast a lot, and have a smaller boat, so I have less stuff in the way.

Can't really swim. I suppose if I was dropped in the middle of a pool, I could get to the edge, but in a real world survival situation, I'm toast. Probably why I go a little overboard with my kids as far as pushing them to become swimmers. At least my daughter might get a swim team scholarship out of it.

Main goal is cheesy but true: Fish more and enjoy every minute of it. While I'm at it I may as well: Become a better dock fisherman. Not a strength of mine and I fish Lake of the Ozarks too much to let that continue. Learn to use my electronics better. I have cheaper units than a lot of guys, but I could get a lot more out of them than I do. Catch a limit in every 'Solo Pro Tournament' my schedule and budget allows me to fish this year.

I think part of the issue with this debate is some have made it an urban vs. rural one. When it comes to hosting a classic, of course you need a place that has the facilities and travel convenience to handle the event, which would necessarily be a place that qualifies as a "rural" environment. But there is a big difference between say, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Houston, Texas. I think it is fair to question whether it worked out in the end to have the Classic in one of the largest cities in the country. Apparently local coverage of the event was next to non-existent. Traffic, particularly on Day 1, was problematic, as expected. The event was competing with many other events in the city and attendance was disappointing. So in the end, the event did nothing to really raise the profile of the sport. Apparently it just made it that much more inconvenient for everyone involved. It seems that medium-sized cities, that have the necessary infrastructure, but also appreciate the tournament being there a great deal, are the best compromise. I'm not saying BASS made a mistake, and I'm not saying they shouldn't gamble on some other different kinds of sites in the future. I heard someone mention a Lake Mead/Las Vegas Classic. There's a cool idea (that will never happen).

I'm not an A-Rig guy either. I've had some luck on a Keitech swimbait on an underspin fished where others might throw an A-Rig. With all of the A-Rigs getting slung around out there by these guys in these huge tournaments, maybe something a little more subtle will start paying off. They have been catching them on lighter (5/16oz) jigs in shallow water on pea gravel banks around where the it transitions from chunk rock as well. I was out there on a post-frontal day and everyone I talked to said it was really slow, but the sun finally came out and the bite really picked up on the shady ends of docks.

At the BFL weigh-in I was at a couple of weeks ago, a whole lot of the guys who had big bags said they were throwing the A-Rig, and that's just the ones who were willing to admit it. From what I'm hearing and seeing now, they are in transition and guys are focusing on secondary points and creek pockets that lead to spawning areas. They are throwing A-Rigs, Rock Crawlers, and Jerkbaits; ideally over the top of brush piles. There have been big bags caught, but there have also been some slower days where the majority of guys seemed to struggle.

I might fish it. LOZ has been on fire, but the fishing pressure, even by LOZ standards, has been unbelievable lately. Best thing that can happen is the weather being just cruddy enough the weekend of the BBB to keep the pleasure boat traffic down. Maybe a poor guy like me can handle it out there in my 18 foot aluminum boat, and be able to make those runs back to the weigh stations without risking my life. I might fish way up the river and make the long run to weigh in at 'Red Oak' if I have anything worth the trip. I know traditionally, more big bass have been weighed in at Alhonna, but I think my best chance would be to do something different than what the masses are doing.

Frosty claims the spot. Close the books on that one.

That's why I said something to the effect of use same system, yet use the 5 fish limit, which is a significant difference. I'm glad people are so passionate about MLF. It's good for the sport. I just believe there is room for an alternative. And as for the leader board sitting idle; the 5 fish system will not compete with guys catching similar fish over and over, but a full day of fishing edited down to a 1 or 2 hour show will generally keep people interested, unless they just generally dislike fishing in the first place. Again, based on the reaction I get when this topic comes up, I accept that I am in the minority, and will be happy to support MLF as it is. It is certainly better programming than 99% of anything else on TV.

I guess I'm fortunate while bass fishing not to see a lot of this down here in the Ozarks. Not claiming the Ozarks is above it; just saying I have been fortunate not to get a lot of it bass fishing. Catfishing, however, is a different story. And it is not fellow catfshermen who are the problem. It is these bowfishermen who come out at night and seem to have zero consideration for what anyone on the lake/river is doing. I'm sure there are some bowfishermen on here, and you may be very cognizant of what of is going on around you and do your best not to do anything inappropriate, but from my experience, you would be in the minority. The OP certainly did the right thing. Since I have had kids, I have made it a priority to put their well being before my pride and consider how my actions might impact them; so I am happy to say that I have made good choices on multiple occasions and let things slide when these bowfishing idiots have made me want to unleash the hounds. I would likely do the same if a bass fishermen crossed me somehow. And I'd feel better for it. When I do get in a confrontation, it occupies my mind for far too long, and I feel like they win when that happens. When I was younger and cockier it would occupy my mind for too long if I felt like I let someone get over on me. I guess I'm a grown-up now.

