oteymc

I usually cuss and scream and break my rod and... Oh, wait that's not me, that's Mike. (that's just a joke, I like Mike)

This makes a lot of sense, because I know I have caught bass with shad imitating baits when there were no shad in the body of water. So probably, if you know bass are keying on a certain forage, then it would probably be best to use something which imitates that forage. But if not, it just needs to look good to the bass?

Thanks for all the info. Not sure if this stuff would work, but thought it might at least cover any bad scents that I might transfer like sunscreen, etc. I still want to try your product Bobby!

Taking off that much time during the week is the only thing holding me back. I don't know how much help I would be in the boat dept either. Mine is just a small tin bass boat, and I'm not the most experienced fisherman. The person that was stuck with me would be sad.

Wow! BTW, I am flipping through an In-Fisherman mag yesterday and saw your avatar pic. Then when I started looking you have like 3 or 4 listings in the Master Angler listings! Congrats.

I had planned on trying one of those the next time I made a purchase from TW. This was on clearance at about half price, I'm sure left over from last year.

I saw some on the shelf at Wal-Mart, and wondered how long it has been there. Does this stuff go bad?

First off, nothing I said to you should be taken personally! We are just talking about our opinions on tough issues and I dont judge you for yours! I like these kinds of arguments and I dont take them personally or make character judgements based on them. That being said, I will say if I disagree with you or if I think your point of view is misguided. That being said, I have no trouble with you doing the same, though I might then try to back up my reasoning! Yes, I do believe that there is reverse situations in which every type of person will face some sort of disadvantage based on the situation. Like I said, a lipstick company probably wouldnt give a man a chance at advertising their products. This is just a crazy example to push my point across! You dont have to explain yourself to me cause I just dont take this stuff personally. I think its kinda fun and I like that the people on this forum dont get all worked up over various opinions like this. I have been on other forums where this would have broken down to name calling and personal attacks a long time ago. So, In my book yall are all pretty good people. Dont worry, we're cool and I respect your opinion though I might not necessarily agree! Have a good one! Thanks, I feel the same way.

Does it make it slick?

Great info here. I bought some jigs this winter, practiced pitching and flipping all winter in the snow. I haven't tied one on yet, mainly because I've been having good luck with spinnerbaits. Is the spring generally a good time to try one?

Men are the targets and sex sells. Just think of how she is portrayed in those Go Daddy commercials. Well that is true in the case of Go Daddy. That also supports my point, Go Daddy probably wouldn't have picked a man for this approach. I don't pretend to know if they had this strategy before or after aligning with Danika. They may have had a different approach if they were aligned with a male driver, or they may have had this strategy and were looking for the right woman to come along. I don't think that sex is the strategy of all her sponsors, nor do I think a woman angler would need to use that approach to acquire sponsors. This is one advantage, though not the one I was thinking of when I made the previous post. My point is there are a lot of reasons a company would chose to sponsor an individual (or not). I don't personally see being a female as a disadvantage in the area of sponsorships. How is it not an advantage to have a very attractive women who competes in a sport loved by males to sell their tires, trucks, clothing, or watches? All products mostly purchased by males. Would they have an unattractive woman pushing these products or Billie Jean King? : I agree

I could watch those all day.

That is too funny.

He seems like a great guy.

Sceety, I am not trying to say that I'm right and everyone is wrong that doesn't agree with my opinion. It is just my opinion. I could be wrong, I am a lot. I used Danika as an example because someone else brought her up. I am not trying to say that everything that has happened to her applies to every female, but it is a real live example. You said that companies would prefer to use a male to market male products, and she is one (although only one) example that has sponsors selling products to males as well as females. Then Tin pointed out that "sex sells". I agree with Tin, and if you are trying to sell me with sex, you had better send the message by using a woman. That was not the intent of my point, however. You make very good points. I can certainly understand your point of view, I just have a conflicting opinion. I don't believe the size of the company discounts my point at all, some one will be held accountable if the marketing strategy is not working, no matter the level of spending, or the funds available. You "guarantee" things that you do not have specific examples of either (even one). I concede that a female seeking sponsorships to be a professional angler would have a hard time when first starting out, especially in this economic climate. Would you also concede that a male in the same situation would also have a similar hard time? Can I imagine a scenario where a company would pass on a female because a male would better fit how they wanted to market their product? You bet. I can also imagine a scenario where the opposite would be true, that is all I am trying to say. A female could use it to her advantage with the right mindset, some out of the box thinking, and determination to seek out the companies that might fit her into their marketing strategies, or who are looking to conquest a demographic that the female angler would have as a captive audience. There are things a woman could offer a company which a man may not be able to. There are also things that are attractive to sponsors that have nothing to do with gender. What if this angler had an active facebook fan page with 100,000 fans who regularly interact, whom the angler could tell the sponsor's story to on a daily basis. What would that have to do with gender? Do I really know if the perceived advantages would out weigh the perceived disadvantages in the world of marketing and sponsorships? NO. It is just my perception that there would be a few advantages. I am not trying to be a know it all or say my opinion is the only one that counts. I am not basing my entire opinion on this one example, merely using this one example to back up my opinion. We could go back and forth on this forever. I respect your opinion, I just don't agree on this one point. Please respect mine. We don't have to agree to have an educated discussion. There are many things in life and professional Bass fishing that I can clearly see would be a disadvantage to a woman. It is my opinion that seeking out sponsors would not be one of them. I totally agree with most of your other points, especially the attitudes in our society that would discourage females to become a professional angler in the first place. This is entirely too long, and I apologize.

