BillyBob

Just an idea, sign up as a co-angler on the P.A.A. tournament on Table Rock, Sept. 5-7. $250.entry and you get to fish 2 days and observe the other.. The chances of drawing an elite or flw pro are great, not to mention a chance at winning $6000 Its the last qualifier for the TTBC and only the ones in the running will be fishing it. It'll be an experience of a lifetime, and a memory you wont forget.

Just got back from the tournament. Won the co-angler division. Fished with two locals who came in 57th and 92nd, but were great guys to fish with and my thanks go out to them. Had almost 19lbs in 5 fish using a a-rig. Caught one 3 lber on a chatterbait. The weather was all over the map from freezing line guides to rain, snow, sunny,40 mph winds to calm. If you guys ever get a chance to fish the PAA you should. I learned alot. It was my first time as a co-angler in years, and I wont be the same boater next time out because of it.

Would never order another boat without one! Last two had them. Not even in the water on plane so how could it affect performance ?

If you dont like wearing short sleaves down past your elbows and pulling your long sleaves up all the time, get one size smaller than you normally wear. Also at Gemini you must have permission to have a logo printed or embroidered on your shirt. The shirt I have on is from gemini. Mine is a custom worked out with my sponsors, but you can also send them one to have done like sending them a Bass Resource Shirt and having them embroider it.

Reliable enough, hardest thing was to keep gas in it. 4 carb, electric choke, gas hog!

LMB's can group or socialize by size. Lets say your honey hole is full of 3lber's. You are not able to cull up much...but you're getting bit every other cast. What would anyone do? Sore lip everyone of them and compare them all, on the carpet of your boat or go find a kicker ? With river fish it might be 100 yards and a different presentation. You can bet that the best anglers manage their course just like Tiger manages his!

Blacks hot and shows the dirt too bad. DUDE! wheres your Buckeye spirit ? Scarlet would be a great choice! ;D

Sometimes I think this thread, to be awfully tough, on the young guys, with very little examples of where to go, and what to do, and alot of grief on grammer. That being said, here's an example of what pro-staff is really like, at least in the beginning. Oh, by the way, go for it if you wish! Its one that was emailed, to me...and before anyone on this thread jumps my OZ , I don't endorse them, know them, use any of their products,ect. WWW.sfvu.com/prostaff/index.htm

Bring it all! You can fish with me Tuesday during official practice if you want to get your game together, and get over the jitters. Heading down on the 18th.

Blanked, let me see if I can help you here. I grew up with Lowrance and after many years of seat time and hours of instruction can use those very well. Not to say there arent others as good, I just know them better. But...one thing I didn't like was all the time it took to explore structure during limited practice. (too much zig-zagging) My 979si has cut that time in at least half and expanded my findings. Its parameters...1.depth doesn't affect it, however your center line is wider. Range does affect it..so the closer you look the more you see, 100' each side is where I put mine usually. 2. It'll find bait fish!!! 3. Great for ledges and underwater stumps and laydowns.It'll take you all of two outings to start to get used to it. But I drive and waypoint with (in the dash) LC27 and 525 up front ...remember nothing over 6mph with the humingbird and must be mounted transom center. If I had to give one up ..it would be the si IMO but I'm glad to have it along.

DeLeon springs ! Frog fishin the pads and 4"finese worms under them. (redbug) If you stay on the river find an outside turn shellbank leading to a cove. Crank or carolina ... but remember its a tide water river!!!!

B.A.S.S. did away with nets 3 years ago in the opens. Brought them back the very next year! (all but the Elites). Fish care!!! One other thought...nothing binds two strangers together faster than helping each other catch fish! 8-)

This is from the BASS Elite package sent out to help with title sponsors. Our Athletes Travel between 500 1,500 miles during each event generating $1.38/mile in exposure value Our Statistics 55k attendance 11 events 77% increase / Internet page views vs. 2007 28% unique Internet users increase vs. 2007 TV impressions - average HH TV impressions were 208,462 ESPN Media properties provided regular tournament updates on ESPN News and First Take. ESPN TV and radio affiliates provided local marketing support 2008 Toyota Tundra Angler of the Year interviews aired on Mike and Mike in the Morning and First Take Press Coverage from national newspapers and magazines generating over $4.4M in advertising equivalency, 1,400+ articles with a combined circulation of over 188 millionOur Playing Field Professional Anglers fish from their own boats all days of competition competing for over $11M in cashMike and Mike in the Morning Hope this helps.

Preach, I'm with you past and present. WBT is a two yr old infant that will gain experience and with larger participation the future for WBT is bright and will be as competitive as the rest. Kim will do fine..there is a scad of people to see to it! Alittle advice is don't argue with a man who loves his wife and is proud of her WBT participation...my Question to all is why the need for a Womens Bassmaster? There were already 3 avenues.

You are absolutely right. I just don't know if this thread qualifies as public internet info. I have had conversations with T directors and its vage at best, meaning more hard wired info like water levels and forecasts, not to solicit. I've heard of guys sharing secrets on blogs and leaving them posted for 15min and I think that should fall under ethics at least. Just being on the safe side..

