PhishLI

Sweet deal on these little killers. SPRO Shad Swimbait 4" | Tackle Warehouse

Marty got the hook for sure. Don't know about Rob.

The commentators just said all he has to do is make it back to the weigh-in for the win and he's in the Classic. They must've changed the rules at some point.

Just crazy. 6-0 09:38 AM 9-0 11:19 AM 9-8 12:13 PM 3-0 12:57 PM 7-0 01:46 PM 34lb - 8oz KEEPERS 5/5

Looks like a lock. Blasting them.

Welcher did OK in today's NPFL event and fishes tomorrow. Had a camera in his boat. Day 3 coverage starts in the morning. 8 Kyle Welcher 27-14 10 14-13 4-0 5 13-1 0-0 5 Official Leaderboard - The National Professional Fishing League

Fujita's doing all 9 Opens in addition to the Elites.

Martin's holding 1st for the moment 1 Scott Martin 10 / 58 - 15 5 / 33 - 2 5 / 25 - 13

Ah, so perhaps that's his plan assuming the Elite schedule doesn't clash. He missed the Classic by a little.

Same here. Got a few 6th Sense pre rigs. 6th Sense Carolina Pre-Rig Tungsten 1pk | Tackle Warehouse

Scott Martin smashed them today. Can he get a Classic berth with a win but without fishing all nine? Randall Tharp in 8th. 2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Okeechobee presented by SEVIIN - Bassmaster

After this season, who'll be left to complain?

Sounds like the next beginning of the end. Poll: Wheeler in the Opens next year?

It's bizarre that there's no coverage of the first 2 days. Wheeler hammered them yesterday with over 90lbs, and Connel is way out in front today at 72lbs with 1.5 hours to go.

Agree. I know exactly where I've caught every big fish I've landed in one particular lake, and they've never been in the same area. Not once. The only commonality was that I found bait fish first. My hypothesis is that bait in small water will coalesce in an area but will then quickly get chased out of it by predators. Very quickly. Baitfish also have a survival instinct. In small waters this might only be 150' from one area to the other but miss that zone and you're fishing dead water. I'm excluding the narrow window just before the spawn where bass are wolf-packed up, feeding frantically, and the pace can be crazy, or when gills are bedding and are practically suicidal.

Extra line cap is pretty irrelevant where spools are nominally 34mm in diameter and line size is average from .012"-.014". A typical 70 sized reel is just fine here with typical bass lures and average length rods from 7'-7'3". Step up to longer rods and try to absolutely bomb baits that fly like casting plugs, like a heavier Dark Sleeper or heavy poop type baits, then line cap will be an issue. That scenario aside, a 70 sized reel is fine for general purpose fishing and average casts of 80'-110' or so. The upside is typically but not always a somewhat lighter spool that isn't loaded with backing.

Do tell. Did he steal your girl or something? Kicked sand in your face at the beach?

I'll be throwing a 5" Caffeine Shad and 5" Big Bite Baits jerk Minnow a day after the ice is off the lake. It'll get slow dragged after the fall and occasionally lightly shook in place or dead sticked.

Print this: Parts Sizing Chart | Janns Netcraft

Whichever hook you choose, and there are plenty of good ones, always swap out the stock spring keeper for these in at least Large: Owner CPS Centering Pin Spring | Tackle Warehouse

Dude is 80 and still truckin'. I'd say that's forgivable even if he was using Shimano/Loomis.

Well, they'll be Lew's now, so...

His casting reels were for sure. I took note of it. His father uses Favorite reels though.

Never heard that he did. He was using Shimano reels without a Shimano sponsorship, and he wasn't using Favorite reels, so it seems just a pro-staffer.

Regardless of how it's thought a MB Dark Sleeper should be fished, I fish it with a fast, steady retrieve, like 8 spd reel fast. Tried fishing it like a jig, etc. Meh. IMO, and around here, nothing comes close to fast rolling it while letting it ride bottom contours and deflect. This is in clear, cold water from 45*-60*. Caught so many fish working it this way everywhere I fished that I got bored using it. That's where I might be a little different than most. I get bored with baits. Bored might be the wrong term actually. I enjoy learning how to use a bait, but once I do, it's on to the next. In '22 the chatterbait was my #1 big fish bait. Last year I barely threw it. Not because I don't like catching fish, but because I wanted to master other baits, especially the ones I'd previously given short shrift to for whatever reason. At best I'll have figured them out. At worst I'll have eliminated baits that simply don't play here. Some, like the buzzbait, just don't. I can tell you exactly where they kick azz in a lake 40 miles away, but I'm satisfied having concluded that they don't get bit here in any season, and it 'aint just me. Eliminating baits that don't work here for me is admittedly a bit painful in the short term but saves time in the long haul. Figuring out even a small body of water is a very long game. Getting a real grip on them takes quite a bit of time. On the flipside, coming to understand which new baits and techniques work consistently or even just seasonally is a pleasure for me. Ultimately, I want a bunch of confidence baits and the understanding of how to correctly present them at the ready for wherever I go, not only a few.