reelnmn

Sure it was a smallie? If you're fishing below the dam I think then there's a lot of big fish below that dam that aren't smallmouth but also have that bronze color.

I've only been to CL twice. Both times I chose Soda Bay since it's midlake and I could fish the whole place without a long drive. First time was tent camping in February at Edgewater Resort and RV and I could not have been more disappointed. Terrible WiFi, lights cut out in the showers automatically leaving me to shower in the dark, bathroom not heated which meant showering in 36 degree air temps, host not accommodating, terrible parking for boats, etc. Won't do that again. Second time was at Clear Lake Vista Resort and I thought it was great. Excellent dock area with electric at each boat slip. Gas available at the dock if you choose. Private boat ramp and place to park trailers. Best of all it was pretty cheap...maybe $60 per night.

Went to Fork for the first time at the beginning of the month and stayed at the Minnow Bucket. I can't recommend it. The place was clean, well kept, and the price was the best I could find; but the beds were the hardest I've ever slept on. Also I'm only 5'8" and the shower heads were level with the top of my head.

WayneP there is definitely an early steep learning curve. If I remember right you are a HBird guy (as am I) and that makes it even more difficult to export the contour lines. I know you've helped me a ton in the past...let me know if you decide to do a second trial run and would like some help.

Simplemann I don't have any experience with IG but do have a good deal of experience mapping. Not sure if I can discuss brand name but RM could be option 3 and would give you complete control over the data and finished product. PM for exact name if you need to. I'm not sure what your intention of mapping 90+miles is but to give you some perspective on the size of the project you could be undertaking it took me approx 6-8hrs to map 1 sq mile effectively with side imaging. I could go approx 3.5mph before image distortion began. If I was strictly looking for depth change and not interested in side imaging 5-6 mph seemed best.

For the last 5 months I've been meticulously planning a trip to Clear Lake in California. However, it seems with the recent closing of the lake and the upcoming rains that trip just isn't likely. So now I'm stuck 10 days out (leaving Feb 25) trying to come up with a new game plan. I live in Wyoming and will be trailering my boat (18' Procraft) to the destination. Looking for my best chance at a 10lb bass. All options are open within a days drive of Wyoming. I'm currently researching Lake Fork, Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend, Choke Canyon, Falcon Lake, and a few others. However, first hand experience always seems to trump online research. I have zero experience at any of these locations and will be looking to hire a guide day 1 with at least 8 days of fishing afterwards. What experiences and recommendations do you all have? Where do you think my best chance at a 10 is? Thanks. Chris

Active Duty Air Force. 9 years enlisted and 1 year commissioned officer. @Senko lover if you have any specific questions feel free to PM. I can only speak from the AF side of the house. Find out which each branch offers and what you are interested in doing. Read, research, and speak to ppl with first hand experience. The greatest advice I can provide is understand recruiters are like used car salesman in that some are good, some are bad, but in the end they all get paid to get you to say yes. You may get an honest opinion or you may be directly lied to.

Are you referring to the Dworshak qualifier? I never got to fish that Kokanee fishery but have fished others. This time of year I wouldn't even bother matching kokanee. All the adults have or are turning red and swimming upstream to spawn. You can mimic the juveniles with either a pointer or staysee in american shad. I also like to throw topwater in the morning. All of my big ones have came on a drop shot though in the middle of the day. I believe the last two Dworshak records were caught using creature baits mimicking crawfish.

My 2 cents. In your situation there is no reason to pay retail prices for anything your looking at. Take your time and shop around...once you find what you want wait for the end of year, black friday, or spring sales. I'm curious why you are committed to BassPro? The only reason I can think of is gift cards?? If I were in your situation I would look at: Onyx Deluxe inflatable - I've had mine since 2013 and its been great in wind, sun, snow, and torrential downpours. Got a mine for under $100. 1 Baitcasting combo: As mentioned there's tons of great reels/rods in your price range...shop around for the best deal. I'd look for a 6'6" to 7' MH with a soft tip for a well rounded all purpose rod. Cabela's just had their ZX rods on sale for $80. I had a $20 off coupon plus bought a gift card off giftcardgranny and ended up paying about $50 for a $100 rod...brand new with warranty. Reel same thing. When BPS discounts they're Pro Qualifiers to 30% off that's a hard deal to beat. Also check several forums. I just bought a like new Lew's Tournament Pro G ($200) for just under $100. 1 Good spinning combo: Same story here. Don't necessarily commit to a specific brand but shop for value. Hard to beat a Shimano Sedona once they go 20% off during Black Friday deals.

My best guess is just bad wording. The 14" largemouth weighed more but likely wasn't doing well in his livewell. Therefore he traded it out for a smaller 13" spot to avoid a potential dead fish penalty. The sportsmanship part could refer to the largemouth's best chance is to be immediately placed back into the water in hopes of recovering in deeper, cooler water without the stress of the livewell. I've had to do this a few times in tournaments.

I also love my Accu-Cull scales. The vast majority of these scales are manufactured overseas and then imported. The great thing about Accu-Cull is the owner stands by his product 100%. So if you happen to get a bad batch, call him up and he will take care of you.

