Logan S

What type of jig fishing? Flipping to heavy cover in shallow water is very different from casting in open/deep water. Dragging a football and swimming thru shallow cover are also different from the first two... I would exclude flipping, since you would just use a regular flipping stick and braid for that most likely. For everything else, a good all around model would be something around 7' (6'8" to 7'2" or so) with line/lure ratings of 12-20lb and 1/4-1oz. Depending on make and model that could be either a MH or H. 15 or 17 lb flouro. St Croix and Powell make excellent rods in your price range, can't go wrong with either.

+1 to this...For $11/spool it's great, especially if you have a ton of setups fill and replace line often. Red Label for me.

A few smaller points that often go unnoticed. You can never have too much storage, especially front deck storage. No explanation needed . Flush mounted electronics are really nice, but after 5 or so years when you want to upgrade it can be a PITA. My boat sports a now unused smaller Lowrance mounted in the dash because I can't fit any of my newer, larger stuff into the mount/hole. RAM mounts are also more functional in that you can turn them around to face the front deck if you wanted/needed to. Also nice to be able take your $1000+ units inside when travelling for safe keeping. Get the biggest you can afford and store, I've never heard anyone wish they went smaller...But plenty who wish they went bigger.

Black, Uncle Josh #11 Pork Frog. 99% of the time I'm throwing a jig, which is a lot, that's whats on the back. Disclaimer: Not on football or swim jigs. I don't use those those near as much as a casting jig, though.

From the OP. How many of you realize that 'Barney' (according to the OP) is everywhere in this thread? Or that you might be the 'Barney' he's talking about. His entire point is that on a public, online forum you will get responses from people who mean well...But likely don't have anywhere near the experience they might convey or think they have. To me, that's just obvious and just the nature of on online forum. It started off with the bit about 'Location' since that's the specific thing that tripped him up on the topic. At least that's my take....The whole thing is pretty silly now. You've got guys agreeing and disagreeing, both saying "In my experience blah blah..." and it begs the question; Just what is your experience?

They are similar...LC jerks seem to have a 'crisper', more predictable action...Whereas the 110 has a more rolling, unpredictable action. In my opinion/experience anyway The STX is close to to the 110 in this regard, many people I know have substituted them to save $$ and still remained successful. I still prefer the 110 and 110 Jr most of time, many times they have out produced other baits of all brands (including STX), can't put my finger on a specific reason why...they just do for me (both against other anglers in tournaments and my co-anglers on the same spot).

Some of the MB colors seem more prone to chipping, the metallic/flashy colors I have seem to have scratched/chipped more. I honestly don't care, by the time they reach the point where all the hardware is broken and paint is chipped bare I've usually caught around 100 fish on it...So to me, I've gotten my money's worth out of that one and I'll just replace it. More often than not, I'll loose it to a toothy fish before that time comes though . I don't bother with changing the hooks personally, I use 10 lb line and I keep a stash of trebles in the boat just in case one gets a little mangled on a 5 lber or pike

If you are going to fish with heavier line or for stripers you should swap the hooks...The standard 110 is not a striper bait The paint has chipped a little on some of mine but they keep on catching fish. I've never had a jerkbait or crankbait that didn't chip after some use though...Nature of the beast with swinging trebles I guess. There's a youtube video of Aaron Martens describing when and why he swaps hooks on the 110, don't have the link now but it should be pretty easy to find. I think the gist of it was for 10 lb line an normal conditions the stock hooks are great...But heavier line or chance for larger fish he swaps them for heavier ones.

I think the biggest misconception of all is believing that a person can be told how to be a successful bass fisherman. This is true whether talking about 'trophy hunting', tournaments, or even just consistent success. More than baits, locations, timing, or any other variable you want to throw out there...The biggest factor in your success is going to be experience and time on the water. That's how the guys at the top put all those variables together into a winning pattern, or in this case consistently land giant bass. More to the point of this topic and the topic that seems to have spawned it...Targeting a 'kicker' type fish (a 4 to 6 lber in most places) is very different from targeting a trophy or the 'one' fish of a lifetime. I'm not a trophy guy so I'm not going to add to that specifically as it's not my area of expertise. The OP has probably put in the countless hours/days on the water needed to fine tune this technique for himself and the water he fishes...You can't expect to compress all that into an internet forum post, it's a stepping stone and you shouldn't treat it any other way.

