squid

JT, You and I need to move south...lol Squid

Hey Mike, Say hello to the guys at the NBAA booth while you are there. Ask for Pete Lusis....see if ya can get him to buy ya a beer...lol

If fishing NBAA, you should get a partner to help with the cost of the entry fee. You really don't need a sponsor to fish these events. If fishing the overtime challenge, those come to $20 per person. If fishing the weekend challenge, that comes to $65 each. If you two want to get sponsors to help cover these costs then start with some friends who have a business and you will help them by promoting their business for...say $100 - $250 for advertising. But, to just start out with nothing to show or offer the potential sponsor, might be hard to get any money out of them. Product sponsors, may give you free or cheaper priced bait. But, you still need to make it work for them to pick them up the next year. I worked hard to get the sponsors I have and I do them a good job of getting their name and products out there. Big names don't come over night. Just start out small and go from there. Squid

Hey Mike, Wish I could be there. The Lansing Boat and Fishing show is going on from the 9th-12th. That is where I will be, spending my bait monkey money, doing short seminars on the Hog Tank. Should be fun and alot more to look at than what I did last week...lol....was the only BASS MAN in the place...lol. Had a blast and will have a blast again this weekend. Squid

Don't be afraid to lose your lure. If you think it's a stump or a rock.....SET THE HOOK!! It just might be the biggest fish you've ever caught. Watch your line all the time, that tells you if a fish is on your bait before you even feel it. Always put sunscreen on right after your morning shower. If you forget, then rub your hands with garlic scent and wipe off the residue on your buddies sandwich...lol...he wont mind the garlic flavor...lmao ;D

Great advice! It's the absolute truth. Booth shows and seminars is where you can be made or broken. You have to be able to relay the information to the anglers that are coming to you for information, and you have to be able to answer all the questions that anglers might come up with. And the truth is, anglers that are new the sport will think completely outside the box when it comes to fishing, and they will ask you about things that you had never thought of, or things that you have thought about but deemed too silly to try. Yes this is the truth. I worked on the Hog Tank last week and it was by far the best way to meet potential sponsors. Was also a way to teach those who have never tried certain techniques, or products. When my little seminar was over, people would ask me all kinds of questions. From knot tying, to the best lures to use for smallies. My seminar was only the basics with tips and techniques, lure presentations and 2 sponsor products. That was it, but was it hard to remember that LOTS of people don't know the basics, something we all take for granted. So you need to work in booths, to get use to giving out info.

I got mine from Roadwarrior....lol : ;D

Don't be jealous, it was an opportunity that I got to take advantage of. Yes, it was TONS of fun

I worked the Hog Tank at the Novi Outdoorama the 22nd - 26th of Feb. I was giving 20 minute seminars on basic fishing. Do you know how hard that was to remember the basics...lol....we all take them for granted, but what an opportunity it was for me to get more experience in speaking and showing off sponsored products. When I was done with my 20 minute comic relief, I would bring a small child up to catch a bass. I had some who did a very good job of it too....lol. Was on Local FOX NEWS twice and a sport news radio once. The second time I was on the news was just great. Had the news guy up on the tank with me, then I caught a bass, handed him the rod and reel and let him try to do the samething. He didn't get a good hookset, so the tube came right back at us. With me holding his mic, I told him the kids I bring up there do a better job....lol. People who saw the Saturday morning News came out to try and get their kids up with me...lol. They also told me that the studio news team made fun of the guy who was with me, by not being able to catch a fish out of a tub...lol. Was the best experience of my life and I will be doing it again at the Ultimate Sports Show in Lansing, MI from the 9th - 12th of Mar. Just never knew how tuff it would be to teach the basics...lol Squid

Told my buddies wife we were going camping way up north, just so we could go camping 30 minutes away and participate in a big tournament...lol We also drove 500 miles for a big tournament.

