Bent

Agree there isn't enough incentive for the guys at the top to keep fishing hard in these early rounds. Maybe smaller cash prizes or a few extra AOY points (if they do AOY points?) for the guys at the top of each group when weights reset?

Cutting the field into two groups of 40 was a brilliant move, they capture a pretty impressive percentage of the field live and get 6 full days of footage. I'm just hoping the cameras move around a little bit in the 3rd period so the focus shifts to the bubble instead of the few guys who probably didn't even need to show up today in order to advance.

I should stress it is a pretty light rod, definitely not comparable to a MH from most other brands.

I have the FR663 and I really like it for roll casting smaller spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, or occasionally poppers/chug bugs. It can definitely handle a squarebill.

From the Bassmaster website, quoting Trip Wheldon: “This is a violation of Rule C13 reading ‘Marshals are not allowed to help the pro in any way.’ This results in disqualification of Day 2.”

I'm making a decent push up the leader board with Hackney and Kennedy, plus 2 others inside the 50 cut. Unfortunately I also have Elam who has had a rough tournament, he's been a really solid pick for a while now.

OOOOOooooh I get flies with a little help from my friends

The non-clacker model makes an awful, hair-raising squeal right out of the package... it's fantastic!

I agree with all of these points, but the degree of improvement is worth discussing. Better equipment results in marginal improvements, and there are diminishing returns for every extra dollar spent. The difference between a $200 combo and a $1,000 combo is immaterial when compared to the differences introduced by other variables - location and presentation determine success.

Oh come on dude, I was planning on getting stuff done today...

I'm shocked to see how big Christie's lead is given how tight the unofficial weights were at the end of Live. Did he have a big cull right before weigh-in, or did he just low-ball his weights?

This ^^^ if you can find a seller with thousands of successful transactions, buy with confidence. Also, welcome to BR @BobLoblaw - I'm glad you can take a break from lobbing law bombs to discuss bass fishing with the rest of us junkies.

What a time to be alive, somebody needs to rig up a little family of savage gear ducks. Maybe a bat swarm? A "Plague of Frogs" rig? No wait, 10 Whopper Ploppers end to end, a 1300 size!!! More is better right?

Macbride is a lot of fun, in addition to wipers there is also a population of spotted bass. Not sure if you'd be hauling a boat down here, but just in case make sure to check in with the Iowa DNR on motor restrictions - there have been HP limits in place for a long time but I've heard rumors they will be lifted.