BillyBob

Goes without saying...find the fish! But probably the biggest chore you have is time prioity, not only in preparation for the tourney but while in the tourney. Another thing is boat position and control. Weather conditions now dictate where you can hold your boat, and where that puts your co-angler as well as the fish. Will you opt for a more freindly co-angler pattern, or put up with him staring at you all day. Have you properly prepared him for your time together? Are you going for quality or quantity, what will it take to make the cut? Is my equippment ready and can I avoid all the "bad" luck, the lack of preparation brings with it. Last but not least your now responsible for 2, his success as well as yours, thats not easy for either to deal with sometimes. Practice for the sake of practice is not always good. Make a log of weather conditions, water temps, fish moods, seasonal as well as particular patterns the fish are in, another is to just observe what others are doing and whats going on around you, and that doesn't mean running up behind someone and smackin the WPT button. The list goes on and on. How will I handle having to share my "honey" hole with another boat ? If theres another in there wheres the sweet spot ? How much run time can my pattern stand? Whos watchin the clock ? Do I know all the possible violation zones on the lake, so I don't get disqualed ? Good luck! First time out as boater can be a nervous time but if you prioritize and prepare, the experience and sense of accomplishment far outweighs any experience in winning I had as a co-angler.

Take your jerk baits!!!! Oh, and a blue and silver trap ! Lake will be in draw down, winter pool. Good Luck

When back at the dock, after fishin all day drop-shotting with your new amigo, Aaron Marten, why is it, that all you can think about was the boat ride? Well boys and girls let me tell you. THAT man can drive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 21' Triton HP Pro 250... 83 gps... ROCK AND ROLL!!! All the while in full command, I didn't think it was possible, ease! I felt like Miss Daisy, while we past Gamlers,Tritons,Bullets,Skeeters,and Rangers(past them so fast cound'nt hardly see em), and I'm sure glad I got to take a spin with him! ;D He took a river chop and turned it to slick ice, 4' giant wake, knew what that boat was going to do and how it would react and "DROVE" it ! Talk about experience...It can be done! Aaron can fish, but he drives even BETTER!!!

Hey there OhioBass, ain't that an Oxymoron? Ohio ? Bass ? But to answer you more direct...Yep theres plenty of us in here and you make another judging from your name. ;D welcome Flippin crazy and me and a couple more just got back from florida where the real bass grow, least ways in Jan. What neck of "round on the ends and HI in the middle" you tourney in?

I fished the tourney at wheeler against some awfully good sticks...one of which was Auten. For insight I offer this. The fish were schoolin and a spinner bait as well as any shad type bait got you a limit. The water was as clear as I'd ever seen it on the main river, but was mud in Flint, and stained in the other creeks, such as Elk. The chatter worked better in that. It was quite windy and frontal conditions changing from one day to next. Cloudy, rain, sun. I guess what I'm trying to say is,... as always is much the case, the right bait matched to the conditions and pattern always produces fish! Don't get hung on one do-all bait or you'll be disappointed...T.A. doesn't I'm sure.

Takes some of the pressure off the guy in the front too. Not alot on a one day deal, cause we're gonna drain a honey hole in a one day, but I'll pull out after 5 in a longer tourney to save for the next day. I wish the opens were still 3.

First week in April at Santee, you might catch the spawn...if you can sight fish you'de be in a trip of a life time!

With the southern open just three weeks away, I'm interested in how many resource people will be there. Be nice to meet some of you. Maybe have a table or whatever at the meeting or before. What do you think? Be nice to put a face to the name. Resource publicity too!

Pittsburg had to be the worst I've been to. Down south it rules! If its within a couple hundred miles its an automatic go to. In the north, companies think of Bass fishin as relaxation with a six pack and a cane pole, in the south its an athletic event. Go!

Flippin, PM me. Been fishin opens three years. 2 as co, last yr as pro...in all 6 this yr.... from ohio too..go bucks! ;D

Has anyone heard that Triton's out of the B.A.S.S. major sponsor role in the elites and opens for more grass root programs like ABA and Weekend Series?

