volzfan59

I don't disagree, he's got three YouTube channels and fishes the bfl's. He used to be a touring pro at B.A.S.S. and FLW. I was being sarcastic, Randy's no longer a stick at any level. Just thought that this was right in his lane.

You mean to tell me that Randy Blauket didn't enter? After all the whining he's been doing about FFS, this tournament is right down his alley.

@Troy85, That is exactly what happened and why I despise all things mlf, won't even capitalize their initials even though it's poor grammar. It was reported that boyd and company wanted to buy B.A.S.S. and they (B.A.S.S.) said no. I don't know if that is true or not. They formed the bpt and tried, unsuccessfully, to ruin B.A.S.S. by luring away the majority of the Elite field with promises that they had to know weren't sustainable. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about capitalism and the free market. If mlf/bpt had a better mouse trap, all they had to do was advertise it, angler's probably would have flocked to it. That's doing it the right way. FLW never tried to ruin B.A.S.S. only to compete with them. I was a fan and member of FLW until they sold out to mlf. When Sam Walton started Walmart, it wasn't to kill Kmart or any other store, only to compete. Now, when his kids took over things changed a lot. I'm talking about Sam. You're right, some posted criteria for the initial bpt angler selection would have been nice, but we all know why they chose who they chose and did what they did. Just like we all know that #FBD doesn't mean "fishing boat docks".

Yeah, it sure does 😉

@Troy85, I've said it before, at mlf the rules are merely suggestions for some of their angler's, Boyd included. I want one of those #FBD hats or T-shirts. Hope Watson is selling them.

As in just about every aspect of my post retirement life, my fishing dogma is to have fun and enjoy myself. If I'm not having fun or enjoying something, I'll drop it like a hot rock. Life is to short.

One can hope.

Depending on depth, I would say that 1/8 oz is my go to. I never go heavier than 1/4 on a TX rig.

I don't shop at dsg for any reason, won't darken the door. Won't buy any of Boyd Duckett's junk, nor do I have anything to do with mlf.

We're talking about mlf here. Rules are merely suggestions for some.

The mlf and bd are a joke.

I agree with @AlabamaSpothunter, watched live coverage all day today. Even streamed a little while. Watched yesterday too. Zero complaints. @Glenn, I always mute commercials too. Congratulations to Justin Hamner, seems like a good guy. I happy for him. Adam Rasmussen (sp?) made a run at it and for a while I thought that he might take the lead. Dude is a stick.

My boat is a 2003 F&F custom built 16' X 50" mod V duck boat that I've converted to a bass-jon. It has a 40 h/p Tohatsu tiller. Pro's; 1. She's made from .125 aluminum. The hull will take a pounding. 2. She's stable boat to fish out of and drafts shallow to be such a heavy girl. 3. With the modifications, there's plenty of storage for tackle and stuff like life jackets, cooler, etc plus two rod lockers. Cons; 1. While they made great boats, F&F is no longer in business. Not a huge deal, but it would be nice to have someone to call about stuff. 2. The ride is fairly rough. I've owned several aluminum rigs and have ridden in even more. My girl is by far the roughest ride I've experienced. 3. Originally being a duck boat, the bow is narrower than an aluminum boat designed for fishing. Effects movement a little. All in all, I love the boat and really don't plan on getting rid of her. As F&F built good a boat, there's somewhat of a cult following around here. Had several folks want to buy it.

@AlabamaSpothunter, I remember that Classic very well. Didn't Dalton have to quit his job to either fish the Classic or fish on the tour? Do you know what he's doing now? Thank you for sharing your story with him. Always thought that he seemed like a good guy, now I know.

Muddy water can be tough. Muddy and cold water is doggone tough! I'm no expert, but I've done my best muddy water fishing with two baits. A 1/2 and 3/4 oz chartreuse and white spinnerbait with one huge (don't remember the size) copper Colorado blade. I built the bait myself. Copper blades can be hard to find but there out there. The other is a 1/2 oz Strike King Red Eye Shad in chartreuse and white with an orange throat. I slow roll them.

I'm a big believer in always using the same brand of lubricants. Engine oil, additives, grease, etc. I'm going to go with the Lucas Red and Tacky. While it might be a different manufacturer, it's the same style or component grease.

As you can see, everyone has an opinion on the topic and they are all good options. My neighbor loves the Shimano SLX reels, but I'm unsure of which one he has. Personally, I like the Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier line of reels for beginners. Plenty of adjustments for you to dial it in as you progress. Also, if you just never get the hang of using a baitcaster, it happens, you've got a year to return it for a refund. That was the policy when I worked there anyway. Edit, Sorry, I see you've already got a reel. Should have read all the replies before I replied. You'll like the Lews reel, excellent choice. They're made by the same company that makes BPS reels.

I'm replacing the hub assemblies on both sides of my boat trailer. The company, Carry-On, pre-packs the bearings using a red, lithium complex grease. The girl that I spoke with was unsure of the brand. I'm going to top it off with Lucas Red and Tacky. Although Valvoline makes one too, I've always used Lucas lubrication products, even on my reels and weapons. The Lucas packaging has marine wheel bearings listed under used. I've never seen red grease on wheel bearings. Have any of you used it before?

Thanks to everyone that responded. I've joined crappie.com and the Texas Fishing Forum. Steve

Does anyone know of, or can recommend some panfish forums? I asked Glenn before posting this and he told me about crappie.com and crappiecentral.com. My interest lies more with big bluegill fishing. Thank you

95 with a reasonable humility level gets my vote.

Law enforcement is all I have ever done career wise. United States Army Military Police out of high school. 28 years with the State of TN, retired. Then another 3 1/2 years with a local Sheriff's Department, retired again (in TN, the smaller counties pay into the state retirement system). After that, I had fun. Started part time with Bass Pro Shops, ended up full time. Stayed for about five years. Probably the best job I ever had, great place to work. Started delivering auto parts part time for a mom and pop store for a little over a year, then decided to hang it up. Professional house husband now.

I don't worry about it what so ever, but then again I don't really worry about anything. What happens, happens

We use ethanol fuel on our car and truck only. My boat has never, will never, have ethanol fuel.

The state of Tennessee has been doing this for as long as I can remember. It's no big deal. If you don't want to pay the upcharge, buy your license directly from your state wildlife folks.