JT Bagwell

By definition, tournament Bass fishing is a sport and competitors are athletes. However if you ask most people, fishing is not a sport and fishermen are not athletes. Recently, a person in a senior position at a sports nutrition company gave me the impression that he didn't think fishermen were real athletes. What do you guys think? Is fishing a sport and are anglers athletes?

Just for the record, I don't live in the south. I am in Northern Illinois about as far North as Chicago but on the opposite side of the state. Our water temps are in the upper 40's to low 50's depending on the day but the fish are still hitting really good.

I think I am about 2 weeks in and I have already lost 1.75" of fat from around my mid-section. How are you guys doing so far? Just to repeat what I have going on: Current Workout = Insanity (40-70 minutes per day, 6 days per week but I have skipped a couple of times because of family stuff) Fat Burning, Appetite Suppressing, Energy boosting drink = Grape flavored Emerge from Max Muscle (I take this in the morning) Protein = Chocolate Ice Cream flavored Max Triple Whey from Max Muscle (I take this 1-2 times a day depending on activity levels) Creatine = Triple blended CX3 from Max Muscle (I take this 30 minutes before my workout) As I mentioned before the owner of the Max Muscle that I like to go to said if you guys don't have a local store, he would be happy to ship directly to your house if you want to try the same stuff I am using. Let me know and I will give you his email address. Come on team, let's here your results so far.

Just because the weather is turning cold doesn't mean the Bass fishing is. The fish are still actively feeding in preparation for the fall. I caught a lot this weekend and they were very aggressive and hitting like freight trains. My 2nd and 12th keepers on Friday were both 4 pounders.

They sure look awesome don't they.

I need to get on board with the swim bait guys but so far I just haven't. My buddy Mike Bucca makes some and I am thinking about getting a couple of them to try out. I can't remember the name though. Our fishing season is quickly coming to an end here in Northern Illinois so it might be something I pick up to get my fix in the off season.

I have P90X (good but too much time each day), Insanity (very good) and the Tony Horton 10 minute trainer (good for when you have a very small time window for working out). I am pretty sure the next one I get will be T25 which is a 25 minute workout with the guy from Insanity. They are all kind of expensive but I justify it by comparing the cost to a month of crossfit. I can use the DVD's over and over and over for that same 1 time fee.

Every so often I come across a bait that is just awesome. In the spring it was when I got the Siebert Outdoors Bloody Shad swim jig. So what is your most recent bait that made you say Holy Cow this thing is crazy good like a fish magnet? My most recent is definitely the Lucky Craft S.K.T. MR in MS American Shad. That thing is amazing I for sure will be getting more of them.

Before last night's workout I found some measurements I took from the Spring. I have put almost 3" of fat on my stomach just since the beginning of June. Right now my program is as follows: My main workout is Insanity. I take Max Muscle CX3 creatine before my workout. During the day I have a shake or two of Max Muscle Triple Whey Protein that tastes like chocolate Ice Cream. In the morning I take Emerge which is a fat burner and appetite suppressant from Max Muscle that tastes like grape Kool aid. I also take a multi-vitamin and Essential Omega which is a Peach Mango flavored supplement from Max Muscle that replaced my fish oil pills. I have tried supplements from several other places but I just prefer the stuff from Max Muscle. It helps that they are very smart and helpful. My local guy said that if anyone here did not have a local Max Muscle location to get the stuff I am using, he would be willing to ship it to you from his store. Let me know if you are interested and I will give you his email.

Man you guys are extra nice today Thank you

My fiance wears the Wiley X "Lacey" model. She is able to get the protection of high quality polarized lenses and still look like a super model on and off of the water. lol I better show her this post so I get a few brownie points for that last comment.

Thanks again everyone. I love hearing the feedback and how other people attack similar situations. There is no single "right" way to do anything, especially catch a Bass.

Thank you very much. Glad it helped.

Thanks Guys

Hi everyone, Just wanted to share a new article that is on the homepage. http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/Bagwell/fishing-thick-cover.html

While most of this is true, another aspect of high quality polarized sunglasses (you definitely get what you pay for) is the elimination of eye fatigue and the resulting headaches that usually go with it. My Wiley X sunglasses have 8 layers of coatings on the lenses (they call it Filter 8) that aid in all aspects of visibility and performance. They are also ANSI Z87.1 impact resistant so if you miss a fish and your 3/4 oz football jig drills you in the lense, they are not going to shatter and destroy your eye.

Same here. It snowed all day yesterday.

I have to tell you guys the Lucky Craft S.K.T. MR in MS American Shad is one of the best crankbaits that I have ever used. The fish were absolutely crushing it. I caught so many fish on it that every time I got it hung up I was worried I would lose it because I only have 1.

Man that sucks,I was really wanting to try them.

Are they soft bodied or hard? What did you dislike? They look really good online.

Have you tried this swim bait? If so what are your thoughts? It is the Lucky Craft Real California 130 Premium

I am heading out in the morning and the windchill is supposed to be 29 degrees at 7am. The afternoon high is supposed to be somewhere around 50 degrees. I just got some new Lucky Craft SKT crankbaits (Medium and Deep) today and plan on putting them into the mouths of some Bass first thing in the morning.

Nice_Bass you are right, crossfit does have a cult like following. I call them the cross fit mafia around here. lol I am going to go to my local Max Muscle store every 2 weeks to have my body fat percentage measured (they do it for free). I would recommend anyone that is interested to do the same. It takes about 5 minutes. They will even chart it for you over the course of 6 months or a year or whatever you want to do.

Good thread so far guys. To some degree I do agree that the highly marketed programs (P90X, Insanity, etc) are a fad. However, I don't do them to be popular (some people do). I do them because they work. The programs are really difficult but like I said, they work. I tried the egg white thing a few years ago only to be violently ill. I waited a few days before I tried it again and once again, violently ill. Great way to find out you are allergic to eggs. lol I was 34-35 at the time and had no clue I was allergic to them.

I am in northern Illinois and the patterns are similar. Last week I was lighting them up on a Lucky Craft Bevy Shad and Siebert Outdoors swim jig with a Swim Senko trailer. Hopefully it is still going strong on Friday when the air temps are in the 30's when I hit the water.