InfantryMP

To be honest I think it is more for advertisements and commercial break stuff then actually giving the anglers a break from fishing. However it is nice to be able to grab a quick bite and not worry about losing fishing time.

Yea they may launch like 30 min or so before lines in but must wait to fish. the run back doesn’t matter since they do not have weigh ins. The interviews are conducted on the water.

There are three periods. Each angler will start and finish at the same time as far as breaks in between periods go. That is what they call "lines out". The boat numbers are decided before the event, and they take off in that order. It is not a shotgun send off. The anglers take their breaks in place in between rounds. They do not have to move anywhere specific.

Day 1- Group A fishes 40 anglers (weights carry over) Day 2- Group B Fishes 40 anglers (weights carry over) Day 3- Group A Round 2 Must be in top 20 to move on (Winner of Day 3 moves on to Championship round automatically) Day 4- Group B Round 2 Must be in top 20 to move on (Winner Day 4 moves on to Championship round automatically Day 5 Knock out round. Top 20 from Group A, and Top 20 from Group B fish to get down to the top 8. The top 8 will move on to championship round plus the two who won their respective groups A&B Day 6- 10 anglers. Championship round $100K payout for winner. Everyone in Championship round will cash a check.

This lake is going to take a beating here this week and next week. I think there is a NPFL event or a Toyota Series event on the Harris Chain next week or so. The MLF format is the future for pro level tournaments where there can be marshals etc. I like it, but at the same time it took me a few tournaments to figure out the days and how to advance etc. It was a bit tricky at first...I think they need to reduce the 80 anglers to like 60 pro anglers who are normally there, and then open it up more to folks to try out and work their way up to it. I know they already do that, but they need to make it so more than 5 new guys are there this year.

This is not technically gear, but I would love to have about 7 or 8 big sponsors. I would do a bit more traveling for tournaments etc. I hear you. I will play devil's advocate. JW is great, but man his casting is crazy. One handed usually, whipping that thing like it owed him money. If I casted as hard as he appears to, then I would lash all the time. If a bunch of new guys wanted to learn to use a baitcaster, I would not recommend him right off the bat, but he has mastered his way of doing it for sure!

Well we are off on another stop of the BPT MLF Stage 3, on the Harris Chains. This should be an exciting event being in Florida post spawn. BHite already ripped in a 8 1/2lber, and has been in the lead all day so far! MDJ is keeping up with the pack, and I believe he is overdue for a win on the BPT. Who do you have for the W on Stage 3?

Military?

I use a 7'2'' MH extra fast for the rod. It seems to do very well roll casting. I also use a DC reel to help my lashes out lol. Its almost cheating, but I would rather have more good casts than picking out lashes. I also was thinking about using my 6'10'' Lews Laser SG as it is a MH, but feels more like a Medium, I feel like it has the tip and action to really skip something under there.

Okeechobee Craw has been my absolute best color producer. I do like the watermelon's and pumpkins as well, but If I had to grab one color and put money on it, I would grab Okeechobee Craw, or the version of that in a specific company.

I try to find a series of rods that I like and use those. I have used Lews, Shimano, Favorite, BPS, Duckett, and St Croix. I think the rod is my starting point because if it has the feel and action I want, then I can put the reels that I know work for me well on them. For example, I am a huge fan of the SLX DC's...probably my favorite reel ever. I guess I would never say I wouldn't put X reel on X rod because I only have two matching rods / reels a Mach II, and SLX Heavy with SLX Reel. I think people miss out on opportunities if they do that, or just use on the shelf "combos" all the time. I will say this, and you can call me a fanboy if you want too. The Jacob Wheeler signature series Duckett rods are hands down my favorite rods ever. They have a great bend, but stout enough to get the job done. I will put any reel that I am comfortable with on them and I think it will be a solid setup.

Check out the Eeliminator: https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/GameChanger_Lures_Eeliminator_/descpage-GCLEL.html I like these because you can shorten the front of the grub style to make a shorter presentation if need be. The action is great in the tail, but I also like it because it adds enough extra weight to help the chatterbait get a bit lower. I like to skip docks etc, so it really allows me to get down a bit for those bass that are enjoying the deep shade under the docks. I also find that this tail does not tend to get hung up in the hook as much as a paddle tail did for me sometimes. Additionally I have caught many LMB on one. I have never had to use more than 1 of these in a single day so they are pretty durable as well.