Much better, with the email address. Was great to talk with you on the 11th. I think I helped you sell some of those vertical lures for ya.. 8-) Squid

I agree....woo hoo...someone who knows what he is talking about. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Cain't go wrong with this, and add a jig to it too...

I need a real dictionary...lol. Here is what I found: athlete >noun 1 a person who is good at sports. :

Look, fishing is the only excersize I get anymore...lol. Fishing is a sport for those who fish....bowling is a sport for those who bowl.....golfing is a sport for those who golf....curling is a sport for those who like life size shuffle board....lol. If they can put POKER on ESPN...and FOX SPORTS...which is not a sport by the way.....Then they can call anything they want as a sport, as long as there is some kind of compitition to it.... So the real question is...are we athletes? What is an ATHLETE? Athletes are what make a sport a sport! :

You cuss? Hummmmm....come back when you are famous...then I will tell you how I feel....lol...*&^*&^(^*(&^*&^*%*^)...lol I swear way to much for TV....How I got through Love Connection without swearing...I will never know....lol...she was a :-/.. ...lol Just glad to know we are all human....lol. Just need to keep a Big Fish in my mouth to keep me from saying anything.....lol

Man I hate it when someone CAN'T READ! 8-) That was a good story and was well written to where it STATED that it was a joke......READING MADE EASY FOR DUMMIES by JT BAGWELL...LOL.. ;D

Baseball? Your spring training is with a Rod and Reel in hand. Now, cast and wind, cast and wind. Flip into the bucket at 20ft, when you get good, switch to a glass. When you get good at that, try 30ft....lol. What are you doing there reading this >...get out and practice dammm it.....practice....lol Squid

LBH....lol....that was mean man :...really mean ;D But I understand 8-)...lol....too funny :-X

I use them for some local ponds, when fishing spots that I can't cast too. I have never spooked a bass when wadding. The bass that I find are under thick mat of vegetation and I use a weedless topwater bait. They find the bait due to the movement on the mat of veggie. I enjoy fishing this way, but have been stuck in the muck and had to be pulled out a couple of times....lol > Squid

Maybe they are going to pull it off the air. Just a thought there. Squid

Yes, I agree with this. I am still learning and so are the Pro's. They admit to learning new techniques all the time.

Thanks, I was wondering about the bigger ones, if they weren't loners. I have heard people talk about schools of big ones in Erie, like 3-4lbrs, but that is the biggest size I have heard about in schools.

Here I thought you were gonna say Roland Martin...lol. He was arrogant in his younger days. Look at all his AOY's, the only thing he couldn't win was the Classic. Now we have a guy who yells, screams, break dances, jumps up and down everytime he catches a big bass. We think he should stop because we don't like it. I remember the days when my parents didn't want me to listen to AC/DC, KISS, Led Zepplin, Ted Nugent. SO WHO REALLY CARES HOW IKE ACTS ON HIS BOAT? WHAT HARM IS IT DOING TO YOU AND YOUR KIDS? Must be people don't want their kids to get excited when they catch a fish, or show any kind of emotion at all when they go out fishing with their dad. Same thing different intensity. So who is to say Ike is in the wrong with his showing off his emotions? You, me, the media? If you hate Ike, make it a good reason, like he kills people, robs banks, steals from the poor, beats women and children, sells drugs/guns, is a terriost. a lawyer, or a politician...lol. But make it a real reason to HATE SOMEONE, not cause they enjoy who they are. Sorry, just tired of reading why people Hate or Dislike Ike, just for who he is, or how he acts. I would like my kids to be like MIKE, only cause, as a parent that would excite me to see my kids enjoy what they are doing. Squid

Correct me if I am wrong on this, but Smallies, you will find schooling together. So you can hit all those spots that have been mentioned, troll around with your fish finder/gps on and look for bunched up hump marks on your graph and mark the points on your gps. Then try the drop shot like Upnorth said. Sounds like you should have a good opportunity to pull up a 6lbr. Squid