AlabamaSpothunter

These dude have the ability to be superheroes to so many kids, glad to see MDJ being one of those to that kid. You should watch the DC Fishing practice video he released a few days ago. Really shows you how next level that dude's brain is in terms of winning Bass derbies.

Time for the wheels to fall off in the morning 😆

Thank goodness for Welcher dropping that monster bag to fend off the wiz kids and their black boxes. Really hoping this doesn't turn into a scope shootout.

BASS must think watching Bass fishing is boring 🤣 So frustrating, I just want to hear the anglers talk about what they're doing. BASS used to showcase this.

Been enjoying a little fishing coverage with my commercials this morning 🤣 What the heck, Powroznik just wound up about 10ft of leader material and threw it in the water right in front of camera, what a scumbag move! Maybe he should learn how to cast, and control his emotions and not take it out on the environment.

@Rockhopper What a beautiful fish, congrats on the giant! How'd you catch her, you folks that post big fish gotta give a little fish story on them 😁

Bawahaha 🤣 The sink rate on the resin ones is significantly different, and you can really stall out the resin versions. Either way you'll be happy with a Chad Shad, if you commit to throwing it, it will produce some of the most exciting and magical days on the water. I had one of those days a few weeks back when I found them chasing adult sized Gizzards.

The other guys nailed it with regard to the Spro version. Awesome bait, worth the money. That said, the resin KGB Chad Shad is worth thinking about because imho it's just that much better. Amazingly TW has the KGB ones right now as well.

Prefer and need are two very different things, and my point remains the same. Buying a NRX+ or P5 Destroyer is a "treat yourself" purchase, not a necessity for success. Pros for the most part use made in China $100-200 rods. The question is how much a high-end rod helps you......from a results perspective and using the top Bass anglers in the world.......they help you 0%.

The Redcrest expo is not even in the same galaxy as the Classic expo. I went last year to the Redcrest expo at the BJCC and the best deals/vendor was my hometown tackle store. The Classic expo is the mecca for anybody who does business in the Bass industry, way more impactful than the ICast show imho. I'm not too familiar with the PGA/LIV deal, but I'd agree the MLF has had some massive problems, and quite honestly, I was a hater of them because I've been a BASS man since I was about 8-10yrs old. I remember going to Classics at the BJCC as a boy. The Heavy Hitters event down on Kissimmee where Jordan Lee won, and KVD won the big fish on the final day was the first MLF event where I said maybe I don't have to be a hater. Since then I've only enjoyed their format, and especially their coverage more and more. Today I find myself a true 180 degrees opposite of where I was this time last year. BASS's format is broken in the post FFS age imho, and it goes without saying their coverage is not even comparable to the MLF, or even the NPFL albeit they're still scaling up full coverage. Just show the fishing......I'm watching to learn first and foremost, and I suspect most other pro fishing fans are doing it for the exact same reason. Dave Mercer can't teach me anything, however anyone of the 100 Elite Series guys can.

As a former MLF "hater", I'd agree that MLF is a significantly better product than BASS's current product. MLF puts on a watchable and entertaining broadcast, whereas whatever BASS is producing is truly unwatchable between all the commercials and the ridiculous amount of punditry and talking heads. I mean the half time show, and pathetic flipping contest is the cherry on top. Just focus on fishing, the anglers, and hire an IT guy that can keep the broadcast working.....apparently BASS doesn't think that's the future.

A small fraction of the world's greatest Bass fishing pros fish with what I'd call high end rods, the likes of Megabass P5s and Loomis/Shimano NRX+ type rods. Imho you're buying the high-end rods to treat yourself, not because they are in any way necessary for success. To me the action and parabolic nature of a rod are far more important than the sensitivity. A great angler doesn't need a sensitive rod to detect bites, but a great angler can take advantage of a rod that is tapered right for a particular bait and equally take advantage of a rod that has the right parabolic bend to increase landing percentage.