Yea it was definitely rough for everyone. I am loving every minute of the club tournaments. ALl the guys are cool, and help load and unload etc. Yea I was thinking of getting in to a few more later on this year outside the normal schedule.

I have five SLX's 2 DC's and 3 150HG's. I have not had any issues with any of mine. I have used them quite often this year. That is not good to hear. How difficult was it to take apart and replace the bearings?

Yea I should have done that lol, it would have made the day a bit better. Yea they definitely took the "W" that day.... I am ready for #3 already. I guess since I did not catch any I want some redemption quickly...

Hey Everyone! Tournament #2 in the books. The day looked to be a fantastic day for fishing. Cloudy, 72 for the high and not too windy however there was a huge wrench that was thrown in to the plans during this tournament. The lake had been sprayed two days or so prior to the tournament for grass reduction. This is a crystal clear lake with SMB, and LMB. I had a co-angler this time around. An older fella who has 30 years of local tournament experience, and had fished the lake and won tournaments over the years. He also fished the lake the day of the spray job and said he did very well. Everything started out great. He had a plan, and I had a plan so we combined them to hit all the spots. The water temps on the main lake were low 60's the creek arms were about 65-66ish. I saw quite a few on beds, but they were not locked on at all. They spooked every time you flipped in. The crystal clear water did not help either. I had a couple times where my outboard did not want to fire, it took like a full minute or two of turning it over etc to get her fired back up. She may need a tune up or something. That kind of sucks, but she did not leave me stranded. I did break about a 1/2" piece of the skeg off as well hitting something that I did not see. I am honest, I have no idea what the hell it was. The fishing was an absolute nightmare. I saw dozens of short cruisers but were not interested in anything I threw. Jerkbaits, chatterbaits, swim jigs, wacky worms, lipless. The bed fish were spooky as mentioned, so I came up with the idea of hitting up the pads. I tied on a vega frog, and a punching setup. Nothing, not even an attempt to strike. I even went and did the fishing I cannot stand to do. Drop shotting 25' of water for the smallies. The afternoon I thought would kick the bite on, but boy I was wrong. The afternoon hit, and the sun came out, and it was a beautiful 70* degree day. The pleasure crafts came out, and the lake was crawling with jetskis, pontoons and skiers. I chose to spend the afternoon skipping docks, and boat lifts in the marina, and heavily populated areas in coves and creek arms to get away from all the other traffic. I did not get a single bite all day....probably the roughest day of fishing I have ever had, but I am anxious for the next one already! Results: 5.13 winning weight (2 LMB and 1 SMB) 2.82 big bass

Loved reading this! The boat looks great...good work

If you can swing it, there is nothing better in my opinion to have total boat integration or networking. I would go with Garmin if I were in your shoes, and can swing it. Plus I believe that re-sale value will be better to. I just did the same thing with a new ultrex.

Anyone heading out this weekend with the warming trend we are getting? I have a tournament on Wawasee this weekend. It is supposed to be cloudy and in the low 70's! I am willing to fish Geist with someone as a Co. I am about 45 min north of that area, but may be able to get down there depending on start times.

I made the switch from MG to Minn Kota this year. I had the X5, nothing comparable to your Tour Pro, but the quality of the product, and the steering I can relate too. I hated the X5 with a passion. It was wonky as you mentioned almost throwing me out of the boat getting used it to. I have an ultrex now, and It is tough to be beat in my opinion. The spot lock acting up immediately would have made me return it as soon as I could. I understand they helped and had great service (thats hard to find sometimes), but its rough to get something new, that was not ready to be released yet. I hope it starts getting better for you. B-Lat swears by the Tour Pro the last time I saw a video of his.

Chatterbaits seem to be hot for me right now, specifically White, with a white eeliminator trailer (If you have not tried that combo yet, you may want to) Crankin has been cold for me. I have not caught a fish crankin since last summer (incidentally hooked my crank through my finger as well)

Yea the rough patch on the tongue is a very good indicator of a spotted bass.

That is awesome! Good job taking them under your wing...Fishing is fantastic and you probably made a lasting friendship out of it! Until he steals your spots lol

Skippin docks and boat lifts are my mine as of right now. Had good luck with it already this year, and I think as it warms up it will continue to do well.

I had a craftsman plastic tool box thing that I used for a while. Here is what I think about them. 1. It does not float probably 2. There is no built in rust protection 3. They can be bulky, but easy to store and carry around especially if it has a handle. I think a decent bag with 3600 or 3700 trays would be better. Especially if you can get some rust protection in them as well. I am interested to see what "tool box" you are using.