I'll volunteer to make the hike as well.

When the technology first came out I could not afford two units, so I bought one unit but two transducers and two mounting brackets - one for the console/transom and one for the bow/trolling motor. I tried using SI at the front but was never able to successfully incorporate it into fishing. IMO, GPS/2D is all you need up front unless you plan on getting the 360 later. I use DI less than 1% of the time. The only time I do use DI is when I'm having trouble deciphering 2D.

Matt Allen, Cooch, or Bobby Barrak are all great options. If you want to throw big swimbaits on Clear Lake, Paul Bailey is also a great option. Chances are pretty good they will all be booked with that short of a notice, but the only way to find out is to call.

Rules are rules. It's a big lake...there's plenty of privacy out there if it's an emergency. The rule is meant to protect the angler as well. Had Boyd came in with 4 fish today, he would be wondering what happened during his bathroom break.

With social media playing a larger role in professional bass fishing and the invention of Bassmaster Live, fans around the world now get a closer look at professional anglers. With that in mind, as an audience do we have a role to police/report rule violations? For instance, today on the Bassmaster Blog this photo was shown of Jordan Lee refueling his boat. It also shows what appears to be Boyd Duckett's marshall in the boat without Boyd in sight--violation of Rule C15. I'm not saying it is a violation as Boyd could just be out of frame, however should the audience report these types of potential violations, and if so, how and to whom? C15: "...Elite anglers and Marshals must remain together at all times, in sight of the Pro’s catch, under the conditions cited above, in order for the Pro’s catch of that day to be scored in the tournament with the following exception..."

Thanks for the heads up!!

My best solution has always been a Punisher float and fly jighead jigged fairly aggressively around the school. If that doesn't work use a carolina rig with two different colored Berkley Power Eggs on a very small hook. The eggs have to float the hook. IMO, you should never sit for longer than 10-15 minutes. Stockers aren't picky, keep moving until you find active fish.

Actually it seems like a practical case to me. Did you read the whole story Sam? The captain caught and kept undersize fish and was told he would be cited upon his return to port. During his return, he ordered crew members to dump the undersize fish and replace with larger ones. In effect, he destroyed evidence of his illegal catch. I'm surprised the ruling wasn't upheld. This seems like it would set the precedence of keeping illegal numbers of fish just to return them to the water should a game warden approach.

#1. Iaconelli casually drops F bombs about alien spacecraft. #2. You have to listen to your instincts. The final day Ish Monroe was practically begging Casey to put down the underspin and throw a jig. Now one is the Classic champ and the other failed to qualify. #3. All live feed pros were running Lowrance units and often featured closeups of the units. Great advertisement and I want one! #4. People get way to hung up on the brushpile deal. Multiple people on this and other forums as well as pros such as Brent Ehrler have stated they knew exactly where Casey was fishing each day. They were community holes known to hold large concentrations of fish. The fact that this man beat 176 FLW pros last year then is able to come from behind and beat 53 of the best BASS anglers in the world is incredible. #5. Live feed truly showcased for the first time the efficiency of pro anglers. There was no lost time fishing a row of docks or working an entire tree line or cove.

Why? My top 3 days on the water were days when everyone else refused to go. #4 best day occurred when it was 23 degrees at launch. #5 occurred when snow was building up on the front deck. IMHO, this was the best classic since Pittsburgh.

Odell Beckham's "greatest catch" wasn't very sporting either considering he was wearing gloves. For those that question the sportiness of this where do you gentleman suggest the rule should be changed to? If the rule becomes Elite Series anglers are not allowed to plant cover...what would the requirements be if the Elite angler was fishing a Southern Open? Could they plant cover for that event? Would they be able to fish that known cover if the Elite series visited that same lake the following year? If the rule is no structure planting allowed at any level, what would the requirements be for FLW pros when they visit a lake as an Elite Series angler where they had previously planted cover? Even more confusing is what if FLW/BASS both prevent installing man made cover. Do they prevent anglers from fishing spots they planted when they were 16?

To those that have been to the Classic before, what are the logistics like for the weigh-ins? Are fish inspected after trailering the boat or do they have to survive the trip to Greenville as well? I was fortunate enough to make a top 10 in a Rayovac last year. My fish were in the weigh-in bag for nearly an hour - alive and healthy in the boat but were near death at the end. There were small aerators that you could place in the bag but that didn't seem to help much. It just seems the logistics of getting fish healthy from the launch ramp, to Greenville, wait in line for an hour or so, then 45 minutes back to the launch ramp would be very harsh on the fish. This isn't meant as a post slamming BASS, just curious what there methods are to keep the fish alive.

On a day I don't plan to fish the weedline, I'll zigzag over the area recording my sonar. Then I can mark the edge of the weedline on my computer and upload the "track" to my HBird. Then I just reference my GPS and heading sensor and can be on target most of the time. The weedline will change as the season changes but this initial evaluation will get you close every time.

$3k but lost the one that would have put a new boat in my driveway, so it was bitter-sweet.