GReb

It was mid-late September back in 2019

I’ve only been to HH once and didn’t fish but we did take one of those little skiffs out one day to a sand bar and to see dolphins etc. There’s an island to the west of HH and just to the north of it was a wetland that was the most beautiful oasis of saltwater a fisherman’s ever seen. Bait everywhere. Redfish and other predators chewing on it. We even saw some dolphins strand feed which the captain said was rare. Anyways you’d have to have a boat or yak to access it but it’s burned in my memory for a future trip.

Why should they have had loyalty to BASS? It’s a job and their goal is to make money. BASS makes those guys go in debt $75k plus before even showing up to the derby by entry fees and such. What other professional sport requires contestants pay entry fees? If anyone has let someone down it’s the organizations. They have had decades to figure out sponsors, tv, media, etc so that their anglers are taken care of. BASS and MLF put their anglers in a negative financial position and if it weren’t for sponsors paying the the anglers individually they’d be bankrupt. MLF tried to change all that and failed too

Did GMan qualify when he went back because I think he used an exemption as well. I don’t have a problem with it. Winning two Classics should earn a lifetime exemption the same way winning the Masters does. If you don’t like it, win a classic.

I’m on my second set of AT3s and have been pleased for the money. They are $400 or so less than the KO2, etc. but they do tend to get loud around 25k miles. Got 80k out of first set and am 30k into this set with no issues.

Designed in Texas but machined and assembled overseas according to their website. https://batesfishingco.com/blogs/news/baitcast-reel-manufacturing#:~:text=Everything related to design and,transferred to our milling house.

I like the reduced field. The tv product will be much better with a smaller group fishing every day where every catch counts. I think we are going to see some schedule changes too with a reduced field putting smaller lakes in play. Those of us who are tired of seeing the same 10 lakes regurgitated each year would appreciate it. The invitationals could remain on the standard big lakes. Bass and MLF can coexist and it’s a positive that they have differences. The door is wide open for the NPFL to upgrade its position in the market. Some well known anglers with brand recognition and sponsors will be free agents next fall. People bash MLF for changing but I applaud it. They are still in the infancy stage and mistakes are expected. At least they are reacting instead of dying of stagnation. There’s something to be said for that.

Thanks for the replies. I ended up putting a 2nd coat of the JB weld on and it set much better. Still not sure I’d go this route again but the guide is snug. I think my problem the first time was a mixing issue and not necessarily from me not mixing it well but rather just not having enough of the two parts to create the right blend like mentioned above.

I’ve generally had better days in the fall than any other season. Here it’s more of an area bite than pattern. Run a bunch of water and fish fast until you find them. I have had days where it took 5+ hours to locate them. There’s no other time I can catch 20+ in a spot the size of a pickup bed using lipless, squarebills, and spinner baits.

OG Magnalite pot is required for gumbo

I have a F150 with the 2.7 eco boost and it tows a 20ft bass boat with tandem axle fine. I live in a fairly flat area so take that into consideration but it’s rated at 10k lbs which is double most bass boat rigs. The 3.5 eco boost will tow better than the 5.0 The truck itself has been great. I bought it new and it has 165k miles on it now. The only mechanical failure was a water pump at 155k miles. Lifetime mpg is 21.2 according to vehicle.

ALX Ikos Falcon Lowrider Daiwa Tatula

Not sure about BPS but I’ve been using Berkley 100% Flouro in 15lb all summer and have honestly liked it a lot.

I didn’t realize people actually kept the tubes in….

Really wish BASS would have some type of coverage even it was just 5 boats a day

Thanks guys. I may try the poly. Didn’t even think about that.

I decided to replace a guide myself for the first time. The rod is a workhorse and I can’t wait weeks to have someone else fix it. Also (fortunately ?) I don’t care what it looks like as long as it holds. The wrapping went better than expected but I had some issues with the JB Weld 5 minute epoxy. It never fully hardened and although I did mix it I’m assuming I didn’t do so long enough. It was rubbery feeling. So I mixed up another batch really well and applied over the top just to see what would happen. The result was much better but it’s still not 100% hard. I think it’s probably best that I remove it all and reapply from the beginning. With that being said, is there a preferred quick setting epoxy for a quick fix? I’m really not impressed with the JB Weld. I have seen others mention Gorilla and Devcon. Will either provide a better finished product or is it all user error. I want the 2nd attempt to be the final one!

Smith will be a fun watch. It can get stingy in the summer and they’ll be a ton of party boating vacationers to deal with. Herring schools will be the focus. Smith will be a fun watch. It can get stingy in the summer and they’ll be a ton of party boating vacationers to deal with. Herring schools will be the focus. Only 2 small mouth fisheries is a win in my book and it’s really 1.5 considering Champlain has quality largemouth. I’m sure they are fun as hell to catch but it’s brutal watching drop shots

I can’t explain it but all my Daiwa Tatula platform reels seem to require gear greasing more often than my other reels. Some I grease 2-3 times a year.

Silent. Spro Lil John is a great river bait.

5-8 bottles

Preferences: - Dark colored blank - Split grip - Small guides but not super micro - No Winn grips

Ditch the Curado K. It’s a fine real for heavier baits but not for a 1.5. The MGL Shimanos perform much better.

They claim they don’t but who really knows.

No doubt. I’ve seen it happen countless times in cleaner water. The lake I fish now has 10 inches of visibility on a good day and generally you have to hit them on the noggin with it. I’ve see them come from a foot or two but rarely get that awesome wake to the bait.