Logan S

Scrolling the standings top to bottom here at the end of day 3 certainly tells a different story when compared to the past couple years. Final day at Guntersville followed by the Super Bowl is going to make for an nice Sunday here in the temporary frozen tundra of MD.

You can say no. If you have some reason for the footage to be of value to you, like you have or are building in a YT channel or something, maybe you could negotiate something... Like, "footage courtesy of Darth-Baiter..." On however he uses it. End of the day, you own it and have no obligation to provide it to him. I don't really see a negative to providing it to help him out though....Good relationships with people in the fishing world are nice to have.

You are looking at rod dryers VS a power wrapper. A power wrapper is for wrapping thread at high speeds, can be used for turning/shaping grips, applying thread finish, and yes also drying. There is also a "finishing machine" type of tool that spins faster and have variable speeds for more precise finish application, but not used for wrapping or grip making (this is what I use). For what you describe, anything other than the most basic rod dryer (retail or home made) would be massive overkill. You could also use something like Permagloss or CPXtra instead of a 2-part thread finish....These dry quickly and you wouldn't need a dryer at all.

You are looking for a rod dryer. The basic ones are pretty inexpensive relatively speaking. You could probably make one of you really wanted to, you just need something that slowly rotates the rod so the thread finish dries evenly without sags. It's possible to do it without a dryer by rotating it by hand every so often until it's dry enough not to sag. I've never done this because it seems prone to a self inflicted mistake, but people do it.

Feel like I got this on a technicality somehow but I'll take it 😂. You NC boys better beat a 3-5 spot next year, don't make a Marylander come down and do your work for you again next year 😂. (totally kidding, if you couldn't tell) This was a fun little forum game, AJay... Thanks dude! I'm bummed I didn't get a smallmouth worth entering....Next year I'll get all 3!

The Tat SV (especially the 17 version) aren't distance reels. You sacrifice distance for the enhanced control. Hence all the marketing and publicity as a "skipping" reel. IMO the the standard Tatula is a better overall reel than the SV because it's essentially identical except the spool so you get all the same features without being limited by the SV training wheels. Plus it's cheaper. The standard Tatula right out the box is a BOMBER with most baits. The SV is also ideal for baits like spinnerbaits with a lot of air resistance... It's probably not you, you've got a great reel, just not for bombing long distance. You should've referred to some actual Angling Intelligence instead of a computer 😂.

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Looked like he was showing off a football jig in what I've seen. You guys are really trying poke that FFS bear huh?

Supposedly funded by AL state government in some part. All of those rules are pretty standard, aside from the FFS one. The need marshals/observers because there are no co-anglers and A LOT of money on the line.

A composite/glass or mod-fast action graphite rod is ideal for fishing around and thru heavier grass.... The rebound/slingshot type effect you can get with these rods is better at clearing grass from the bait and triggering strikes. But it needs to have sufficient power given the hook sizes on most blades jigs. IMO the composite or glass rods are better than the mod-fast graphite rods because you can keep the rebound effect with more backbone power in reserve. Plenty of people do fine with a standard jig rod too... It's not a matter of it working or not, it's more of an optimization thing.

There's a lot that I really like in different situations, but for day in and day out, can't go wrong...War Eagle double willows. I have more of these than anything else, but funny enough don't use them the most....They are just the "when in doubt" one. Hawg Caller, OSP, Molix, and Spot Stickers are on the short list too.

I'm a spinnerbait guy... When I try a new spinnerbait I can usually tell in the first few casts whether it's a winner or a dud. Way more duds out there than winners 😂.

Yeaaaa I had a feeling this was gonna go this way 😂 Carry on...

Semantics...But believe what you want I guess. FWIW the people who "broke" the story saying he cheated have since reversed course and publicly apologized to him. Doesn't effect me since it's unlikely I'll ever fish against Randy...But also FWIW I believe he told the truth and would have no qualms if we ever did end up in the same field.

I have all of the above and they all help me catch more fish so long as I actually do my part of the equation right.

It was said pretty early on that fog was not an issue. It was just an incorrect assumption that got repeated.

Yea pretty much... I'd actually say it's worse in a boat because you don't have brakes to slam on if you do notice something at the last second.

I don't think very many people realistically think the screens physical size or location was a key factor. They can be in a perfect position for optimal forward view, if you stare at them instead of where you're going you can still get yourself into trouble.

