Mike 12345

These are from the Day 2 launch at the Bassmaster Elite Series Southern Challenge, Lake Guntersville this past May. Pics taken from Aaron Martens' boat.

Sure, Its not like they beat a huge team like USC, the Gators, etc..... BUT, after the decline and then hitting rock bottom last year, the team, the university, and the fans really needed a good start to this season. I don't think anyone is expecting an undefeated season or anything, but last weekend's performance provides hope for the future. Not to state the obvious, but we'll have a much better idea after this coming Saturday as to how things may shake out this year. The Vols should be pretty motivated to beat UCLA........

I really like the pearl white color. Seems quite good on a Carolina Rig. I've been experimenting with these type baits a lot, and I'm strongly considering leaning more heavily on the fluke, just because you can use it so many different ways, and they are pretty inexpensive as well.

The Park is Mine.....Tommy Lee Jones

I'm not trying to hijack this post at all, but when it comes to tube heads, what is the preferred way to rig them with a tube? Cut a hole in the top of the tube for the eyelet? Run a length of line into the tube head, the tie and pull the headinto the tube center?

Yes Catt, thanks- I do get the NGK's from a marine 'store' on eBay for about half of what the local shops charge per plug, and thats what I normally do. I guess I just wondered if the phrase 'marine grade' really meant anything or not, or if the phrase applied to spark plugs at all. If not, then would it not be acceptable to just get the same plug in another brand locally, and not have to pay shipping etc and always have them available. Thats all I was getting at. Thanks all-

There is only one chain of gas stations/convenience stores in the Nashville area that 'supposedly' sells Non-ethanol gas. They proudly claim on signage around the stations that their gas contains no ethanol. For some reason, I always thought that they would get their fuel from the same refineries, distributors, etc that all the other companies do....wouldn't they? That said, I try to only use that gas, going on the benefit of the doubt that it may be true that there is no ethanol in there.

No, its not that much of a problem, but if all things are equal, I see no reason to spend more than I have to.

Is there such a thing? My Merc manual states that an NGK plug is preferred, but I can find a substitute plug by a different manufacturer locally at an auto parts store for a good deal less. Exactly the same in all respects, as far as I can tell, and the motor seems to be happy with them. Is there anything I'm missing by using a 'non-preferred' manufacturer, or possibly a 'non-marine' plug?

Love em, fish them regularly, and feel fortunate that I have an Academy down the road. 8-)

I have found them to be outstanding. One of their shallow cranks, in a particular color, has become my 'confidence bait' over the last couple of years. Great finish, sharp VMC hooks- they perform well, and for a really good price. Unfortunately, you cannot place internet orders with Academy at this time. The BPS XPS cranks are similar in some ways, as an alternative. Many of them also look very much like Lucky Crafts.

Flip/Pitch the trees and root systems with a beaver-style bait or the plastic of your choice. Start in the shady side first. My $.02.

Exactly. And, the Marshals would beno more/less apt to report events any differently than , say.......a co-angler.

FBL, let me clarify, I quoted your earlier post because I think you are exactly right- the truth probably lies somewhere between what Duckett says and what Langhill says. We might never know exactly what that truth is. And on a second point, I think it was another poster who had given failing grades to the Marshal program, not you. I don't think this is a Marshal issue. If Langhills Marshalls showed up on the dock at the Day 3 launch to 'back him up' (which I'm not sure why they would do, if they'd already been questioned) then clearly the officials had already gotten enough info to satisfy themselves that they were making a legitimate call. I would bet a dollar that BASS does not want to suspend an angler from an event, much less for the season, due to the fact that people on message boards and the media in general will call into question their decisions and bring negative publicity to the 'cause'. For them to have taken the actions they did, instead of DQ'ing him from the event, giving a monetary fine, or whatever, they had to have seen something compelling. Thats all I'm saying. Hopefully we'll all know at some point! Peace

I've been trying to form an objective opinion on what happened just from what I've read on the internet reports and radio interviews. Langill's marshals on Day 1 and 2 both say that anything that may have occured were not viewed by either one as unsportsmanlike. If in fact, the events of Day 1 and 2 were not deemed to be unsportsmanlike (by his marshals) I can see where a guy with a temper could 'lose it' over $9500 bucks. On the other hand, when you hear Duckett talk about what happened, it sounds like Langill just did what he wanted to on that hole and acted like Boyd wasn't on the spot first. I dont agree with that, IF that's true. Once the initial complaint was filed by Duckett after Day 1, both Day 1 marshals should have been questioned and that's it. Same thing with Day 2. This is exactly what the marshals are there for. The problem I have is that it sounds like all the marshals were questioned but Langill's marshals accounts didnt match Duckett's marshals accounts. How does that happen? They all saw the same thing. But in the end, unless you saw the events in person from start to finish, everything you hear is pure speculation. And we all know there's 3 sides to every story. His story, the other guy's story and the truth. I wholeheartedly agree with your statement that there are three sides to every story. I'd imagine that is correct in almost any circumstance, this being no different. Before I comment, I have to add a disclaimer that, even being on a boat ready to launch when Langhill evidently 'lost it", I never saw it. Obviously, I'm not claiming it didn't happen but, that's another story- As far as the Marshal's reports are concerned however- I consider it premature to label the Marshal program as 'a failing grade' by what we know about this situation, specifically. And, FBL, do not consider this as a retort against you, I just hit the "quote" button and I think the statement you made that I referenced above is very valid. Maybe the Day 1 and Day 2 Marshalls did not see anything wrong. Thats OK. Remember that lots of guys have the same, or similar spots, on a lake. Usually, from what the pros I rode with told me, there is enough respect between them that one or another will move on and let the person who 'most had the spot' work it . Another point is that, one must remember, these pros are working hard, stressed, going 1000 miles an hour, trying to get a check. You spend hours on a boat with them, you get on the same page with them (they tell you their strategy, problem areas, etc). Maybe what they are doing looks OK to you (as a Marshal) based on what the pros describe to you and tell you what has gone on througout practice, other competition days, even other events. Plus you know the rules, and you don't see a rule broken. Maybe the Marshals really did not see enough ugliness to report anything, and it was the Day 3 stuff that made the situation explode. I saw Marshals being questioned by BASS staff at the end of Day 2. Was is Langhills? Dunno. Was it Duckett's? Dunno. Not my business. What did they say? Dunno. I'm just saying, I think its going down the wrong path to put the Marshals at fault for the actions of a pro who evidently had an issue with what was going on. There are probably very few of us who know exactly what the BASS officials and the Marshals in question discussed. From what I saw, the Marshals did a great job, and the program is getting great reviews by the BASS officials and the pros. We should probably all make our decisions based more on fact than speculation......................

