AlabamaSpothunter

100% Another thing I've learned recently is that you don't want to throw a big swimbait first as it will draw all the fish off the area following the bait many times, and as many know they don't commit so many times on those baits. I've just implemented this new change in my game. Milliken learned this on FFS.

Way to go brother, excellent fish and excellent report!

First video of all the practice was amazing as expected. Can't believe he caught a Toledo Lunker fish but couldn't turn it in for a free replica because of the derby rules. He might not have impressed locals, but he has surely impressed his fellow peers in the competition world. When you do something that hundreds of anglers don't do and you win because of it, you deserve a little credit in my book. Now off the read the Toledo Bend thread so I can sign up for the next TB derby.....I'm gonna be just like Ben ?

You live in CA, if anything I'd buy the bigger size ?

I caught this Gizzard in the net after it was stunned by something on my homelake. I've snagged or found a couple 7-8" ones, but not any 10-12" ones. This guy was likely closer to 12". It's my belief that the DD fish in my homelake prefer these particular 8-12" Gizzards. The lake gets 10k Threadfins at the beginning of April, but those are to expedite the LGM getting to the 17.5" size. Once they get to that size they have mouths capable of eating 8-12" Gizzards, and then the big Bluegills and Crappie. Need a 10" Gizzard glide now ?

If there was a professional lure finding league, you and BlueBasser would be the champs easily ?

epic as always

Great start to the season pal, congrats on such a beautiful fish!

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Katie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Way to go Katie, what a spectacular day you had, and I'm just thrilled to see that big girl! What a special fish that is likely quite old! You just made my day Katie, I just knew you'd catch a toad once you got back on the water, this quickly isn't even a surprise. Me and Phishli have talked about it in PMs......big girls are coming your way, and it started today. You just love to see somebody get rewarded for working as hard, and studying as much as you do. The universe occasionally seems to work on the karma system, and when it does it's a beautiful thing to witness. Katie earned and deserved that fish, and the universe blessed her with one. What a great story.

Would you be willing to adopt a starving man child from poverty-stricken Alabama? ?

eta: I see you only want Shimano reels. Maybe a Stradic in 3000 size

You do make a solid point about the Chandelier ? By next A-Rig season I should have a dedicated setup so I don't have to throw it on my big swimbait setup.

They're awesome rods, but now you're going to be spoiled ?

Awesome job, beats losing $50 worth of A-Rigs ?

Dang Katie, my heart breaks for you, and I'm so sorry that you lost your pupper. I loved that book, and surely cried at the end. Really hope you have a great day on the water tomorrow!

Hot Dang Jar, what a stellar day!!! Beautiful big fish! Somebody will find two of those fully rigged Yum rigs in my homelake from this winter of mine. The line wraps in between the wire leads into the head, and it weakens it enough to when you bomb cast or set the hook it just pops ? Those things are dynamite, you need to rig that bad boy back up and start chunking it. I've seen plenty of tanks from you Bob, and variety is the spice of life......I'd love to have the opportunity to catch all three in a trip. I'm thrilled over your recent success, 116 Bass is 116 Bass in my book......I'm going to be grinning ear to ear for a week, and posting raw thumb pics in this thread ?

Beautifully written Bob, Katie puts in more work before she even launches than I do all day fishing. She works hard for those beautiful fish of hers.

Ah okay, I don't believe I've ever caught one before. Kind of sound like a Warmouth of Green Sunfish. I'm sure it did taste like a spicey Meatball to TNRiver46 ? That's awesome you guys get to fish together!

We're all on the same level friend except Katie, once she gets going she'll catch more fish than all of us combined ? Thread is so much more fun when all you guys up north can finally post fish ?

Great to see you getting the line wet and catching some fish Eric! Pretty fish!

What kind of spicey meatball is that? ?

Hang in there Aaron, you're a big fish hammer.....those big girls will return, it's simply a matter of time in a case like yours. In the meantime that's an excellent fish, cheers to that one!

There will be a dude fishing at the Lake Murrey elite series stop with 5 scopes. He's apparently got two on either side of the Jackplate, and then three on his TM. He's the guy who did well on the fuzzy dice I think. I'm not sure which will be funnier, if he bombs with all those units, or if he wins and Randy B goes postal ?

Absolutely, Ben did a national Orkin commercial a year ago.....he's actually got a marketing firm besides just Cole Slaw ? Orkin TV Spot, 'The Best In Pests: Termites' Featuring Ben Milliken - iSpot.tv Guy in banking several hundred k a year between 6th Sense, YT/Google Adsense, and endorsements before he even won a derby. As Phishli said in a PM conversation, he likely waited until he was financially secure to make this run because I couldn't understand why it took this dude until the age of 33 to fish professionally.

"I don't always fish a C-Rig, but when I do it's after a blowout victory by Ben Milliken" ? Zero shame in my game, whatever puts the toads in the boat I say.