Cheetahsneverprosper

Hey guys. I have a couple questions about the BFL. I've been fishing as a co-angler in two different circuits in American Bass Anglers tournaments for the past two years and I want to try some different waters. So I was thinking about trying the BFL as a co-angler in 2017 (potentially the Great Lakes/Wisconsin division). As far as I know, the BFL has boaters fishing against boaters and co-anglers against only other co-anglers. Is this still true? It's been incredibly difficult getting decent points in the ABA as a co-angler trying to compete against experienced boaters. I guess the question is will it be significantly different from the ABA tournaments in any way? If so, is there anything different on the co-angler side that I should be aware of? I also saw that the BFL just opened their tournament registration a few days ago. So I'm wondering if there's a need for co-anglers to register as quickly as possible, or if those slots don't fill up nearly as quickly as spots for boaters? Besides those things, I'd like to hear if anyone has any insights with the BFL that might help someone thinking about making a move to that league after the long, cold winter.

They also make culling tags with the weights visible right in the floats. Tackle Warehouse Ardent Smart Cull

Thanks for the replies. Maybe I'll give those odd colors a few more chances this year. I can definitely see red worms looking like a tasty nightcrawler, but pink and chartreuce? Who knows what they're thinking when they hit those.

Where I fish in the midwest, I've almost always used natural colors with texas or wacky rigged worms.. the usual greens, browns, or reddish browns. But digging through my pile of colors I don't use too often, I found some bags of bright pink, chartreuce, pure white, etc, all with one or two worms missing, and then the rest of the bag just sits there unusued. It occurs to me that this is because I've never caught a single fish on those weird colors. My question is, when or where would colors like that work? Of course the obvious answer is 'whenever the fish want it', but I've never once had the fish want those colors. Is there some combination of water clarity, temperature, or depth that would make goofy colors more useful than other times?

I'll most often throw a texas rig, if only because the lakes I fish have mucky bottoms. Shaky heads tend to sink in and get caught up in the muck more than a texas rigged worm or creature bait does. If I were to fish lakes with more sandy or rocky bottoms, I'd probably use a shaky head more often than I do. But you have to fish what the lake gives you.

On my home lake, a Crazy Legs Chigger Craw texas rigged on a 3/0 hook with a 3/16" bullet weight has always worked really well. But last year, just on a whim, I tried adding a small 2mm glass crappie rattle to it and it increased my bites so dramatically that I now keep some in my tackle bag all the time. Rather than trying to jam the rattle into the soft plastic I use a drill bit that's just a little smaller than the rattle. Twist it into the soft plastic and it'll bore a perfect size hole for shoving the rattle in. No need to super glue it in place and it won't pop out on its own. Thinking that a little rattle must be good, so a lot of rattle might be better, I tried using larger ones. But I found that the bigger rattles just don't get me the number of bites that the small ones do. Maybe they don't sound as natural or something.

How are you supposed to fish off the front of the boat with all those Rage Tail packages there? I'll take them off your hands if you want to clean off that front deck

The ABA has a division that fishes in the NE Indiana area. Nice group of guys and there's always been room for co-anglers. http://www.drawtrail.com/2016DivPage.php?Division=35

My local pond sounds similar to that. It's a few feet deep out in the middle, but shallow and very weedy around the edges, out to about 20 feet from shore. Try to use the smallest weight you can get away with, while still keeping in contact with the bottom. I use a 1/16oz bullet weight for texas rigging (and even that is sometimes enough to get weeds all over it). If you're still getting weeds all over your texas rig, then right it weightless and instead attach a very small (like 1/32oz) round lead sinker a foot or two up the line from your bait. The sinker will bump along the bottom but your lure will naturally stay up higher and out of the weeds. Other options might be a wacky rigged senko, either weightless or maybe with a small nail weight in one end to get it to slowly sink. A small, floating squarebill crankbait also works well. If you feel that it's getting down too close to the weeds, just pause the retrieve and it'll pop back up. A lot of times bass will even hit it on that pause. If all else fails and if the water's warm enough, try some topwater lures. I've had good luck with a chartreuce floating Rapala jerkbait (F-5 or F-7 size) and also a Heddon Baby Torpedo.

When the water is murky, the bass tend to stick very close to cover. You probably won't find them out cruising like you might when the water is clear. Target the bases of trees, stumps, laydowns, etc. Even better if you can bounce a jig or chatterbait or other lure off of where the bass are hiding.

I have two of the Black Max reels that I've been using for a couple years and I've been really happy with them. Price: They always seem to cost just about the same wherever you look, like $55 -$60. With the exception of Wal-Mart's website. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Abu-Garcia-Black-Max-Reel/19716431 Their in-store price for the reel doesn't change much, but if you bookmark the reel and watch its online price, it'll fluctuate almost randomly from $65 all the way down to $32, which is when I bought mine. Last week the price was $65 dollars, but right now it's $55. Seemingly no reason for it (not an actual sale price) it just changes from one week to the next. Anyway, for a low price reel, the Black Max is tough to beat, with the possible exception of the Pro Max. I just bought two of those during Abu Garcia's Christmas sale but haven't been able to try them out yet. Stupid winter.

I'd be interested. Was kind of surprised to see that the ABA doesn't have a Wisconsin division already. Though judging from the lack of other replies, it doesn't sound too promsing.

