Logan S

Google Earth primarily, the the application you install on your computer has more options than the web based Google Maps. There are some other places to get satellite images also, but Google Maps/Earth is the one I use the most.

Long post incoming ...Not everything is applicable to ever body of water, but these are the big things I do when prepping for a tournament. I don't go through every single one of these every time, some bodies of water are more suited for heavy preparation than others for me. Maps/Charts - Navionics online charts have really made things a lot easier, but the old big, folding paper maps are still a good reference to get a perspective of the whole lake instead of just whats on your computer screen. If you are fishing tidal water or the great lakes, look at NOAA charts also, they can show things differently than other maps do. I also make my own maps from Navionics screen shots and print them on 11x17 (half the lake on each side). I'll mark them up with areas I want to pre-fish or explore and also with my own historical notes/spots. The 11x17 is big enough to read and small enough to tuck in the windshield of my boat for easy access throughout the day. It's my cheat sheet so that I don't forget about things I intended to check out or to help refocus myself if things get off the rails a little bit. It's a lot of work and I will update it for each tournament in many cases...But for me it's been one of the best prep items I've ever used. Water conditions - Temperature, levels, clarity, current, dam operations, tides or anything else. All, some, or none may apply depending on the body of water. I try to keep an eye on this in the weeks leading up to the tournament to get a feel for the general trends. This info is not always available, but much of it usually is if you look in the right places. The importance of this data is not in the physical data itself so much, but more of how it applies to the body of water and the way you fish. That part is on you to discover through experience . Weather - Again, I try to check it in the time leading up to the tournament to get an idea for the trend. I also will check on weather in the areas upstream in case it might have an effect on the lake/river I'm fishing. Just remember that forecasts are never exact and often change (sometimes in a big way) on short notice. Make sure to check it once you get to the lake and not rely on what you saw the day before....I've changed gears right before launching because things like wind direction or cloud cover forecasts changed dramatically overnight. I like to use wind direction/speed and cloud cover forecasts primarily for fishing concerns and temperature forecasts to determine how I need to dress . Satellite Mapping - This is huge for me, on many lakes it's my #1 prep tool. Cycling back through historic images will usually show times of low water, better water clarity, or better overall images that will let you see things differently and can reveal things you might otherwise overlook. I like to look for images taken in winter since the water is usually lower/clearer and the leaves are off the trees, both of which will give you a better look at the shorelines. You can also use satellite mapping to see things like where grass grows, if there are sections with clearer/dirtier water, locations of docks, etc...I will put things I find on satellite images on my paper maps so that I can easily check them out on the water, sometimes I'll even create waypoints to transfer to my GPS if's really specific. Many times Navionics or other charts will simply stop or be inadequate in the very backs of creeks or rivers or coves, showing them to appear as just a big flat area of nothing (or unmapped altogether)...It can cover fairly large areas too. I use satellite mapping to find and mark things I'm interested in and then transfer those waypoints to my GPS so that I can target them and/or safely navigate the area. Obviously, all the satellite stuff I do is primarily geared toward relatively shallow water fishing/patterns. Reports/Results - I look at these but don't place a huge emphasis on it. Most reports online are brief and generally just consist of "I got this nice one on a jig...". Most people these days aren't posting specifics in public places (I never do) since they know so many people are looking for that kind of info now. If you look on local forums you can get a general feel for the conditions from "The lake is fishing tough/great" type posts even if there is no specific info in them. There are also the weekly type reports from guides or local sites, but they are often too general or are just canned paragraphs so their usefulness is limited. Results are good indicator of how the lake is fishing, but again take it with a grain of salt since things change all the time and some tournaments/clubs/trails are better than others in terms of results. I probably do more tournament prep than others might want or have time to do, but I enjoy it almost as much as the actual fishing. With repetition, I think it helps you as an angler overall beyond just a specific lake.

This is Mojave, our White German Shepherd. We rescued her 3 years ago. She's not too fond of the boat, but she goes hiking behind the house with me every time I go. She also protects our house from dangerous intruders But is more often than not found somewhere not far from our daughter

The Potomac and Upper Chesapeake are loaded with goldfish...I don't know about spawning, but assumed so since they are so common. I got a pic of one I caught and it does look a lot like OP's fish but brighter.

