AlabamaSpothunter

@hokiehunter373 Let's freaking goooooo brother! That just made my morning. Congrats on the PB, and awesome fish. What a way to catch her, doesn't get better than that.

Figure I better brag before I start an ugly streak of 800pt derbies 😆 Ironic that my favorite angler was the only pick not in the top 10. Oh well, still love ya Johnny.

You're too kind Katie, and I wish I could take some credit for some of your amazing success, but the truth is you're one of, if not the most naturally talented Bass anglers I've ever known. You were gonna catch monsters whether I played bait monkey or not 😁 I'd say I'm a mix b/t mainstream and oddity. I like to pattern my fishing after mainstream methods/techniques based on the time of year, but after that I try to find the sneakier baits, rigging, and techniques. So for example I'll use a Neko Rig in the Spring, but instead of a worm, I'll use the new Geecrack Cue Bombs (fuzzy dice bait) rigged in Neko fashion.

Fingers crossed our beloved @Swamp Girl will have a fishing report for us tomorrow......it's officially fishing season once Katie is back on the water 😎

MLF was actually just there last year, little different playing field, but BASS guys could have fished the Chowan if they wanted this year. They went to the Chowan River and Drew Gill won it. 2024 Bass Pro Tour U.S. Air Force Stage 5 - Chowan River Presented by WIX Filters - Major League Fishing I doubt we'll ever see a beat down like this again, I mean Kyle almost lapped the field. I didn't think it was possible for somebody to win by 45lbs lol. It's just mind boggling. BASS really needed that event, and to their credit they listened to fans and reduced the amount of commercials and focused more on fishing.

I don't want to be a "minnow kid" after catching a jighead minnow fish......Seth Feider 🤣

Let's goooooooo @Jar11591!

Scott Martin showed the world what panorama could do on bedding fish and shocked the fishing world and blew out some records. That was in a BASS Open though, Kyle is doing this in an Elite on Live for 3 days......this was the moment in a decade that people will refer to as the Lake Fork scoping/jerkbaits in the trees for Patty Walters livescope moment. If people have a scope, they'll no longer physically look at them anymore. It's way easier to catch them on FFS, and not for the reason most people think. The reason it's vastly better vs. eyeballs is because fish never know you're there. When trying to sight fish, the fish always in part knows you're there. This has been a huge secret to the success of a bunch of guides on OH Ivie, and a few have mastered it way beyond any pro angler. Serious Angler podcast recent episode had some juice in it about this unique topic for anyone interested.

To me, Lake Murray and Santee Cooper are easily in the top 10 best LM lakes in the country, and then you have Hartwell which is an incredible Spotted Bass fishery. Congrats to Kyle, couldn't happen to a nicer guy full of class and talent. This will go down as the most dominant win in Elite Series history. I will say I can't help feeling bad over seeing so many 6-10lb spawning females get boxed up, bounced around in livewells for hours in incredibly rough water, and ultimately weighed several times due to Big Bass weighing. If nothing else it would be great to see BASS go to a Catch/Weigh/Release format when visiting places that the spawn is going on. The recent Auburn University study made me all the more aware of the fact that delay mortality of big females is especially bad.

Kyoya busting a 25lb bag already Amazing how few casts Easton makes in a day, every time I've seen him on camera this year he's just panning around the front of his boat with a spinning pole. I sure hope that's not the future of fishing. I'm pretty optimistic it isn't thankfully. eta: I read the basstrak wrong, looks like Fujita is at 18lbs

And yet the thing will most likely be won within 1.5miles of the ramp. These dudes ruined countless thousands of dollars in equipment, and crazy amounts in fuel running 60+ miles, meanwhile two 30lb sacks get caught at the boat ramp 🤣

My pleasure! The ROF is listed as 3-4 for both, so I can't give an exact number to it. All I can say is it's very noticeable and much slower on the resin one. The resin ones again almost suspend in place they sink so slowly; that's not the case with the ABS one I've got. I've seen those at my local store, and I'll have to buy some next time there to try out. That's a great tip and option.