I mean the original Calcutta 100/200 models are the reels that ushered us into what we now come to expect from reels. To me that's the reel that marked the turn to next generation reels, that's the reel that spoiled millions of Bass anglers. Personally though, the Calais 100a is my favorite. Such a robust and timeless reel imho. FWIW, I'm a Daiwa man for the most part

A 7 speed is perfect for glides. To me that 5 speed is much better for big soft swimbaits that are just steadily reeled. You want the higher IPT in order to work the bait with reel chops and combat cranks. Too slow and you just can't bring in enough slack to do that.

As @Bluebasser86 said, I could never put folks like Pat, LJ, or even Butch Brown in the same category as modern trophy hunters who use FFS exclusively to target them like Jones, Hall, or Burks. Just two totally different things. Jimmy Zinker reminds me a lot of Pat and LJ, but he just doesn't have the body count to really be a legend at this point. The Homeless Fisherman is another one who does it in a epic manner, but again just doesn't get the numbers that the old school guys chased up. To me trophy Bass are the ultimate expression of the wonderment factor of Bass fishing, and the number one killer of that wonderment factor is FFS. It'll be hard going forward to ever see folks like Pat, LJ, Butch, etc. exist in a world dominated by FFS imho. ETA: There is likely a legend or two in the making in South Africa, and Mexico, I'm sure some of those Mexican guides are legends. Sadly FFS has crept into both of those scenes as well. I'm sure Manabu Kurita just didn't start out his trophy quest with the WR, it would be interesting to see the stats on that guy.

@RRocket Nice, and go figure you're into since you're a sneaky JDM guy 😎 I like that tool better than mine because of that lower support it has, and it's half the cost but it's OOS at TW.

Yeah that's a great video, covers my thoughts for sure. I'm just surprised this hasn't caught on more, fuzzy stuff certainly works.

I don't trim new baits out of the package as I pay good money for them. That said I don't replace skirted baits once they start to lose strands, and time after time I've observed the more reduced that skirt gets, the better the baits work. That isn't specific to jigs, but with bladed jigs and spinnerbaits as well. If I got them for free, I'd likely thin them out and cut some short if I wanted a finesse presentation but didn't want a finesse jig.

After discovering the Geecrack Cue Bombs and Imo Kemushi baits that are just "fuzzy dice" baits, I realized the drawing power and appeal of fuzzy baits to larger fish especially. Something about the extra water displacement seems to generate a better than average fish. Anyways I've seen these skirt threading tools for awhile now, but today I decided to buy this Cultiva JDM one that my local store had. Played around with some Senkos and really like the result. The possibilities seem endless, and I plan to especially use them on some D Bombs. I'm sure others have one of these tools, what plastics have you customized?

Very nice fish Dwight! Looks like a pre and post spawn fish, but who knows with Florida.

Buy a reel and get everything on your order shipped free. This reply was provided by the Tackle Monkey 😁

Prob. typed one of the trigger buzzwords that aren't posted, but somehow members are supposed to know what they are. It's safe to say you can't post anything that has the words that refer to the original bladed jig name, or the company that bought the patent and sells them currently. It's hard to navigate the teenage schoolgirl drama, seems silly to me but it's not my forum.

@Craig P Yeah that new baby thing is a real factor. What I've seen in MLB especially is guys will have short upward burst in performance right when they become a father, but not long after most go into slumps. Jordan Lee talked about this on the Mercer podcast IIrc. One thing these new kids don't get credit for is the fact that they all live on the water.....these kids have no life outside of pro fishing. Connell and Wheeler were once those same kids without families. It just stands to reason that those with families can't spend nearly the time on the water that those without can. Hate to hear that for Wheeler. I'm sure his dad was incredibly proud of all that he's accomplished, and the beautiful family he's helped create. It'll be a crime if Wheeler or Connell never get to fish another Classic again. No doubt about it, I mean it's pretty mind blowing when you think that an early April Guntersville tournament was won on big SM and Spots, along with typical sized LMs. Guntersville is just such a special lake, and somehow it only continues to get better regardless of the immense pressure applied to it.

Congrats to DC! Pretty epic win. He better thank the weather Gods for sure.

I'm not sure, but Martin was one of the very earlier adopters of the tech. Lot of those guys were running LVS 62s, but with the new rule changes I haven't heard if guys are sticking with the LVS34s or the 62s now that they can only have one transducer.