You get touch screen (but not multi-touch, IE no pinch-zoom) and backtrack with the Elite, but no ethernet capability. You get ethernet, but no backtrack or touchscreen on the Helix. Other than those features, they are pretty similar...Retail price wise, the HB is cheaper. Biggest deciding factor would be ethernet, if you want to connect to another unit via ethernet. If that is something you want, only the Helix has that option. User friendly is a little subjective, I've never used a graph that was 'hard' to use or navigate. I will say as a recent convert from HB to HDS...The touch screen is nice and makes things a little easier.

Couple additional thoughts for you since you've got some good advice already. On an AL bass boat a jackplate is really not as big of a deal as it would be on a glass rig. If a boat has it installed already, great, but if not I wouldn't really worry about adding one. I also wouldn't worry about trailer brakes on this size boat unless you are towing with a small vehicle. If the boat will be stored outside, a good cover is a must-have. Small items like retractable tie-downs are standard on many boats now, but they are also pretty inexpensive comparatively so these would be a non-factor to me - can be added later. For graphs, whatever brand you choose, I would make sure both/all are the same brand for networking purposes. Being able to share waypoints, maps, transducers, etc between the console and bow is a very nice feature to have. This also means getting models that have ethernet/network ability since some brands like Lowrance have models that don't have this ability. You'll want a decent screen size, like a 7-size or bigger, at the console for navigation/mapping. For sonar tech, that really depends on how much you want to spend and what your goals are. I personally wouldn't be caught without the full array of SI/DI/2D sonar, but I have some friends that are content with without SI or even DI because they fish differently than I do. Some people like second consoles, some don't. I hate them personally, they take up more room and don't really offer any meaningful protection (other than maybe a placebo effect) for the co-angler. It also limits floor space for a co-angler's bag/stuff. Being safe is all about making smart decisions on bigger water and in rough conditions. I have several friends with AL boats, including a couple with Rt188's, they all fish the same waters I do and don't have problems...We have big water around here with the Potomac and Chesapeake too. They just make good decisions on those days when the weather turns. Those good decisions are really just common sense things like "don't run out to the main river when the wind is kicking" . Sounds like a 17 or 18 foot AL bassboat is a good choice for you. I took a similar path in that I started working early (at 15 ) with the goal of buying a boat. I ended up with a 17' Tracker and it suited me well for many years....As soon as I turned 16 I started fishing tournaments as a boater did so for many years out of that little boat before upgrading to glass. It was limiting in certain ways, but I believe it made me a better fisherman in the long run.

Bass Mafia box is great for this...I keep my jigs, chatterbaits, and punch rigs in here. There are 5 to 7 jigs in each compartment. I really only use a couple different color variations, but there are probably 80-ish jigs in this box.

The Potomac has plenty of ramps in protected creeks...The Bay has some too, but not quite as many. These creeks are entire fisheries themselves, as big or bigger than many normal bass lakes. The main river/bay are not too bad if the wind isn't kicking, but like fishnkamp said you need to watch out for the mega-yacht wakes even on calm days. Your boat will be fine...Just be smart if the winds are forecast to be 15mph or more. If you do end up coming this way, feel free to shoot me a message... I'll point you in the right direction for either place .

Upgraded the floating tackle box last week, was a little bittersweet dropping my Stratos off since it treated me so well for many years...But that all went out the window when I hitched this beauty up to the truck and drove home . Skeeter ZX250 / Yamaha SHO 250

Are YOU going? I get that you think you're helping but it seems a little misplaced from someone that admittedly hasn't even lived in the state for over 10 years. If hydrilla appears in a lake it's almost guaranteed that the governing body for the lake is going to attempt to eradicate it - they always do. If the plan is to eliminate hydrilla and introduce/encourage native grasses I think it's a good idea. It CAN be a problem to both the lake infrastructure and bass fishing if hydrilla is left to grow unchecked. I don't know if grass carp are a good idea or not...I generally hate the idea of putting them in anywhere...But normally it's homeowners associations or 'friends of the lake' type groups that push for them for aesthetic/non-fishing reasons and not DNR. If DNR is proposing it themselves I'd trust their judgement.

