AlabamaSpothunter

I tell you what, arguably the costliest mistake I've ever made in fishing is buying Yamamoto senkos to start out with. I've bought Yum, H20, and a few other much cheaper ones, but I can't make myself fish them long enough to overwhelm the massive amount of confidence I have in the OG ones. On the other hand I spent a few hundred in big cheaper ABS swimbaits before buying my first resin one that cost as much as all the cheaper ones. It was only then that I learned the awesomeness of glide baits. I guess the moral of the story is fish can't tell how much the bait cost 😁

Incredible! What state were you in? You fishing with a guide or anybody else?

Exactly, the problem is as anglers we can't recreate the exact same conditions from trip to trip in order to have the proper controls in place to test hypothesis. The puzzle resets every day at midnight, the greatest sample size we can hope for can only be found in one single fishing trip. The amount of variables in fishing is equal to the number of stars in the sky, we can make general observations and conclusions, but there's hardly any settled science in fishing. It's far more dark magic than science imho.

It's the magic of fishing imho. I've seen on numerous occasions including just a couple days where two anglers can be throwing the exact same bait, on the nearly identical rod/reel/line setups, using the exact same retrieve, and yet only one of those anglers is catching fish. Moreover, one of those anglers can use the other angler's setup who isn't catching fish and then catches fish on it. It defies logic and belief, so I just chalk it up to the magic of fishing. Personally, I don't really want to know how all the magic tricks are done, and this is why I've always been so torn on the issue of FFS.

There's nothing wrong with taking a timely picture of a fish. On the other hand it's quite harmful to boat flip fish. Everybody loves to talk about how harmful boat flipping is, but yet you rarely hear people talking about folks who aren't in tournaments riding around all day with big fish in the box, just so they can get their hero shot at the end of the day. Josh Jones said this practice is responsible for killing a number of truly giant Bass on OH Ivie. I recall Butch Brown making a video in the lagoon releasing a 50lb stringer. I've never understood this practice.....you aren't in a tournament; there's no reason to box fish. The future of Bass fishing whether you're in a tournament or fun fishing should be catch, weigh, photograph, and immediately release imho.

Yeah BMP said on Live that it was a prototype signed by Ito or the other designer.

Caught it on my favorite swimbait.....the KGB 9" TSG. As Jordan Lee said in a podcast within the last year, it's hard to be the same angler you were before having kids. I think that's what happened to BMP. He had a family and couldn't obsess as much on the fishing. Agreed it's nice to see him win another blue trophy, and he's a genuine great human being......I mean he gave the winning bait to Will Davis Jr who beat him by a couple ounces at the last event BMP should have won sans a dead fish penalty at the 2023 Lay Lake Elite Series stop.

I'm gonna try to track down some proof and then I will post it. I just hate to smear somebody's rep without first hand info.

ETA: Upon better reflection I think it's just best for me not to speak on matters that aren't witnessed first hand.

Can you imagine how many anglers have been in the same situation as Martin and not self reported.....and then never had to take a poly, or when taking one passed it because they had no idea they even broke the no-info rule when Bubba at the gas station said they're hammering poppers in pockets. I'm fine with the outcome, and I've got even more respect for Martin. It does really suck not to see Martin fish this event, his win last year at the Open was perhaps the most impressive win I've ever seen in pro fishing. The way he caught them was just next level.

You and me both brother, I've been dreaming of fishing Texas since I was a boy and my mentor told me stories of growing up in Texas and fishing it. It's amazing what Texas has done for Bass fishing. They deserve all the love they get. In 2024, 89 different public fisheries in Texas produced lunker class fish. Even the Sabine River is awesome because it's not expected to be a smashfest, it's a grinder event. Okeechobee and St. Johns shouldn't be grinders, they should schedule them when they are healthy fisheries and producing big weights imho. People whined about the scoping, but I don't remember hearing any complaining especially at Lake Fork. People will talk about that Lake Fork event for forever, it was the most exciting smash fest I've ever seen. Fans wanna see DD fish when the world's greatest are in Florida or Texas imho.

I too find it interesting that 106 of the world's greatest Bass anglers can go to a top 10 biggest lake in the U.S., and the only 20lb bags it's capable of spitting out came from a 25yd section of the lake. Tells me I have no desire to come fish Lake Okeechobee though, not sure that's the pay off the Chamber of Commerce has in mind. ETA: I remember at Toledo Bend and Fork last year all I could think about was taking a trip to fish either of them.

Hang in there buddy, praying for a successful surgery!

Talk about two different starts to the year in regard to epic smashfests in Texas last year at Toledo Bend and Lake Fork. 75% of the field can hardly catch 10lbs in Florida, meanwhile the handful of 20lb bags are caught within casting distance of each other. Watching all these boats sitting on top of each other should be a clue for BASS, but I doubt they care.

Man I really hate to hear that Catt, and you're in my prayers. My sister is a surgeon and actually specializes at the moment in Whipple procedures and other things in the lower abdomen. I'd be more than happy to ask her any questions you might have. You'll make it through this my friend, just hang tough for the time being and take it one step at a time. I can't imagine how much of a shock to the system it must have been hearing news like that.

@OkobojiEagle It's a mix of Threadfin and Gizzard Shad

Great point about reeling slower than you think you need to be. Another thing that is paramount for me is to incorporate rod pumps/twitches, or short bursts of the reel handle to get that rig to flare like a real bait ball does. It's amazing how many of my fish catches on the A-Rig come right after a rod pop or combat crank.

In the middle of winter, I'd say 25% of my time is devoted to finding bait with side scan and down scan. I also actively fish with it when doing things like Damiki Rigging, or Strolling. Once they get up shallow in the spring.......0%. Then once they start moving back in post spawn and all the way through the summer, I'd say about 10%. Finally in the Fall I use it about 15-20% again because I'm trying to find bait constantly. So my usage is really based on how important finding bait offshore is.

Way to go Jake!!! Glad to see you guys fishing again.

A stogey and a fattie......life is good for @Choporoz 😎

Losing a big fish is one thing that seems to never get easier to deal with, really hate to hear that, Bob! I have no doubt that a big girl is coming real soon for though, you're a fantastic angler and you live around some fantastic fisheries. Not to mention my dad always says...."good things happen to good people". I actually lost the last big fish I hooked on a jig of all things. That one burned especially because I've been trying to dedicate time to the jig. In 2024, I lost 16% of all the fish I hooked over 5lbs. After the first two months this year I'm right around that same percentage.

Yeah I just defaulted this into my answer. I'm in the deep south, and water temps are 48 in the mornings, and with sunny skies 53 in the afternoons.

Just said a prayer for you Catt. Hope you have a real speedy recovery, and I can only imagine the relief Toledo Bend Bass are feeling right about now, little do they know you'll be making up for lost time in no time flat 😎

Thanks Katie, yeah I need something that is actually too hot I think. Something that you don't have to hold for long. That's why the idea of propane heater sounds perfect. Winter fishing will expose all the human body's weaknesses real quick 😆

Yeah Hot Hands truly are a complete waste of money in my experience. I've yet to find a remedy for my hands when the guides and level wind are icing. It's one thing to fish an A-Rig in gloves, but it's just not happening for me with a jig for example. I tried half dozen gloves this winter, from latex/nitrile gloves to thinsulate mittens. Next winter I'm going to use one of those 1gal portable propane heaters in the floor of the boat and just blast my hands in between casts.