I think wherever the graphs are mounted, if the driver is looking at them instead of looking where he's going it presents the same danger. I think too many guys rely on their GPS vs "knowing" where they're going so they are constantly glued to the screen while driving. Not sure if that's exactly what happened, but he was clearly looking at something other than what was in front of him. Wasn't a weather or navigation thing and he was going fast but the boat was mostly in the water and not up on pad so he wasn't going full speed (at least looks that way)... The boater safety stuff is really bizarre and disheartening to me. He didn't have the AL one or one in his home state of GA....But I think I read where that he was guide or at least did part time guiding in GA. For him not to have any sort of boating safety certificate is sort of inexcusable. Obviously we know the courses are pretty darn easy and doesn't actually mean someone will be safe...But it's more about the principle of the matter that a guide and semi pro tournament angler couldn't be bothered to make the effort. I sort of generally assumed that most tournament anglers have their stuff all squared away since rules generally require it and everyone I know personally has it all checked off...But now I don't know what to think. I've been a boater in tournaments since I was 16 years old, so I'm certainly not opposed to young guys running boats.... But when I was coming up it was a progression, started in small AL boats and worked up to bigger and faster rigs. Seems as though these days a large percentage of HS and college kids start right out in 250hp rigs with no real experience. If we want to talk about meaningful boat restrictions I think it needs to start at the developmental levels in HS and college.

My do-everything thread is Justace size C. Majority of my builds use this. A is smaller, D is bigger.... Getting away from technical discussion, I'd recommend B or C simply because they are very user friendly and will work well on any rod in the bass fishing realm. A and D are the most common though, so if that's all you can find, D would likely be easier than A for a beginner to work with.

In light of the driver being now being charged and the video that came out, my previous assumption based no charges was obviously incorrect. Looked to be a long stretch of unobstructed water and no visibility issues....

I mean I haven't watched all the videos, but at some point people are probably getting too nerdy with the semantics. Unaware, forgot, whatever... Been a while since he's made a final day so it's not something he's had to worry about. Heck I 'know' the rule too but I guarantee you if I make the day 2 cut at a BFL Super that reminder would come in handy. When you fish a tournament and have friends in the field too literally the first thing you do when you get off the water is start talking about the fishing...Not in an "info" sort of way just a normal, excited conversation about what was going on, how you did etc... There would be a point during that day when that would go from totally fine to getting you DQ'd Randy puts himself out there in plenty of ways to draw legitimate criticism...So kicking him when he's down after an otherwise good tournament is a little much (IMO of course).

I watched his admission video and it seemed like a pretty honest mistake given the circumstances. These no info rules can be tough. A buddy was under a no info rule for one of his tournaments recently and he had to start every conversation with "don't talk to me about the Potomac!!!" When all your close friends are fellow tournament anglers, it can be tough to navigate....Since 90% of our conversations are fishing related. I'm not defending or accusing anyone of anything, but it seemed like Randy owned up to it and accepted the consequences. The point made about "how many other tournaments has this happened" is a valid question though. Looking at the circumstances though, IMO this one is a technicality and not "cheating".

30' up in a tree....Up on a rocky bank....In heavy current or waves....Any other similar situation where getting there is going to put my gear at risk. If I'm in a specific position that's difficult to maintain I'll avoid it.... If I think going in will ruin what we're trying to fish I'll avoid it.... If there's any other scenario where I think going in will be detrimental to both of us catching or continuing to catch fish I'll avoid it... If it's the 5th straight cast directly into tree I'll say enough is enough (assuming it's a fellow adult angler and not a kid)... If it's 100' behind the boat... If there's any situation where I feel like I'm being treated like more of a free guide or concierge than a friendly fishing partner, I'll avoid it (again assuming it's a fellow adult tournament angler that signed up for this)... Anyone that says that they ALWAYS go in after a co's bait without fail are either embellishing, being too idealistic, or haven't fished enough. I break off my own baits more often then not. None of it is negative or derogatory, it's just reality....If the Co is that hard up for bait they have to break off I'll tell them to open my tackle compartment and take their pick of what I've got to use for the rest of the day. Like almost every boater/co-angler topic....It sounds way more dramatic online than it is in real life. You also don't have to consider it as "primary" and "secondary" anglers...You're both anglers that signed up for the tournament and both deserve the same respect, but the boater owns the boat and can operate it how he sees fit. Sometimes you draw a jerk, but most people are just normal guys like you.

Plenty of situations where I won't (or simply can't) make an attempt to get a Co's bait back....I don't think I'm a jerk and most people seem to enjoy fishing with me. There's a good amount of nuance to it. You shouldn't just assume you can go in after everything. If it's just a soft plastic, just pop it and retie IMO, easier and faster for both of us (and it's what I usually do). Good chance the line and/or hook point is trashed... So even if we went and got it, you should probably be retying anyway. This is why we buy multiple packs of hooks and baits, for when we lose them. Otherwise, most of the time it's not an issue to make an attempt... But there are legitimate reasons a boater wouldn't want to that don't involve him being a jerk.