EmersonFish

Casey Ashley's "Home Water Advantage" may be tempered a bit by the conditions, but I think those conditions will favor someone whose body has less wear and tear on it (in other words, young), and knowing the lake well when the rest of the field couldn't have been able to concentrate and be as productive during practice can't hurt. Not that Hartwell is a real curveball to these guys. I know Brandon Palaniuk might not have been a popular pick if conditions were ideal, but he's another young guy and he's from Idaho. He's probably spent some time in the cold. Having said all that, I have a feeling Aaron Martens is going to do just enough to pull this thing out. You know he wants it bad, and if this thing is a grinder where every bite counts and 45-50 lbs might win it; I think that plays right into his hands.

Welcome from a fellow Kansan now stuck in Missouri. I'd love to get back down to Bone Creek some day. Fished a paper tournament there years ago and caught slayed 'em. Unfortunately, one competitor slayed 'em slightly better, but it was a good weekend.

Plenty of structure there. Probably not a lot of cover when that lake is at "normal pool," so to speak. I don't see any reason why there would not be fish there in the spring and summer, but I'd have to have a better idea of what the lake as a whole was like to know it that was an area I would prioritize in those seasons. I also confess to not being familiar with the potential idiosyncrasies of a lake that is drawn down that much. On that second shot about 10 seconds in, where there is a shot of that channel, I'd note where those isolated groups of boulders are along the wall, and it looks like off in the distance where you are pointing there is a fairly significant swing in the channel where it drops of a bit as it narrows. It's hard to tell in the video. If there is current back there at all, I might give that a shot in the summer.

If you can get the PQ for about the same price as the Black Max, that's no contest. I've had both, and the PQ is miles better. I've never had the H2O Mettle, but a lot of people mention it as being very good for the money.

But this comes up every thread that somehow gets into marketing. I made a comment once about how I thought it was a mistake for someone involved with the company to say something about, if memory serves me correct, the newest Veritas rod being "the finest rod on the market." People had the same reaction. "What are they supposed to say? It sucks?" No. But you don't spend time building credibility for a product by pointing out it's desirable features, and then instantly destroy that credibility by making a ridiculous statement. No one believes the Veritas rod, or this Enigma rod will the best rod regardless of price on the market; so why say it? I agree with bass1980 that it plays right into the "we're trying way too hard" image they are portraying. The sad thing is, these rods might be incredible bargains at their price point, and a lot of people will never give them a chance.

Aesthetics definitely impact my buying habits, and I think they impact the buying habits of a lot of other people more than they are willing to admit. It has also seemed to me that rod lines that have chosen to go with the more unusual color schemes have been rods that didn't turn out all that great, which makes you wonder if they are trying to stand out by looking different because they can't do so with quality. That's why this is risky for Enigma. I know they are trying to make an impression, but Carrot Stix, Wright & McGill and a few others should make them think twice about trying to stand out too much. With all of the buzz about Aaron Martens leaving Megabass, I'm not sure they had to get too wild to get people's attention.

I know aesthetics are not supposed to matter, but when I look at those aesthetic choices, I get the impression of a rod that they are in a rush to get to market. At the very least, that would make me hesitant to be among the first to take the plunge and invest in one. A lot remains to seen, of course. Too early in the process to be too critical. I look forward to getting the rods in my hands.

The only Denali rod I see that gets quite a bit of praise that at least seems to be legitimate is the Michael Murphy Jerkbait rod. It's a Rosewood. Maybe I'm just aware of lots of compliments right now because I'm jerkbait rod shopping this winter.

I had a catfish tattoo that I have since had removed because it didn't turn out so hot and I was unhappy with it for years. I thought about some other fish related tattoos, but after that experience, I'd never do it again.

As far as drones and their possible implications on tournament fishing, I find it unlikely that the major tournament circuits will ever allow competitors to use an instrument outside of the boat to function independently and scout GPS coordinates while someone is fishing. As for their use for scouting areas prior to tournaments? Maybe that is something that could be of use on lakes where navigating them by boat is too time consuming, and other technological means are not able to provide the current enough data to be relevant. But as far as having a serious discussion about drones in fishing, I think that would be creating an issue that really doesn't exist at this point. We can take the technology versus what is "sporting" debate pretty much as far as we want to. Every sport has to deal with it on some level. I assume that debate has been had on this forum in many forms and I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few locked threads to show for it.

Welcome to Missouri. Maybe I'll see you out on 'The Rock' some time.

