reelfast

1) Creature Bait 2) Senko 3) Square Bill 4) Chatterbait 5) Whopper Plopper

People still pull giants from there, but the pressure has really hurt the bites. I have tons of buddies who won’t go back. I was hesitant to go that far, but I am finally there. Now.. Toledo Bend and Rayburn are awesome.

I hate lake Fork with a passion. Fished it a ton. It is the most over pressured lake there is and it isn’t big enough to absorb the pressure. KVD didn’t make the cut there and said the same thing. It really used to be awesome, it just got ruined by all the pressure.

Fork does have gators. But honestly, I am not a Fork fan. I have fished it a ton. The amount of pressure it receives relative to its size has made it a very tough lake to fish. KVD didn’t make the MLF cut there. He said the same thing, just too much pressure on a small body of water. Now Sam Rayburn or Toledo Bend are much better spots.

I love hearing stories about local fishing legends like Charlie. Really is sad the guy isn’t around anymore.

The Lews combos are hard to beat for the money. I have won tourneys on their setups.

Caught a 5 lber on an underspin with a keitech trailer.

I hate this for your family. I hope you have so many great memories of your son. I’m truly sorry!! ?

I started tournament fishing 2 years ago. Prior to that, I preferred rattle traps, square bills, under-spins etc. My theory was cover the most water and I would get more bites. I just didn’t understand that the reaction bite isn’t always on. I became super frustrated fishing these pressured waters under a clock. Watching those weighing-in and talking with them, most of them had won on soft plastics: senkos, ribbon tail worms and creature baits. Learning to fish slow is going to take your fishing to the next level. When the bite is tough.. size down. Ned rigs, or my other favorite, 4 inch bass pro stik-o worms get bit when nothing else will.

Have virtually every PADI dive cert possible. Started when I was 22 and I am 36 now. Dove multiple trips in Cozumel, So Cal, Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, Keys, Hawaii etc. I would say for cheap amazing diving, Cozumel is impossible to beat. Look up all inclusive trips and just go do it.. life is short.

Ned rig and fish it really slow. When the water is cold like that it is one of the only things I can get bit on.

I go to soft plastics. I literally size down and slow down.

Live bait is hard to beat, there is a reason it is banned in tournaments. With that said, I would try an underspin with a keitech type trailer. Square bills can cover a lot of water and help get reaction bites as well.

I lived in San Diego for 3 years... don’t go there it is insanely expensive. Great place to visit, but not to live. I moved to Oklahoma City and it is amazing: Inexpensive and tons of places to fish. If I were moving somewhere where bass fishing was my biggest priority, I would move in proximity to Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend in SE Texas. 2 huge fishing lakes within one hour of each other. Both of those lakes have to be in the top 10 for bass fishing.

There’s a reason the huge amateur tournaments don’t allow live bait...

Upsize for your baits and you will catch less of them. I throw 10 inch ribbon tail worms, 7 inch senkos, 2.5 crankbait and so on. You will still catch some small one’s, but less so when you are using smaller bait. At least that has been my experience.

Back to the 90’s this week. I am hoping for some decent evening action.

Great for when the bite is tough. It is tough for me, as I love to use search baits, but when nothing else works the Ned can be the ticket.

Yup.. and you guys probably would have a huge leg up on knowing where they are at on a local lake. I think a lot of guys could be pros if they had the opportunity: sponsor money mostly.

I would love to see a fun MLF version like the Pros vs the Joes. Fish local lakes “amateur Joe’s” know and see how close it is. I bet a lot of the amateur Joe’s would surprise the pros.

There are cheats in every sport: Barry Bonds, Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones etc. Mike Long is just like them: another competitor with zero integrity. ?‍♂️

When you fish the amateur big bass tourneys on Lake Fork, Rayburn, Grand (Tourney hosts such as Big Bass Splash/ Big Bass Bash etc) they have hourly weigh-ins for this reason. They don’t want you holding fish for long periods of time in confined livewells. Major league fishing has the best system for pros: instant catch and release.

2019 Nitro Z21 I was paying cash, so I wanted something value driven. I love this thing. Great for tournaments on big water.

KVD 1.5 for reaction bite. Havoc pit boss has been a great soft plastic search bait for me. Spinnerbait by docks. Senko or ribbontail when the bite is slow.

I have both the choppo 90 and 120. I tend to size down to the 90 when the bite is tougher, or the fish size is smaller at that particular pond/lake. When I am at Sam Rayburn or Fork I only throw the 120. Hope that helps.