Shimano_1

I'm sure they all are playing to win every event or they wouldn't be doing it. Anyone who is competitive...and I assume any professional fisherman is...wants to win always. Having said that...im sure being consistent and cashing checks is considered a success. Id guess guys like ike and kvd don't need to cash checks with all their sponsors. The young guys likely need to cash checks to support themselves and their families. Some of them have had very successful careers and have never won, while others have won and had very short careers.

Glad to see some of the well known guys going back. Hate to see cox go to the bpt. He's become one of my favorites and seemed to be doing well where he was. Nothing against the bpt necessarily but I always like hearing anything the helps BASS. They are the organization that started it all and I sincerely hope they persevere and everyone continues to see them as "THE" tournament series. If I had the opportunity to go fish any professional tour next year it would be them for sure! Maybe cox will give wheeler and Lee some competition next year! Good luck to all of them!

I use a cabelas tournament zx 7'9 heavy for those techniques and it works great! Id guess the carbonlite is quite similar and would work equally as good!

Sportsman's outfitters had them for that price but both are outta stock. May have to wait or maybe check ebay

I do agree that at the 350 price point the shimano bantam is a better reel. However you can find the lews pro ti for 250. Its a fine reel and I would definitely give it a try. Everyone is gonna say daiwa or shimano but I've had some lews I wouldn't trade for anything and I'd bet the pro ti is one of those. And its a beautiful reel!

I've had mixed results from Amazon. Had one fuego show up filthy with line on it. They're wonderful about returns tho and had me another one on the way in a day. Sportsman's outfitters is the place to get the lews tho for 139

15-20 lb seaguar red label for me. No need for braid around here

I think it's all dependent on what kind of fishing and what kind of boater is on the front. If I'm flippin timber down the bank I try my best to leave the guy on the back as much good stuff as I fish. If my cousin is with me he has his bait in there before me half the time. If its windy and you don't have spot lock the guy on the back has the advantage. Ive smoked guys fishing from the back of their boats many times.

X3. Theyre fine reels but I've had a few that could be a little smoother and quieter

I fish both and in my opinion the daiwas excel in windy conditions, pitching/ flippin, any time I have inexperienced people in my boat I hand them a daiwa. The shimanos excel in distance and ergonomics. I personally feel the daiwas are built a little tougher. All personal perspective. If I had to choose just one brand....after years of shimano it would be daiwas. Both make a fine product tho

Always get the biggest motor you can afford or the boat will handle. I have too much power....said no one ever! Especially new I wouldn't even consider the 60

It's gonna be like the ugly stick rod deal. U won't know that anything is any better til u try. The tatula sv for 129 or tatula 100 for 99 are steals for those reels. Ive had several fuegos and yes they are sufficient but the sv and 100 are upgrades. The 100 is more compact and a little smoother. The sv is just a breeze to use. No, none of them are gonna "do" anything the fuego won't besides feel a little better. All personal choice. If you don't wanna go down the rabbit hole and spend a bunch of money id just stick with ur fuegos. My fishing partner has 3 fuegos and 8 tatula cts and the fuegos are all getting a little rough after a couple years. Just some food for thought

The daiwa tatula sv is probably the best reel I've ever used for this particular technique. Any of the tatulas or Fuego ct will work as well just not as forgiving as the sv. The breaking system on the daiwas is just more refined. If you can swing the $ for an sv I recommend trying one for pitching/flipping.

Most of my setups are a little more money spent on the reels. Usually stick to the 150-200 dollar reels and 100 dollar rods. Find the reels on sale and its closer to 50/50. For me....that price point is where you get pretty good quality and durability without breaking the bank.

February and March have produced my biggest fish here in Kentucky. I usually do pretty good catching up to 5 lb bass the rest of the year but I've caught most all of my over 6 lb fish in early spring/pre spawn.

Id personally go black with the boat being white. White on white may be too much....white lol. Seriously tho either should look good but id go black

Only concerns with just a trolling motor are the size of waters you fish and how big the lakes are. I fished a 2 man boat with only trolling motor for a couple years myself and had a blast. Alumacraft makes a nice jon boat id venture to say id on par with any other manufacturer. Good luck

Ordered one from cabelas myself for a touch under 600. We shall see but I'm confident I made the right choice! A lot of graph for the money

X2. You guys need to be a little more understanding im sure they're dealing with hoards of orders and ive never ever heard of anyone having a problem with tacklewarehouse.

X2

I can't stand the original hooks. I can't make myself fish light enough tackle to not bend em and ive broken several. I have experimented with several. The owner st36 is awesome but is a little heavy. Doesn't seem to affect catch ratios tho. Daichii death traps are what I use mainly now. Still a little light for my taste but sticky sharp

I ran evinrudes for years but all older motors. I wouldn't touch a new one unless it was dirt cheap. Heard of more problems than I'm comfortable with but most of all them goin out of business. As stated peace of mind is worth a lot and I would always be worried if I had one. Plus resale value would play a huge factor.

I love the tournament pros but I crank with a bb1 myself. Just feels better for me under that kinda load and the line capacity is a little more. Of the ones mentioned id go bb1 pro but I'm not sure I dont like the bb1 better and it can be had for like 120 from sportsman's outfitters. Probably gonna add another for an a rig/swimbait rod

Kinda like the big swimbait guys. Its a niche that some go all in on. I have caught some fish on big baits but I just can't get into it like a couple of my buddies. I think I'd enjoy the bfs thing but I spend too much money on fishing as it is lol. Like everything else it's all a personal preference deal. I much prefer using a baitcaster so I get the appeal