BigAngus752

I've seen one. I don't think that this will be so different as to be worth driving 100 miles to see it. Instead I think I'll sneak out of work and onto the boat to see if the bass are interested enough to look up. Weird natural phenomenom sometimes affects animals. Let's see if they want a boat ride.

One of my favorite things about fall fishing is catching striper on crankbaits in a foot of water. Those things are just plain angry. What a blast!

The #1 recommendation I have for you is to begin a very thorough stretching/flexibility routine on a daily basis. Get as flexy as you can up until the day of the tournament. Find some accounts on social media that do flexibility and stability exercises for your specific age range and gender. I'd have to take a foam roller with me and roll my back on the deck a couple times a day starting on day 3, without a doubt. On a lighter note, I'd go the opposite with the alcohol. I'd start drinking now and make sure I was a raging alcoholic before I got there. It's like an ultra-marathon for your liver. You gotta build up the endurance. I might even fly to Denver and get drunk where the air is thinner....train hard.

Slow and small until those water temps go up. Just hang on! It’s coming!

When nothing else is working they still hit the Yama Fat Baby, usually on the fall. It was a 2-15 that did this.

Several years ago I had just replaced a full spool of 50lb 832 on my frog rod. It was a little windy that day but I was casting with the wind so I'm all good, right? Turns out if it's blowing hard enough and you're casting under a small bridge there can be a significant updraft. First cast was fine. Second cast the frog lifted almost straight up and hit the bridge header 15 feet in front of me. I learned two things: 1. Up to that day I had overrun braid many times, but I didn't know you could actually birdsnest braid. 2. If you birdsnest braid, it's 10000000000000 times worse than other line. Cut that expensive line off after two casts.

I'm getting to this one late, but...daaaannnggg that is genius!

No. I will not help you.

2016 Ranger RT188 w/115 Merc 4-stroke and Ultrex @Tennessee Boyand @gimruiscovered it pretty well. Pros: It drafts so shallow I can push-pole my way through almost what a kayak can float through. The deck stability is amazing. I've had Lowe owners and fiberglass owners standing on my front deck and going on and on about how they feel like they are standing on a dock. It's that steady. It's not fast and not built for rough water, so it's a trade off. Once I had a couple mishaps I stopped caring about the scratches. The welded all-aluminum makes for an incredibly tough boat and I will take it into any mess that I need to for finding fish or getting my lures back. Cons: Wind is a battle and I LOVE fishing in the wind. The Ultrex was a God-send but I would prefer two shallow water anchors and there are many days I wish I had a heavy glass boat. The trailer is something a torture expert thought up. @Tennessee Boyisn't kidding about the finding the sweet spot. I've gotten too deep on a new ramp a couple times and had to take the stupid boat back to the dock and go pull my truck up a few inches. I can't get two shallow water anchors on it. It will get traded in five years or so just because of that.

This is the best point so far in this thread. This is a no-brainer. So, if this is the threshold, what "advantage" meets this? Definitely not FFS. Not even close.

I believe that 100%. Funny thing is, I am searching for someone in my area that DOES rely heavily on their electronics just so I can go out with them a few times and get some lessons, but even my tourney-fishing friends don't use it as much as I would expect.

Those already exist at a local level. You won't see any at anything beyond a local level because: 1. It's the creators of the technology (all fishing technology, not just FFS) that are the financial basis for "expert"-level bass tournaments and 2. The vast majority of amateur tournaments are predicated on the idea that participants can be a pro fisherman someday. Even if it's just a small, local tournament the participants want to feel like they are fishing "just like the pros" or there's that little glimmer of hope that they can be a pro someday. It's just basic capitalism and human nature. If a fishing technology gets to the point that it's an unfair advantage you just have to pray that the governing bodies will realize it and remove it from competition...but...that's where the money comes from so.... Just to use your own analogy, how many people pay attention to the natty competitions? Look at the nattys and then look at the Arnold. It's NBA vs WNBA. People want to see pros catch fish.

I love all of these, especially the two weather comments. I just want to add a couple more: -Know the birds! Know what birds eat what critters and follow the right birds to find the bass. -Wind moves the bait and, thus, the bass. You can turn a day into an epic day sometimes if you fish the wind. -If I say "This is the last cast before I move on" then I will snag on something. -If I say "This is the last cast and I'm going home" I am absolutely lying.

^^^+1^^^ 30lb minimum for braid on BC. 12lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid for all trebles. Your braid won't forgive you if you get "bass fever" and try to horse a fish on trebles. Mono or hybrid can help keep a fish pinned, especially if your brand of rod is a faster kind of fast.

Where I work they regularly succumb to lead poisoning.

I just looked it up. They have groundhogs, but they call them the "California Woodchuck" because everything is special there.

One.

Hanging out with the big girls!!! I had to come back and look at this thing again. That is a battleship.

What?! You're the kind of guy that would tell someone, "Just eat one Pringle". I'm like Rain Man counting cards when I'm on the water.

@Pat Brown is 100% with his reasoning for choosing a plastic worm. It's a tough question because no conditions are mentioned. I'll have to go with a jig. It can be used in so many different ways, conditions, and locations.

And St. Croix or I would have a Victory on the way already.

Congratulations! You are living well!

That's Wonder Woman's boat.