To me they're quite different baits. 1. Using resin vs. ABS creates a significantly different sink rate, and on the resin version, the sink rate is much slower. This allows you to fish it like an underwater walk the dog topwater or suspending jerkbait. I.E.......Chop, chop, chop, pause................chop, chop, chop. The resin ones dang near suspend they sink so slowly. You can always use suspend dots, or lead wire on the hooks to achieve a faster sink rate, but you can't make the ABS version sink slower. 2. The actual size of the baits is quite different. The resin Chad Shad is noticeably smaller and lighter. If you're throwing it all day, the half oz difference can make a difference for sure. I doubt the fish can tell the difference in size b/t the two, so the smaller size of the resin ones can be an advantage. ABS Spro is on top, resin is on bottom 3. The swim is a bit different b/t the two, I can't fully say if one is better than the other because I've fished the resin one so much more, but they do swim a bit differently. 4. Castability seems better on the resin versions, as noted already, the resin one is smaller, and for whatever reason I have to be more mindful about casting technique with the ABS version as it has a tendency to want to "helicopter" on the cast. 5. Finishes.......the resin ones are hand painted by true artists. The Spro ones are based on those same artists designs, but obviously not hand painted. This is more nuanced, but the sound is very different b/t the two as well. For whatever reason, the resin ones have a bit of "squeak" noise in the joint. For some this is important. KGB thinks the baits get that squeak from tank testing in chlorinated water, and they say if you bait stops producing it you can dunk it back in a pool. This has never been a concern for me so I've never tried it. Differences number 3, and 4 aren't worth buying the resin over the ABS version, however the first two differences, and especially the first difference are things to certainly consider though. I wouldn't buy the resin version unless you're prepared to commit some real time to learning and fishing with it. If you just want a great glide bait to check that box for occasional usage, the ABS one is likely the better bet. Lastly the one clear advantage the ABS version has besides cost, is it features swiveling hook hangers. That can be a massive advantage depending on how the fish is hooked.

Imaging driving 1000 miles to a body of water the size of a Great Lake that you've never been to before in your life and dropping back-to-back 30lb bags. Never seizes to amaze me how next level the best pros are vs. even great anglers. No different than watching a MLB pitcher throw a perfect game, it defies belief of what mere mortals are able to accomplish. I have to imagine they did it at Fork last year, but I can't find the individual day breakdowns. I've never seen anything like Lake Fork last year, easily the most epic big Bass beatdown I've seen. 2024 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork - Bassmaster

Daygum, back to back 30lb bags........what an absolute hammer!

My best individual day happened last year on the SLR, but that place is super easy to predict which is why I'm glad they aren't going there this year

I think the primary concern with Tilapia has to do with carrying capacity. They are prolific spawners, and most likely they'll spawn more times in a year than any other fish in the lake. They are also mouth brooders so the survival rate for their fry is much greater than other species of fish. I think it's only a real concern for smaller bodies of water. ETA: They're super easy to catch with bread and a smaller bream type hook.

We could argue all day whether or not he'd still be hammering them, but at the end of the day Welcher isn't known as a scoper and one trick pony. That's the difference. It's a moot point at this point anyway, Kyle is blowing out the wiz kids.

Welcher wants to end this thing by tomorrow at this rate. He's absolutely crushing the field.

The difference for me is that Kyle first and foremost is a power fisherman, who happens to also be a wizard on the scope if he has to. If he wins, the first thing folks think of is not scoper. BASS doesn't need a scoping young kid to win, it just feeds into a narrative many folks believe in. I also think Kyle would be catching these fish with or without the scope. He's just targeting them more efficiently. The deal is the location and the amount of big fish spawning, not scoping. ETA: Welcher is fishing really close to the ramp. Crazy he's catching them so close to the ramp, meanwhile so many have beaten themselves up running 60-70 miles.

Let's freaking go Kyle, keep that hammer down! Man I hope those fish keep pushing up for him. BASS needs him to win as well, the last thing they need is an Easton or McKinney win imho.

Agreed, winning a really close game in extra innings against the Phils checks the boxes on a lot of things that the Braves needed. Those relievers last night were super impressive. Nice to see the new guys step up. They gotta get the lumber going though, painful to watch this offense.

Thanks brother, certainly the best start I've had thus far this season. Florida hammered me. Cox still hasn't fully delivered for me for as many times as I've picked him, but he usually doesn't totally bomb either. I bet he drops a big bag tomorrow. Everything seems right in the Bass fishing world if he's doing great 😁 I pick Welcher all the time as he's one of my favorite anglers, but he burned me a bunch last year.

The Alpha Angler Wide Glide fits your OP to the tee. They just came out with a new version that has a longer handle as well. Love mine, use it from everything to A-Rigs, to KGB Chad Shads/Legends, to even 1.5oz Magdraft/Zaldangerious soft swimbaits.

Got toe Mighty 🤣 He's a really likable guy, and he's one of the few pro anglers that's making a ton of money in the sport. I'm sure he's making well over a million a year to chase green and brown fish in the most beautiful parts of the most beautiful country on earth.......the man is winning at the game of life.