Who did you ride with? Let's hear some details....you cant just come in here and stir the pot without throwing in some details. ;D on Day 2 I rode with Aaron Martens That's really cool that you got a day on the water with the eventual winner. I'm almost positive that Senko77 is jealous. ;D You lucky S.O.B.!!! I would kill to have a day of fishing with Martens. What did he throw? What was it like sitting in the boat with the most patient angler on the Elite Series? HaHa, it was way cool, Senko77. Aaron Martens is a fantastic guy to spend 10 hours with. He likes to talk, likes to tell you what he's noticing on the water, likes to have fun catching fish. I learned so much from him, just by watching him and listening to what he was saying- I didn't have to ask a lot of questions. I'll tell you this- the guy was hitting them HARD. You should have seen the skin on his hands and thumbs- they were so shredded from handling bass between practice and the tourney that he was uncomfortable. Add to that, he was so completely personable that he took away my jitters about being amongst the pros, and I was able to have a good time while we joked about ( or I joked about) culling fish as big as he was culling. Super guy. He's a class act all the way. The only problem I had was when he asked me to estimate the weight of a few fish he landed- he sort of said, that when you boat so many fish of this size, you can't tell their weight any more. I kind of had to confess that the BASS Trak phone did not have a button for 'donkey' size, as he liked to call them, and I'd never caught one that big. :-/ Totally awesome! Send me a PM and I'll try to give you more if you want. There is a write up on Bassmaster.com about the LC DD 2.5 Peace

Who did you ride with? Let's hear some details....you cant just come in here and stir the pot without throwing in some details. ;D There are crazy numbers of big bass in that lake. On Day One 1 rode with Morizo Shimizu, on Day 2 I rode with Aaron Martens, and Day Three I rode with Mark Burgess. All three were class-act guys.....very personable and happy to show/explain/teach. I can't say enough good things about them. Also, the B.A.S.S staff and the pros both love the Marshal program, and go out of their way to make sure you have a good time. I guess I'd better keep that quiet so I have a good chance of getting into more events next year ;D It was one of the coolest things I've ever done. I'm signed up for Kentucky Lake next month, and I'll definitely be signing up for more next season.

I rode with three different Elite at G'ville this week during the tourney, and I can tell you that they absolutely SLAYED them. Culling 5 pound fish left and right. It was absolutely sick. That is an amazing lake to sustain that kind of LMB population with the amount of pressure the lake gets.

I have to agree with you on this one. Very seldom will I pay retail for things. Most of the 'nicer' fishing gear that I have I have purchased at 40% to 60% off- thats how I could afford it to begin with. Even if I can't get a deep discount on something, then I closely watch prices between retailers in town, and spring on the item of interest when a sale starts. And yes, I also go to the grocery store with coupons - you'd be amazed at how much you can save

Talking to local anglers who live on the lake, it is much more a smallmouth lake than largemouth. I would look for deeper structure, or experiment to see whether there is a late night bite like on Dale Hollow.

I have always been a WWII enthusiast--- although the word 'enthusiast' really is a poor word for a war...... but I find the War and the history surrounding it to be absolutely fascinating. You should have a great time at the event, and enjoy talking to those guys- there are fewer left every day. I hope you remember and pass on as much as much of their story as you can. I just lost my grandfather about 8 months ago- he was a radioman on an LST (Landing Ship Tank) transport in the US Navy in the Pacific, and talked to me and my brother about his involvement in battles such as Tarawa and Leyte Gulf. Scary stories, but fascinating to hear.

Usually on the boat I'll have about 6 baitcasting setups and two spinning rigs -everything from Berkley stuff to American Rodsmith to Kistler stuff- though most often, the less expensive stuff I have around as an 'alternate color' setup, like if the fish don't like the primary color crankbait I have on my main cranking stick. Carrying more rods helps to keep me from having to re-tie as often, but having too many rods on the boat can be cumbersome.

I'm in an 18' ProCraft right now, but my heart is set on tracking down a great condition used 20' Stratos SS Extreme.

Agreed.

Speaking to the Bill Dance reference specifically, I think if a guy can go out on a strange lake and catch what, 15 or 16 pounds (whatever he ended up with) in crappy conditions, then in my mind he is definitely not washed up or past prime, and I sure would not presume to question the methods they used to do it or the lures they threw.