George Welcome

With the birth of man came fishing and so it will continue.

"No Mr. Welcome :" Why so formal? The implication in both these posts, (interest in such a showing aside), is that the "gizmos" are what catch the fish, not the fishermen. That couldn't be further from the truth. The only requirement to keep any tournament on an even keel of equal opportunity, is to ensure that all players have the exact same opportunities: keep the playing field equal.

Yea, and golfers should go back to wooden clubs and rubber balls, and tennis players should go back to wooden rackets. Nascar drivers should go back to Model A's without pit crews and radios. Get real - electronics are not what make these guys good fishermen.

The equipment has been around for generations - sonar is a quite old technology. No amount of equipment is going to bring the fish to the boat, the boat to the fish, or get fish to bite. Only the tackle in the right hands can do that.

There is a major difference between having an endorsement opportunity and being sponsored. In either case the settlement and conditions clauses are usually kept private. Most often any disclosure that you see is a "stab in the dark" wild guess. Most sponsorship contracts forbid discussion of the deal. Very few will ever get an endorsement opportunity, which in every case is a big money opportunity.

Endorsing a product has nothing to do with using a product exclusively. I use all Chronarchs but I have no problem telling you that Curados are good reels. I drive a Dodge but I do believe that a Chevy truck is a good truck. No product endorser that I know of ever made the claim of exclusive use of the endorsed product. Do you really think KVD only eats Wheaties.

Get a Swivel-eze or Springfield adjustable.

If they are hitting anything go with the cheapest bait you have - nothing like catching 100 bass in a day on a bait that only cost $2.98 - Bill Lewis rattle trap.

You can go to my website and see pictures of 100's of bass over 10 pounds - the majority were caught on the Yamamoto Senko! The Senko has outproduced all baits at this location for big bass production.

Without a doubt: Yamamoto!!!

Fortunately I have never been skunked, but I sure as heck have gone fishing and gotten nary a bite.

JT - they be southern bass so you have to go to south Illinois.

Definitely stronger otherwise the tail would disappear on every bite. Bait is lasting us 5-7 bass per bait. I don't find much difference between screw-in weight or otherwise. Definitely a bait that versatility retrieve requires. Fast - fast/slow - stop/go - slow: different retrieves for different conditions, different cover. They catch a lot of fish and big fish: our biggest so far over 10. They last longer than the Senko, but they are not meant to replace the Senko. You can bury the hook with a Senko but your hookup ratio with the Swim Senko will suffer with a buried hook. Skin hook/Tex-posed is the way to go. We are using 1/4 and 3/16 ounce weights. Just a little SwimSenko fish:

Bass are not dumb: they easily have a brain that at least matches or is better than a rocks. Our bass are wealthy and pull out their sleeping bags and pillows when it gets cold. Before rising they check their digital thermometers to decided the days adventures. Of course the more wealthy ones check the weather channel on their HDTV.

I got sucked in too and my dad is bigger than your dad.

First: a Tiki stik is not a Senko. Second: don't be afraid to try anything - experimentation and imagination will only improve your fishing game.

IGFA - is in Davie, Fl

They are abundant in Florida

Is Chartreuse a light or dark color?

When you ask a blind question you get a bunch of blind answers. Time of year based on location: color of water: depth of water: temperature of water: temperature of air: cloudy or sunny: kinds of grass: kinds of wood: etc., etc.,,

Meltra 1 South Fort Pierce, FL 34945 Phone: (772) 461-1193 Business Types: Auto Utility Trailers, Boat Equipment & Services Storage, Boat Trailers, Trailer Hitches, Trailer Parts & Equipment, Trailer Repair

Sam, The guy you cited is not a professional guide by any standard if he does what you suggest he does. Further, I have yet to meet any dummies in promotion departments of equipment suppliers, and it doesn't take long to discover that a person has no integrity. Contrary to some perceived notion that I sense in a lot of this sponsorship issue, the fishing industry is really quite small. Your name, good or bad, takes very little time to make the rounds. You may be able to pull the wool over some eyes for a short period but your not going to last doing it. No one in this fishing industry that are major players got that way because they were a bunch of dummines. One of the strong points needed in order to obtain real sponsorship is a reputation of unquestionable intregrity. One other thought: anyone can buy a shirt, wear the patches and tell his friends that he is sponsored. There are a lot of people in this fishing pasttime that do just that. It seems that they are able to feed their ego with this nonsense, but they sure can't feed their family with it. I see it all the time. I even see people out there buying a wrapped boat and leaving the wrap on so they can posture and pretend when they are at the ramp or on the water. Go figure!

My daddy is bigger than your daddy: nyah, nyay. This thread is absurd.

I believe the question was: how do I become a Pro fisherman? The answer is quite simple. Put in enough time on the water to become very good at fishing. Then decide if you just want to become a Pro, or do you want to become a successful Pro. If you decide you want to become a successful Pro then put more time in on the water, and hit the books. Not the magazine type books, but rather the dry, boring scientific type books so that you can learn about such things as bass physiology, biology, etc. The difficulty to becoming a Pro is what most would consider life's normal course. Family commitment, job, and schooling all work against the time you need to dedicate to the water and your quarry. Money is a major factor to becoming a Pro, and the lack of it will cause you to fall flat on your face. I would tell you that you need to get the education, figure on having a limited amount of time for family matters as you need to spend inordinate hours on the water away from home, and find a source for the substantial funds that you will need to participate at the Pro level.

From our families to yours: Have a wonderful Holiday season and a fantastic 2007. George & Scott