I'm not saying MLF should change their format, because I know it's been very successful, and I know I'm in the minority, but I'm not really a huge fan. I'd love to see a tournament where they used the same catch/release, live scoring system, yet used a five fish limit. It would be just like a regular tournament except we would get a running bag total, and the other competitors would know what their opponents had. This would also make for the possibility of some pretty dramatic finishes, as someone who was trailing could catch a couple big ones and vault into the top (you know, like in an actual tournament except no one knows it just happened), whereas in the MLF format, half the guys are often totally out of it by the third period. You could even continue to use the 12 inch limit since you are releasing the fish. As for the potential for guys going an hour without catching a fish, that's why these shows are edited. And even if they were focusing on catching bigger fish and there was more time between catches, would that be the end of the world? Maybe we could actually watch a guy's fish catch from beginning to end and get an idea of what he was doing instead of just seeing guys land fish over and over again? And in my format, you'd have slightly larger field fishing lakes where you know they are likely to catch them. There are probably guys on the outside looking in of MLF who would love to get involved and there is a market out there for this kind of programming, so I might just start this thing myself (What's to stop me beside a bunch of high priced lawyers?). I just need some significant financial backing and a team of people who know how to do stuff. Luckily, with Bass Live and FLW Live, we get a taste of this, but we don't get to see it come to it's dramatic conclusion and it is not tightly packaged like MLF. Here's hoping that BASS and FLW are able to expand of their live coverage as money and technology allow.

The lake will be on the rise, along with the water temperature. Fish are moving up. As always with Table Rock, don't get married to anything. Make sure you have some Spro RkCrawlers and McSticks, Wiggle Warts, underspins w/ smaller swimbaits, swimbaits on swimbait heads, grubs, Ned Rig, etc.... Pretty much standard TRL prespawn stuff now. As for colors, I keep it simple; crankbaits are some kind of crawfish color with a little orange in there; jerkbaits are 'Pro Blue' or similar when it's sunny and more of a white colored bait when it's cloudy; swimbaits tend to be shad colored; maybe a salt and pepper grub; Ned Rig can be plain ol' green pumpkin. Check back with the reports right before you go down and see what's happening given these changing conditions.

I love fishing a jig nice and slow, but I'll eliminate the aggressive bite first before I get to that if I'm just fishing for fun, which is most of the time. If I'm working a bank now that the water temps are getting into the low 50's, I might crank around the perimeter of the cover first with a Wart or something similar, then start swimming a jig deeper in the cover, then pick up my jig and start working it slower if that doesn't produce. As the day goes on, I'll play it by ear. I also tend to use smallish (5/16oz) jigs this time of year where I fish.

Your boat will be fine. There will be crazy boat traffic, and if the wind gets up a little to combine with that, you might have to take that into consideration when you plan where you might fish because you may be making hourly trips to the weigh-in site (if things are going well). You just might want to avoid having to make long runs across the main lake if things get really sketchy. I'm not as familiar with those lakes, so it might not be as big of an issue as it is at Lake of the Ozarks, where I've fished a "Big Bass" event in my aluminum boat. In any case, the events are fun, and you are always one cast away from winning big.

I watched as much of it as I could, given I was fishing Sunday. I too wish they could at least do it on Friday so I could have it on at work, but I assume the presence of a co-angler in FLW the first two days makes it a little impractical. They did okay. They'll get better at it, but it is something they absolutely have to do. BASS has been kicking FLW's butt, coverage wise for years now. They also need something comparable to BASSTrakk.

For the Roboworms you are talking about, I use Gamakatsu Drop/Spin Shot 1/0 hooks. For slightly larger baits, I use 2/0 Owner Mosquito hooks. Those are great hooks, and the "Pro Packs" are a great deal. Like other people, A also like the VMC Spinshot, but only when fishing the classic, vertical drop shot presentation. Not as confident with them when I'm working at an angle or doing any significant casting.

