OCdockskipper

When I was in grade school, there was this big fat kid named Richard Best who was a bully. He was a ****, so I like never having to read his name. I am in favor of such a change, Richard **** had it coming.

About 4 years ago, we were in Arizona for a few days & I ended up fishing the 3 ponds to the north of the Phoenix Zoo (you can see them & the parking situation on any map). They get their water from the Canal & flow into from one to another. Each had its own personality as far as depth, amount of vegetation, water clarity, etc. However, being that you will be going in April, you will most likely be in the midst of the spawn or post spawn, so shallow baits will probably be the ticket for each lake. They were pretty rural for a city park and while they had some pressure (midweek during the summer), there were some nice 3 to 4 lb bass there.

I don't necessarily disagree, although I would suggest that the "every fish counts" format works better when the pros are fishing a lake they haven't practiced on. When they have to figure out the lake on the fly, that format shines. When they have had a couple of months to prepare for a tournament and a couple of days to dial in the conditions, it makes catching a dozen 2lb bass less impressive. Even though I have been a marshal multiple times, I find all live fishing events to be like baseball. I enjoy having it on in the background while I am doing something else. To try and sit and just watch it, I just can't do that. At least when you are a marshal, you can chat with the competitor and you have something to do (log fish catches, take & submit photos, etc.). Since you are not an official when you are a marshal, it is much more fun than being in the boat for an MLF event - that is a job.

yes, Zman. I posted from my phone & it apparently autocorrected it to Zoom. Thanks for catching it (pun intended)

No, Mend it is not an adhesive. From what I understand, it breaks down the plastic to a state it was when it was being poured, so the two pieces meld together as they dry. That is why it doesn't work on Zoom products.

I call Fake News!! After all, why would I buy back my own merchandise? (Oh crap, cover blown).

Regarding the lack of knowledge of employees/management at big box stores, the same thing occurred in the electronics business years ago. Their ignorance is a double headed monster. First, they mistakenly sell things below cost, taking sales away from more fiscally responsible companies, eventually driving them out of business. Then, after not being profitable for years, the big box stores go out of business themselves. Circuit City & The Good Guys were examples of this in the electronics industry.

No problem, it is just a conversation, not a debate. I'm happy to hear your point of view & perspective. You are correct that small businesses can't compete on the pricing or foot traffic front, those are the strengths of the big box stores. Small business's must exploit what they can do better than the big stores. Not unlike a fight between a 300lb dude and a 200lb guy, the smaller man needs to avoid letting the fisticuffs get into a situation where size is an advantage. Think about it. How bad must your business plan be if you get people to come into your store, check out your merchandise and then walk out & buy it elsewhere? If it is due to pricing, then the item has become a commodity, where price & only price determines the point of purchase. If a small business finds themselves in a position of selling commodities based on price, then they have just tried to tackle the 300lb brawler. FYI, my perspective is that of the little guy, competing daily against Best Buy & Amazon. If I can't give my customers a reason that makes them prefer to buy from me instead of those 300lbers, then I really don't deserve to be in business.

I wouldn't place the responsibility on the consumer, most of it lays at the feet of the local tackle shops. If those businesses don't provide value for their customers or fulfill a need, it is unreasonable to ask the customers to continue to patronize them just because they are a small business. As the owner of a small business, I know I have advantages over larger competitors in some areas and they have advantages over me in other areas. It is my job to make sure to exploit my advantages and maintain a company that provides customers with something they don't get at the larger competition, creating an experience they prefer. Many small businesses fail when they are passed on to the next generation or are sold to 3rd parties. Those proprietors usually lack the vision & passion the founder had and the end result is the slow death spiral of the business. Don't forget that at one time, BPS was a small business, run out of the back of a hardware store. At that time, Johnny Morris provided products & services that his customers wanted & needed, allowing him to survive against the larger tackle providers of that time.

Along those lines, I have mastered the ability to know exactly where I should have been fishing and with what technique as soon as I have quit for the day and put all my tackle away.

