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Hey man, Just wanted to help you out, so do not think I'm being negative. You need to do more than just say "give us anything you can" and leave it at that. You need to provide more information on your club such as: size, achievements, service work etc. People can help but you need to "help them want to help if you" if you understand what I am saying. Be a positive advocate for your club and explain to people and businesses that you are not just looking for handouts but are looking to help businesses in anyway you can. I used to be like you before I started reading on here, talking to people, and pretty much growing up. So you picked a good place to learn. Your also lucky that you have the chance to fish in high school because no one in my area supports it so take advantage of that as much as you can. Good luck, Austin

Not sure if this any help but, The best thing you can do is think about how bankable your major is going to be in the long run and how much free time you'll have. I'm doing metallurgical engineering and minoring in marketing or maybe accounting not sure yet. My plan is to work my butt of to get a boat this summer and then be ready to fish in college. I'm going to Alabama so it's probably going to be a little harder but I know I can do it. Start small though, start talking to small businesses for small sponsorships just so you can have experience having a sponsor and knowing what to do and what not to do. Get your name out there too, not just in sponsorships but at your college too. " its not who you know its who knows you" Hope this helped at all.

I know this is kinda late but, I think im coming the first w leeekend and I maybe coming as boater but not sure yet. Let me get things planned out but I may be able to drive someone down if needed im just leaving on Sunday. Also if there's a chance that someones got extra space in their room and doesn't mind another I don't mind spliting a room.

Hey man if you want to pond hop I can help you out but besides that good luck. And yes the commissary is really good, but I'd say go to randevous it's the city's best.

Speaking from experience, a few things could happen: Your boater could tell you "tough S***" and knock you off the fish, Tell you he will give you a chance to catch a few, or not fish them at all. I had a boater not fish beded fish due to the fact he had me in the back of the boat. He still won the tournament anyways. As a non-boater: Always pre-fish. I have had a few times where my boater couldn't prefish so I went for him. Anytime on the water can help.

Yea I miss the old bacon rinds. I was able to find a few packs at a store near pickwick only got a pack or two left.

ABA and Peanutcraft are two I know of. Sure there are more.

This is wierd and hard to find but I used to use a 1/4 double colorado gold with orange head and a yellow skirt. Works well for dingy and muddy water especially when it's cold. Just need to slow roll it.

I'll be there but in someone elses boat sorry man. But hey if you go try going somewhere that is not the d**n they seem to be biting in a bunch of different places but it may changes with the shad kill going further into effect.

Koppers or booyah pad crashers. The pad crashers are very similar to the koppers but half the price.

Guys try the Shelby Farms pond by the stables have not been there in awhile but it used to be good for me. I have another pond i know of but you need to pm me for that info.

Man if you are not using an alabama rig right now you probably are not gonna catch fish.

Went yesterday and today and have been killing them!! Not below the d**n though. Friend caught a 9 yesterday and a bunch of 4 and 5s and I caught a 1 big 6 and a few others today. Ill try to post pics

There's alot of small rivers throughout gatlinberg that are full with trout and smallmouth you just got to look for them. Check online there should be a few websites about it.

Congratulations man. In the college clubs do you need to have a boat? Im going to alabama next fall and didn't know if I had a chance as a non boater.

Never heard that but it may be for very large tournaments. Cause I know in most bfl, club, and small circuits they really do not mind but like I said in my post it depends on the boater if they offer ok but if not that is different.

For spinnerbait fishing I would use anywhere between a 6'6 and a 7'2 rod. It really depends on what your doing. If you need distance go long and with a medium action so you have little more whip to get it out there. If you are trying to fish cover a 6'6 medium/heavy is perfect. You still got casting power but you have stouter rod to get through the cover.

I've been with some good boaters more than bad but I have had some bad experiences. Still out of respect, and due to high gas prices, 40 to 60 is good for gas. If you are pretty close to your destination and the lake is not fairly big, than 30 to 40 is fine but, if you are driving far and on a big lake 60 or higher is good but most guys shouldn't make you pay more than 50 or 60 dollars. Another note, most guys have no problem if you ask them to go to a spot you know or let you control the boat for a little while. This gives them time to change baits and do anything else they could not do while on the trolling motor. With asking them to go to a spot, do not bug them about it. If they say sure and towards the end of the day you havn't gone there and you have not caught fish then kindly remind them. If they say no then leave it at that. As a non-boater you got to have tougher skin than as a boater because it is not your boat. If guy says 2 rods and box of tackle then thats what you got to do but truthfully, most guys out there are not like that but just plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Prayers sent.

Remember each blade of a spinnerbait is considered a hook for some reason on the alabama rig.

Good monring students, Today I like to talk about a bait, not just any bait, but a baits bait. A bait that i never leave at home or not tied on. This would be the one and only spinnerbait. I know there is countless threads and articles about this bait but I want to give my 2cents. Spinnerbaits come in hundreds of different sizes, types and variations. There's single bladed, tandem, quad,etc. They also have different blades and blade combos as well. But here i'm to just make this simple. Colarado blades: give off alot of vibration and movement in the water. Tend to be real slow and "thumpy" dependent on your reel speed. willow leafs: these give off a lot of flash and tend to move a little faster than Colorado blades but again it is based upon your own reeling speed. Indiana blades: these blades tend to be a mixture of both Colarado and williow leafs. You do not see them as often as the other two but they work fine. Now for blade color Silver plated: best in clear water or in sunny day. The silver will reflect light pretty well but you usually need very clear water or a very sunny day. Again though this goes into preference. Gold plated: best in stained, muddy water or cloudy low light days. It kind of provides its own shine but it does not look AS natural as silver but personally I use it probably the most. There is also painted blades but not going into that now. Weight: for shallow water you need a lighter spinnerbait and for deeper water you need a heavier spinnerbait but this is all in opinion. Sometimes if I am throwing into heavy cover I will use a heavier spinnerbait. weight to me really is matter of opinion so I am not gonna elaborate much Laat part, presentations: Slow rolling: this is where you slowly crank your reel and let the bait just move along the bottom. You can stop pause and go, go stop go, and etc there's really endless things you can do. Burning: this is my favorite, this is where you just reel back the bait as fast as you can and pretty much set the spinnerbait on fire. Waking: this is where you have your rod tip up, reel fast, and keep your bait up on the surface. Not to far to where the blades are just flapping but to where they are spinning and breaking the surface causing a wake. This Is just a small amount of things you can do with this bait. Really all you got to do is go out there and experiment with different retrieves, blade combos, colors, etc just like everyother bait. Hope this helps anybody

Graduation early and road trip close to my birthday ooohhhh yeaaa

Terminator has the titanium wire that also snaps right back into place. They are really good spinnerbaits but suck at 8 dollars a pop.

I bought 3 and at first I thought it was a cheaper version of the koppers live target but the length of body and action are different. The pad crasher walks more traditionally than bobbing like the koppers. Personally I like it but havn't had the oppurtunity to catch a fish on it yet.

Great read I just wish someone would bring up the topic of how great the carolina rig is in shallow water. Don't get me wrong, it Is a great deep water technique but something about dragging on a flat in 2 to 4 feet of water or throwing up onto shallow water and pulling down to deeper water just has worked for me.