You both have a good point! Feedback; good or bad; is a form of good comunication. But the biggest problem with good sponsors for me is two-fold. I live in the north and bass fishing sports-wise takes a back seat to everyother sport, its not as easy to get good fish related sponsors as it is in the south. But the worst reason, the one I usually stay off this thread because of...is all the guys doing stuff for FREE!!! Stop it!!!If you don't get money for wearing something...DON'T! If you don't get paid for advertising DON'T! Its a joke to have to pay to be a Pro-staffer...you're the one that gets paid!!!!! If tackle and bait stores didn't have shirts and hats being bought...guess what? They'de give em to you! The biggest joke in the world is buying a $100 tournament shirt. Think about it...why would anyone pay someone to wear a TRITON Shirt, when they can't keep them in stock at $90 a piece? And I don't even want to get into wraps. ... Whew!!! glad thats off my chest...been dying to say that here for a year ;D PS. Has or does anyone here get a 1099misc from their sponsor? Entries aren't but everything else is. That the norm?

Guys, It was a trick question! ... Theres only 4 Pros and a dough-nate-er! I came in 78th, MAN ! those guys are goooooood!

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Kissimmee Chain Southern Open last weekend. Can you name all these Pros? First all five right wins!

Once again, we're getting off the subject of networking. I can assure you that Pros on both The elite and open side of BASS, click, group, team, network, and otherwise share info. If they are in the TX this is not against the rules. Terry Scroggins said Sat. his friend who was a co-angler for the Southern Open turned him on to his fish in practice. This is not a rule infraction on the open Tx. Although it is in the Elite TX. You guys don't think that Denny and Chad network? That Monty and Jamie don't? Sure they do and so do alot of others...its perfectly legal...and sometimes gives the edge needed to win. Its as excepted as sharing a motel room.

You can easily do it, I did. a couple of hints...1. start it out right under bow eye and dont cut any off, it should go to where keel flattens...2. buy same color as boat bottom. Read, I say read ! the instructions.

If Kistler Lta's were around when I started building my own rods, I wouldn't have bothered!

Hey RW, wasn't that the first, last and only time I'll ever be a boater, in a club tourney, and drew YOU?

Sam, whats the statistical possibility that your first name and a guy that I met, and became good friends, on my first BASS tournament last year is the same? The Sam I had as a boater on KY Lake, had never fished a BASS tournament before in his life, came in third in that tournament, didn't enter the next at Iowa, got talked into entering tha last 3 Northern Tour Events, and is now leaving for the Bassmaster Classic Sunday. He ended up 2nd on the northern tour last year got invited to the Classic and Elite Tour this year. He turned down the elite, but he's fishing the classic, I hope you all will rute for him, as will I. He's a great stick, and the nicest guy you'de ever want to meet. Go get'em Sam Lashlee, hit a homer!!!

Joseph, I'll give you B.A.SS's ,first. BASS TOURNAMENT DO'S & DON'TS CO-ANGLER !. You will need your own Coast Guard approved life vest. 2. You are required to show the appropriate state(s) fishing license. 3. Please limit your tackle to one large or two small tackle boxes and no more than six rods and reels. 4. Keep fresh water in your weigh in bag at all times. 5. Do not pass any information about your partner's fishing locations. 6. You must fish from the back of the boat. Please respect your boater. Thats about it. The rest is about BASS alone and may not apply. But let me give you some other thoughts having been both, boater and non-boater. 1st...you want to be known by all the boaters as a good partner in a tournament, and I swear the word will get around as to whether you are or you aren't. Things like trashing up the boat, smoking and not asking, carrying a huge bunch of tackle, throwing to the front, over-competitive, clod-hopping or clammering,and just plain talking too much, are all negatives that if you do them with regularity will give you an unwanted reputation. 2nd...Things like being mindful of the boaters aspirations of winning and putting him first will pay for you in the long run. Be careful of his stuff, don't interupt his concentration, help land fish, BE READY TO MOVE when he wants to go, be repectful of the numbers of fish you catch in one of his spots and NEVER jump up first thing and cast first! These kinds of things will pay dividends in the short and long run. Your reputation will get around and the good boaters or pros have a way of getting you. Remember as a rule in some of the bigger tours, "what goes around, comes around, you reap what you sow" You'll soon learn that the "guy" in the front of the boat means whether you win or you lose ! It's about the DRAW and it goes both ways!

2005 mercury 200 efi, 4622 watermiles....291 hours. Have changed lower unit oil once, plugs once, gas filter once! Not all at the same time.