One thing I have figured out over the years is that to become a true "Master anything", you end up excluding many other things in your life. The result is a one dimensional person whose life revolves around that one thing. That is why some of the most amazing folks who can do something no one else can are the worst people to try to carry on a conversation with. That said, you can be excellent at many things and not have to become so one dimensional. Further, I think when you get really good at something, it makes you aware of the process required to get really good at others, i.e., success breeding success. It is that first one that can be the toughie. The law of diminishing returns plays a big part of the difference of what is required to become a master versus excellent.

How about a depth finder that doesn't need a screen? Instead of you looking down at what the transducer is seeing, the depthfinder instead projects the images out on the water (360 degrees around the boat) of what is below the surface. So as you look around the boat, you are seeing what is where (including any lure you cast). It would change everything to virtual sight fishing, not sure I would enjoy it.

Nothing said before the hookset, but if the fish starts pulling drag after it, I turn into Roland Martin and begin repeating "Be a bass! Be a bass! Be a bass". Soon thereafter, this is often followed by a one word acceptance "Catfish".

I have always liked BPS, back to when I first saw a catalog of theirs about 40 years ago. That said, I don't like the continued growth through acquisition, for I feel the end result is less choice for the consumer. For example, BPS made a positive change about their shipping charges a year or so ago, The reason was to stay competitive with Tackle Warehouse, who offers free shipping for $50 orders. My concern is that like any business, if BPS doesn't have to compete to get your purchase, they won't. Nothing personal with BPS or Johnny Morris, it is just human nature to get complacent if no one is competing against you.

The first fish I ever caught by myself, start to finish (no one handing you a pole already hooked up) was a bluegill in 1969. We used to vacation at the Sacramento Delta in the summer, at Hopes Landing just down a spot from Wimpy's restaurant. One evening at dusk, I went down to the dock by myself (6 year olds could do that in the 60's) while the adults wrapped up dinner. I don't recall the details about catching the bluegill, but I do remember running all the way back to the cabin, about 100 yards, with the poor fish bouncing on the end of the rod.

Interesting you mention that, I have a half dozen Shimano Spirex reels that I really like with one caveat - they bind up in rainy weather. The spool doesn't bind, it is the handle as you describe. When I took one into Shimano, they didn't have a long term solution. Fortunately, rain doesn't happen much here in So Cal, so it is a minor inconvenience, but still enough to make me consider another brand for future purchases.

Nor Cal & So Cal are as different season wise as Georgia & Virginia. They just happen to be in the same state. I'm in Orange County, south of L.A. I contend we have about 6 weeks of winter, all of December & the first 2 weeks of January. By the time the NFL is down to its final four, the bass have here have begun their prespawn habits.. My guess is that Nor Cal probably starts winter about 3-4 weeks before us and ends about 3-4 weeks after.

I have the reverse take on that. When Palaniuk won at Santee Cooper, he said from stage it was the first tournament that he had won where he wasn't fishing offshore. He has admitted to struggling in shallow water places, especially Florida. His strengths seem to be electronics, a willingness to learn and the ability to close out a tourney as good as anyone, including KVD. He also has a wonderful trait to be "in the moment" when he is fishing, noticing little details about what is happening around him that many others miss, which is why he has had culling penalties over the years (adding a sixth fish to the livewell without culling out one). He doesn't need to fish a clean, perfect tournament to win. He has won multiple times despite losing weight to a culling penalty, won once when he lost half a day to go to the hospital to get a hook out of his hand. The dude is special. Now Wheeler seems to be able to catch fish in just about any situation. He doesn't depend on any single technique or presentation to catch them, he just always figures out a way to catch them. He is the epitome of a grinder, amazing concentration and seems calm & rational even when he is excited. I'm not sure if he has the ability to close like Palanuik does, but few do. Heck, anyone who can come out and win the first two Elite events they fish is also pretty special.

That is unique, because usually folks hit the lake once or twice and then declare themselves to be experts . I have gotten used to feeling uneducated, it typically happens about the time I think I have it all figured out.

Oh, I never saw it. I would love to see Roland Martin on the Elite series, he is good for the sport of bass fishing.

