TOXIC

Chickahominy river here in Virginia. He locked through and fished the lake on Sunday. The river on Saturday. Big fish was out of the river.

You are in luck. Just introduced and for Bass and can be made to suspend. I have -0- affiliation with them and -0- experience with them but saw an interesting video on Facebook. http://www.yakimabait.com/products/mag-lip-finesse-2-5/

Depends on how you fish both techniques. I cast a shakeyhead much farther than a dropshot so I choose my rods accordingly. The actions are totally up to what weights you normally use in the applications. If you are fishing really deep for smallies for instance (over 20 feet) the upsized weight needed on a dropshot can quickly over power your rod. I use a 1/4 oz weight for both techniques most of the time so my dropshot rod is a little shorter and faster tipped and my shakeyhead rod is longer with a stiffer action. Heck, I have been throwing a NED lately on a Med Hvy spinning rod lately and surprised at how well it has performed.

The dedication required for that sport is amazing. Congrats!!

So, my guess was pretty close. Watson said that it's not enough to be able to go out and catch fish. You have to be a showman and a salesman. Having been a sponsored fisherman for quite a few years, I've always known that my value was NEVER in the fish I caught, it's in the product I sell. Whether that product in this case is a sponsors product or BPL/MLF for viewership, that's a skill that some don't have....or aren't as good at.

Isn't Kirk moving in next? Thought I saw that it was on it's way to Florida.

I opted out of the Rapp this weekend and went to Lake Anna instead. I was thoroughly disappointed. There were so many pleasure boats out it was like the middle of summer. Ski boats, Pontoons, fishing boats and wake surfing boats galore. There was a stiff wind and a triathlon or something at the state park that blocked off a lot of the water. My biggest concern was the algae bloom. There have been no-swim advisories up in the rivers all summer but I was surprised to see THICK algae down past mid lake in some of my favorite spots. Seemed like where there was algae, there were -0- fish. I think the almost maxed out development on the lake is taking it's toll. We got into the most fish by drifting the drops being rocked by wind, waves and boats, throwing to pods of fish chasing bait. Keeping in mind 1/2 of the lake was unfishable due to the wind. Positive thing was that I got to run my boat good long distances and blow out all the carbon. The Rapp will be my next trip after I do some maintenance on the boat. Got to replace a part on my oiling system that has been cobbled together, my glovebox fell open on my haul to Wisconsin and broke the hinges. Big story of the weekend came from a buddy who caught a 9.83 on the Chick.

Good on them. Since sturgeon are bottom feeders, I wonder how it sucked up the catfish?

Coming from a guide...... Respect the boat. Don't step on the seats or stand on the gunnel. Be aware of your casts and try not to knock lures off the motor, powerpoles/talons if so equipped, or the windscreen. Ask before you smoke or dip. Don't spill drings or spit sunflower seeds on the carpet. Same with any crumbly food. Crackers, etc. With 3 in the boat, someone is going to be in the well or on the front deck. Watch your casts. If your Captain is not fishing it will be easier. If he is, I say again watch your casts, especially if you are on the front deck with him. I am full of hook holes. LOL!! Check the weather. Bring sunscreen, your lunch your drinks. No booze. Bring your own PFD if you have one and your raingear. I take an average of 8 rods when I go on someone else's boat. LOL!! With another passenger I would limit it to 4 to 6 because your other passenger will do the same. Your backpack of gear is fine. Money is touchy. Always offer but if it were me in your situation, I wouldn't accept it. Offer to wipe the boat down. Most of all HAVE FUN and don't worry so much that you can't.

Let me take a stab at it.....The tours revenue is TV/Livestream /Internet driven, the "Pro's" are...............wait for it..............ENTERTAINERS........and that's how they were chosen and that's how they will generate revenue.

That would be a killer Potomac color. Killer!!

At this point I don't think it is a performance based selection. If it was they would have requirements and what "Performance" stats they were looking at for consideration. I think that bottom line, no matter where they are ranked. all the anglers that got invited are "Elite" and "Professional" so there's no way to dispute who got invited. IMHO.....

Agreed. But Randy's article was stressing transperancy for fans and a "fair" process for the Pro's. My point is just that it's totally up to the organizers on both counts. We don't know the dynamics between the Pro's and the organizers and it could be petty past disagreements, could be sponsor driven, could be personalities and yes even social media presence. If the new trail is lucrative then EVERY Pro would want an invite or at least the option to choose!! And those that didn't get one would be upset. IMHO every angler in the Elites earned their way there and wouldn't be there if they didn't think they were worthy. Will be interesting to see how this plays out. Sure to cause some bad blood.

