OCdockskipper

I can make a donation. I have an old saltwater rod that a neighbor gave me & I was going to use for the BPS trade-in sale, but I'll donate it to you. just stop by the next time you are in the area. As for financial ideas, I watched a TV series recently where a middle aged man did very well financially by getting in the Meth business. I believe it was a documentary...

Yes. I have found quite a few items on sale that aren't even mentioned in the flyer. I don't know why they would do that, other than not wanting to commit to having huge amounts on hand at sale price.

That was what I was thinking. I know different species often school together because of size, but I wonder if they realize they are different than the other fish. They are kind of like Buddy the Elf or the proverbial boy raised by wolves, completely out of their pack but clueless about it.

I don't have any rods that float, but I do have an angler who is cheap enough to dive in the water after them...

Well, as you surely know by now, rarely does your Bucket A choice separate you from the crowd. Often there are 7 or 8 guys in this bucket who end up within 30 points of each other. AMart was an exception a couple of years ago on the Potomac when he led all 4 days and had both the largest bag and the largest fish. A perfect 400 point performance...that 30% of the participants chose . No, the separation often comes from buckets C, D or E. Either an average Elite has a great day, ends up with big bag & coasts to the top 12 while everyone else in that bucket misses the cut or an above average Elite that has been in a slump breaks out. Edwin Evers did the latter back in 2015, he started out the season slow & was mired down in Bucket D I believe when he ran off a string of 3 great tournaments. It started on Havasu (big bag, top 5 finish), continued on Kentucky Lake with a win and then another win on the St. Lawrence. By the time that string was over, he was back up in Bucket A, but he had huge point advantages over the next closest angler in his bucket as he made that climb. Of course, after picking him at Havasu, I played the "No one goes back to back in the Elite series" theory and missed taking advantage of his next 2 performances...

One of the few things I did right from the onset while bass fishing was not try to turn the Ned rig into something it wasn't. I learned about the Ned rig less than 2 years ago from a friend who, in a fit of common sense, referred me to this website and specifically the posts from Team9nine and Bluebasser instead of trying to teach me himself (it was new to him also). I may have been fortunate that my home lake fits the Midwest Finesse style perfectly (shallow, sparse cover, fairly clear), for following instructions paid off for me immediately. Most of my fish are caught via a Ned rig and rare is the day that biggest fish also doesn't fall for it. I have since used it while traveling to Nevada, Utah, Texas & Missouri, on both lakes & rivers, targeting largemouth, smallmouth, guadalupe & stripers with similar results. While it is not designed for tournaments, I will be shocked if it doesn't play a major part of at least one BASS or MLF tourney in 2017. Check your ego at the door and follow the instructions of those who have figured some stuff out, you will be glad you did.

As has been suggested, the thin profile of the head of the 4.5" & 6" Roboworms doesn't hold up well to most Texas rig hooks. Years ago a friend showed me that he uses the decades old Mr. Twister Keeper hooks for them, the small pin on the front of the hook doesn't tear up the Roboworm head like traditional T-Rig hooks do. I had my doubts, until he landed an 8-0 with this setup as I sat in the back of his boat. Seeing was believing... I now use this hook when T-rigging most small diameter baits. It was the hook I was using when I caught an 8-4 that bumped up my PB last summer. I don't know of anyone else that uses these hooks and can only find them at BPS.

The lake I live on is like that. All of the land surrounding it is private, owned by individuals or the HOA and the lake itself is private because we pay for the water we put into it (only in Southern California ). It is not unusual during the spring & summer for non-residents to sneak to the greenbelt areas and fire in a few casts. There have been a few people ballsy enough to launch kayaks or pondboats, but with one exception, those folks do it once & never come back. The exception is two guys in a 8 ft Pond prowler who once or twice a month launch their boat in a back cove hidden from the main lake. They fish from dawn until about 9:30, and then leave the same way before a HOA patrol comes by (Boats must be registered with the HOA to be on the lake, so it is very easy for the patrol to see if you have a sticker on it or not). What is comical is the two guys both are well over 200lbs and with them & their gear, that little 8 ft boat comes oh-so close to capsizing when either one moves. Plus, I have nicknamed one of the guys "Emphysema Man" because he has one of the loudest, most persistent coughs I have ever heard. One foggy day I knew they were on the lake and where they were even though I couldn't see them - I just heard him hacking away. I have told the HOA about them, but haven't personally confronted them. They have seen my boat docked & obviously know where I live, so I figure I'll let the authorities do their job instead of playing harda** myself. The problem in not cracking down on them is liability. I guarantee if either of those chubbies fall overboard & drown, their estate will be at the courthouse the next morning filing a lawsuit. While they don't leave trash, what they do occasionally is smoke pot while on the water. They think know one knows, but that smell floats across the water for some distance. Pot is now legal in California, but not in public & especially not on someone elses property in which you are trespassing. Bottom line, they are being disrespectful & rude.

