Tennessee Boy

This might help you. ? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_rig

I’ve always liked white very late in the afternoon and very early in the morning. Not so much in the bright sun. Thank you for not saying Texas Rigged.

Go to https://chartselect.humminbird.com and find your lake then click details. You will be able to see a three small images with contours. A few lakes have a Preview Contours link that will allow you to see the whole lake.

Welcome back

I’ve known a couple of guys that quit who fished at an intense level, in big tournaments, with high end boats. They burned out and don’t enjoy it at a slower level. Another guy with a similar story that gave up bass fishing but still enjoys catfish and crappie fishing.

$40 for a rod and reel is seriously cheap. I do think there is a big difference between $40 combo and a $150 combo. The difference between a $150 combo and a $1000 combo is not much and most of it is vanity. Many pros do well using combos in the $200 - $500 range. I don’t think they would dare use a $40 combo.

I've replaced mine in the garage. I just use a car jack to raise one side of the boat at a time.

Yes there are still a few still around. Not many. When I saw this tread I checked.?

I'm a strong believer that you will catch more fish being a master of a few techniques compared to being average at many. How many techniques you can master depends on how much time you have to commit to mastering them. The day I realized this was the day my fishing started to improve dramatically. It also reduced the amount of tackle I need.

It worked

1) Cranking battery or a separate battery. Never a trolling motor battery, that can cause interference. 2) Not sure exactly what you are asking. You don't want two FF using one fuse. You also don't want two units wired in series with the battery. It's a good idea to connect each FF to a power panel. Most boats have a panel under the console and under the deck at the bow. 3) Yes cranking battery 4) I think that's mostly personal preference. I have always mounted mine on the floor. Always check to make sure you're not drilling into something important (like wiring)

Interesting thread. There are a lot of variables, most if them have been mentioned, another is the length of the line between the hook and the weight. Like others, I fish a c-rig deep. I usually use 3/4 oz weight when there’s current and sometimes less when no current. Fishing 20ft deep in 1-2MPH current , I don’t think I would feel anything with a lighter weight.

It seems odd that you’re cranking battery and trolling batteries have all died at the same time. Has the boat been sitting for a long time?

I’m guessing what you were seeing were fish that were following your bait but not hitting it. They followed it up until they saw you, then turned away. It’s like they are very interested in your lure but not convinced it’s something they want to eat. When I see fish doing this, I throw a finesse worm. Have seen that work countless times.

For me it's, have a good day with a lure, buy a lifetime supply, and never catch another fish on it again.

If I understand your question, I think you are asking what I've always considered one of the most intriguing question in tournament fishing strategy. You have two competing ideas. The first idea you eluded too, more casts..more fish. Or as I used to say a wet lure will always catch more fish than a dry one. The more time you spend moving to new locations and tying on different lures, the less time you spend fishing. The second idea. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. If your not catching fish you should try something else... right? Call me crazy but I aways tried to error on the side of insanity ?. In the tournament win I have always been the most proud of, I did one thing for 8 hours and had 6 bites and caught 5 good fish. The 5th fish came over 3 hours after the 4th. Patience won that tournament for me. There have certainly been times when nothing was working that I spent the whole tournament as you say "chasing different locations". That never worked for me but it's certainly possible that the 20th thing you try will win the tournament for you. Of course it makes no sense to go into a tournament with only one plan and sticking to it no mater what. Finding a balance between being flexible and being persistent is the key and it's not easy. I only spent about 10 years fishing at the club level. It will be interesting to see what some of the more experience tournament angler on here have to say on this subject.

I think your practice will be well rewarded. Denny Bauer (possible the best at pitching that ever was) credited much of his success to long hours of practice. He used to do demonstrations where he would pitch to a small target and his jig would never get more that a few inches off the floor. He used this technique to pitch under docks with minimal splash.

@Jim Liechty Welcome to the forum! That's a very well stated first post. I look forward to reading more of your post.

I enjoy watching all three and I enjoy complaining about MLF even if it is silly. ?

Welcome to the forum!

I agree. This year's classic was a great example. There were a lot of small fish caught. Under BPT rules it would have been a completely different tournament. They no longer have the number of fish culled listed in the results but I remember Dean Rojas culled a very large number of fish on the first day and finished in 25th place with 9.4. Ott was on larger fish and it took most of the day for him to get his 20 lb limit. On day 2 Ott's big fish pattern was no longer working and he had to scramble. I enjoyed watching the different strategies play out. It didn't have the fast action of a BPT event but it was much more interesting and I think the average angler could learn a lot watching how the anglers developed their different strategies.

? I just have to ask. During your six years in the cult, did you catch any fish?

I’ll cast my vote for largemouth based on the jaw alone. It extends way beyond the eye and is clearly visible in the second photo.

When I join my first club 30 years ago I was all about the numbers. It was after catching 21 keepers in a tournament and getting beat by over 20 lbs that I realized I needed to change. Joining MLF wasn’t an option in those days. ?

Glad it was an easy fix. The only way to keep from breaking stuff is to leave the boat in the garage. It happens to all of us. It’s the stories of looking in the rear view mirror and seeing the boat tumbling down the road that make me cringe.