OCdockskipper

I have an all electric boat, but it is a 10 ft. Pond Prowler...

I disagree. Every fish I catch gets a once over to see how healthy they are and if there is anything I can do to help them. If I find a small parasite inside their mouth, I remove it it. The same goes for any hooks or lures that the bass may be using as jewelry. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed the tip of something sticking out of the gullet of a bass I caught. I pulled it slightly to see what it was, turned out to be a 6" Senko (not mine, i don't use that size). I removed it from his belly & released him. I guarantee that is one bass that is better off for being caught by me. In regards to the trauma question, I believe a bass hooked in the mouth feels no pain, while a foul hooked fish may. I came to that conclusion based on their actions when hooked. A bass hooked in the mouth will pull the opposite direction, increasing pressure from the hook. It is logical to surmise that any creature who feels pain while pulling against a hook will stop doing that and go in the direction of the pressure in order to relieve it. That happens to be the exact action you see with some foul hooked fish, they swim towards you instead of fighting, as if they are doing whatever they can to alleviate the pain that is being applied to them.

If you have motor issues severe enough to prevent you from using an item like the Fuji, do you even have the ability to cast a lure or land a fish? I'm not minimizing the issues some have following a stroke or from aging, those are heartbreaking scenarios. You used those scenarios as a disqualification for using the Fuji and I am just having trouble believing that there are a significant amount of people in the fishing world who are debilitated enough to prevent them from using the Fuji, but able enough to be able to use the RTD (or still be able to fish without help from another).

The interesting thing about this Classic is that it may be the last one featuring some past winners like KVD, Jordan Lee, Edwin Evers, Chris Lane to name few. This also may be the last chance for others like Gerald Swindle, Jason Christie or Brent Ehrler to win one.

I noticed something about the luck factor when I used to bowl often. If you were good & hit the pocket a lot, the "luck" factor would be negative because strikes were expected & single pins left seemed the result of bad luck. Conversely, if you were not accurate, missed the headpin or went Brooklyn often, your "luck" factor would be positive because you were getting unexpected or non deserved results. The same can be observed in fishing. If one person does everything well & is prepared, catching a large fish is not a surprise, it is expected. The only luck such a fisherman can have is negative (line breaks, equipment fails). Meanwhile, the kid throwing a jitterbug in 45 degree water with a Zebco 33 can't have anything go wrong because the expectations are nothing. Any results he gets are "lucky". So my theory is if you want to be lucky, don't prepare and use methods that experience has shown don't work.

I do the same for casting outfits, but not for spinning (I use Nanofil with a Flouro leader). I find that mono & Flouro don't respond well to the inherent twisting that spinning gear does to line. Do you prefer straight mono for spinning as well?

I ordered a pair of those last winter & by the time summer rolled around & the conditions warranted using them, they were useless. The plastic on the back split over time, even though they were stored properly, and the rubber strands were falling out. As @Paul Roberts wrote, it is the action of the dragonflies that incite the bass. Use a 5" Senko, weightless, in a color that matches your areas dragonflies, and skip each cast even if it isn't required to reach your target. The Senko bouncing across the surface mimics the egglayers dipping into the water & many of your strikes will come as the lure is still skipping or right as it stops.

I would think after this amount of time, the astronauts have probably died. This sounds like it has changed from a rescue mission to a salvage operation...

I think KC's scheme was to focus on Gurley, so McVay chose to take what was given him. The Chiefs were in alot of man coverage, ready for the run and I think if the Rams had tried to force Gurley into it, they wouldn't have had as much success. One of McVay's strength's is his willingness to mold his offense into whatever it needs to be. It reminds me of what Belechick did about 10 years ago in a game against the Steelers. Pittsburgh had a great run defense, so the Patriots spent the entire game throwing, even though the strength of their offense (at that time) was their running game. I think they ran the ball about 5 or 6 times the entire game, even when they were leading by a couple touchdowns. It was just a refusal to play into another teams strengths. I think Andy Reid does the same thing. The problem for teams that play against the Saints, Rams or Chiefs is that these teams have the ability to run for 250 yards or throw it for 400 yards. If you overplay against one way, these 3 teams have the talent to play the other. On a different note, the strength of schedule for the Rams & Chiefs so far has been the same. Their opponents records so far are an identical 54-55 (ties excluded). The Saints have had an easier go, their opponents record so far is 48-51.

Agreed. If they play 10 times, I can't imagine it turning out anything different than 5-5. I think the high score & number of penalties had to do more with the defenses having to gamble than any particular shortcomings (hence the 3 defensive scores). If either team is playing against a different team and the score is 35 - 10, I think it is human nature to let your foot off the gas. If KC can keep home field, I think they will be in the Super Bowl and have at the minimum a 50% chance to win.

If it goes into OT, maybe

KC offense vs Ram defense is that age old battle of speed versus size (with the exception of Kelce). Rams D can't match the Chief skill players speed, but if they are able to get their hands on them, the size difference can result in some big plays.