I use 8lb & 10lb Nanofil with 8lb P-line fluorocarbon leaders on all my spinning setups except one. That one is 4lb test of both on an ultralight rig. I use a crazy Alberto knot for Nanofil to leader, it works better than a double uni for me ( your results may vary). The lakes I fish have next to no wood or abrasive cover, so I haven't had any issues with it holding up. I did use it on a trip to Missouri & dragged a few average size fish through some standing timber, but I wouldn't think that is what this line is designed for.

When choosing what cards to pass, remember that having 3 or 4 cards of a suit is the worst situation to be in. It is always better to have 6 or more cards of a suit or 1/zero of a suit. The more you can play as a counter puncher, responding to others leads, the better. Avoid passing the queen of spades to the left. Passing it to the right is fine if you are low on spades & have an out card for most suits.

It was either this one, pooping out a Roboworm while chewing on another lure (weird & rude) Or this one, who had major delusions of grandeur

If you mean prerig a few tubes before hand, then that still means you have to retie. What I am asking is in regards to the rigging instructions that come with the hooks. The instructions show that they must be rigged to the tube & then tied to the line. Other than adding a small snap (which I dislike), it means after just about every fish, you need to retie.

I can see how a bunch of 5 year old little girls swimming topless around your boat would indeed qualify as a problem. They must be attracted by the "Free Candy" sign hand painted on the side of your boat. Smack 'em with a paddle a few times and they will leave you alone...

Sounds like the beginning of a long con, whatever you do, don't lend him any money... Just kidding, I hope you have some great trips together.

1 pass with a paint scrapper to get the heavier moss & zebra mussels; 2 passes with a nylon brush to get most of the scum; 1 pass with a steel brush in corners to get the stubborn scum; 2 passes with a Scotchbrite sponge to get the little stuff. All the time keeping it wet When done, I went & took a nap...

The boat is $799 new, I'm sure a used one would be less. I have seen some earlier models of this that I didn't like as much, the current models seem to be a bit roomier. As far as the cost of the modifications, some of the items were things I had purchased in the past and retooled for this boat. Here is what I can remember the costs to be: Marine plywood - $80 Marine carpet - $100 Carpet adhesive - $35 Transom mount trolling motor - $200 Marine deep cycle battery - $150 Big foot trolling motor switch - $35 Portable depth finder - $150 Onboard battery charge - $100 Replacement front seat - $120 Rudder - $50 Telescoping paddle - $20 Mini-bilge pump - $25 Custom waterproof cover -$400 Extra prop, fuses etc - $100 Modifications Total - $1415 plus some of your time. No, they are pretty sturdy, but I will be changing out the washers (they are starting to rust). I agree with you about the stability. The plywood floor with the carpet makes it even more stable. Plus, during the summer I like to be barefoot in the boat & the carpet doesn't get as hot as the plastic. It may sound silly, but I also run a shop vac over the carpet after every trip, it keeps it in great shape.

My experience with it has been the complete opposite. I use 8 & 10 lb test Nanofil on all my spinning rods, with the lone exception being an ultralight with 4 lb test on it. I use a crazy Alberta knot to tie P-Line fluorocarbon leaders and use a drop of superglue on the knot to help with the abrasion of going through the knots. Used it for over 3 years and have had none of the problems many people have reported. I know many consider it an insult to their angling skills to suggest they are not tying their knots correctly, but I don't know what else it could be. The line is not mono or fluoro, it has its own characteristics, but it can be a great tool if used correctly. As for strength, I have landed five bass over 7 1/2 lbs with the 8 & 10 lb strength. My drags are set at about 30% of line strength and I never horse fish in. I have also caught dozens of catfish and carp over 10 lbs with no issue or break offs. I have never used Gliss, but I haven't had a need to try anything else.