I'm fairly confident that these are all Megabass baits. For sure, the two flat-sides on the right are Flap Slaps. Top-left is a Bait-X. The rest look like Deep-X 100's and Deep-X 200T's...The two on the top-right could be Deep-X 150's, angle makes it tough to tell. The 150's have a more round overall shape than the 100's and 200T's. Most Megabass baits have the 'signature' somewhere, but sometime it fades out to the point where you can't see it. I also have some older ones that don't have it. I doubt they are knockoff's or custom blanks since these are not very popular models. They aren't collector items, but are nice baits...You should fish with them .

My annual post about Fish On Bass Anglers FOBA membership is always open to all boaters and co-anglers. We are a divisional club which means the boaters only compete with boaters and the co-anglers only compete with the other co-anglers. There are no minimum participation requirements or commitments, only 1-time annual dues and individual tournament entries. FOBA promotes learning and sharing so even if you've never fished a tournament or have never fished the locations on the schedule, you'll find that FOBA makes it easy. There is also a fun and competitive atmosphere for experienced tournament anglers. We use a mix of traditional weigh ins and also catch-weigh-release on the water. For the catch-weigh-release tournaments FOBA provides scales for every boat and fish are weighed, recorded, and released...It's MLF-style but still keeping a 5-fish limit. We use this format so that we can have tournaments on waters with funky size limits (like Black Hill) or during C&R-only times (non-tidal waters before June 15th). Traditional weigh ins need no explanation . Our 2018 schedule is below, we fish the most diverse schedule you'll find in this area and hit all of the great fisheries in the region. If have any questions or would like more information feel free to post or message.

Annual post/plug for FOBA....2018 schedule is out and as always we are open to all boaters and co-anglers in the MD/DC/NOVA area. We promote learning and sharing so even if you've never fished a tournament before or are new to the locations on the schedule, you'll find that FOBA makes it easy. Feel free to post or message with any questions.

I believe it is total boat sales, as in the # of boats bought....So a little over 9K new bassboats in total were sold from March 2016 to March 2017. ---- I know it's still early, but I can't be the only who was hoping for something a little more than, "We're going to make boats..." I wanted to SEE something!

It is old, but its 12 months rolling so it's a full year of sales...It also has the 2016 and 2015 numbers for the same 1-year period. I'm sure its not exact but I have no reason to think it's not accurate enough for a general idea of the annual sales figures.

Yea, much less than I would have thought. I read a related article recently that stated the bassboat market in the 80s was much bigger, like 50,000 per year. Crazy to think it's so much lower now. I think that these days you can make an older boat do the same things a newer one can by adding/upgrading electronics, poles, etc. If the hull/motor are still functional, you can save $50k buy adding modern accessories to your older rig...

I'm interested to see what this new company is like also, specifically to see of it's a completely new boat/design or a remake/revamp of an existing hull. FYI, Charger is making and selling the Champ 210 and 198 currently, seems to be small production/sales though. It was me , not my data though...I read it on another forum.

300 bass is a lot on the stock hooks! At my last tournament weekend I went through 12 hooks on the same 110 I was using over 4 days. The spotted bass were vicious though and every single fish seemed to mangle them. #6 is the stock size, the #4's will be too big. I would give the Nano Finesse trebles a shot, either #5 or #6 (I've heard they run small, I'd have to see them to be sure). Thicker hooks like the ST-36's are a bit too beefy for my liking on the 110, whichever replacement you choose make sure it's a light wire. I use #6 Katsuge still, but it seems to be harder to find them now...I bought them in bulk from MB-USA a couple seasons ago so I still have a decent stock. I've heard MB-USA doesn't sell them in bulk anymore though. When I finally run out I plan on using the Nano Finesse trebles as replacements.