Topwater works great in the two small ponds near me. For creature baits, my go-to is a Crazy Legs Chigger Craw in green pumpkin color, texas rigged on a 3/0 wide gap hook with a 1/16oz bullet weight. They nail that thing like crazy all year long.

I started tournament fishing just last year as a co-angler and had to do a lot of learning pretty quickly. Everything so far seems like excellent advice. I hope this isn't too remedial, but here's some things I discovered over the course of the year. RODS: I usually bring 5 or 6 with me. 2 Spinning and 3 or 4 Baitcasting. That's the absolute maximum I'd recommend. Any more than 5 or 6 and you'll end up with a tangled mess, as well as difficulty getting everything stowed away during the many times your boater says "Ok, it's time to move" with about 5 seconds notice and then he's ready to leave. You don't want to make him have to wait while you're trying to get your rods put away so they don't get bounced off the back of the boat at 60mph on choppy water. Definitely do not forget your PFD. Your boater might not always have an extra (and shouldn't be expected to). And if he does, it may not even fit properly. Also, don't forget your own fishing pliers. It's a real pain having to ask your boater to use his all the time. Also nice is your own digital scale and a set of culling tags or a culling bar. Your boater will usually have at least a scale, but there's no guarantee he'll have a second set of culling tags for you to use. And the time it takes to dig multiple fish out of a livewell to find out which one is 1.86 Lbs and which ones are 1.87 or 1.92 Lbs is time that you don't have your line back in the water. A tackle bag that holds some 3700 size plastic boxes is likely your best bet. Maybe even swap one of them out for the same size Spinnerbait/Buzzbait box. They're awesome for keeping them organized and untangled. It's also really nice if the tackle bag has at least a couple pockets on the outisde, one for worms and another for creature baits (at least that's what works best for me). Or organize the outer pockets for whatever you use the most because they're the most accessible without having to open up the zippered part of the bag each time. However you organize your bag and boxes, I've found it especially nice to have one box devoted to the stuff I'm going to use the most in that particular tournament. The items in it may change from one to the next, but there's not a ton of room in the back of the boat and it's nice to only have to go to one box, rather than multiple boxes and opening and zipping up the big tackle bag over and over again. It's a good idea to ask, either before the tournament starts, or when you're on your way to your first fishing location, how your boater would like to handle when the net is needed. Some like to net all fish, while others don't want to net any at all. I've found that most will swing smaller fish into the boat, while calling for the net only when needed for bigger or lightly-hooked fish. Also, become good at netting fish! That may sound like a weird thing to say, but too many times to count I've seen someone bonk a fish right off the hook when trying to net it, rather than dipping the net low enough into the water to get underneath it. Do that to your boater when he's got a tournament-winning size fish and it'll make for a pretty uncomfortable rest of the day. Snags: Every fisherman gets snagged now and then. Lost lures are frustrating and it can get expensive, but most boaters are pretty good about pausing a run along the bank to help get a lure unsnagged from sunken timber or inbetween rocks, etc. Do your best to keep this to a minimum though. It can get uncomfortable asking your boater for the 20th time before it's even noon to reverse the boat and go back to unsnag a plastic worm. I'd rather keep a set of clippers on me and quietly cut my own line, losing a 50-cent plastic worm and hook than frustrate my boater for yet another de-snagging run. Use your own discretion on this one. It'll be different for every body of water and what the primary baits being used are. Good rain gear is an absolute must. I keep mine in a small cooler that has just enough room for that, plus some food/snacks (jerkey and trail mix is quick and easy) and DRINKS. Gator Ade, soda, whatever you prefer. If it's hot out, your boater will often have one of the storage bins filled with ice. They're usually fine with stowing your drinks in there if you ask. I can't stress this one enough. Keep a set of clean, dry clothes ready and waiting in the car when you get back. You'll thank yourself when you've been fishing for 8 hours in the hot and humid middle of summer, you're drenched in sweat and you have no dry clothes to put on for the 3 hour drive home. Or even worse, it's cold and rainy and you're soaked and have to drive home in that. There's also the thankfully-rare but real possibility that you could fall out or get bounced out of your boat and into the water if the weather is particularly rough. If you have dry clothes to change into back at the ramp, it could mean the difference between a 15 minute delay for you to change clothes, vs. your tournament being completely over and all that time and money wasted. After the weigh-in is usually the best time to discuss gas $s with your boater. You'll only then know how far you've had to run over the course of the day. It may be 20 miles or you may end up in view of the boat launch the entire time. If you're unsure, simply ask "What are you thinking for gas?" and he'll usually come up with a number. I like to add an extra five bucks to it, whatever it is (unless on the VERY rare occasion you might get some jerk who's trying to screw you out of money). Luckily, those types don't seem to last long or go very far, as they quickly get a bad reputation. Some will even refuse to take any money at all. Either way, you'll quickly get a good feel for how much or how little gas your boater will end up using. Last but not least, after the tournament is over, help your boater clean up his boat. Don't leave any messes, pieces of soft plastics, worms, fishing line, or hooks stuck in his carpet. If he's wiping down the motor and outside of his boat, ask him if he has an extra towel and if he'd like you to help him out. It only takes a few minutes and you'll be known as one of the good co-anglers to draw. I've probably forgotten some things, but that's what comes to mind right off the top of my head.