Sam

Chappy, One last suggestion. PUT THE PLUG IN THE BOAT THE NIGHT BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT. Don't forget to put the plug in the boat before you leave for the tournament. It is embarassing to forget to put the plug in the boat. Now how would I know? No idea.

Great news. Good looking shirt, too. Thanks for telling us. Keep us up to date on her tournaments.

Chappy, Planning. Lots of prefishing planning. And details. Pay extra attention to the details. Here are some suggestions based on my experiences tournament fishing. Get a map of the waters being fished. Get two or three maps of the waters being fished. Study them. Look for dropoffs, humps, points, stump fields, pilings, sunken boats, navigation hazards, coves, pockets, underground roads, small feeder creeks entering larger creeks; marinas; and so on. Visit the body of water and look for boat houses, docks, piers, grass, wood, pads, flats, bends and everything you saw on the maps. Then map out an area about consisting of one or two miles to fish so you will not be running all over the body of water trying to find fish or other places to fish unless you know those places hold fish. Talk to locals or find a blog regarding the body of water you will be fishing to get some ideas as to where to goand what to throw. Do not ask for exact details but more of an interest in a macro-sort-of-way, as opposed to a micro-sort-of-way. Google the body of water to see what you can find. Look through past issues of magazines to read what the writers say about your body of water and time of year you will be fishing. Call your Wildlife and Fisheries and ask them if there is a Conservation Officer who patrols the body of water and if so, can you call and speak with him about the waters, the launch site and what to throw and where to go. Ask quesitons on this site about where you will be fishing. You will be surprised at the number of responses and suggestions you will get. And the guys on this site know more than you would ever think about specific bodies of water and seasonal fishing. Make sure you have everything you need on your boat as per the federal and state regulations and laws. Even to the point of having a throw cushion out in the open. You do not want to get a ticket and be DQ'ed. Watch wake zones and speed limits if they are on the body of water. Wear your PFD when under power. SPOOL WITH FRESH LINE. I cannot say that enough: SPOOL ALL REELS WITH FRESH LINE. This is a must when you go tournament fishing. CONSTANTLY CHECK LINE FOR KNICKS, CUTS AND ABRAISIONS. Remove them. CHECK AND RETIE KNOTS AFTER ONE OR TWO FISH. BRING ADDITIONAL BAITCASTERS WITH YOU TO CHANGE THEM FOR ONES THAT GET BAD BACKLASHES. HAVE ADDITIONAL SPINNING REELS ON BOAT IN CASE YOU NEED TO REPLACE A SPINNING REEL DUE TO LINE TWIST OR IF IT BREAKS. Have all baits organized. You may want to put the hard baits you will be expecting to throw the most, along with its tackle, in one tackle box and have your favorite plastics in one place for easy retrieve and a special tackle box with the plastics' terminal tackle in it. Tell your partner where the net is located. It is a disaster to hook into a lunker only to find out that your partner has no idea where you stow the net. And if you are alone, have the net ready to go where you know where it is. And don't forget to bring the net, too. ;D Tell partner to go slow in boat and not make any noise when moving to net a fish. You do the same. A LMB will panic if you make too much noise when landing him and she will snap your line or throw your bait. Have a valid fishing license WITH YOU. Leave wallet at home and put drivers' license, a credit card, your group health insurance card and your fishing license in your pocket along with some cash. If you have AAA add that card to your collection. Put a strap around your head to hold your POLARIZED SUN GLASSES so they will not fall into the water. Put cell phone in one of the lockers and NOT IN YOUR SHIRT POCKET. Have pliers and sissors ready to use. I put them in an electrician's belt around my waist so I know where they are and can get to them easily. Have rain gear on boat if there is a chance it will rain. Have extra set of clothes on boat or in vehicle in case you get wet. Have extra battery, charged and ready to go, in your truck. I have been tournament fishing when we had to stop and go back to the ramp store buy a battery. Have own plastic bag to carry fish to weigh station from boat for weigh-in. Check out boat three days before the tournament by testing the trolling motor, lights, and making sure the motor starts. Check batteries and have them charged to the max. Check air pressure in trailer tires and make sure trailer lights work. Check engine oil. DO NOT FORGET TO CHECK ENGINE OIL. Fill up boat the night before the tournament so you will not have to stop at a gasoline station on the way to the tournament. Get to launch site early; launch boat ASAP and tie her to dock; have exact amount of fees ready to pay; be courteous to others; and have a fun time. And do all of the other stuff they guys tell you. Set everything up a few days before the tournament. Make yourself a checklist. The day before the tournament is not the day to remember to start getting ready for the tournament. And when you are on the water it is a bad situation when you remember that you left _________ at home or in the truck. So think about being on the water and what you will need during the week before the tournament and add it to your checklist. Good luck and let us know how you do

