warmer

i went to a local thursday night tournament last thursday and its the second month in a row to be in the money on eagle lake in polk county, fl! there were 37 boats and only two limits this time, so our little 8.5 limit was good for second. the month before we were 1st with all of 10.9... this lake usually fishes well, but i guess it took a couple nights off... my friend threw a couple picks up on his blog. http://fladuckdays.blogspot.com/

it may be legit, but not for me... well the part about being "most geared up" anyway

this is an interesting thread. i imagine there are a lot of extraneous factors that influence the number... have you already patterned the fish? how big are your rod lockers? is time critical? as in tournaments? my typical rod approach as a fl. tourny fisherman. if im in my boat - all baitcasters (except for a rare occasion): 2 7'6 heavy flipping 2 7'6 heavy flipping w/ soft tips for toad/flipping/carolina 2 7'2" mh for worming/carolina 1 7'2 medium for spinnerbait 1 7'0" medium for topwater/fluke/weightless worm 2 7'0" mlight for cranking if im in someone elses: 2 medium heavies 1 flipping 1 toad and if we are planning to crank, one crankin rod. by the way, my 7'2" rods are a custom extended handle version of hurricane redbones, and i love them.

your odds were better to live than to die in that storm. i'm not saying it was a good idea, or that i would have been out there with you in it. im just saying i would have bet on you to live. ;D i have been out in an electrical t-storm in fl and the air was so charged that if i raised my rod above horizontal it buzzed. and at some point, no lie, i heard voices, almost like i had picked up a radio station. i love rainstorms.

lmao! when you said california you left me out of the conversation. if you had those conditions in forida this time of year, id send you out to shell bars and brush piles with a carolina rig or crakbait... but for ca ive got nothing.

the scum frog still floats nice and high w/ the lead. the cut plastic is a good idea... do you have problems w/ the weight shifting around inside and affecting the performance of the bait?

i would let it go, and LIE LIE LIE about everything! from where i was fishing, to what i caught it on. I'd drive trailer that fish to the next county to have it officially weighed, and trailer it back afterward. i mean it'd be a shame to cut down an all-star like that in her prime. i wouldnt sweat a world record here in florida my man. i dont think youll have that problem untill we start stocking trout, or some other giant slimy fatty slow forage fish like those california cheaters. i mean, you steal our fish and make em fat. cmon cali. geez! and i prefer romans 8:38-39.

i hear ya, i guess i would have to hear r.i.'s side of the argument to know what i was up against. if it is a noise issue thats one thing. if it is an issue of pleasure boaters vs. tournament anglers its another. and if it is p.b.'s vs. anglers i would definitely not go w/ a revenue for the state argument. does anyone know the reason r.i. is trying to shut down tournies? is it possible that they see it as a form of gambling?

the bigfoot scum frog from southern lure is the bomb diggity once you weight it a little bit for casting distance. i use a stick of lead then wrap it in sauder material. i superglue the nose to the front eye to help reduce hang ups.... the bait works best around pads and thin grass, but has trouble in thick grass...

where are you from? how big is the lake? how deep is the lake? what is the bottom like? sandy/soft what kind of veg are you fishing?

based on the suckiness of my year, i would say the two i least want to win it will: skeet reese luke clausen

a generic thought on resumes: im struck by the idea that working on a resume is a little like getting your cart before the horse. it seems to me that by the time your resume would have the desired effect, i.e. sponsors, you will have developed all the relationships necessary to obtain sponsorship by virtue of your presence, personality, and performance. if they dont know your name already from the tournaments you win, why would they put you on staff? if you havent developed industry related relationships based on your personality, why would they put you on pro staff? if you dont eat, breath, and sleep this stuff, why would they put you on pro staff? i would think that once you have all these things in place, the rep will come along and say, "let me help you tailor a resume to pass up the chain and get you fishing for us."

