king fisher

Book a trip to Mexico. If slump continues, take up golf.

Who cares? Is it unethical for parents to do everything they can to help their kids succeed, at whatever goals they choose to pursue? Would you ask a surgeon, how he got his money for medical school, a pilot how he could afford to build time in planes, or a race car driver if his father taught him how to drive. Most parents will do everything they can to help there children succeed. Some have the means to do more than others, but you can't blame the kid for having caring parents with a high income. If he takes what his parents have been able to give him, and turns that in to a fantastic career, I applaud, both the parents and the kid.

The kid has skill, and the way his luck was going, I am positive he would have won that tournament even if he was only allowed to fish with a snoopy rod, no electronics, and barbless hooks. He also would have won if ilt was allowed to used electronics made by NASA, and dynamite. He would have been the best dynamite thrower in the tournament. It was his time, he deserves the credit. Like everyone, he will stumble and have bad days. Some days nothing can go wrong and others, nothing can go right. Only time will tell if he can handle both with humility and grace. Right now he should celebrate, and everyone else should celebrate with him. For the record, I do not recommend making dynamite a legal method to catch bass. I have enough problems keeping my body intact without playing with explosives.

I don't have any problem navigating the site, because the Bait Monkey sits right next to me at the computer and guides my fingers to make all the right clicks. I wish they would make a site that is Monkey proof.

Big difference, you can not catch and release a deer. Making the drone illegal is not only a fair chase issue, it is also a game management issue. Same reason modern rifle, seasons in most states, are far shorter than bow seasons. Success rates are much higher with rifles, so in order to preserve the deer population, seasons are short. Bow success is very low allowing for longer seasons.

You have valid points, and I agree, there are already many limitations in the sport, and for that matter all sports. The problem I think BASS would have by limiting new electronic technology is sponsorship dollars. Professional bass fishing is not a big enough sport to offset huge sponsorship losses by making it up in viewership revenues, that may not even go up if the technology is banned. Banning ladders was not going to make a big difference in sponsorship dollars, same with trolling, live bait, or multiple lure baits. Banning live bait makes competitors have to showcase many different lures, instead of only hooks and sinkers. Banning trolling would have zero effect in sponsorship dollars, with the exception of maybe loosing out on potential downrigger advertisers. I don't think Home Depot pulled any sponsorships, when they banned ladders either. Electronics is another animal. These companies have invested millions in developing incredible technology. While professional bass fishing is not a large sport, recreational angling is one of the largest activities in the US. The problem is in order to sell very expensive electronics to the average angler, it will take a high degree of marketing through the professional level. I just don't see BASS having the ability to turn their back on the kind of money that they will benefit in, by keeping the electronic companies happy. This would change if BASS membership, significantly goes down, viewership crashes, or worst case scenario, fish populations go down, and state game departments start regulating the electronics allowed. If this were to happen, then obviously the balance sheet would swing the other way, and BASS would be forced to make changes in the rules. The way it is right now, the sponsors are all in, the anglers are having an incredible year, new young competitors are instilling new life in to the sport, and the playing field has remained even. All of the old timers have the opportunity and the sponsors available to outfit their boats with the very best electronics. It may take them more time to learn how to become effective with them, than it does younger anglers, but they will learn. I know if I had enough money to purchase FFS I would probably pull all of my hair out trying to learn how to use it, but I am positive, I eventually would become proficient with the technology and I graduated from a flip phone to a smartphone only a few months ago. I'm sure any feelings of guilt over it not being fair to the fish, would go away quickly when I reached down to land my new PB I just saw eat my lure on a screen. As far as the new young anglers not having less basic fishing skills, that theory is simply not true. I watched a few of them skip casts under docks and into thick cover far better than I will ever be able to cast. Are there other pros that are better at fishing the shoreline than they are? I'm sure there are, but they are a long way away from not having basic bass fishing skills. Personally I don't care what they use, because I am not the person competing, and I haven't witnessed any decline in fish populations from the use of the new technology in tournaments. I believe the only people that should have influence in the matter, are the tournament organizations, and the competitors themselves. As a fan, I will continue to enjoy the competition, regardless of the rules, as long as they are enforced fairly. As a recreational angler, I only hope that someday I can buy a FFS unit, for under $100, if not I will continue to work as hard as I can to catch bass with the equipment I have and can afford.

It is called a professional elite series. To me that means the best anglers, competing with the best equipment in order to win and make the most money in pay outs, and sponsorships. By limiting the electronic equipment, they would be also limiting sponsorship dollars from the electronic companies. This sport is not big enough for tournament organizations to turn their backs on major sponsors. Like it or not the electronic companies want to use the professional circuit to help sell their products to the average angler and for good or bad, that is not going to change. Loosing sponsorships from one company making the A rig was not going to be a big financial hit. Also the A Rig had potential of becoming so popular, that other lures would not be used, actually hurting sponsorship dollars in the long run. Now that the A Rig has been out for awhile the fears, that it would be the only bass lure used has been shown to have simply been paranoia. Electronics have far more economic impact, and will only become more popular. I hear it all the time, It's all about the money. Yes it is all about the money, that is why it is called professional bass fishing. I am a recreational angler and can choose when, where, and what I want to fish with. If I was being payed, I would have to use my sponsors equipment, fish where the tournaments are being held, and keep up on the latest technology in order to compete. I may not agree with how they fish, and the equipment they use, but I also want to see the very best, with the very best equipment, competing at the highest level. That is what I believed happened at Lake Fork.