I haven't seen the Bears play and the only Steelers game I saw was the egg they laid in week 1 against the Browns, but at this point, if a team other than the Saints, Rams or Chiefs wins the Superbowl, it will be a shame.

Great Monday night game...

Originally, I thought the Saints might end with 3 losses being their final games are Carolin, Pittsburg, Carolina. Now that Carolina is finding ways to lose, the Rams may need to go 15-1 and get some help from the Steelers in order to get home field. In any case, a Rams/Saints NFC championship game no matter the location looks like a winner.

I have never eaten a pistachio, the scream they make when you open their shell bothers me.

For those of you who prefer the Carbonlite 1.0 to the 2.0, it looks like the Pro Qualifier line is the Carbonlite 1.0, just rebranded and with a lower price. I know the handles and the grips are the old Carbonlite 1.0 and it appears the specs are the same as the old 1.0 And they are black...?

6-2, 5-0 and three over 4 lbs. Numbers were excellent this year, lots of healthy fish in the 2 -3 lb class, but just the two over 5. Then again, we still have six weeks left...

In looking at the MLF site, it appears the results for the BPT will be available as they happen via their website. I didn't see anywhere listing whether the streaming will be free or if it will be by subscription. The Cups (4) & Championships (2) will all be in the former Cup format, shot "in the dark" & shown the following year. So the Cups & Championships that are created in the first year of BPT won't be aired until 2020, during the 2nd year of BPT. That could create an issue for some up & coming anglers. For example, lets say Hunter Shryrock has a great year, wins 2 of the Cups and 1 of the Championships. Rather than being able to cash in on that right away by signing sponsorship deals as he is "hot", he is going to have to wait a year until his wins are revealed and he gains the status that he could cash in on. If he happens to be having a poor run on the 2nd year of the BPT while his Cup & Championship runs are being shown, sponsors may shy away, concerned that fans may consider him a flash in the pan. Ironically, if Boyd Duckett had had to wait a year for his Classic win to be shown, it probably would have cost him a lot. He had an incredible 2007 and was sought after by many sponsors as the next big thing. Since then, he has been consistently mediocre, never living up to the promise of that great 2007 year. Had Duckett been forced to hold off showing his 2007 results while he was in the midst of a below average 2008 year, he might never had gained a foothold in Pro Fishing to the point where he created MLF...

I was going to make some snarky response about Bakersfield being in the middle of the desert, but when I pulled up a map, it shows the Kern river going right through the center of town. I have no idea if that is a real river or a dry river bed like the Santa Ana river is here in Orange County. If you don't get much response here, it may be worth just pulling up a map of the town and giving some out of the way spots a shot (on foot) when you get there.

It looks like the Elites are going to be 75 anglers instead of 80, either because BASS couldn't find 5 more anglers or they felt the quality of angler would be slipping if they chose whatever remaining anglers there were. I think that may end up being a positive, because by definition, Elite should be something scarce. You should have to prove yourself to make it. There is talk of how the Elite series is minor league now with the angler changes. I think that is wishful thinking, for participants don't determine whether a league is minor or major, rather the other way around. Leagues, through attrition, determine which participants are considered major league versus minor league. As proof, ask yourself why those pros like Wheeler, Ehrler, Tharp and others who started & made money elsewhere became household names (as much as fishermen can) only after they joined the Elite series? All these guys have always have had top notch talent, but it wasn't until they made the major leagues (Elite Series) that they became known to the more casual observer. Most casual anglers did not know who Jordan Lee or Justin Lucas were five years ago. All that has really happened over the past few months is a bunch of the anglers have basically gone on strike & formed another league and a new set of anglers have taken their place in the Elite Series. Attrition at a steroid, artificial level. Now, if BASS screws up and makes changes that diminish their league, then they may end up becoming minor league. MLF has an opportunity to surpass them as the premier league, but it won't because who they have attracted, it will be based on how their organization operates. We will find that out over the next 5-10 years, but in the meantime, the Elite Series still is the major league of bass fishing. IF it wasn't, I don't think Johnny Morris would have hedged his bet by signing a new sponsorship deal with them.

On a side note, do Tilapia fight like bluegill/sunfish or do they have their own style?

It is a shame that either team has to lose this game between the Rams & Saints. 35 - 35 with just under 10 minutes to play.

I am still a decade or less from retiring, but I can clearly see that I am in the same boat (pun intended) as Scott F. I own my own business and don't dislike what I do, but would prefer a much slower pace. I am handy as far as most projects around the house and don't mind doing them if I can take my time. Additionally, my oldest son just got married in August and will be having a child in May, so it is easy to see my future retirement time being divvied up between fishing, doing small projects and being a grandparent (in addition to the social interaction with friends & family).

It would be pretty impressive if you could use your sonar to search for lures...?