Remember, swimbaits can replace spinnerbaits so you give the fish something different to look at other than a spinnerbait. So fish them as you would a spinnerbait and you should do well. Of course, swimbaits would work better if the bass understood that they are supposed to hit them all the time. P.S. I have put a weight on the line to get the hollow bodied swimbaits deeper.

BCH, When considering a new baitcasting reel please consider the type (low profile); the power (5:1, 6:1 or 7:1) depending on the type of fishing you will do with the reel; the highest line test it can handle; and the brand. As long as you go with a name brand you will not have any problems with the reel. What you have to decide is what you want the reel to do (winch fish out of cover and structure; long casts for treble hook baits; fish plastics; pitching and flipping; etc.) and then try to find a reel that will meet your needs. With the new Hanover BPS opening you may find a good reel on sale at other BPS locations in celebration of the new BPS opening. Shimano, Flooger, Diawa are all good reels and as long as you treat them well they will perform for you for many, many years.

Nice truck. It fits you like a glove and makes the statement that you are from Texas where real guys live and work. Not like a small Kia from New York City. ;D

Nitro, Sorry to hear the news but glad you are OK and there was not any major damage to the hull. Your insurance carrier will ask you to take the boat to a repair shop of either your choice or their suggestion. So ask the adjustor if he knows of a good repair shop. If you have to select the repair shop, please go to one that is a Certified Dealer and Repair Facility for your brand of motor, be it a Mercury, Yamaha, etc. dealer. Have the repair shop check the hull and the stern to make sure the motor did not damage the rear of the boat when it hit the underwater object. And have a tune up of the motor included in the repairs to make sure nothing was damaged and the compression is still within the acceptable range. Good luck and let us know what the insurance company tells you to do and how you make out.

Senkos.

Hey Dave, Look at it this way. You should have been in school other than for the State Fair holiday so this is a great serendipity catch. As for your shirt, it is the battery acid. I have done that before. And I don't think your mom would appreciate you telling everyone that you have bugs in your house. ;D Another great catch by Big Dave. Now, what has Bassboy15 caught lately? Probably nothing more than a cold.

Length X Length X Grith = Pounds 1200 21,25 X 21.25 X 16 = 6.02 Pounds 1200 If you can get a better estimate of her grith you can redo the formula and obatin a better estimate. Beautiful fish. Now go back and catch her again!

Hey Josh, Be sure to give us Fishin' Daddy's secrets! ;D ;D ;D Welcome to the forum and we expect to see some good photos of those big LMB you catch as you show your father how to catch them. Glad you are with us.

Spinnerbait fishing is a science within itself. Blade types and colors, skirts and their colors, weights, colors of the head, length of their blade shafts, techniques, water clarity, time of the year, bodies of water, water depth, line test, rod specs, reel ratios, trailer hooks, etc. So to answer your query is not easy. May I suggest reading about spinnerbaits? Or purchase Kevin VanDam's Proven Spinnerbait Techniques and Gerald Swindle's Teaching Success with Spinnerbaits, as they are outstanding video/DVD productions. I would suggest Hank Parker's Ultimate Guide to Spinnerbaits but it is produced in a time-wasting production format with a lot of unnecessary filler although Parker does give some excellent advice and tips on spinnerbait fishing. An example of spinnerbait fishing, this weekend I fished the Potomac River. All they wanted was white baits such as frogs, spinnerbaits and flukes. We fished the grass lines and I caught eight on a white War Eagle ½ ounce spinnerbait. They would not look at any other color or color combination. If I would go out tomorrow they would probably shun a white spinnerbait and hit another color. Also, Jimmy Houston and I believe Hank Parker like a short wire holding the blades. For other pros the length of the blade wire means nothing. So please read and watch productions about spinnerbaits.

