Logan S

The only way to get Daiwa AGS guides is secondhand somehow. Daiwa won't even send them out for warranty on their rods, they make you send the entire rod to them to get a guide put on. NFC recently released their own version of carbon framed guides, supposedly 20% lighter than titanium framed guides of similar size. Even when on sale they are still pretty darn expensive though.

I've been severely slacking on my own thread . I've probably built 20 rods at least since the last time I posted, but just been so busy lately. I'll try to catch up a little. Here is my literal latest build, an XRay SJ 732.

Megabass XX Perfect Pitch...And it would do both of those things well. That rod is one of a kind.

Might consider hopping on a boat as a Co-Angler? We've got Black Hill and Potomac coming up before the summer tournament break... Pretty easy going group and fun tournament experience. www.fishonbassanglers.com

Point Blank. I've owned many high end factory rods and built many "high end" rods myself now. If the application calls for a sensitive, fast or extra fast action...You won't beat a PB.

I know, right? ... .. . 🤣

I'm aware. He's been fishing the pro level for at least 7 or 8 years now, with almost half a million in earnings over at FLW/MLF before coming to BASS. Who you got next? 🤣

... 🙄...So, exactly what I said. 43rd of 47 🙄 (Not meant as a slight to him, he's obviously a top tier angler, just pointing out the trolling) I don't get it... I hope the trial does well, but lets be real, they only drew 47 anglers...Of which, less than half are 'big' names and most of them probably hit it as a fun pitstop on the way to FL for the next Elite event. This tournament isn't going to prove anything one way or the other.

Which ones? The biggest names associated with FFS are not in this tournament. I've seen this same thing posted various places as a way to stick it in the eye of anyone not praising the glory of FFS... It's a poor troll attempt. The biggest names in this field of only 47 were at the top before FFS, including the leader, so it shouldn't be a surprise to see them doing well. In the top 10 there is maybe 1 guy who is newer to the scene and known for FFS talent, but he's also a Lanier local so that also shouldn't be a surprise. There's also quite a few unknown names so who knows of any of them are "scopers" or not? It doesn't even matter anyway, it's a cool idea for a tournament trail for a bunch of other reasons besides the FFS drama. I hope it succeeds and the coverage improves.

Not sure what your water temps are, but in colder water (like maybe anything under 50) they float pretty fast. Tail up is how they are supposed to sit, not sure the exact angle but 45 degrees is what I'd call it, could be more I guess. I guess I'd have to see it to know for sure, but it sounds normal to me.

Yes, obviously bass tournament. I heard about the musky thing...No offense to their trail/anglers, but any BFL or similar local tournament trail is probably bigger than the musky thing and there are literally hundreds of them across the country. It's also not apples to apples, it'd be like trying to apply the same rules to deer hunting as you do to duck hunting.

I doubt there will be actual regulation on sonar equipment from DNR's.... However.... Most states require tournament organizations to get some type of permit, even for small club events. We have to do this in MD for our 20ish boat tournaments. MD DNR also places several stipulations on the tournament permit related to fish care that we have to comply with. This method allows them to enforce these things on a large percentage of anglers without actually making a law or regulation about it. Given my experience with MD DNR, it will not surprise me if they eventually put a no-FFS clause into tournament permits, which will be a giant cluster-F.

This thing is not as polarized and so many make it out to be. Tons of anglers that want to see some type of regulation on FFS actually have FFS themselves (like me and most of the guys I fish with).... So a significant percentage of the anglers that would otherwise fish such a trail probably have FFS on their boats. It's too much of a hassle to remove the FFS transducers for some tournaments and put it back on for others....So they just won't participate. Tournament trails won't survive without participation. I've never seen a tournament trail with some type of restriction in place like this survive. Previously, this type of thing used to be done with length/HP limits...Trails would pop up or split off from others for 150HP and under boats for example. They don't last long and if they split off from an existing trail they often drag the original trail down with it. As big as we think bass fishing is, tournament bass fishing really isn't all that big....If you split the angler base, you probably won't survive long. Ideally there would be some type of universally agreed on rule in place around this stuff, similar to how 250HP seems to be generally agreed upon max HP across most tours. That way anglers could set their boats up and fish multiple trails without worrying about different rulings.

Every year my club does an informal tournament on Black Hill before the season starts....We did it in the cold, windy, rain on Saturday... Fishing wasn't too bad, we managed a small limit, only 1 decent 3lber. We all got hammered by the winners who lapped the field with a very impressive 21 lb limit 😮

I think he's right. Honestly/Personally, I don't think it should be allowed at all. Realistically, I think it probably should be allowed but with some restrictions in place on both the FFS setup specifically and the total electronics package on tournament boats. There's so many other limitations already in place that no one bats an eye at, it would be strange if FFS wasn't limited. There's a bunch of reasons behind my stance, based on my own experience with FFS on my boat. But if I had to pick a one-sentence answer...It waters down the bass fishing experience too much.

Trout, walleye, pike/musky, striped bass - Not as universally available. Catfish and carp are large and widely available, but the fishing style is not as active or diverse. Panfish are widely available, but are smaller and in general not as much of a challenge. Bass are widely available, get large enough to be exciting, aren't too easy or too hard to catch, and have very diverse methods of fishing for them.

