RichF

July has been good to me this year. Fished two tournaments and won both. First, an ABA divisional at the beginning of the month on Cross Lake up near Syracuse, NY. Weighed 18.19 with a 4.7 kicker flipping docks, grass, and shallow wood in 1 to 5 ft. Second, a Northern NY Bassmaster Team event on Black Lake I fished with my dad. We knocked out our biggest bag ever out there, 20.37lbs with a 5.7lb kicker and another 5.5, both caught in the last hour of the day. Flipped grass in 3 to 10 ft and threw a frog super shallow. Not fishing a ton anymore, but I'm making my days count!

I'm also in the Kistler Helium camp. The warranty is lacking for sure, but when they do some of their sales, they're WELL worth it. I ordered 3 Helium 3s and a new Mag late last year during a 40% off $1000 deal. That's hard to beat for some pretty incredible rods. I'm pitching jigs with the 7'0 H XF Helium 3 and it's crazy sensitive.

The majority of my tournament earnings come from fishing this way. I always have 3 different jigs tied on. Hey @Catt, quit giving away the secrets!! HA! Guess I should've looked at the post date..

Just a few...;)

I couldn't agree more. What got me about the Houston thing the last Sabine tournament was the fact that those two guys even knew about it in the first place. I can't imagine they looked at a map before practice and said "that little canal outside Houston 150 miles away looks good, I think I'll practice there." Which brings me back to my comment about pretty much every pro getting outside info..

After reading that, I wonder if he was one of the "new" guys running to Houston that Kriet and McClelland were salty over.

This is an incredibly accurate statement. I agree with @Logan S that there doesn't seem to be anyone saying co-anglers aren't as good as their boater counterpart. I also agree with @TOXIC that there are some incredibly skilled co-anglers. Bottom line for me: at the Pro Tour level, it should be just about the pro/boater. With the cost of entry, boat ownership, travel, etc., the competitor just doesn't need to worry about the co-angler factor (whether it's positive or negative).

Eeek! That person at the local shop is off a bit. Light fluoro is fine on spinning reels but it's not the best for beginners. Light braid is great on spinning gear. I prefer 1 pc rods but if you want the convenience and portability of a two pc, it's no biggie. Using braid will up the sensitivity factor. I suggest 15 or 20 lb. As for a rod, there are a ton of good options in the $100 price range. The Dobyns Fury line has a huge following. Falcon Bucoo, Shimano Exage (new SLX looks good), St. Croix Bass X (for a few bucks more, the Mojo), the list goes on and on. Because there are so many decent rods in that price range, I'd suggest researching warranties and basing your decision off that. Having a good replacement option if you break a rod is always a deciding factor for me.

I love my older 7'3 H Kistler Magnesium frog rod. So much, I haven't even looked into replacing it (going on 5 or 6 yrs old). I just got my dad a 7'3 HXF Kistler Helium 3 last year. It's awesome and would be great for froggin thick pads. I also have a 7'4 HF St. Croix Avid X that would be really good too.

Happens more than anyone knows Great example of co's affecting the outcome of a tournament. Doesn't matter if the Pro benefits or not, I'd rather not see either scenario in a Professional competition.

Call Shimano. You could probably get it replaced with a zodias or new curado for half price.

These guys aren't as squeaky clean as everyone thinks. Not talking about JW in particular but most of them have very large networks of friends and local anglers that they've gotten info from in the past and likely still get info from. I remember a former Elite getting Dq'd at the first Sabine tourney for fishing in a wildlife refuge. The other angler that outed him knew it was off limits because a local guide he went out with prior told him it was. To be fair, the "no info" rule wasn't in place yet but that goes to show you, many anglers are likely not "finding their own fish" all the time. I do think B.A.S.S has to hold all anglers to the same standard with regards to penalties vs. DQs. They seem pretty inconsistent: 1) Hackney's day 2 DQ'd at Cayuga for fishing an off limits area. 2) Wheeler's day DQ'd for having his marshal help him off a sandbar 3) KVD's penalty for fishing an off limits area that wasn't discussed 4) Lester (I think) getting a 30 min delay at Lacrosse for failing to idle thru a no-idle zone That being said, there are just too many grey areas in the world of competitive bass fishing. No amount of rules will ever make it "perfect".

I'm definitely in the camp that agrees that co-anglers shouldn't compete on the pro tours. Nothing against co-anglers (I've been one several times) but they can 100% have an effect on the outcome of some of these tournaments. I also think it was smart to move to a qualifying system and reducing the number of participants. Maybe we'll start seeing some better competition on the tour.

1/2 oz jig with a 4 inch chigger craw on 17lb fluoro vs my normal 3/4 oz with a rage craw on 50lb braid

Have you used one yet haha

I actually experienced the same thing the other day. Landed 3 out of like 7. Using a kistler helium 3 7 ft ml, 20lb braid to leader. Zman hooks break really easily btw. I think it's a hook thing for me. If i decide to keep using the ned, ill find a different jighead. But...it's really not a fun way to fish so...I won't try too hard.

You won't be disappointed. It's every bit as good as the Stradic.

A lot of touring pros have money, plain and simple. Most of the biggest names in the sport started when it was much more affordable, gobbled up the majority or the endemic sponsors, and have no reason to leave. They get paid well by their sponsors. Skeet and Ish have lambos/ferraris...I know there are many touring pros that struggle and end up bowing out due to finances but the mainstays are getting paid.

I bought a tube of megastrike a year and a half ago. I used it at last yrs bfl on the potomac. I caught a ton, outfished my boater who wasnt using it, and placed 3rd. I thought it was the real deal until i got too lazy to keep re-applying to new baits and continued to catch them really good. Do i think it makes a difference? Eh. I can make another cast in the time it takes to slather it on a bait. That usually equates to more bites. I dont think it hurts anything though.

Fished an ABA tournament on Cross lake last Sunday. Blazing hot and the leisure boats were in full force. Had a great day though. 18.19 lbs for the win! Caught about 20 keepers in 1 to 5 ft. Flipped grass, docks, and shallow wood with a jig most of the day.

Yeah this is definitely an iffy situation. I've been on both decks so I know where both parties are coming from. If a boater asked me not to throw to a specific piece of cover (laydown, dock, etc) before he hit it, I would oblige without a second thought. If I was asked not to throw at an entire stretch of bank on the opposite side he/she was fishing...eh, I'd probably concede but I wouldn't be happy about it. When I go as a boater, I really only expect my co's not to cast in front of me. I don't think I'd ever ask someone to not fish an entire section of water on the opposite side of me. But I also agree with the sentiment of "if you don't like the boaters' rules...get your own boat." Team is the way to go for sure.

Man, Pip can't throw a frog worth beans.

I think what would be better...break the lake into 3 sections, fishing a different one each period. That way, when a competitor stumbles across a school or good section of bank, he won't be able to milk the lucky spot for 3 full periods. In all honesty, there's just no way to make a perfectly level playing field in competitive fishing.

I've just seen it on American Legacy so far.

Just got an email from American Legacy about these. Basically a K with the DC braking system. $250, available in August!