worm

I LOVE THE TOAD i assume we are only talking about soft plastic toads here - all youve got to do is chunk and wind! presentation: there are obviously variations on speed and pauses and things. but basic rule of thumb before i adjust for conditions is to drag the toad through and around cover (thick as you please, often the thicker the better) as slow as i can and still have it bubbling on top. if you see him waking behind it. stop and watch your line. hookset: depending on conditions, but if i want to be sure i think worm fishing. i watch him hit, throw him slack, feel him, and set up. gear: heavy action (nice backbone soft tip) 7'6" (daiwa telescoping light and tough for me - although ive broken 2 on frogs this year), 65lb braid. frogs: it is rare that i find that it matters what color i use beyond light vs. dark, and even then it doesnt seem to matter much. sometimes they prefer a more subtle look like the horny toad gives (more a ripple than a gurgle) and sometimes i use the stanley ribbit/gambler cane toad type (comparison based on the feet, which gurgle). hooks: if conservation of frogs is important, i use a heavy wire wide gap offset and rig it just like micro showed in his 1st picture. BUT if hookups and avoiding bent hooks are the most important factors, i use a 6/0 (5/0 doesnt work right) gamakatzu straight shank superline (out of print, so if anyone has a good suggestion for one to replace it with im open, i bought about 20 packs so im good for a little while), and rig it with a 1/64th or a 1/32nd screw in bullet weight (advantages: casting distance, hookset, and it pulls the bait back into water better in heavy cover.) as pictured.

rhetoric and marketing - although the preaching thing may be a strong idea.

#5 Main St. Ludicrous, FL 863.555.BASS Freddy McBASS Objective To utilize my exceptional interrelation skills to promote companies from the platform that my superior fishing skill provides. Tournament Experience 2006-2008 BFL Gator Division Angler - Displayed surprising versatility, and an ability to bring solid lower slot limits to the scales consistently. - Voted the most Geared Up angler by the tournament director. - Successfully avoided my child's kindergarten graduation, my anniversary, and my grandfather's funeral in pursuit of my dreams. 2004-2008 Ron's Tackle Box Lake Alfred, FL Angler of the Year (Unofficially) - Smallest limit of the year 4 years running. - Strong Run and Gun mentality. Burned over 5,000 gallons of fuel on lakes smaller than 1 mile in diameter. - Caught cheating only 4 out of 43 times. Education Boat 1999 Stratos 201 Pro Elite. 2000 Mercury Optimax 225 HP. Reliable 82.4% of the time. Personal Bests - 14lb Mudfish. - 13.4lb Bass (Live Bait in a BFL tournament). - 2lb Chain Pickerel.

revenue for the state? im confused. i would think the fact that it is "public" water would be the argument.

okay dude, sorry for the thread hi-jack... to your original question... i agree with all these guys that the functionality of the rat-l-trap is as good as any of the lipless crankbaits, and more inexpensive... if i am around heavy grass i prefer the yo-zuri as it seems to hang less... but that may be because of the hooks i put on the the rat-l-trap when i change them...

i suppose its possible wal-mart (where i bought most of these on a great sale) got an inferior run of them, kind of like the michelin tires they sell.

no question the trap catches fish, but... are you a bill lewis rep? cmon, admit it. every year in my pond the bass spend a few weeks gorging on shad after the spawn so last year i did a test on schooling bass after too many banged up traps, and i wish i had the camera to show the results. my green/chrome/red belly rat-l-trap, against a yozuri baby bass. baby bass was eyeless by the 16th fish, but still had good paint, while scratched a bit. the rat-l-trap lost all the outside paint (except for a tiny patch up by the split ring) by the 3rd fish, and was chrome, and yes, white, by the 8th fish. the results were not inconsistent with what i have experienced in the past. so i figure w/ the trap you are spending an average of $3 a fish, and w/ the yozuri you are spending about $.50... for me the trap situation is: wood and grass with light line. that way when i snap off im not $8 worth of angry, just $3.

rat-l-trap = least durable paint on the lipless crankbait market... so, if you like chrome they are great, because your bait will be chrome after 1 fish.

pm me closer to the date.

i heard the fish are still eating on outside grass at toho, if you can find the unsprayed stuff... also heard through the grapevine that the responsibility for weed control has shifted to more fish friendly hands.

if it were me and i were on vacation. i would fish every morning and evening for about 2 hours w/ zoom super flukes in pearl or watermelon red colors on 5/0 wide gap offset gamikatsu hooks. fishing in florida mid-day in the summer is a difficult task, the fish slow down and get in those places that you have to know the lake to find. so fish when they are feeding, and go touristing during the day. OR: hookup w/ a guide or a local and get on the water on one of our world class lakes just to say youve been there. shoot, you kick in on the gas with me and ill take you fishing out of city ramp in kissimmee on lake toho.

good to hear youre back on the water lee! and with a vengeance too from the sound of it.