12poundbass

Senkos rock in Michigan. Try frogs in the pads.

You sure that's ONLY 5lbs? Looks like another pound or 2 should be added. Either way "she's a beaut. Clark"

Which color are the bass? Brown or green?

Just read your link. The comparison between Andrew and Irma is unbelievable! I was young went Andrew went through so my memory is foggy. I do remember though that it was a bad hurricane. Stay safe everyone!

Good write up. I know you're not an Ike fan (to each their own) I happen to be an Ike fan. I've read his book a couple times and his first marriage basically dissolved because of fishing. He also explains how he does his sponsorships. If I remember right he has 3-4 different tiers to his sponsorship. The more he gets from each sponsor the bigger their name on his boat/jersey. In return the more he gets the more he does. Ike fan or not he basically explains everything you've explained in his book. I'm not plugging the book, just saying it gives you and inside look into a professional angler the good and the bad. So much so some of his fellow anglers got upset at some of the content. Ike's lost sponsors because of his actions over the years. I've heard people like yourself say he's an a$$ and others say the opposite. The same can be said for probably every angler. Every dog has their day. He's toned it down over the years. I think age, new wife, newborns have slowed him down. Some of his antics are pure marketing which is pure genius. Win or lose you need to keep yourself relevant. Gerald Swindle, 2 AOY'S and 0 Elite wins. One of the most recognizable and well like anglers. Marketing yourself plays a big part. He's loud, he's funny, and he makes himself seen even when he has a bad day. I read an article a month ago about Mark Zona. He was quickly shooting up the ladder to the top. Then his wife dropped the bombshell "you're going to be a daddy". He quickly hit the brakes and weighed his options. He took the safe route and kept selling boats. Then KVD mentioned him to someone at ESPN and with a little nudge from his wife, long story short the rest is history. It really takes a special person and risk taker to take that step. You were there you know what it feels like. Most of us will only imagine. Over the years I've thought I'd give anything to be a pro but honestly I wouldn't want it. It would be fun, but it would be a lot of work and a ton of stress. I enjoy fishing and trying to figure out the puzzle. I wouldn't want my livelihood to depend on whether or not I had enough pieces figured out for that day.

Awesome picture! I used to Whitetail hunt in NW Nebraska. Went through some towns population 20 population 50 and so on. I absolutely love it out in the plains states. The scenery is awesome especially on a clear sky night with all the stars. West of the Mississippi east of the Rockies is a whole different world. I'd move in a heart beat.

I always forget about crossbows. That's a different story as far as the practice goes. Cross bows are like guns shoot a couple times and your good. Good luck to you as well. Hoping to get one this year. Our property and the surrounding ones took a major hit a few years ago when the fly disease went through. My step dad got 2 nice ones last year.

Genny lights?

You can't go wrong with a 2-3 month old bottle of Miller Lite. Often overlooked. Just a tip....it's best chilled. Enjoy! ?

Getting ready to set out the trail cams. I haven't bow hunted in years because of work. If I don't have the time to practice before Oct. 1 I will not go. I see too many deer get wounded or wasted because people shoot a couple times the day before and call it good. I don't see a whole lot of action before Halloween anyways. Like A-Jay and Oregon Native I hang out on the lake. Come rifle season my 7 year old and I are in the woods.

It would be interesting to see how long those sponsorship contracts would be for after a classic win. Aaron Martins and Gerald Swindle are both big names and both have a ton of sponsors quite a few have been long term sponsors. Neither have won a classic, both have won a couple AOY's, and Swindle has never one and Elite title surprisingly enough. In T9's links he posted Roland Martin said sponsors like AOY's over Classic wins because it shows consistancy and you're going to get more exposure through the year. Everyone has their own opinion including the anglers themselves! They can't even agree. What would be interesting to know is what would a big name sponsor prefer? That's the opinion that really matters.

Like A-Jay said it is a tough call. You have to be consistent to win the AOY but you don't have to win. The classic you have to be consistent to make the classic then you have to win the classic. On the flip side you have to be more consistent than 100 or so other anglers fishing in all different types of conditions, lakes, and areas of the country to win AOY. Not to mention you're fishing for LMB, SMB, and spots. I'll just say both are extremely difficult. If you've done one or the other you are extremely good. If you've done both you're great. If you've done both multiple times you're not human!

Spring and fall. Spring because after 5-6 months of little to no sunlight it's nice to get some sun and warmer temps. Everything becoming green again is very welcomed also. Fall because after warm muggy temps of summer cool crisp air is really nice.

Nope

That's what I thought too. But I don't blame him for okeying the trade. They were given enough opportunities to win a worl series but always came up short. I'm a loyal person to a fault but I don't blame him at all!

I totally agree and understand about the bottom width. I had a fart in my brain and for some reason I was thinking "stability" as the boat capsizing. Then beam width would help prevent capsizing or water coming over the gunnel. I had a DOH moment. Que your Homer Simpson.

I was scratching my head wondering what happened. I like it too!

Wouldn't a wider beam help with stability? Think of canoes, kayaks, and other V and mod-v boats with wide bottoms and narrows beams. They aren't very stable. My 14' flat bottom has a wider beam than bottom and it's pretty stable. I'm not questioning you Catt I'm just trying to better understand.

Congrats on the award! Enjoy!

As you probably know Zona and KVD are best friends and hang out all the time. Palaniuk seems like a cool guy so I imagine they don't care. It's tongue and cheek. He did win the Classic and the AOY hasn't been crowned yet so he is kind of the King this year so far.

I never thought it would happen but Verlander went to the Astros. Good for him, sad to see him go but he deserves better. 3 prospects and the Tigers eat $18 million of his contract is all it took. I don't follow the Astros but I hear they're pretty good this year. Good luck to JV!

My wife and I decided to go fishing about 10 years ago. Launch the boat park the truck and noticed the boat has a ton of water in it. Forgot to put the plug in. I remember Walleye fishing with my step dad once as a kid and he forgot to put the plug in. He took off down the river and pulled the plug and there went the water. I figured that's what I'd do. I hadn't used my outboard in a while. Fired right up, I pulled the plug twist the throttle and it bogs right down. At this point in in full panic mode thinking we might sink! I moved everything to the front so we wouldn't take any water over the transom. At this point I'm pretty ticked and the wife was pretty scared. Made it to the launch loaded the boat and went home. I've never forgot the plug again.

Everyone was using their phones to record the circus.

After I posted it I thought to myself "boy I just set myself up". What do ya do?

I think it's bed time slo...?