SWVABass

We have had a pretty decent winter here and should see some nice recovery with the spring runoff. The weather service here in NM is telling us that we should expect to see El Niño continue into the late spring early summer with cooler than average temps and above average chances for more wet weather. Got my toes crossed!

Can he be over the top yes. I personally love his passion for fishing and his ability to wear his emotions on his sleeve. Is he everyone’s favorite no. But I remember just this year in the Classic he was on a tear day 2. No crazy outburst or anything. He was so dialed in yet took the time to explain what where and why he was doing it. This is also coming from a happy gilmore/billy Madison fan too ha!

I looked at one in person. Super nice rig. I’m still holding out for a PA. But I’ll hopefully fish a kayak tourney in May where they give an outback away for first.

I think @A-Jay is pretty close to what part of your problem maybe... timing is off. I know from the deep cranking I have done to be successful you have to find active fish. Fish that are neutral or non active don’t seem to eat a crank. Try working your spots multiple times through out the day and see if they turn on at a different time. Also I won’t try deep cranking if there isn’t a presence of bait fish in the area either, I’ve had no success if they are absent while trying to deep crank.

@ratherbfishin1 nice team. I had Christie as well and thought as tough as he had been in some past classics he would be the same here. Congrats though

Ike was fishing like someone possessed this morning was fun to watch. No theatrics just him fishing in the moment was pretty cool to watch. Interesting shake up today will be fun to watch the final day.

@Catt my this is my fishing partner!

You could try putting them in with darker baits and hope that color leeches into them. Or you could by some sort of dipping or coloring markers such as spike it to try to color them yourself.

Nice work, I did the same thing during the government shut down to pass sometime.

I have lews speed spins. Had them going on three years now. I haven’t had a bit of trouble with them, drag has worked perfect every time. I have them paired on St Croix LTB, an abu Ike dropshot and 13 fishing envy and they work perfect.

I won’t lie I’d trade you guys all the snow you’ve had for the relatively mild one we have had. Our lakes need to recover and this winter hasn’t helped yet.

@Oregon Native Sounds like you had their number. It’s always sweet to see a smallmouth take BB over a largemouth!! Congrats on your win.

@EGbassing that’s how the Berkeley sale started here was a little mark down, then next time clearance for a dollar. Give it two weeks

Walmart here has Berkeley and gulp on sale for 1 to 3 dollars for bags of tubes, worms, chigger craws, generals and minnows. Picked up some more generals and tubes.

We’ve been hitting the high 70s to low 80s here and trees are blooming and budding out. Spring has started for me but fishing hasn’t. Trainings wildfires and sick family members are priorities over my fishing right now. But I have submitted rosters, paid dues, and developed a new weighin sheet in the last week. Someone hammered a 10lber last week I need to get out.

Not really achange to how a tourney is fished but I would deff like to see BASS get back to the grass roots even more and open up more spots to nation anglers to compete in the Classic. Right now I think 3 anglers get in?(not positive on that number but I think right). also flw did it a few years back but bring back the living the dream and help support an angler to make it to the big leagues.

Might be a rebel craw not sure though

Besides the styles @roadwarrior gave you I’d add buzzbait and/or whopper plopper 110

For me it’s a numbers bait with smallmouth. I can catch them just about any day here. Largemouth for me are less common on it but when I do pick them up they are better fish. It will catch both but if your not fishing around better fish you won’t catch them. Maybe @A-Jay will chime in about it.

Welcome from another angler in the Southwest.

@A-Jay awesome looking and pretty close. Also I know a spinner played big for him in FL do you know by chance if his bladed jig the trickester played as well I was looking at it this afternoon. Looking forward to the update.

I’ve done a ton of welding and second both the wire brushes and flap disc mentioned. Another nice thing about that flap disc is it will sand out pits and such giving you a smooth surface all the way around. Prior to applying your primer a good wipe down with acetone to clean the metal will remove most everything you dont want on there.

Non craw baits that have produced for me are: squarebills, deep cranks, poppers, whopper plopper, roboworms, senko, Small spinners, scoungers, tubes. Use mainly shad imitations for the color.

@LonnieP hey sorry my confusion I read what you wrote but my brain computed “sportmnas wharehouse” my bad

Stopped at my local sportsman’s they had select strike king soft plastics, storm, rapala, Heddon, yum baits on sale. @LonnieP I did not see a sale on dobyns rods on sale, mine had assorted rods fenwick elite tech Shakespeare.