coots

I've got a club tournament on Wheeler in a couple weeks and was wondering if anyone has fished it lately? I'm not looking for your lunkers, I'm simply looking for some patterns, maybe where the schools are hanging right now... and leading up to the tournament.

We launched our club tournament this morning at 6:30... We had been on some fish previously, so had another friend in the club.... we stroll up to the rip-rap... I start bouncing an Aruku Shad off the bottom rocks... 3rd cast I lock onto a 4lber... thought yes sir, this day is going to be nice... That was the second to last bite I got all day. We went to weigh-in and talked to everyone and everybody who caught fish, said they caught them all before 8:30-9 o'clock and kept saying if the sun wouldn't have came out and the wind wouldn't have left it would have been better. So, what makes the difference between it being semi-windy and partly cloudy catching fish vs. wind dying down and the sun coming out to not catching any fish. Just trying to learn a little something something...

All I want to know is.... who's going to put me on some fish?!?! I am JACKED up!

Dad and I made our reservations today. Cabin = booked! Add us to the list, can't wait to meet you guys.

May as well count them ol' Coots boys in! Just booked our cabin! We'll only be able to come in on Thursday night, and we'll be heading out Sunday after we fish that day I guess. Looking forward to meeting all of you.

Oh yeah, I was def. paying attention to what they were saying. Especially in regard to the patterns they were on, water temps and the "hints" about what the were throwing.

Well, I guess I'll go against the grain here BUT... I'm going Alabama! You guys can keep your no-taxes, blah blah blah. My little nook town on Lake Guntersville is a quiet, everyone knows everyone place where it's 5 minutes from, in a lot of people's opinions, the best fisheries in the country. My taxes aren't bad, I don't pay taxes on boat, car per year... you pay taxes when you buy them but not "property" tax, I don't reckon I'll ever have to worry about my 2A rights ever being trampled on within my state and yes we have cold weather, but it's bearable. We get "snow" maybe once a year... but it's usually every couple of years. You're within driving distance of Atlanta... Chattanooga..... Birmingham... Gatlinburg.... and the beach is a day drive away (6 1/2 hours). So y'all go on and take it elsewhere, this ol' country boy is going to go to work and drive by the water the pros just got off of for the Bassmaster Classic!

I would def. wear one. Do you think they would be offered in a tall? I'm 6' 3" and well... I'm also big bonededed Tall is a must for me, would be willing to pay an extra $2-3 for this as well. I usually have to on other sites when I get tall so..

I'd like to say this was my first classic / expo experience and it was, in one word, INSANE! I was so jacked up! I looked, and looked.... and looked.... and looked some more for Glen but I could never locate them. I asked the MTB guys if they had seen him around and they I missed him by 5 minutes. Can't wait to hang with you guys on the road trip! For anyone who hasn't ever been, I would highly recommend going to a Classic event. It's well worth it. And I don't know if it's been louder at other events like that, but when they named Randy the winner - that place came undone!

*blushes*

Just in case anyone ever searches this out, there is no charge, but the other guys are correct. You better get theere early! We got to the doors about 1:30 and they were already lining up. The doors didn't open until 3.

After his first initial weigh-in to put him in the hot seat and all he said, I was a fan. I was rooting for him from that point on. He's got a new fan in me.

Go look at the picture that Tharp posted on his Facebook page. Let the guy do work man! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=637357819634885&set=a.574449475925720.1073741833.377240898979913&type=1&theater I know it anyone's water OK.... but that is down right ridiculous.

Bladed jigs have been pretty popular locally for a good while now.

Well I hate to state the obvious, but Mueller is on the big fish.... if they're still there, he's in it. You can't count Tharp out because it's home to him, he is probably sitting on a big sack tomorrow too. Edwin... Anyone can strike from the top 15 or 20 or so... Edwin is at the top with 47... he weighs in 20lbs... 67 pounds.... What if someone like Bobby Lane weighs in a big fat 30 pound sack... they are right there in it... I'm just glad I decided to go tomorrow. It's going to be awesome watching weigh-in.

Yup, didn't take them long. But 1 cast missed for those guys = painful. Even if he lost 30 minutes (don't know exactly how much he lost) that's crucial for him.

I'd also try not to blow a lower unit... Tharp has to be sad.

And FYI, we were planning on going to final weigh-in on Sunday.

Guys, as you know this is mine and dads first Classic. We were talking to a guy in our club about going and he said "good luck... those tickets have been sold out for months..." I didn't know you had to have tickets to go to the weigh in? I can't find any info on the web about buying tickets? Any help is appreciated.

A couple things. 1. I was watching the same time you were. The local guys name is Justin Lucas. 2. I don't really know what to say about the a-rig except that if you're in a local guys boat here, 90% of the guys have an a-rig tied up and are ready to toss it at any given moment. 3. There's a local technique that's been kept quiet (or to my knowledge it has been) that I just learned about a month or so ago. I won't say it here out of respect for some of the guys who actually do fish it, but let's just say..... the a-rig has been modified and what I've seen lately out of a couple guys is insane! 4. And I don't know about the fish being shied away from or wanting to bite anything else more because of the a-rig... people produce big sacks at about every tournament I ever hear of locally on all different baits. Just last week there was a local tournament that weighed in nearly a 30lb sack.. lipless crankbaiting on a Duo Realis Red Tiger... I guess my point is, there is plenty of fish caught on the a-rig... and there is still plenty of fish caught on traditional lures as well. I think it would be 50/50 when asked a question like that.

Found this interesting because someone above said he'd move to clearer water too... and that's what KVD did.

KVD and Chris Lane pulled up about 50 yards from each other down river they said.... bet they had a few choice words when they met up haha... Going to be fun to watch it unfold this year.

I will say though, that storm last night rocked the boat pretty good around here.... it was crazy for awhile.

Well I can only go by what happened in our club tournament and what I know has been catching fish here. SPRO Aruku shad in purple rain or a red color, also there was a few hawgs snatched on the black/gold one as well. If that wasn't working... a lot of the above is classic guntersville fishing and should produce. Some of the local guides that I know and follow closely have been slaying them recently. I think it'll take a huge sack to win.

#1 - Nice to see a fellow IT'er in the house. #2 - Do you Fedora, CentOS much? #3 - Anon mask as an avatar pic, consider me a friend, friend.