RichF

Biffle bug for sure. Structure bug is also good.

I use the 50 in heavy milfoil mats and cattails...tie a good palomar and it won't break;) Definitely good enough.

My dad got me some KVD snipper things from Wally for like $5. They are small and have red handles. They are incredible.

Definitely impressive to keep most of those fish alive. Glad to hear that.

Wouldn't you be worried about guys going to private lakes or something? Places not everyone has access to, where the fishing pressure is but a fraction compared to public waters. I'm definitely not implying that teams participating could cheat, but that format kinda lends itself to it rather easily. I'm not a fan of derbies like this. There's one every year close to home on Lake Ontario. The locals and guides (very few tournament fishermen) go out and slaughter dozens of 4 to 6 pound smallmouth. When everyone involved is coming from different areas/lakes back to some central location for weigh in...there's just no way you can keep most of those fish alive or well enough to release them.

Apparently the new Vicious No Fade braid does what its name implies. I personally haven't tried it because it's pretty pricey and I don't care enough about braid-fade.

I personally don't but heavier mono will work.

Yep. Word of warning...the Plano Bazooka telescoping rod tubes suck:(

I have a broken Leg Tourn, Leg Extre, and a Rage packaged and ready to ship. I feel your pain...

What @fishballer06 said... It will certainly work for other top water baits but remember, the lightest it comes in is 50lb. That wouldn't be the greatest for small spooks or poppers but it'd be fine for buzzbaits, ploppers, etc. It also works great with jigs. I too flip jigs most of the time but I also have a rod with #50 FX2 I use for dock skipping and pitching.

I'll probably get reamed but look at one of the site sponsors, Favorite Fishing. Their high end Summit rods claim to be under 3 oz for the action you're looking for. The price tag is pretty high though. Also take a look at the Shimano Zodias. I don't know the exact weight, but I have a 6'10" MH that's incredibly light.

Best braid I've ever used. What do you mean by "used as normal braided line would be?" To me, flipping and frogging is the braid norm.

Definitely won't let you downgrade.

St. Croix Legend glass. I don't have one...yet, but I love St. Croix rods and their new Legend Glass rods look stellar.

I wanna say Quantum. The older guide series reels looked incredibly Quantum-like anyway. I had some Guide Series rods 8 or 9 years ago (second from the highest tier, can't remember the name) and they were actually pretty nice for the $50 sale price. I remember they had nice Fuji alconite guides.

50lb Sunline FX2 is my favorite braid. I use it for both flipping and frogging...and that's pretty much how I fish most of the time. I use 65 also but really don't think it's all that necessary.

No issues with fluoro for me and I almost never use line conditioner. I actually put on 12 Big Game on a crank rod last weekend and didn't like it one bit. If you don't have any problems with XT and braid, stick with it. No sense frustrating yourself if you have something that works for you.

Those new Trackers are nice! Awesome additions too. Way to show your Father and Father in Law a great time!

My sentiments exactly..

I was giggling like a school girl!

I posted this in the Southern Bass Fishing forum but thought this was a better place for it. I finally got out in the Northern VA area to do some fishing this weekend and had a blast. I rented a jon boat from Fountainhead Park on the Occoquan Reservoir and slapped on a little Minn Kota I brought from down from NY. With no prior knowledge of the lake, I just dropped in and started going. It was slick calm and overcast for the first 2 hrs of the day and they were smashin' topwater. I thought the bass might be spawning because they were so shallow (literally waking the surface). All the fish were in such good, healthy looking condition that there was no way they could be yet. Boated 12 for the day and missed a couple others. Half of the fish were 3+ pounds, including a 4lb 11oz and 4lb 7oz. Would've been a good day for the GoPro. Hopefully the BFL on the Potomac goes as well this Saturday coming up!

I rented a boat from Fountain head yesterday and had a blast! I was pleasantly surprised since it was my first time there. Landed 12 between 845am and 430pm. My five biggest went around 19lbs, with a 4lb 11oz kicker.

Rangers all the way!! I wish lol. I can definitely see the Caps taking it. Should make for a fun party around here. I'd honestly be happy seeing anyone win other than the Hawks, Pens, or Bruins.

First off, I don't think it's really a great way to catch bass in the first place so I couldn't even see a lot of guys doing it during competition. Maybe in the summer on the TVA lakes when the bass are 30ft deep chasing shad, but that's about all I can think of. Secondly, it wouldn't be very exciting to watch as a spectator of the sport (there goes BASS Live, FLW Live, and MLF coverage). Thirdly, well I can't think of a thirdly. Are these legitimate reasons? Eh. Maybe #2, at least for those big organizations. Can't make $$ if nobody wants to watch your stuff. Have you ever watched a televised walleye tournament? I'd rather watch paint dry while someone kicks me in the nuts repeatedly. Yes it's that boring. Can you imagine an Elite Series pro using his Ultrex to map a path along a Kentucky Lake ledge, chuck a 6xd behind the boat, and watch him sit there doing absolutely nothing while his boat runs itself? I would actually prefer to work on Fridays rather than watch BASS LIVE coverage!

I'm completely fine with guys trolling for bass. I do, however, agree that it doesn't belong in tournament competitions. But then again, I don't like anything that removes the need for good ol' fashioned skill during competition. If I had it my way, spot lock trolling motors, 3D-mega-side-imaging (whatever), 250hp motors, and senkos would all be banned haha.