RichF

Agree with the Avid X, Zodias, or Kistler KLX. I have all of them. They're all around $200 and are PLENTY sensitive for bottom contact.

That's a big win! Great job!

Huge fan of St. Croix. Like everyone has said, their warranty and customer service are the best out there. I have 8 Croixs and they're all fantastic.

You're right that the mainstays will likely not have to re-qualify because they consistently perform well enough to stay put. Obviously, many anglers competing in the Opens are looking for a chance to make the Elites, so sure, there will be fresh recruits. I say it looks bleak because it appears (to me anyway) that BASS puts nearly all of its effort, attention, backing, whatever, etc. into a handful of anglers that won't be in the sport forever. Not only will they not be around forever, they will all likely be leaving at or around the same time. Of course not all Elite anglers are wealthy. I know many come from humble beginnings and have worked extremely hard to get where they're at. It's incredibly respectable (Steve Kennedy comes to mind). However, I'm not sure if you can compare the Swindle/VanDam/Reese/Iaconelli era to today's, from a cost/difficulty perspective. I think it's perfectly reasonable to say participating, qualifying, and just affording to play the game was quite a bit more manageable back then. Boats didn't cost 80K, trucks, weren't 40K, and fuel was much cheaper. I'm not saying it was easy, just that it was likely much easier than today. So yes, your examples of the Lee bros and Palaniuk do indeed show that you don't "have" to be wealthy to make it, but this new Opens format will make it much more of a necessity. Here's why I think that... It was already incredibly difficult to compete in them when you factored in the cost and the time off necessary to complete a circuit, but it was manageable, provided you had a decent job that gave you three weeks vacation (which I'd say is pretty standard). I don't know of many "regular" jobs that are going to give you the now five weeks of vacation time necessary to complete a circuit. That will eliminate a lot of folks from participation even if they have the cash to buy in. Let's say you can muster up the vacation time. Only having two divisions will not only require another $1500 entry fee, it will also increase travel costs, drastically in my estimation (Champlain to Okeechobee for example), which again will likely deter potential participants. I just don't see the pool of potential anglers waiting to "slip in" growing with this new format. Just look at prior Opens rosters. Year after year, they're mostly filled with Elite pros, FLW tour pros, and a handful of repeat amateurs (many of whom, I'm guessing, have deep pockets). And it's not like the fields are always full. I certainly don't think the future of competitive bass fishing is bleak but I definitely don't think these new changes will help grow higher level event participation within the BASS organization. I was likely going to fish at least one Open next year for the first time on the "Pro" side. Definitely not happening now. I'm guessing FLW is going to see a drastic influx in participation next year. You better sign up EARLY!! Good Luck!

Eh, there are but I don't think I'd see a drastic difference in how many I catch if I replaced my jig with one.

I'm a big proponent of just not using them.

It's a step on the "right" direction for BASS but a wrong one for the majority of amateur anglers. The only thing this new format does is provide more of an advantage to established touring pros looking for an extra chance at the Classic or re-qualification into the Elites. I think it's safe to say that BASS makes the majority of their money from the Elites so it only makes sense for them to do all they can to keep those guys around. They're a sure thing when it comes to ponying up the cash for entry fees. I get that it's a business but BASS needs to wake up. What are they gonna do when their poster boys all retire? Sure there are a few good young guns mixed in, but the mainstays are all in the same year class or older. I can't imagine the pool of incredibly wealthy but also extremely talented bass anglers is very deep. The future looks bleak to me if BASS keeps up with their current business plan.

I'm more frustrated with all the d*%m "breaks" they take! It's more like 2.5 hrs of fishing coverage and 3.5 hrs of the same dumb commercials!! Those stupid songs and Mercer's voice are slowly destroying my soul.

Eh, use whatever gives you warm fuzzies inside. I like fluoro for certain things. I like mono for certain things. I like braid for certain things. If you know what you're doing, you're not going to break off that many fish, regardless of line choice.

While my girlfriend was in law school in DC, I lived back in our hometown in northern NY. During those years, I fished 8-10hr days 3 days a week from late March to the end of November. That included upwards of 20 tournaments a year. Since the move to Arlington, VA (almost 2 yrs), I'm down to fishing maybe 15 to 20 times, half of which are tournaments. I need more time on the water.

I had that exact rod. It's not as heavy as you'd think. My problem with it was the handle. It was way too short and threw the balance way off. Wasn't a fan.

Must be nice! I felt the need to pick Bertrand and Mosley who are almost dead last...

I bet they do since they're easily the most used plastic on the market.

Took advantage of the Kistler sale. Got a fourth to get 50% off but it's for my dad. Also, figured it was time to jump on at least one of the current bait bandwagons...

I do it with fluoro and don't have any issues.

Senkos definitely kill bass. They should be banned

No offense taken here. The debates are always fun, entertaining, and often informative.

If you guys missed it, modesty just flew out the window...

I guess it depends on whether you fish mainly offshore in water deeper than 8 -10 ft or fish shallow. Talons will only anchor you in up to 10ft. The Ultrex can keep you on any offshore spot, more or less. Tough decision since you're fishing Toledo Bend. The Talons would be great for sight fishing shallow in the spring and the Ultrex would be awesome for fishing deep structure in the main lake in the summer. Get one, save, then get the other

Toss a crank like a DT10 or a big squarebill thru them. Largemouth will likely be underneath them.

Might not be. It's worth giving them a call though.

My dad has a '14 Z-7 he bought new. I think the motor has about 150 - 175 hrs on it now. It hasn't been run all that hard (we don't jump waves and go crazy like some). It's definitely showing signs of wear and tear. It's got stress cracks in the fiberglass on the inside next to the seats. I've heard of other guys with Z-7's putting their feet thru the interior under the console while running (these guys were hitting 3 footers on Ontario at 55mph). All in all, we like the boat. It's not perfect, but it's very comfortable to fish out of.

I'm not a jerk but I don't go into great detail. I never lie though.

My favorite techniques, but I don't catch a lot in early spring (prespawn) with them. That's really the only time I'm tossing moving baits over flipping and pitching.

I have a couple Heliums, an older mag, and a klx. They're all awesome rods. I just ordered 4 of the mag2s to get the 50% off. While I'm not crazy about the color scheme, it was too good of a deal to pass up. I haven't received them yet so I can't really say too much about them. I do know that Kistler makes some fine rods so I'm not too worried.