Been a long time coming unfortunately...Stratos and Triton are both similar brands, mid-level boats...Not super luxury and not budget, so they compete with each other. If you owned both it probably makes sense to eliminate the lower performing brand, which was Stratos. I doubt Triton goes anywhere, they are moving their production into the Legend factory. Some people think Legend is also on the chopping block, but my guess is that JM is going to try to make the Legend production more efficient (profitable) by bringing Triton in house. This isn't my pic or data and its 8 months old now, but it shows annual sales numbers...I think many will be surprised at how small the bass boat market is overall. You see Stratos down there at only 260 boats and down 14% compared to Triton at 961 and up 15%...Easy decision for the executives to make.

Your boat is perfectly fine for local and regional stuff to include BFL's...So you shouldn't even worry about it. IMO a smaller boat when starting out is actually beneficial in the long run since it forces you to manage your time better and fish more thoroughly. A guy in our club won AOY one year out of a 17' jet rig and our schedule includes big water like the Potomac and Upper Bay...We aren't a tiny club either, it was quite an accomplishment. I wouldn't worry about your boat holding you back until you can articulate exactly HOW and WHY it's holding you back. I fished tournaments out of a smaller AL rig for several years before upgrading to a full size bass boat...It made me a better overall angler than I would have been otherwise IMO.

It's actually a Hawg Caller, but it does look similar to the Mann's. Thanks

My last scheduled tournament of the season was last weekend, the FOBA Classic on Lake Gaston. This lake has really changed over the past several years with the spotted bass population finally reaching 'tournament quality' size. The LM fishing was pretty tough, so the majority of fish weighed in overall were spots, I'd guess at least 75%. I was one of the few that got on a LM pattern and weighed 4 LM and 1 spot on the first day and then 2 LM and 3 spots on the second day. Weighed 9-0 on day 1 and 11-12 on day 2, which was good enough for second place...But only 3oz behind the winner . Only two patterns for me...Covering A LOT of shallow water with a spinnerbait for LM's and fishing a Vision 110 on points for spotted bass. On day 2 I had to give up on the LM pattern after getting only 2 fish by noon, spent the rest of the day targeting spots, worked out OK but I wish I would have pulled the plug sooner - might have had time for 1 more cull . Oh well, still fun and getting paid is never bad!

A bigger boat always helps....But plenty of people run the river just fine in 17' to 19' rigs. You need to make good decisions if the weather gets dicey even in bigger boats. 'Semi-windy' days keeping 20'ers off the water is a little dramatic, I've run my 20'er thru some of the nastiest stuff the river will throw at you. No offense to your buddy, but I wouldn't exactly put much weight on the opinion of someone who claims something like that. Most of the time, any size bass boat will be fine on the river as long as you're smart about it. Those days when it's blowing 15-20+ are when the smaller boats will be severely limited on the main river...But there are enough ramps in creeks that are protected so you could still fish those days if you wanted. FWIW, our club has many 17-19 foot boats that fish our tournaments on both the Potomac and Upper Bay without issue. Having said all that...I'd always recommend a 20 or 21 over an 18 or 19, for a variety of reasons. Many people have trouble storing the larger boats though and they are generally more expensive. You can get by just fine in an 18 or 19 around here if there is something preventing you from going bigger.

Was able to finish out the regular tournament season on a hot streak with two wins and 3rd. No pictures from a win on the Potomac since the fishing was tough and I didn't expect to win with a small limit. Took 1st on Conowingo with a decent limit of smallies on spinnerbaits. Finished up with a 2-day tourny on Deep Creek...Got 3rd with a mixed bag of SM/LM, mostly on jerkbaits.

Its not just an open event...That event is the US Open put on by WON. It's an event with a long history (almost as long as the Classic I think?) and a good amount of prestige. I don't live out there, but from what I've read/heard over the years its THE event for western bass fishing. My point was, if the biggest event out there draws 207...BASS probably sees that more as a negative than a positive since many events without the history or prestige as the US Open can draw many more participants many times throughout the year over on this side of the US. I'm really not defending BASS or trying to stick it to western guys....Just looking at the situation logically and I can see why BASS doesn't make moves out there, I wish they would put an Opens series out there since it would send more western guys to the Elites.