JT Bagwell

LMAO I am glad I am not dead too. Thanks for the welcome back. I have just been extremely busy with multiple projects. I still cruised the forums a few times per week, but I was usually to tired to respond. Hopefully I can stop in a little more, but I still have a couple of projects I have to finish. Did I mention it is freezing cold here (-6 degrees last night) and we have a lot of snow on the ground? JT Bagwell

The new forums look great. Nice job Glenn. JT Bagwell

I had a little thing that used to bug me, but now I am over it. I never wanted the net handle pointed in my direction. Instead I always pointed it at my non-boater. That way it was in the correct position for them to grab it to net my fish. JT Bagwell

Sponsors that would be grateful for what? JT Bagwell

I usually prefer to go alone, but in about 4 hours I will be going with my wife's uncle. JT Bagwell

Are you talking about Lower Unit Gear lube? JT Bagwell

Here this might help https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/Bagwell/bagwells_bass_tactics_11.html JT Bagwell

Thanks Guys. That will be my last article for 2 weeks. My schedule is absolutely nuts right now and I have scheduled a break. I am closing on a new house in 2 days and leaving town in 3 days for some fishing. JT Bagwell

Oh there are definately anglers out there that will try to get sponsored by anyone just for the sake of adding another patch to their shirts. The thing that most people have to understand is that VERY FEW anglers actually receive cash payments from sponsors. I have never done or read a study on this, but I would have to guess that less than 1% of tournament anglers actually receive regular cash payments. So in reality having a sponsor, especially one that they dislike, is not going to greatly benefit them from a financial standpoint. In most cases it might help reduce costs which can attribute to lower overhead expenses, but the affects will be minimal. It just does not make a lot of sense to me for an angler to invest the time and energy that it takes to create a solid sponsorship agreement with a company whos products they do not even believe in or even use for that matter. JT Bagwell

#1 - Gas in my area is $2.19 - $2.29 per gallon. #2 - This price increase is not affecting my boating habits at all. My boat holds 56 gallons of gas plus another 2-3 gallons of Optimax Oil ($23-$25 per gallon) and I hate seeing the price at the pump, but it's like paying taxes, you just do it and get on with life. #3- I do not think that the higher fuel costs are going to be a factor in the consumer buying habits. People that can afford boats can more likely than not, afford that gas it takes to run them. That would be similar to buying a car based on what the insurance premium would be. JT Bagwell Ps: I really doubt the decrease in gas prices has anything to do with a boycot email.

They might be fishing out of their own boats, but I doubt they get any TV time. If I had to guess, I would say there will be an abundance of "Waist Up" photography going on. You will not see anyone's boat unless it is a sponsor brand. I might be wrong, but we shall see. JT Bagwell

Are any bass boats really $50,000 boats? Should Gas really be $2.50 per gallon? Is it really worth it to pay $5 for (4) 1/4 oz. tungsten weights? NO We are just so used to getting screwed that we accept it as the norm. JT Bagwell

LOL Then I wouldn't suggest getting sponsored by Quantum. Typically you only try to get sponsored by a company whos products you use, love and believe in. JT Bagwell

Kevin, I have been over to the White river in your neck of the woods. I have also been to the Spring river over there by (I believe it was called) Cherokee Village. My mom and the rest of my family lives a little ways (about an hour or so) away. They are over towards Walnut Ridge. Sorry that has nothing to do with night fishing. ;D JT Bagwell

When it comes to equipment like rods and reels, it is a lot more rare to see an angler using a competitor's brand. Unlike with lures, you should always be able to get the job done with your brand of rod and reel. It's not like the fish are only biting on Pflueger reels and All Star rods today because of the post cold front bluebird conditions. If I was an equipment company (rods and reels) and I saw one of my Pro Staff members using a different brand, they would be fired. JT Bagwell

I put my Minn Kota Maxxums through some crazy beatings and they continue to work just great. The shaft is unbreakable and the prop is super tough. Check them out if you are interested. JT Bagwell

I just came in from prefishing on the Mississippi River and it was pretty dang cold. Here is a brief run-down. At the beginning of the week the temperatures were in the 80's and the water temp was in the mid 60's. Today the air temperature was in the mid 40's and the water temps were in the mid to upper 50's. It was raining very lightly. Just enough to make you cold. Never had anything take a crankbait or a spinnerbait. Shook off several fish while using a 1/4 oz. jig around shallow wood. They wanted the bait moved really slow. The guy that rode along with me also shook some off using a jig and stuck one that was a solid 2 1/2 pounds. We were fishing in roughly 2-3 feet of water. Hope that helps Squid. JT Bagwell

It would take a blizzard to drop the water temperatures 20 degrees. I doubt the bass are going to move a great distance, but they will surely not be in a feeding pattern. JT Bagwell

When I go to BPS (which isn't often), I drive about 3 hours. I have a Gander Mountain and a Dick's Sporting Goods about 15-20 minutes away (depending on the traffic). JT Bagwell

Squid, They had a good group of people there. There were reps from Quantum, Daiwa, Shimano, Rapala, Yum and I think that is it for the reps. Then there was some walleye guy that I had never heard of. Plus I was there working for The Yamamoto Pro Team. Walleye Pro Ted Takasaki was also there and I got to hang out with him for a little while. They went all out and it paid off in sales. JT Bagwell

LOL I tried the whole "warmer weather" and "less snow" trick, but that didn't even work. She is really close to her family and the house we are in the process of buying is within a few blocks of everyone. Oh well, maybe I can get rich and just buy a vacation home there. lol JT Bagwell

I sure wish I could convince her, but she is about as hard headed as I am. :'( JT Bagwell

It was definately a nice store. Ceph, Unfortunately I am a Midwesterner (closer to Northerner). I live in North West Illinois. To far north but my wife won't let me move to Alabama or Texas. lol JT Bagwell

Is that a book or something that is on this site? I am not even sure who that guy is. Sorry I can't be of any help. JT Bagwell

I am a Merc owner and I am happy with the product and the company. I had a problem last year with my Optimax. The tech said an oil injector went out which resulted in a blown powerhead. Without any hassle at all, Mercury jumped up and sent a fully dressed 2005 powerhead and paid to have it installed. In my opinion every brand is going to have it's share of problems. It is just a given that there will be a certain percentage of errors made. Knowing that this may occur, a consumer needs to look closely at the customer service behind each brand. Mercury took care of me and as a result I am 100% happy with them. I will also be a repeat customer. JT Bagwell