GobbleDog

My thoughts exactly! "I remember one time back in '08 when I was noodling around and wrestled up the biggest catfish you ever saw... "

If somebody is wearing an auto-inflate PFD and I dump a bucket of water on them, will it inflate? And if so, is it as funny as I'm imagining?

My first tournament ever was about 9 years ago in a weekly tournament with only about 15 boats. I have no idea, but I'd guess we got skunked.

Does that mean you never fish 'em deep or you're a very patient person? 12' is kinda deep for weightless. Regardless, I'm convinced that anything that can be fished weightless will also work behind a c-rig. I'm gonna put your Ika to the test.

Even though I've personally watched people catch big bass with 'em, I'm still amazed those giant swim baits work.

I can't see it live, but I'm looking forward to seeing it on tv. There's nothing cooler than watching the pros fish your home lakes. Two weeks later they'll be down in Lake Kissimmee on the same day that I've got a club tourney in Toho. I wonder how many of them will lock through to Toho, like Ben Matsubu who won on Toho last year. He's one of my favorite anglers and I'd freak if I saw him fish around me. "Yo Ben!!! Whazup!!!!"

You fish 'em weightless and texas-rigged BACKWARDS, correct? Have you ever added weight (c-rigged or sliding bullet weight) and fished off-shore grass (12' or so)? :-?

Sounds to me like you need a used bass boat. Something simple like in the picture below. My first boat was a 16 foot 1986 Bass Tracker and I paid $3,500 about 9 years ago. It had a fiberglass v-hull and an 80 horsepower engine that topped out at about 38 mph. It was the perfect start up boat for me and it worked fine for club tournaments. It could even pull my nephew skiing. I just sold it last year. for $3,500. From my experience, when it comes to buying boats the best deals are usually found through private sellers instead of used boat dealerships. I'd start by asking people if they know anyone who wants to sell a boat and looking in newspapers and such. If you do buy from a dealership HAGGLE! The price is always inflated. If they're asking $4,000, offer $3,000.

Don't give into the dark side! Buy a spinning reel and the force will be with you... always.

I don't completely start it, but I ALWAYS turn it over once before hitching up. And then once again before backing down the ramp.

I used to own a 16' bass tracker... they aren't too heavy and don't require as much thrust as bigger boats. 30 lbs will move it around ok in calm water, but it can't fight a strong breeze. 45-50 lbs is probably all the power you'll ever need. 70-80 lb motors and you can pull a skier.

:-?

80% of my bass come from various rigs of plastic worms, 15% from crankbaits, 4% from topwaters and 1% from everything else.

I'd guess around 4 to 5 minutes. When I used to saltwater fish, I noticed some fish like Spanish Mackeral couldn't take more than 1 minute out of water.

It's rare, but fisherman have died from hypothermia in Florida lakes too. It happened in Lake Harris a couple years ago after some dude came flying out of the canal at top speed, hit a wake, and was thrown from the boat. He was wearing a life jacket, but he was unconsious and after floating for 12 hours or so he died of hypothermia. Honestly, I only wear them when they're required during tournaments.

I'd endorse maxi-pads if they paid me enough.

8 lb Power Pro Despite the fact that I fish a lot of clear water, I don't use fluerocarbon leaders. I tried em for a while, but didn't notice much of a difference. Nowdays the only thing I do to the power pro is mark the first 6 feet or so with a perminate black marker, which IMO makes a slight difference in the visibility.

I thought "top" meant most popular. My personal favorite 3 lakes in Florida are Lake Butler, Lake Conway, and Lake Toho. They're all clear water lakes with hydrilla.

Books - shmooks. Tie on a worm and get out there!

I quit using a tackle box a couple years ago. Nowdays I just toss a few plastic boxes in the boat.

Sometimes when I pre-fish a lake that I'm totally unfamiliar with.... I look for fisherman who seem to know what they're doing and mark their spots.

One good thing about joining a club is it forces you out of your element and into lakes that you'd normally never fish. Sounds like it's going to be freezing cold out there. With the wind on the lake I bet it'll feel even colder. I always say it's better to bring too many clothes than not enough. As for the fishing, my advice is stick with what you know and fish areas that you normally fish. Don't waste a lot of time trying new baits or working unfamiliar cover. That's what practice is for. Good luck and report back after the tourney.

Florida West Lake Tohopekaliga - tons of hydrilla and full of big bass. Lake Harris Chain - dark water, pepper grass, and full of gators. I hate this lake. Lake Okeechobee - Once a great lake with all kinds of vegetation, but since the drought it's probably not considered a "top" lake any more.

Walk it some AND then pause it is how I use it. And throw in a couple random twiches here and there. As with all topwater baits - shorter pauses in choppy water, but MUCH longer pauses in calm water.

Is the Fat Ika as successful at catching largemouth bass, as it is smallmouth? It looks like trout bait to me.