The benefit of having my little Pond Prowler docked and not having to haul & launch it every time I go fishing does come with one drawback. Sitting in the water full-time does create growth on the hull that affects performance and is not the most aesthetically pleasing. A week ago we had a break between storms and since it was a day that fell on the wrong side of a cold front, I decided to do a full cleaning. I have never taken the time to show off my mini fishing rig, so I figured this would be a good time to do so. To give you an idea of what 18 months of buildup looks like, here is a look at the hull half cleaned & fully cleaned: I have done a few modifications to the 10 ft. boat. I have always considered a fishing boats main purpose is as a casting platform and gear hauler, so I try to keep everything open & accessible. The first photo is what the Pond Prowler looks like sans modifications while the next few are with the modifications reinstalled. The last photo is the boat tucked in for the week with the custom waterproof cover that keeps the interior out of the elements. The flooring consists of two pieces of marine plywood covered with marine carpet. The first piece runs from the front to about 18" from the back, where a second piece is part of a battery cover (the large box in the back). The box features a removable lid & a small bilge pump enclosed. Not pictured is a small rudder used to improve control, consisting of a Bullnose rudder attached to an old trolling motor shaft. At the front of the boat is the trolling motor, depth finder, on-board battery charger and Bigfoot power control for the TM. The small box on one side houses the excess cables for the TM & charger so they don't get caught up in your feet while fishing. On the other side is a magnetic tool/lure holder. I chose to keep the stock seat system instead of switching out to pedestals for a couple of reasons. First, I prefer to sit low for my lake is fairly clear and this gives me a more stealthy approach. Second, the stock seat system gives great storage for tackle boxes & gear under the seat (no pedestal in the middle). Lastly, by sitting lower, it is easier to land fish, just reach over & grab them. If I need to stand to work a jerkbait or skip under a dock, there is enough room to do so, although I find that once i hook up, I prefer to sit when fighting and landing the fish. The boat easily holds 8 rods when fishing. With two anglers, each person has four rods (two per side) placed in the side "trays" with the butt end near them. When fishing alone (95% of the time), I remove the rear seat and use the brace behind the front side to set 4 spinning rods, butt side towards me, tips on the battery cover. It is a handy way to have access to eight combo's without them being tangled. While I still drool every time I see a decked out 21' Skeeter or Bass Cat, this little boat is a perfect fit for my electric only small lake. Maintenance is next to nothing, letting me spend my time fishing instead of fixing

While I agree with the above statement, I do think that having the largest 5 would remove the effectiveness of the format itself. Part of the MLF appeal is the different format, the choice between trying to catch many small fish versus a few larger fish. Limiting the number of fish that are counted would tip the scales towards those who target larger fish. The difficulty in catching larger fish is already balanced by the fact that they are worth more and you don't need to catch as many to equal a competitors total. More importantly, I believe that MLF has captured how a large percentage of us fish for fun. Outside of a 5 fish tournament format, if one is practicing catch & release, very few people would choose to spend the day catching five 3 lb fish instead of twenty 1 lb fish with one or two larger fish added in. In a 5 fish tourney, a person may sit on a location for 8 hours looking for 5 bites. Very few folks do that when fun fishing, instead they are constantly looking for that area or bait which is creating the most action. By introducing a format which emulates the way most people fish for fun, they have created a product in which one can imagine they are participating in every time they are out on the water. Assuming you are using the "every fish counts" aspect, I assume it changed how you fish while in a tournament. By chance, has it also increased your use of the Ned rig during tournament time?

The Bass Pro Shops Elite Series? They already are the title sponsor all of the opens, I wonder if they gain anything by doing more or even buying B.A.S.S. If they did, I bet it would change the items offered when you get or extend a BASS membership. Nothing but BPS baits...

Would it be correct to assume that the anglers get paid based off the income the show makes from network payments? I would think the advertising dollars are going to the network & the network pays for the rights to the episodes. My first impression is that the anglers were paid not unlike other sports, i.e., they signed a contract to compete and made their money regardless of their results. Kicking out the bottom two would be incentive for guys not to mail it in on tough days while the selects would work like a farm system to introduce new blood. From your account, it sounds as if my impression was incorrect.

It will start on either February 12th or the 17th, I believe it to be the latter. All of the BPS searches return a "coming soon" result, but this one from Springfield events page https://www.springfieldmo.org/events/39392/bass-pro-shops-spring-fishing-classic says it is February 17th thru the 26th. My guess is they have the end date wrong, it is probably another week longer. According to this link, http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPageC?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&langId1&appID=206&template=sfc-initial.cfm they have different start dates, the 12th & the 17th on the same flyer. My guess is this is a mockup using the 2016 flyer and they didn't change all of the dates. It typically starts on a Friday, last year the 12th was a Friday, this year the 17th is one.

OMG, she ate one of her kids!!

I wrote to B.A.S.S. about me having a duplicate membership since BPS gave me the 2 year complimentary one in addition to my current one. They responded quickly and said they would extend my membership by the length of the BPS membership (2 years). I was impressed...

I would choose a different scenario, preferably one with warmer weather and dozens of beautiful women depending on me to supply the food.