Vision 110's sit nose-down when paused pretty noticeably....Like a 45 degree angle downward. They are slow floaters not suspenders (out of the box).

For me, decals take time and preparation to get right - Part of the game. I had lots of issues with air bubbles and edges lifting early on. What you described is the best way I've found to do it, with a couple small additions. When I put the decal down on the dry first coat of finish I also put some color preserver around the edges to seal them down and prevent lifting. Another tip I got from MudHole videos was to let the mixed final coat of finish for the decal sit for 15-20 minutes before putting it down on the decal....It's too 'hot' as they describe it (chemically, not temp) when first mixed and is more likely to lift the decal. I still sort of dread decals, because 1 small air bubble or edge showing sticks out like a sore thumb to me....Or worse yet, if I get the rest of it right, but put it down slightly off center 😅

Not really any secrets. Find reliable and secure storage with electricity first...Then look for a boat that fits whatever you find. You'll have better luck of you have a good network...Join a local bass club, fish some tournaments, make some friends. Someone will probably have a line on a place to store a boat. A lot depends on where you live I suppose, I know around me there's very few options for what you're looking for. Most people I know that store their boat like this have a connection to someone with land or something, very few store their boat somewhere "public". Good luck, hope you work it out.

I think the 874 would be too much rod for standard 3/8 and 1/2oz spinnerbaits. I prefer shorter spinnerbait rods, so in MHX's lineup my pick would be the MB843, but the 873 would be good if you want that length. My favorite spinnerbait blank is the Point Blank 691MHXF for what it's worth. Edit to add: I have built both the 843 and the 873 and would fish a spinnerbait on either. Picking between the two would be mostly just preference on length....Though the 873 does feel a little more powerful, probably due to the extra length.

What you call overcoming laziness, some others might call an exponential increase in efficiency. I don't think you giving enough credit to just how precise these anglers are with those advanced setups. There's no more guesswork or theories, you know the fish are there or not and you can apply it to many square miles in a short amount of time.

I can't speak for EXACTLY what anyone else means with they say it's boring, but I think reducing it all the way to the common counter-points of, "They've always been looking at graphs...You always see their backs...It's always boring to watch people fish...etc" is missing what I think many people are actually saying or implying (whether they realize it or not). It's boring because we know exactly what they are doing. They are not making a presentation until they KNOW it will land exactly in front of fish and once they identified where the fish are, it's just chasing them around until you catch them (or conclude they aren't catchable or are not bass). If you can't see how that's fundamentally different from how it used to be, even though it looks the same on camera, then I can't really say anything else that would change your mind. IMO, there are levels to FFS usage too...There's a BIG difference between a 'basic' FFS setup with a single transducer on it's own screen and the 6 or 7 screen, 3-6 transducer setups we are seeing right now. The first is an add-on, the second is essentially like a video game cheat-code. Anyone who says otherwise either doesn't understand how powerful a setup like that can be, or is intentionally being deceptive about it. What's it going to look like in another 5 years? A line has to be drawn somewhere right? Many people are starting to say we need to figure that line out now. I don't think I'd be OK with a total ban, but I do think it needs to be addressed.

I mean, anglers will still need and buy the units and everything else from Garmin/Lowrance/HB....NBT stands to lose the most since they are aftermarket, but the big 3 will be fine. Also, call me crazy but I don't really care about the sponsor companies...I'd hope whatever decision might be made is based on what the organization believes is best for the competition, the sport, and the anglers....Not what the sponsoring companies might want. No one cares what I think, but if I were the king of BASS I'd say 1 FFS transducer mounted on the TM shaft (no extra poles) and some generous screen/unit limitation...All other "standard" tech is not restricted.

You guys crack me up...."Dominated pre-FFS" about a kid who just turned 19 made me literally laugh out loud. He's a great angler, with or without tech from all appearances...But simple fact is that he has always had access to it. It's not his fault and isn't a bad thing, it's just the reality. I wouldn't bet against him dominating pro tours, but you've got to give him time to build his own career and legacy....I'm sure he will. Don't try to do it for him as some weird argument defending sonar tech.

FFS makes bass fishing easier. That's fine, all of the technology we use does too...From 2D to SI/DI to GPS to spotlock and poles...Etc. FFS showing a live view of fish at great distances and depths is something that many think going over the top. I think the comparison to sight fishing is funny - Because the biggest argument to that was so many people would say it's 'not sporting'...Since you can see the fish and pick on it enough to get it to bite. I don't see the FFS techniques that much differently - Except for the fact that FFS isn't limited by a short seasonal window, eyesight-distances, shallow water, and water clarity. There are even limits in place around sight fishing - Like you can't use ladders to gain a height advantage - And no one really questions that? I don't understand the smugness of people who are seemingly OK with all of the other limitations like these, but then look down their nose on anyone who asks, "Hey, maybe this FFS stuff is getting to be a little too much?" I think I know the answer deep down, but will hold off on saying it . From my perspective, there's got to be some limitation put in place soon - Whether it's limiting transducers, screens, or something else. It's literally the only thing in tournament bass fishing without a limitation. I am very much in favor of sight fishing and I have FFS on my boat - Anti flame disclaimers