Guys don't worry about brushpiles....my Humingbird sniffs them out and I don't have all the work to do. Besides at this level its not about someone else and excuses used by anglers who lost. I've fished against Jeff and hundreds as good, beat and have beaten, sooooo I'm planning to win and give Bass Resources a shout, on the Bassmaster Classic stage. M go for it dude...its great, but don't forget your NB experiences, they'll come in handy as a boater, you'll make lots of new freinds and a high you can't get anyway else.

Okay then, I guess I'll just wear my regular tournament shirts. Two weeks from now I'll be on Lake Norman, NC up against Cobel and some high powered sticks, for the Bassmaster Weekend Series Title for $205K and a ticket into the 09 Bassmaster Classic. Qualed through Div 20 and the Mid-West Regional. Hope you guys are behind me. (Blackout on info.is in effect)

Hey Glen, if I win my next tourney in two weeks, would you GIVE me a BR shirt to wear in the Bass Master Classic?

Mobey, time on the water and experience are two things that give us all a better bag. But reading between the lines of your last tournament tells me that its probably your practice that tatooed you. Logging your practice isn't just where and how, but what time of day? sunny or cloudy? Windy or calm? Which way the wind is coming from and different patterns/bait, in a word RELATIONSHIPS. The more pieces of the puzzel you collect, the better picture you have! I know its hard sometimes to ignore a good pattern and go looking for another, but you must. Winners go out on mulitple days with different weather for one reason, to match tournament conditions. Something as small as a wind direction change can matter. Theres books written on fronts, sun, clouds, structure, ect. and on tournament day you gotta be ready. Fish live in the water which is impacted by all this, and it in turn impacts them. The "where'd they go" is what perplexes most anglers and distinquishes the best from the rest! Sounds like your on the verge and with a little more water time you'll know what to do with your tournament time.

If there is no more to it than you didn't like his boat control, then sorry dude, no points this time. Its this feeling that somehow co-s deserve to have input on how and where the day goes, that got them thrown out of the Elite rear-end.(1 of many reasons) These big tournaments with blind draw co-anglers such as BASS Opens and FLW Series, are an oportunity to learn and compete with others, unfortunately sometimes its all about the draw, but even then, a good draw is not always KVD . Keep your "I deserve consideration" thoughts for the ABA and weekend club event. There's to much at stake in "the big leagues" to worry if the guy in the back that you'll never see again, gets his fish the way he likes! I could talk about how much money, time, water-experience, travel, ect. , but I like the suggestion of you getting your own boat, and finding your own fish, and living "the other side of the coin". I've back-seated folks like Martens, Brauer, Nixon, VanDam, and a dozen more, and by a co-s definition all "JERKS"! Some of my proudest moments were when I figured how to catch behind them!!! Ever think boaters get "bad draws too"?

If anyone thinks that the top 75 sticks on the tour are not "Elite", then they never fished against them. But one idea for the Opens are quit letting the Elites exempt back to the Elite tour through points aquired from the opens, unless they don't qualify any other way. This gives the lower tier 25 a spot back on the tour, and I would bet that the top 20 open pros in each division are better. example: Terry Scroggins ends up 5th AOY in the elite tour...and 5th in the southern opens...he uses his exemption from the open and lets one of his lesser talented buddies,( whom he beats constantly), take his exemption next year in the elite. If you want to see the most talented out there, then you have to give them a chance to do it full time....can't be accomplished on the open side...there aint the monies and "air" time to enable a living.....for that matter theres not enough on the "Elite".

Take all you got. Ask your boater what kinda pattern or what he is doing then limit it to 6 rods, 4's even better. Most boats accomadate 4 great , 6 at the most in the rod holder for the guy on the left. If all else fails...I suggest a flippin stick, a spinning outfit for finese, crankin rod, and a carolina rig. Top water would be next, and last a texas rigged worm rod. Anything else you can make do with the arsenal you have , just modified.

I got one of those on my Margarita Maker!

Its a rather good question. 3yrs ago or so when ESPN started up the Elite, the rule of mandatory wrapped boats included you to pick a number (like Nascar) but some did and some didn't and couldn't get together on who got what so It just got dropped for the time being. It'll eventially happen and might be based on aoy standings or... that ones taken pick another and that why denny and tim and others, have it yet.

Almost no one talks about it but one thing probably above everthing else that has helped me this year is practice. Theres always boaters putting in the launch a couple days before practice, thats in the tournament, that fish alone, and are glad to have the company, different bait in the water, or to share gas for the day. I show up early, offer my services to back the boat in, or ask to go, and have never been turned down. Sometimes I take my own boat and develope my own stuff just in case the boater isn't on anything. But either way, it gets me focused and educated. I've noticed that my tackle bag has gotten smaller and I'm not draggin along as many rods. Equippment is ready to go and the conversation with my boater draw the night before, makes better sense. I started doing it this year on the BASS Southern Open Tour and so far cashed in both events and am in 11th place, after Santee.