He likely will go on using Megabass baits, as well as many other baits produced by companies he is not paid to endorse; he just won't spend time making videos about them, and won't wear the logo. He could not really do a deal where he continues to endorse the baits because of the confusion it would cause since he previously used their rods, and he is trying to build recognition of his own line. Assuming 'Enigma' is not in the bait business at this time, he would be freed up to sign with a company that produces baits but not rods. I guess we'll see.

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A3cn9a/TackleTradeWorldFebr/resources/48.htm 'Enigma Fishing' indeed. Rods will likely not be pretty. We'll see what they are like in person. Guess it never hurts to have more competition in the market.

And just as I hit send on my last post, I see a press release from Megabass saying that they and Aaron Martens are parting ways, as he will pursue a new business opportunity. Megabass says it is "no surprise to us that a fledgling brand would invest heavily in his services." I guess it remains to be seen who that "fledgling brand" is. Probably another company trying to get into the US market in a similar way to Megabass.

It seems like Megabass has a lot invested in AMart as one of the faces of their brand in the US, and he is well respected, so I would think it would be a fairly big story in the "industry." He may just be out of contract while they are trying to negotiate terms of a new deal? Or maybe he will be moving to another company starting in 2015? I'd think in either case something would be pretty well set by the Classic.

Some of you guys make it sound horrible to win a beautiful, brand new, bass boat. If any of you should ever happen to win one, send it my way and I'll deal with all of the hassle.

I've enjoyed watching MLF. Like a lot of other people, I think I'd find it more interesting if they used the technology, but stuck to the best 5 fish format. I think there would be more opportunities for guys to make moves, and I'd be more interested in seeing how they approached the tournament if that was the case.

If you are fishing the weekend after the 'Big Bass Bash' and are not sure where you want to fish on the lake, it wouldn't hurt to do a little research about the results of the tournament online. You can get a bit of an idea of what area of the lake was hot based on where the big fish were weighed, and you'll even see some people on forums here and there talking pretty openly about what worked for them in the tourney. I plan on fishing that tourney, and if I figure anything out, I'll be happy to share. Last 'Bash' I didn't get to fish, so I'm itching to get out there. Of course, a lot can change in a week, but 1000 anglers can provide some fairly relevant data.

I've done that before. I don't call it self-control; I call it being broke.

I don't have a problem with the handle itself. It's the knobs I can't stand. But a lot of people really like them, so it's a preference thing. I guess it speaks to how good of a value I think the reels are that at competitive price-points, I buy them knowing that I'm going to change the knobs right away.

Just think of the "drop shot rig" as simply attaching your hook/bait to your line above your weight. Forget about the words "finesse" and "deep" and all of the words frequently associated with the more trendy "technique" for a moment, and just consider it for what it is. It's a way of presenting baits that has been used in some similar form by saltwater fisherman, crappie fisherman, and all types of other fisherman forever. There is absolutely no reason to rule out the rig itself. I use it a lot, and I use it in a lot of different ways. Most frequently, I will make relatively short cast to sloping banks and work it down. This kills for me, using what is more of a Shaky Head rod, as I am crawling over obstructions frequently. As far as using the most commonly discussed drop shot "technique," which is vertical, slower, etc., out of a kayak; that might present a bit of a challenge, but I can assure you that if you locate the fish, and the DS is working, it is anything but boring.

I think there is sufficient anecdotal evidence here, and elsewhere, that you should feel confident buying a Lew's product, particularly the SS1. Choporoz is right about watching out for sales, if you have time. I would bet, in Choporoz' case, the reason it felt "awkward" to him at times was the handle knobs, which he alluded to. The reason I believe that is because I have many Lew's reels, and the first thing I do when I get one is change those darn things. To me it makes a world of difference; but maybe I'm picky.

I would say, "sweet reward!" but I refuse to directly acknowledge the beauty of ***'s reels until they acknowledge that people use "leftys." (I've heard they are suppose to have some left-hand options in "early 2015." We'll see.)

I'd like to participate in a bank fishing bass tournament. I think a system like the one Turtle135 describes would work fairly well. I remember there being bank fishing tournaments for flathead on occasion back in Kansas, which I never got to do, but it would have been fun.

I've fished it quite a bit and I like it. I use it for pretty much every finesse application I can't use a baitcaster for, so I actually like the action of it being a bit lighter. I find it works well for how I fish a drop-shot rig. I frequently will cast it and work it bank down slopes, and the action is better for dragging the weight over obstructions than a true drop-shot rod would be. I don't fish shakey heads over a 1/4 oz very often, and if I did, I'd use my baitcaster, so the Shakey Head rod is just kind of in my wheel house.