As far as NPS goes, it depends on how you use it. If you sign an agreement with a rod manufacturer who gives you 30% off of their rods, and a t-shirt provided you: buy a minimum of 5 of their rods within 15 days, use their rods exclusively in tournaments, wear their logo at every weigh-in, have their logo on your boat and truck, document contacts with local tackle shops where you are trying to get their products into the store and everything else you do to promote their product, make yourself available for two weekends a year for trade shows, and put a bunch of time into your youtube, facebook, twitter and other social media accounts, you better be a fan of those rods anyway and plan on buying the maximum number of rods at the discount to make that investment of your time worth the money you actually save. I see a lot of guys selling off all of their current rods, that I know they like, to get money to buy the rods from the sponsor, and because they can't use the old rods in tournaments anymore per the agreement. On the other hand, some of the smaller companies on NPS seem to be getting their business exclusively from people who agree to NPS "pro-staff" deals. They'll take anyone who will apply and give them a discount on product that is so overpriced I can't imagine anyone is paying retail. Plus most of these companies charge shipping for their stuff, something a lot of people forget about, versus a decent size TW order. Sometimes, you don't have to sign any kind of deal at all. You can buy as little or as much as you like. So I guess it doesn't kill you, but you still are expected to represent the company for the privilege of getting a "discount" on their expensive, somewhat obscure product. Then there are probably people who really benefit from it who get on the pro-staff with companies where they would already be buying large quantities of product and are getting a legitimate discount. These are generally the more well known bait manufacturers who are a little more selective about who they will take. There are also probably better deals out there than the example given above that I haven't seen, particularly for more qualified people. The bottom line is, NPS and the companies that use it have a pretty sweet little deal going. I'm not bashing the concept. Hell, I'm on NPS. It's fun to mess around on. I've applied for several "pro-staff" positions. I won't say who with, but I've turned down every offer I've received because once I've done the math after I considered how much product I'd actually purchase, I would be selling myself awfully cheap. So I've wasted money on applications, but I look at it as an entertainment expense. Maybe one will come along one day that I take.

Only thing I'll add is when I'm fishing Magnum Spoons, I slide my hand down the rod, around where the label usually is, to work the spoon by popping that part of the rod. Trying to work those spoons with your wrists or however you might by keeping both hands at the reel like you typically do when working a jig or a typical bait, will wear you out. It seems everyone has a different rod preference for this technique, but you don't want a rod that is too soft or it will absorb all of the energy and will wear you out. You don't want a rod that is too stiff as you are more likely to rip the bait out of the fishes mouth. You will want something relatively heavy and a bit longer rod with a longer handle is nice from a leverage and slack-line pick-up standpoint. Most people don't fish it often enough to buy a dedicated rod for it anyway, so they just have to experiment with what they have until they decide which rod they feel most comfortable with.

What you think of J Pow's decision aside, I have been watching this event as much as I can get away with it at work, and it has been a fantastic live event. To me, it has underscored my theory that the live-scoring system would be so much more intriguing if they used the 5 best fish system (I watch MLF, and I like it, but the "every scorable bass counts" thing just doesn't do it for me). To me, BASS really blew it today by changing the rules to allow every legal fish to count. They definitely hosed Hite who has been on better quality fish the entire week. The sad thing is, Hite's had time in previous rounds to try and develop a different pattern for this kind of scoring system, but apparently he didn't know it was necessary. Why would he? This is the Elite Series.

I'm an Alberto Knot guy. To me, it is easier to tie an Alberto quickly and cleanly than the Uni to Uni, but others feel the opposite. They both work fine. The main thing is, whatever knot you use, learn to tie it perfectly (as possible). Practice while you are sitting around the house or wherever. Line-to-Line knots work great, but if they are not tied just right, you'll have a lot of regrets.

Nothing wrong with your question. The jigworm technique has been around forever. You'll want to use a jig with a larger hook than with the Ned Rig, although not too large; and the jig doesn't have to weigh much. Many of the plastics you'll use weigh enough on their own for finesse applications, so keep the jig weight down unless you plan on fishing it very fast or need to get to the bottom of some very deep water. You can probably find info or videos specific to jigworm fishing out there. Also, don't assume just cause the bait is bigger there will be a huge difference in numbers/size of fish from the Ned Rig. You can catch a lot of fish on a jigworm, and you can catch big fish on a Ned Rig. You should have both in your arsenal.