Men are the targets and sex sells. Just think of how she is portrayed in those Go Daddy commercials. Well that is true in the case of Go Daddy. That also supports my point, Go Daddy probably wouldn't have picked a man for this approach. I don't pretend to know if they had this strategy before or after aligning with Danika. They may have had a different approach if they were aligned with a male driver, or they may have had this strategy and were looking for the right woman to come along. I don't think that sex is the strategy of all her sponsors, nor do I think a woman angler would need to use that approach to acquire sponsors. This is one advantage, though not the one I was thinking of when I made the previous post. My point is there are a lot of reasons a company would chose to sponsor an individual (or not). I don't personally see being a female as a disadvantage in the area of sponsorships.

I understand what you are saying Sceety, I just don't see being a woman as a detriment to acquiring sponsorships. I see it either as a non-issue or an advantage. You would naturally stand out from the rest of the anglers, if you were even moderately successful, there would be a great story line. Some one else brought up Danika Patrick, look at her sponsors - 7 Eleven, Honda, Tissot watches, Izod, Airtran, Go Daddy, Goodyear, Chevy. I don't see any lipstick companies. Sure, you would have to find a company that sees the value in a sponsorship, and you would need to find a way to fit their marketing mix and help them spread the message they want the public to know about their company. But really, how is that different than a man seeking sponsors? Again, I see how it would be difficult for a woman to break into a man's sport, but I do not feel that in this day and age finding sponsors would be more difficult for a woman than a man. It is going to be difficult for both of them. For a man, how do you stand out from the crowd and get attention for your sponsors? Winning is the most obvious way. If you were a woman out there competing against men in an equal playing field, just think of all the extra media opportunities you could take advantage of. Would there be companies that say, you are not really what we're looking for? Absolutely. Would there be companies that said that same thing to a man? Absolutely. I make deals for sponsorships every day. We are always saying what is special about this individual/event/group that would make them stand out from the crowd? Also, these days you are just as likely to deal with a woman who is in the position to make marketing decisions and media buys for a company. The other things that would make it difficult I totally understand. Sorry for the long post.

The biggest mistake I see is turning the trailer, and then not straightening it up again. They just leave the wheel turned until they see the trailer in the other mirror and turn the wheel the other way. Like others have said, make small turns with your steering wheel, but then always straighten it up again. Turn, straight, turn, straight. That way you come fairly straight down to the ramp, not like the cotton mouth crawling as Glen mentioned.

Just one comment on the sponsorship discussions. I am not an expert, but I have worked in this area for several years. I think that for every company that would not consider a female angler for a sponsorship, there would be three others who would be excited to have the chance to be associated with someone who is outside the norm. So in some ways, it could be an advantage. This does not discount the many disadvantages a female would encounter trying to break into a sport considered to be a "man's world".

I really want to thank all of you, I feel that the hours I have spent on this site has made fishing more fun for me. It was a long winter, and I spent much of it on here trying to learn. Last night my hours of study, along with the warmest day of the year so far, some new tackle, and my new to me old boat combined for a really fun evening of fishing. In two hours I caught 10 fish, one being around 3.5-4lbs (which is pretty good for our neck of the woods). most of the rest were 2.5 to 3lbs, and two were dinks. I caught my first fish ever on a spinnerbait, first time I have ever had one tied on, first cast. I just felt confident, not like I was doing everything right, just that I knew when I was doing things right and when I wasn't. That is a big difference from just being out there without a clue if anything you are doing has a chance of working or not. Here is a picture of one of the better fish.

I didn't get much fishing in. It poured the entire time I was there, and I didn't end up with much free time either.

Boy, I would love to get into some white bass, not much more fun than that. Thanks again.

Well said Glenn.

Thanks for the reply. I may try the lake in downtown, I still don't know how much spare time I will have. I do appreciate the info.

PM sent, monster.