To do that you have to fish all three of an entire series to be eligible for the Classic spot ...Northern, Central, or Southern. All three series only have an event or two left so he can't go that route since he didn't fish the previous events. He's out. He's the best of all time (arguably), but this year definitely had a lot of shallow water flipping style tournaments and those are not typically not in his wheelhouse. Chickamauga was really the only one that wasn't and he almost won that one...I'm sure he'll be back on fire next year.

It is great line. It's not the best, to get that you need to pay for it...But it suits my needs perfectly, falling squarely in the middle of the good-enough vs cheap-enough argument. I've not had any of the problems most people complain about...Same goes for the other guys I know who use it regularly. It performs very well and I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything when I use it. When you respool a lot, the $$$ factor starts coming into play. I will buy 1000 yard spools of 10, 12, and 15 at the beginning of the year...The 10 & 12 typically last almost the entire year and I'll end up getting another 1000 yard roll of 15 about halfway through the season. Stuff like 8, 14, and 20 will just be filler spools ....But you can see, that's a lot of line! If you're not using line in bulk like this, it makes more sense to go for the high dollar stuff in filler spools. I need to play the good-enough vs cheap-enough game and Red Label fits the bill perfectly for me.

I wouldn't disagree with that, but on average the differences aren't as extreme as your example. I've weighed fish against our program and it's usually within a few ounces (individually). I know that I've been hurt by fat fish and helped by skinny fish in these paper events, but so has everyone else. It's not a method a 100 boat field should use, but for our 15-20 boat club events it works fine. I can understand what you're getting at, but the solution of going only by length is an even bigger problem...As evidenced by the example in my previous post. While it may not be exactly accurate at determining the actual weight of the fish, it's way more accurate at determining a winner of the event (if that makes any sense ).

Our group knows it's not perfect, but we try to minimize the inconsistancies. It's a club rule that everyone has to have the exact same bump board. Mouth closed and touching the front of the board, pinch or fan the tail to get the most length, and round up to the nearest 1/4". It's definitely not exact, but we are all bound by the same inconsistencies so it's 'fair' to us. We know it's not an exact science, but it lets us hold tournaments on very productive bodies of water that we would not be able to otherwise. In my opinion you absolutely can not go by total inches...You have to convert each fish to 'weight'. Example: Guy#1 catches 3 fish that are all 20" (60" total length). Three 20" fish (in our system) will weigh about 14ish lbs. Guy#2 catches 5 fish that are all 12" (60" total length). Five 12" fish will weigh about 5.5 lbs. There's no way on earth you would consider those two guys to be tied, but they would if you go by total inches. Our program converts each fish to weight and adds them all up just as if you were to weigh them in. It works for us and I think it's the best way to hold a paper TX. YMMV

Sometimes it's the only way to hold a tournament on a lake with funky limits...Brian and I are in the same club, the main lake we use paper weight for is the best bass fishing lake in the state. With a weird size limit you can't have anything but a lunker tournament unless you go paper. We will also use it for bodies of water that are catch-and-release only during certain parts of the year. We have a pretty sophisticated computer program that one of our members designed. It calculates the paper weight and total weight and is completely integrated into our tournament tracking software which keeps the running weight and AOY point totals for the whole year. Takes very little time to hold the weigh in and I'd say it's usually pretty accurate. Total weights are obviously not exact but I'd say a limit will come out within about 1 pound +/-. For format, we aren't a 'team' club so we don't ever have team-paper tx's....And although not required, it's a common practice among our group to take pictures of pretty much anything 3 lbs or better on the TX day.

Personally, I would be careful with this advice...I don't like it when a Co fishes of the opposite side of me for a few reasons. 1: If his/her line is on the opposite side I'm more likely to not know where it is. I have actually had a Co's line get caught in my trolling motor due to this, honest mistake but avoidable nonetheless. This is especially important if you are out fishing in the wind or open water where the boat is likely to move around more than it would if you were tucked in a pocket/cove. 2: If I'm in a pocket or cove fishing I don't like the Co casting off the opposite side to targets for obvious reasons...He would be skipping ahead of me. The idea being that we will be moving through the cove and getting to that side eventually. I know that's not exactly what you are advocating with your post, but it's something Co's should think about that's related... As for stuff to add from the boater side...One thing I always do if I have a new Co in my boat (that I haven't fished with before), is to give them a run down of how I operate. It's usually just a few sentences. 1: Cast where you want, within reason. I'll let you know if you get to aggressive. 2: Stay on the same side as me for a general rule of thumb. 3: Keep the well area clear to step through. I've never really had any issues and I'd like to think most Co's enjoy fishing in my boat

Sorry I can't help you with any clubs local to you...But most clubs will have some sort of membership guy that handles new members coming in. I would just look up some local clubs and reach out to them, they will be able to give you an idea of what to expect. In addition to your fishing gear, make sure you have a good PFD to use as not all boaters will carry an extra. Too bad you're not in our area, we are looking for new co-anglers!