Hey Zell, Happy endings make me happy. Great news. Congrats!

The secret is with your rope. You prepare to launch or trailer your boat as usual but itis imperative that you tie the rope to the dock, securely. If you do not tie the boat to the dock securely and the rope comes loose you will have to swim after your boat. I know. Also, when it is dark place a flashlight at the beginning of the ramp so you can see where the ramp begins. There is no secret or easy way to launch or trailer your boat. We all do it the same way.

I am going to replace my two trolling motor and one statrtng battery for next year and am wondering what you guys suggest I purchase. Thanks in advance.

GreenTop offers advatages that BPS does not have, such as... An excellent selction of Zoom and Senko products... Excellent selectin of crankbaits and topwaters... Helpful guys... Salespeople who know fishing and are very helpful on selecting baits for specific bodies of water... Stable sales force with little turnover... Excellent selectin of other tackle such as line, hooks, sinkers, swivels, weights... Outstanding selection of rods and reels... Shimano factory reps once a year to answer your questinos and solve your rod and reel problems... Although we have a BPS with their advantages, good ole Green Top has their advantages especially ifyou are seeking Zoom or Senko products plus an excellent selectin of crankbaits. Be sure to visit Green Top after you visit BPS so you can pick up what you can't get at BPS.

Ike's Rules: Mono for all treble hook baits. Flouro or copoly for all other baits. Braid for heavy cover, frogs or deep cranking. So.....mono for treble baits.

Looking at other fishermen's baits is not unusual. As long as you don't do it in the locker room. Some guys try to hide their baits. Others don't care as they know the location of where to fish, color, line test, rod and reel specifications and technique are more important than a specific bait. I can throw any bait you have, modified or not, and you will still outfish me if you know where to go and how to present the same bait. On the Potomac this past Sunday the fish wanted anything white. Go figure? Moving and white. Big or small bait as long as it moved and was white, other than for the white or pearl Senkos. We all know what the other guys like to throw. And they know what you like to throw. There is no crying in baseball and there are no secrets in bass fishing. Maybe.

Is there any way you can speak with members of Idaho bass clubs or the Idaho Wildlife and Fisheries Department and find out if there are any local ponds or bodies of water in your area that hold 10-pound bass before you venture out to a far destination? You need to talk to a higer level person and not a desk jocky at the Wildlife and Fisheries. Someone who knows what they are talking about and will not just give you a curt answer and hang up. If you strike out with your B.A.S.S. or FLW clubs and the Wildlife and Fisheries people cannot help you maybe you can find a blog on the web that you can ask people for information regarding where to catch the 10-pounders you seek. Maybe Russ *** has some suggestions? Give him a PM and see what he has to say. And remember, as stated above, catching 10-pounders is not easy and it is usually a once in a lifetime experience unless you go to Florida, Texas, California or Mexico. Good luck and let us know what you find out and how you do.

Great news. Gald he did not get off the line before the doctor threw him in the boat! He is a cute young man. And remember, to get Mathew's weight... Length X Length X Width = Pounds 1200 Tell Jason congrats from all of us. Ron, we need to meet at the new BPS shop now that it is open. Let's make plans now that it is open.

At the Region 3 FLW meeting tonight one of the guys said that the BPS is OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

Ron, be sure to let us know that all is well with mother and baby. Then it is time to celebrate at the new BPS in Hanover! ;D ;D ;D

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Local law enforcement knows where to look for the boat. Other law enforcement agencies in your area also know where to look and finding a boat is something off the radar screen so they wll be interested. The sad part is that the perks will take the boat to a chop shop and remove the items they can sell. They will then take the parts to a metal recycle yard for the junk value. If they mix it up with other metal then the recycle people will have no idea the metal from your boat is included in the sale. I agree with the aforementioned suggestion that you check the classifieds, Craig's List and e-bay for the trolling motor. This may be your best bet on helping law enforcement catching the perks. One question - did you have a trailer lock on the trailer? Just wondering.

Senko77 gets an A.