Logan S

Thanks @Junger - Yep, FOBA is always open and welcoming...though we are based in MoCo. Getting to the places we actually fish is about the same though, We've got members from Baltimore, Hagerstown, DC, and NoVA so it's not just a central MD thing. Check out our site if you're interested, we keep it updated after every event and have a lot of resources and stats on there. I try to not spam the boards, so I make 1 post every season about it - You can find it here.

This is the answer...It wasn't a foul hooked fish like you get frequently with treble/trailer hook baits. He was sight fishing and swung on the fish when he thought she ate it...But she didn't. It's a huge difference between the two. Every tournament trail in the country has rules about the hook needing to be inside the mouth when actively engaged in sight fishing...But most allow foul hooked fish if the angler is not sight fishing. I know the WR isn't a tournament, but it's similar mentality at play. Kurita's fish from Biwa is the true WR in my book...Not only was it actually bigger than Perry's, but it was scrutinized during modern times by the IGFA, compared to Perry's fish which was essentially just an honor system almost a century ago.

Hey James, You might consider checking FOBA out, happy to discuss further if you wish. Here is a link to the post I made at the start of the season. Thanks @Choporoz

More than I've needed to, less than I've wanted to.

Another example of how line is always getting damaged, if not by backlash then by abrasions, wind knots/kinks, etc...IMO the most critical portion of your line is the last 10 feet or so up to your bait, damage there is much more likely to cause failure than a kink from a backlash 75' deep in the spool so it doesn't bother me much. Still...Line is a consumable and these are examples of why it should be changed periodically. FC needs it most frequently, mono less, and braid a lot less frequently.

? "Give me your opinions....Wait no, not those opinions...."

No one missed it...It's not a complicated situation. You asked the question, you're getting the answers you asked for. If someone is honestly asking if they were in the wrong about how they handled a situation, they don't rebut or refute every single response to the contrary. This thread is just an ego trip.

Welcome from just up I-270 from you in MD.

Goes back to kindergarten, 2 wrongs don't make a right. I guess you could say that you might have been 'less wrong' than he was...But that's not something hang your hat on.

The DC units are self contained and very reliable, in about 10 years across 5 DC reels I've never had an issue with the DC unit. The regular mechanical parts of the reels will fail before the DC unit. Maintenance is a little more challenging, because some models have one of the spool bearings behind the DC unit so it needs to be removed to access it. The DC unit itself is maintenance-free.

First one of these jerks for the season...Pretty sure this is the earliest in the year I've ever caught one (yesterday, 4/3).

DC does a great job in specific scenarios. Good example - Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits that have lots of air resistance and can flutter/helicopter suddenly. Another one is frog fishing big open water mats, where you use a ton of power launch the frog so need heavier braking upfront, but at the end of the cast it needs to lighten up to keep the bait flying further for max distance...DC's ability to vary braking is great for this. I have 5 DC reels and this is my personal opinion based on the last 10 years or so of fishing with them. None of mine are the current US offerings though and I have no plans to purchase any further DC reels. IMO DC was never designed or intended as a way to learn baitcasters, it was actually designed for the other end of the spectrum (already experienced anglers). But...once that DC whine got popular they realized they could get people to pay 50% more for a basic reel just have that sound.

He's still around, he sold his boat but still fishes with FOBA as a co-angler.

An external heading sensor is invaluable if you're going to fish WP's. Once installed, you setup your unit make to your position determined by the GPS of your unit, but make the heading determined by the heading sensor. The chart won't spin and your boat's position and direction will be very accurate (even when stationary), enough to hit stump sized targets with a cast once you get used to it. I believe all the major brands have their own versions and some may require NMEA network (my Lowrance does)....But it's worth it many times over IMO.

The big fish showed up at BH yesterday....FOBA hosted it's first derby of the season there with 15 boats/teams launching and there were five fish over 5lbs weighed in and every boat that caught fish had at least a 3lb+ fish. My and my partner had 16-0 and only managed 4th place ?. Definitely not easy, sort of feast or famine...But I think a lot of that can be attributed to the wind-tunnel and sleet conditions. These tournaments are semi-open, meaning anyone is welcome as long as they are paired up with a FOBA member (can be boater or co-angler). We had several guests in this one. We'll have two more in August, if anyone is interested in checking it out you can send me a PM....We had several guests in this one. This was our biggest, 5-3.

I know the actual daylight hours are the same.... But it'll mean later launch/weigh-in times for the handful of tournaments I fish over winter since sunrise will be between 8 and 8:30AM. It means I'll get home 'later' in the evenings - which will be mildly annoying for a couple non-fishing reasons.

Zeroing weights is awful for traditional, consecutive-day tournaments...The last TW Circuit tournament had a guy catch the most weight by about 7lbs over the course of four consecutive days...But did not win. That would and should have been a blowout victory and celebrated as a dominating performance. Not trying to take away from the winner, as all the competitors knew the rules and understood this could happen....But IMO it just isn't the way operate a tournament. If all the competitors are on the same playing field and the same days...Then all of those days need to count at the end. In the BPT where anglers fish different days, different lakes, and are split up, sure you sort of have to reset things...But in a 'normal' tournament it's silly. It wasn't liked when FLW did it years ago and there's a reason they quit doing it.

I have original Vixens and some of the Kicknockers - I can't tell the difference. Only reason I'd pick between the two would be specific colors I want to use....Some I have in the Vixen and others in the Teckel. The R2S is a good choice too, but it is noticeably different from the Vixen/Teckel....Not that it's inferior, it's just different.

Fall/Winter IMO, dealers get the first runs of the next model year starting around then and left over current model year boats might get a price break. Also, if it's a larger dealer they might do demo boats each year, which you can get great deals on but you are still considered the original owner and all warranties start with you. I bought my current boat as a demo and would absolutely do it again. I agree with the others that it's a sellers market right now. With gas prices and people going back to work... Fall 2022 might be when it starts to flip back around? Good luck

Thanks for the replies. The break is 2 guides down from the tip. To be clear, I'm not trying to save the blank... I know it's a little silly to try to save the components of the broken rod, it's just something I want to try for my own little project. I'd purchase a new blank and any additional components I might need. Thanks again everyone.

Hi All, I know a lot of people don't go through this trouble because it's not worth it...But I unfortunately broke a Megabass Valkyrie rod which is JDM and I got used, so no warranty - I'd hate for this thing to just be a waste so I'm looking at removing the reel seat, lock nut, guides, and maybe even the grip/handle if possible and put it on a new blank. A buddy of mine gave me this idea because he did the same thing with a broken (out of warranty) Megabass rod and he's given me some tips already, but I wanted to check with the experts also. I already know it's not cost effective - This is a project I want to do just for fun and to learn how to do it. You guys have helped me in the past removing a hook keeper by heating it up and cutting the threads, so I'm assuming I can do the same thing for the guides on this rod. I was more worried about the reel seat, handle, etc. The Valkyrie has the adjustable handle, where it twists to lock/unlock and then you can adjust the length...I don't think I'll be able to salvage any of that. Thanks!

The hype on the Plopper was so great from that event, that most people forget that KVD actually won the tournament...not Chris Lane . (Not the first time I've seen this either )

Got another good bite today

Lake Anna, especially the hot side, all bets are off - The constant flowing warm water mixes enough to where there isn't really any stratification and DO levels should be adequate top to bottom. 6' is the same as 60'. Anna doesn't follow the rules . I'd guess it's the boat too, big shadow overhead spooking them. I do turn off my sonar in shallow grassbeds on the Potomac or Bay, but thats a different scenario than this.

Set the bar pretty high for the rest of the season with a 6-9 today ?.