AlabamaSpothunter

Alpha Angler Wrench 7" M Fast. The ultimate whacky rig rod.

I use them in the Spring around the spawn because I feel like it makes the fish more angry. The red comes off after a few fish, but this still feeds into my theory. Be it red, or just a shinier hook that emits some extra flash, I feel the fish want to remove the threat from their bed area. I've used them other parts of the year and haven't noticed myself getting less bites than with the standard black Gama EWGs, but now that the Nano Alpha models have been released, I just use those the rest of the year. It's a confidence deal like most things in fishing....if you think they'll work, they probably will, if you don't think they work, they probably won't work.

I use tear drop tungsten free rig weights. You want tungsten because they are significantly smaller and way more sensitive than lead weights of comparable weights. I don't like the tungsten long and skinny tear drop weights that many times are being marketed as "free rig" weights these days. I want the most compact, completely free swiveling, and open eyelet I can find. That happens to be the fatter tear drop tungsten drop shot weights with the round eyelet instead of the half crimped ones. The ones you posted will work though. Just about how far down the rabbit hole you want to go, just like any other bait in the Bass fishing universe.

Bought a pack of Bellow's Gill 3.8 a month or two ago.......was very worried about their durability.......make a few casts, catch a small fish on one, and immediately the bait goes flying off with its first jump. So much to like about the bait, the SAF material, the design, but ultimately their is no way I'm fishing a bait that cost over $1 per bait, and lasts only one fish. Hopefully the Deps Bull Flat are more durable, gonna try those one of these days.

Hopefully the owner pays them a handsome reward.....that's a ton of money tied up in those hunting dogs. Happy ending, job well done to those men!

@king fisher Amazing fish, congrats on the mega!!!!! I'd take a treble through the arm for a DD any day of the week and twice on sunday 😁

Jay Kumar's Bass Blaster just had some more info. The State has underwritten the prize purse so I'd imagine this thing is going to go down how they say it will. The payouts are amazing. Some interesting parts: "1. $500K for 1st in the UA Championship, 2nd is $130K, 3rd $80K, 4th $70K, 5th $50K and it goes all the way down to 100th. 2. No entry fee but at $500 fee (I think annual?) to join the nonprofit. It's possible that the membership – maybe along with the state of AL? – will own the nonprofit. If there's a backstory to this deal, it appears to be that someone(s) managed to push through the AL state gov't the idea of a huge "birthplace of bass fishing" tourney that will help publicize, promote and fund AL bass fisheries. I think. The team's concept was driven by passionate pro anglers and other industry folks looking for a way to unite and raise bass fishing to an entirely new level for "the love of the game." In combination with the state of AL – as well as local partners City of Scottsboro, Jackson County and state leadership – the group also wanted to raise awareness of the state's healthy bass fisheries and help raise funds for conservation, ultimately to fund grants for federal-matched dollars for conservation grants."

Didn't Chris Johnston still win $60-70k for winning it? I agree though, the turnout on the Lanier one was a bit disappointing, however that derby was loaded with absolute hammers. That was basically an Elite Series event without FFS. I've read they've already secured the prize purse, but who knows. I suspect this one will be different....or maybe I'm just hoping it will be different. The fishing world only benefits from having more non FFS events, @gimruis shared a story about his parents and the Walleye derbies they fish that really illustrates this point. At the top level this isn't as big of a deal, but it trickles down to even parking lot derbies. Whether age, finances, or personal objections to the tech, a lot of derby anglers are getting pushed out of that side of the game because of this tech. It's also eliminating the co angler aspect of the sport. Nobody wants to fish co angler anymore because of this technology, and the B.A.S.S. numbers show this to be the case.

The only thing I dislike about Bass fishing is when I injure them which is just part of the sport. That part never gets easier, and I feel a great sense of unfairness when I hurt a fish at the expense of me having a good time. I'm not there to harvest these fish, and to some degree it feels a bit like a cat playing with a mouse.

$500k to the winner, and over $1mil total in the purse. Now that's a real derby

This one has a huge purse as well. B.A.S.S. should pay close attention to this derby, and if they were wise they'd realize there is a huge demand for non FFS derbies. This is the second major derby that's being marketed as a non FFS event.

Gives you a whole new appreciation for God and Mother Nature doesn't it, the complexity of nature is incredible. I'm always reminded of this when I read about another failed attempt to grow the world record LMB. Great stuff Bob, you work so hard on that pond, so it's nice that you take the time to really enjoy the critters in the home you've built them.

Just getting home from night fishing 😁 Good luck in a few hours, but I know you don't need luck 😎

Katie, I think adding a small water temp gauge to your gear would be super helpful. The one thing I've found in terms of environmental factors that's the most consistent is water temps and how they relate to Bass movements. This is especially true pre spawn, spawn, and post spawn periods. You can kind of get a jumpstart on the Bass before they move, for example down here once I see 55d in Feb., my first stop each day is to see what's moved to the banks. I always record my water temps in my daily logs.

Check out the "Bass After Dark" and "Big Bass Podcast" on youtube for the episodes featuring a guy named Jimmy Zinker.......hours of knowledge on fishing for monsters at night with modified jitterbugs. Some of my favorite stuff I've watched on Youtube.

Yes the action will be different based on the line type, size......the reel size, and retrieve, and lastly the rod length, and action.

Once the water reaches about 80d, I don't think it's ethically right to catch big fish on spinning gear. It takes me several minutes to catch a 7-8lb fish on 8lb FC on spinning gear. I rarely need to net a giant caught on spinning tackle because I expend all their energy during the fight. That same fish takes me 30secs with 18lb FC on baitcasting gear. Just something to think about with this topic. Get those big fish released asap once that water gets hot, do whatever it takes to not prolong the fight with these special fish.

There's no more noble action in the sport of Bass fishing than to take a kid fishing! Proud of you Katie, you've gone from being a rookie at green fish just a few years ago to now being such a great Bass angler that you can put kids on fish. My father wasn't into fishing, and if it wasn't for a neighbor who mentored me, I never would have learned how special LMB are.

Double SDJ or standard SDJ knot

Awesome day Katie, and glad to hear you got home safely! Get some rest, those Bass will be there in a couple days 🙂

Amazing how B.A.S.S. always has so many tech difficulties on live and during weigh ins. MLF coverage is a million times better, and that really pains me to say.

Agreed, a number of fish have already died this derby. Several anglers mentioned they had dead fish at the weigh in yesterday. One thing that strikes me as wrong is B.A.S.S. doesn't say at the weigh that the angler's weight is reduced because of a dead fish penalty. BMP lost last year to Davis Jr on Lay Lake because of a dead fish penalty......I was there and nobody, but Brandon said a word about it.

How dare you @TnRiver46.........I don't type with peanut butter stuck in the roof of my mouth 🤣 Christie's 9.4 last year on Lay Lake is the best catch I've seen since being back in the sport. He's got the video on his youtube channel. Epic catch and fish.

This thread is a testament to why night fishing is the ultimate cheat code in Bass fishing imho. Very few Bass anglers night fish.

The fish are so scattered out right now because of the time of year, and lack of current that it really makes it hard for the scopers to do their thing as efficiently. Lake is fishing very tough today. Very few bags over 15lbs. Maybe B.A.S.S. will schedule the events in Alabama during the Fall next year, only way to make our fisheries look worse. By the time they leave Alabama, folks will think the state is one big Sabine River 🤣