Any seminars I give now local are at the Cabela's in Gainsville or the Bass Pro in Hampton. I have been in Hooker Tackle a couple of times as well. I gave a lot of them when I was on Pro Staff for Bass Pro. I now work for a Rep Group and get sent all over the country for both stores so I never know which location I will be at or what the schedule is. Cabela's doesn't use their smallish tanks for demos. I will be in the Cabela's in Gainsville, VA for their Spring Events more than likely but I will be repping products other than GYCB. Always free to talk about them though. As for your question, yes it is the spool tension that you have to overcome by hand stripping the line out to get a straight fall. One thing I didn't mention in my earlier post was that the line while on the water between the 2 points I mentioned will also feed horizontally dropping the lure at the point where it enters the water. Any drag on a baitcaster spool will intensify the pendulum.

Worked a show with Greg and we had lunch together. If you think he is a character on screen, you outta see and hear him unfiltered. He's a hoot. Had me rolling.

Bottom line, it's an "invitational" tour and they alone decide who gets the invite. We as fishermen and fans have -0- right to question how and who get's the invite. Watch or don't watch that's our option. The world ain't fair and you can't invite everyone or make a process where everyone "interviews" and gets a consideration. They have an avenue to qualify and they didn't have to even do that. MLF didn't.

Being a long time senko fisherman in all of my tank seminars at Bass Pro I have shown how a baitcaster alters the fall of a weightless senko. For "most" fishermen they can not/do not cast with a baitcaster in free spool mode. Add to it the fact that if you peel the line off a baitcaster for a free fall you would have to keep your thumb on the spool of the baitcaster or you will over run 100% of the time if you are in freespool. Yes there is a section of line that lays on the water with 2 entry points. 1 where your lure enters the water and 2 where your line from your rod tip lays on the water. Side note....those are the 2 spots I line watch when senko fishing. Using a baitcaster, while you are pulling line off manually to get the free fall, there's a good chance you will miss where you get 90% of your strikes which is on the fall. The point is that a baitcaster pendulums the bait back to you whereas the spinning setup allows for a more vertical fall. There will be some pendulum from a spinning setup because of the water tension as you pointed out (that's exactly why I use 6lb mono) but it will be much less than a baitcaster. My main point is not that you can't fish it on a baitcaster but that you will miss more fish with one. Now don't get me started on the retrieve because that presents a lot more advantages for a baitcaster. Other finesse techniques like dropshot/shakeyhead/weightless fluke/Ned don't have the same issues but depending on how/where you are fluke fishing, sometimes you want a freefall.

Non-Hazardous Ingredients Mixture <10 Devils in the details. Did you see the article where the President of WD40 moved the written formula from 1 bank vault to another and was transported in an armored truck and had it in a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist? I have a feeling not all is told on the MSDS.

I'm not disagreeing with you but just pointing out why it doesn't work for me.... Line twist....I get minimal line twist with mono and about every 3rd trip spool it out to remove what little I do have. Poor flourocarbon line mangement....I only use Fluro on baitcasters. Slow ratios when burning a bait back from under a dock/target......I don't "burn" Finesse baits. Swimming/cranking motions are better to baitcast gear.....I throw Flukes and that's a pretty twitchy, jerky bait on 6lb test mono. The one advantage of allowing the bait to fall vertically by opening the bail is now achieved with light weight spools running zero spool tension such as SV and Air spools......I'll take your word for it, I've never seen a baitcaster that can free feed line without overrunning.

Having waded a lot with both fly fishing and spin casting gear I've always used the shirts with the elastic band or Velcro straps to hold the rod while I retie. It's a flyfishing thing. I also got really good at putting the rod in my waders or under my arm. I'd still like to see your product though. Always interested.

In true "finesse" applications the last thing you want is a no-stretch line like braid. A leader doesn't give you that flexibility. If I'm fishing finesse, I'm not making super long casts either. I get all the sensitivity I need from my setup. Braid just does not fish my style in "finesse". I keep putting it in quotes because everyone has a different definition of finesse.

First and foremost, I am a finesse fisherman. Usually on spinning rods. Rod sensitivity is a big aspect of my game so I tend to put more value in a quality spinning rod. Spinning reels are mid-range in price because I need a good drag system finessing and a bail system that holds up. I really like my CastAway Skeleton's. I usually pair them up with Browning Midas reels. Baitcasters I tend to go more towards the reel since I want performance that keeps me from pulling out backlashes. The waters I fish, long casts are rare. The key question on value to me is always......at what point do you end up paying big $$ for minimal gains? What is the difference between a 150-200 dollar rod or reel compared to a 3-400 dollar setup. To be honest, it's never been enough to move me into that camp.

Also check and clean your battery connections. Even if they look good.

You would think that even if you couldn't get it running, you could part it out at that price.

Deny, deny, deny, but until they say what's in it.....and they won't......I don't believe them.