I'm not sure how the legend exemption works exactly. I know anglers are awarded points for Classic wins or AOY's, with the more points being higher priority, but I believe there are a limited number of Legends exemption spots (2). Further, I'm not sure if an existing angler on the Elite series because of a Legends exemption can be bumped out by a more qualified legend (i.e., if Roland Martin wanted to fish the Elites, he couldn't bump out Gerald Swindle and take the spot Swindle was already awarded). Roland might have more fun being Scott's number one fan. I can envision the first time Scott comes across the Elite stage, Dave Mercer may wisecrack "Someone told me your dad used to fish BASS tournaments, is that true?"

"When you strike at the king, you must kill him" - Ralph Waldo Emerson When BPT formed at the end of 2018, they struck at BASS. They wounded them, but did not kill them and the point of Emersons quote is being exposed. BPT had all of the momentum to start the 2019 season, instant credibility based on who they brought to their roster. Cracks started to show at the end of the year when Palaniuk & Swindle literally paid to leave BPT & go back to BASS. Think about that, it had never happened in professional fishing before. Top anglers willing to pay $50,000 to NOT fish a tour. This year closes with Christie, Hackney, Martin, New, Atkins and others willing & able to qualify (or requalify) though the Opens to join the Elite series, while BPT tries to replace their losses with Cox. The organizational momentum has swung back to BASS and is picking up speed. It will be interesting to see what BPT names sign up for the 2021 Opens in order to try to qualify for the 2022 Elite series. 2021 exposed a major fundamental difference between BASS & BPT. BPT did not have the organizational strength or commitment to finish out their season when Covid19 hit, they called it quits halfway through. BASS had the ability to reschedule events for both the Elite series and the Opens in order to complete a full season. I think that makes a difference to the anglers participating as well as to the fans. Suddenly having an organization run by & for the anglers doesn't seem like such a great feature. I know many may not agree with this, but I am of the belief that BPT is 3 anglers away from being looked upon as a secondary tour, kind of like the way FLW was when the Elite series was flying high. If Jacob Wheeler, Jordan Lee and Ott DeFoe chose to leave BPT and requalified for the Elite series, I would call checkmate. Those 3 represent the young but successful future of BPT and should they jump ship, BPT becomes the minor leagues.

As a teenager, I would be in the front of our 14 ft Sears Gamefisher while my sister would be in the back. I controlled the boat with the electric & made the decisions and any time I outfished her, she would say it was because I was in the front. I offered her the front, she wouldn't take it, she just wanted to stay in the back firing off buzzbaits, Jitterbugs and Wee-R's. Fast forward to 2016, we met up in Missouri for a few days as we both were nearby for business. We went to the Busch Memorial Conservation preserve to fish a few of those small lakes and could only mount the electric on the back of the rental boat. So now did I not only have to control the boat, I had to do it from the back, all the while sitting down instead of standing up while she got first shot from the front. It was satisfying to outfish her both days with nary an excuse popping out of her mouth .

I get one about every other year or so, the worst was the very first one. That one kind of paved a path for futures stones to make their journey with less struggle, creating uncomfort as opposed to pain. Starts with slight back pain, kind of like I strained a muscle and works itself around the side. It is funny when you "ping" one off the side of the toilet. One year I saved one and gave it to my brother-in-law for Christmas. He had it in his hands, turning it over, trying to figure out just what it was. When I told him, he threw it outside and washed his hands for about 15 minutes ?. For me, the doctor said I had a propensity for them genetically & that they were caused by dehydration (as TNRiver said, sugary drinks or lack of water). After the first one, I switched to Propel and backed off of caffeine. Whenever I get one, I can look back and see a few day period where I either indulged in a few colas or sweated a bunch without completely replenishing the fluids I lost.

Considering what they went through to get all of the 2020 Elite series events rescheduled, I think they had less time to explore options for new waters for 2021. Add in the uncertainty of how long Covid is going to be messing things up, they chose to rely on a host cities that had been through the process for a majority of events. The news for 2021 will not be the locations as much as the anglers. Christy & Hackney are returning, New & Atkins will most likely qualify this weekend and Scott martin can make the cut with a good day tomorrow. Since they aren't cutting any anglers, the field will bump up from 88 to 100, a number they seemed to prefer years back. If the year goes off without much of a hitch, I wouldn't be surprised to see 2022 be a year with 5 or 6 new or rarely visited bodies of water in the lineup