NCLifetimer

I think I would cash a check maybe once or twice. Not that i couldn't catch a limit, but 10 lb limit doesn't mean much when everyone else is on 4+ pounders. It would be great to get all the equipment, money and sponsers and make a run at it one year, but I know my knowledge set isn't close to those guys in the elite. At that level, its over 90% mental in my opinion.

Falls is great early, bite shuts off quick for me once the sun comes up. What about the other lakes?

I use roboworm straight tail with great success.They float. Most plastics float, or sink very slowly. Roboworms actually do float thou, as in stand up under water. About any plastic worm will work on a shakey head. I like a 6-7 inch worm.

another vote for columbia, check the omni-freeze if they have it in long sleeve, i have one in short sleeve and its ultra cool. So is the Tamiami, i have a white one in short sleeve and it keeps me very cool, and is comfortable. i highly recommend columiba PFG stuff, its worth the price.

supply and demand. because its more profitable for them to sell x amount at 60k then x+y amount at 40k. If no one bought a boat over 50k, then all the current models would max out at 50k. Bass boats are like cars. You can get a mercedes for 80k or a toyota for 30k, only difference is quality, but not usually 50 thousand in quality. Same with a ranger vs a nitro.

Information, that isn't about products. patterns, why exactly the angler is doing what he is doing on that day(bc of this weather condition, this time of year, this temperature, etc...), general tips and tricks.

FLW, Boat US and BASS college series(called carhartt(sp?)) are the main ones and only one's i know of for college anglers. FLW is an easy process to start. Go to the college part of their website, www.collegefishing.com and look under the tournament drop down. FLW has 4 qualifiers per region. that means 8 people from you're school are guaranteed to compete in regional qualifiers. Other teams from your school can be put on a wait list, but the tournaments always fill up. If you're in top 5 for each regional, you go to regional championships. top 5 from the five(or maybe its only 4 regions) regional championships go on to the national championship. if a team from a school got 1st place in regional qualifiers, regional championship and then won nationals, they would be looking at a winning of over 150,000 and two boats valued at around 20k each. Boat US has one big tournament for all colleges nationally I believe, and 2 teams from each school can go to that. No qualifier that i know of, besides just signing up. BASS is a little different. They have opens. As long as 2 people from you're school participate(and i think place with the top 50 or somethings) then you're school is then eligible to send two people to the BASS national championship. They don't have to be the two people who went to the open, but that would be fair. My advice, establish a team at your school, then write up a club constitution. Make up a fair point system to determine who gets to go fish the above 3 tournaments. The above 3 tournaments also have payouts, so determine how much of the money goes to the school. Then to the club, and the anglers. I personally believe NC State has a good club setup. Go to their site, google "BassPack", and take a look at the constitution. I think it will prove as a good guideline. I stress the constitution because when you add tournaments with payout into the equations, things can get messy... Individual schools throughout the year, atleast in my area, hold Opens where they invite others schools to compete on a single lake for "fun" for a lack of a better phrase. They don't lead to anything else, but its a good way to compete against others schools and their is usual some kind of pay out, whether in sponsorship gear or money. Good luck, if you have any other questions shoot me a PM.

Some of the most enjoyable days fishing i've ever had have been fishing at a farm pond. I've recently began to get more enjoyment out of catching a few fish out of a big lake then a 20 lb bag out of a farm pond. Is it harder to catch bass in a big lake? sure it is. Its also harder to win the bass masters classic then it is to catch fish in a club tournament. But that doesn't mean that the club tournament is somehow inferior, just a different level of the sport called fishing, that's all.

JB Custom Snake rod with a lews tournament pro. Best bass rod ever made, if you ever fish with one id bet some good money you'd agree.

Deep Creek lures, a plastic company out of Dunn, NC. Make some great plastic brush hogs and senkos.

In a boat i break out my hound dog lure retriever. Thing has paid for itself at least 10 times. Id recommend that everyone that fishes from a kayak or boat have some type of lure retriever. On shore, ill use the tension snap release technique(atleast what i call it) for about 2 or so minutes, works about 80% of the time, the other 20% i end up pulling and praying.

One technique would be a texas rig. One specific lure would be a robo worm 6" shaky head in ehlers edge. Crank is a close second, but their is nothing like feeling that tap and setting the hook on a 8 lber.

The original advantage of glass rods over graphite rods was the fact they bend so much. the first couple generations of graphite rods weren't capable of having the parabolic action that glass rods could because the graphite would be to brittle. once engineers learned how to make graphite more flexible, the graphite crankin rod with invented. Current technology allows graphite rods to be just as bendable and able to throw baits just as fair as glass rods. This however doesn't make glass rods obsolete thou.

+4, your action is too light. if you are going to keep using that rod, use braid line or flouro. They will help with hook up ratio with that rod, with braid being the best choice for that rod.

Robo Worm also makes one in tequila sunrise.

I don't think it matters. I will repaint the heads if they get chipped down to the shinny lead thou.

Yep, just a stuck texas rig weight. They have them for sale on TW.

Amber lenses work better in indirect light(dusk/dawn) and overcast situations. Blue lenses cut the glare better on bright blue bird days. Atleast that is why Bill Dance said in one of his tv shows, and I also find it to be true. Amber is what i use, and is a good all around lens IMO. Polarization is a must.

the key i've found from the back of the boat is the ability to adapt. you might be with someone what never takes the trolling motor off high, or someone that will sit in the same spot for hours. having a wide range of lures tied on helps to. I usually use heavier lures when fishing from the back(faster sink). If your boater has already fished a stump and is moving onto the next, you might not have time to let that light lure fish the whole range of the water column.

JB Custom "snake" rod with a lews tournament pro. Ultra light, and sensative on a scary level. Use it for shaky heads and texas rigged plastics, along with the occasion light jig.

I also like a slower gear ratio. Tried it with my 7.3 quantum burner, didn't work out for me. 5.something is perfect for spinners in my book.

A 5.(something) is what i like to use for crank baits and spinner baits. I think you'll like the winch, its the reel that will go on my next crankbait rod.

I have the exact reel your looking at. After using a lews tournament pro and bass pro pro qualifier, i would recommend both reels over the quantum. Its a good reel, but i think their are better reels for the price(or less). Also the 7.3 gear ratio is extremely high atleast for me, which is the main reason mine is up for sale. My advice would be to get a Lews tournament pro($200), a Lews tournament speed spool (150) or a bass pro pro qualifier(100). In that order. My next reel will be one of the 3, just not sure how much i want to spend yet.

subsurface=flouro for me topwater=mono or braid

Thanks guys, I think i will go with a longer then then 7, probably somewhere around 7' 4-6". I thought the extra length was probably appreciated. The blank, not sure exactly where he gets them. JB custom rods is the builder. I have the "snake" rod right now and its scary sensitive, like on a level i didn't think was possible. That's why I'm get one built, verse buying one already 7' +.