I just installed a new ice maker on the boat, so I no longer have to worry about ice out.

I miss fishing for smallmouth bass in Eastern WA. It has been 35 years since I lived there, but I will always consider the lakes and creeks I grew up fishing, as my home waters. I also miss fishing a variety of species in AK where I lived most of my adult life. It isn't the species of fish as much as the whole adventure of living and fishing in the AK Bush. Landing my plane on a gravel bar, getting out and catching a silver salmon for dinner, or going on 5 day float trips and the only other fisherman I see have four legs, and big teeth. I miss fishing a pond or creek with a bobber and night crawler for anything that will bite, because that is the only time I have ever fished, when the Bait Monkey was not bothering me.

Will that be your last line of defense on Menderchuck?

Even dynamite wont work if you can't find the fish.

For a tournament angler to remain competitive, they will have to have the the best electronics available. Like most sports the higher level of competition, the more minor improvements in equipment can make a big difference. I can't golf, so spending more money on clubs would not make me a good golfer. A professional golfer will be very good with any set of clubs, but to get a slight edge at the top level of the sport, I'm sure they will need the best clubs available. I want the top tournament anglers to be the very best anglers possible. I don't want them to only be the best at flipping, or the best top water anglers, I want them to be the best. If that requires them to buy and learn the latest electronics, so be it, that is why they are called professional anglers. If they can't afford the best equipment, can't find sponsors to help finance them, or don't want to learn new technology, then they simply wont be the best professional anglers. If they insist they can still win with old school techniques than do it. If they can't compete, get another job, don't complain about others who can compete. If the fishery suffers due to the new technology, than it is the responsibility of the people that mange the fishery to change the laws regarding methods and equipment used to fish for bass. It is not the responsibility of the tournament organizations to manage the fisheries. As far a recreational anglers are concerned, instead of spending $50,000.00 on electronics, I would recommend spending that amount of money on bass fishing trips to Mexico. I would be willing to wager the trips to Mexico would pay off with more DD bass than the same amount of money spent on electronics. As far as Randy Blauket is concerned I admire his passion for the sport, and like watching his videos. I feel he truly believes FFS will ruin the sport, and stands by his convictions. I do not agree with him, but admire his drive to do his best to make a change in what he believes in. I see no need to call him a whiner, has been, poor angler, refer to him with some derogatory nickname, or make rude comments about his appearance. What does the condition of a mans teeth have anything to do with FFS? I believe the world would be a better place if people gave more respect to others who have different opinions.

I try new knots all the time. I am happy with the old knots, but learning something new is never a bad thing.

http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/overloaded-donkey-carl-purcell.jpg

We went to Bara De Navidad hoping to get in on the blue marlin bite that has been happening there for the past couple of weeks. No luck on the Blue marlin, but we did manage to catch a striped marlin, along with a nice yellowfin tuna. On the way home we fished my favorite beach for Rooster fish, and landed 25 roosters. No Blue Marlin, but over all a good trip.

I always remind myself of the old saying. It is better to be on land wishing you were on the water, than to be on the water wishing you were on land.

Even live bait, which obviously is as real looking as can be, will not get hit if it doesn't have the right action. Throw a half dead live bait, or one that the hook impedes the swimming motion, and a bass wont even take a look.

It takes a considerable amount of energy to break the water molecule in order to get the hydrogen. As others have stated it takes way more energy to produce the hydrogen than the amount of energy that is produced by the hydrogen. In other words a there is a large net loss of energy. Over coming this problem will be very difficult but not impossible. It is impossible to get more energy from the hydrogen than it takes to produce the hydrogen, and this fact will not change. The solution lies in finding a way to overcome the problem by using a less expensive non polluting source of energy to produce the hydrogen. If for instance solar energy is used it doesn't matter how inefficient the energy conversion is because the source of energy is basically never ending. We are a long way from being able to produce hydrogen, from solar energy in large enough quantities to run a fraction of the outboard motors used in the US, but the Wright Brothers airplane didn't break the sound barrier either. You have to start somewhere, it may end up not being feasible, or it may be revolutionary, only time will tell.

Not true. That little demon has been firmly attached to my back since the summer of 1977. I might not have known his name, but he has always been there, and I consider him responsible for my tackle addiction, which started when a two pound bass blew up on my Jitterbug all those years ago.

No, but more days than I care to admit it wouldn't make any difference if I did.

Fished 2 days North of Puerto Vallarta. Landed 6 tuna, and two dorado the first day, 5 tuna, one dorado the second day. All were caught skipping a soft plastic flying fish under a kite, trolling at 8 to 10 Kts. This can be the most exciting way to fish tuna, but requires a the right conditions, and excellent team work with the crew, and anglers. Drives the tuna crazy when all goes well.

I know a lake in Mexico, where the fresh water lobsters are that size. The Bait Monkey just showed up at my door while I was watching the video.

Live worm ,and bobber, inline spinner, floating Rapala, crappie jig under a bobber. While you are buying tackle for your kids, don't forget to buy them something you really want to try, this can be a great way to get the glide bait monkey off your back.

I get skunked fishing unpressured bass in remote Mexican lakes. It can happen to anyone anywhere. Buying more tackle wont kill the skunk, but it sure takes away some of the smell.

Bass have had free high speed internet for over 100 years.