I don't think removing a big fish from a lake really harms the fishery all that much. A big fish is an old fish, which has presumably passed it's genes on to a new generation each spwaning season. There are many variables involved in susataining a healthy bass fishery and removing single large fish is probably low on the importance list. Having said that, I release all bass I catch. I do take them for boat rides during tournaments, but they all get released at the end of the day. I find this statement funny...Since on the Potomac and Upper Bay we get inundated with NY and PA tournament anglers every spring. According to you, our limits would be way too liberal especially compared to PA....Yet, here they come every year...

Ever spent 2+ hours trying and failing to catch a big bedding fish that stuck out like a sore thumb in the sping time? That fish was easy to find... How many times have you fished a spot right after another boat/person and caught fish while they didn't? Happens all the time...The first guy 'found' the fish, if it's so easy after that why didn't he catch them? The successful bass fishermen know how to roll all of the variables presented to them into a plan of action. It's not about a spot or a bait or even a pattern. It's about putting all those and more into a plan to catch a heavier limit than the other guys. Heck, don't forgot about the actual process of landing a big bass after it's hooked either! "Finding" fish is definitely important, but it doesn't mean you automatically win. It's just a part of the overall game. As for the professionals...I think you can say they are combination of the highest skill level with highest dedication level.

Maryland, Virginia, DC, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, California... +Ontario, Canada Am I winning? lol Looks like I need to start moving west...

I replied before but realized you already have the app, so I deleted it since it was pointless ... I was recommending the Navionics Web App. Either way, it's still a cool resource. What are you looking for? I can give you some general info on the lake. If you want something a little more in depth shoot me a PM.

I have a 2013 200HP model on my boat. Zero issues and great performance. Great motor, I know a few others with ETECs and they share the same feelings about them.

#2 Owner Mosquito's are what I've used for years... This is for the nose-hooking style. Edited to add: Those 1/0 gammy's will work for you, might be a little big if they are the nose-hook style...But it will hook em just fine.

This thread isn't really about laying claim to spots. It's about an angler putting the time in to figure out a productive area, then having another person blantently copy it after seeing the results. Not really limited to a tournament. If you want to fish a tournament, do it! Most people are into sharing as well. This kind of stuff is so minimal in the big picture, it's just something to talk about .

Do you think he will even be successful if he fishes there? If he couldn't figure out it was a productive spot on his own, chances are he'll just spin his wheels while fishing it anyway.... One mistake I have made is putting too much emphasis on a particular spot in the same situation. I was so worried about beating someone else to 'my' spot that I didn't pay attention to the fact that it wasn't productive on that particular day....Ended up staying way too long trying to 'defend' it and had to scramble around to get my limit in the last half of the day. All the places on our tournament schedule are pretty popular, there are no 'secret' spots. I think it would be safe to say most waters where tournaments are held in general are at least similar to that. With GPS, satellite maps, sonar, etc, it's almost impossible to have your own little hidden spots these days. If someone with the experience and knowledge to recognize a quality area utilizes these resources they will find pretty much all the 'secrets' if given enough time. It doesn't bother me if someone is fishing an area I want to for the most part, I'll either come in behind them or move on. What DOES bother me is when someone tries to fish an area specifically because I have/had success there...Similar to what you're describing. Honestly, there's not much you can do to avoid it...Just have to adapt to it and figure out a way to stay successful.

I fish a lot of docks... Even if there are people on a dock as I'm working down a row I'll usually continue on fishing it. I've never run into anyone who wasn't friendly. I've even caught fish from a dock with people on it a few times... The thing is, when I see people on the dock I'll say hello and ask if it's alright to keep fishing through as I come up on it. Nobody has ever said no. I've had a couple encounters with people that came walking down to 'chase me off'... A quick apology and I move on, even when they are rude. No sense in dwelling on it. I usually hit the prime docks early anyway, so the people aren't awake to get mad even if they do care .