SDoolittle

It amazes me how such large fish can migrate into those shallow streams. I used to love seeing those huge salmon stacked up in the crystal clear, knee deep water in Alaska. This one weighed 30 lbs and was a "small one".

I love this time of year!

Tournament fishing opened my eyes to how much I didn't know about fishing. It instilled in me the drive to learn more and resulted in me becoming a better fisherman.

OK, I guess I was wrong about that!

I have been bass fishing for over 25 years and have fished tournaments since 2000. I have have competed in KS, OK, MO, and KY with mixed results. Coming off a good season fishing in the Kentucky Bass Federation Nation, my confidence was high when I moved to TX in March. In May I fished my first tournament and brought in four small keepers for a total weight of just over eight lbs. The winner in that tournament had five fish that weighed over 34 lbs. My confidence was shot and stayed that way all season as I consistently lost every tournament by a wide margin. Friday evening my fishing partner called and asked if I was interested in fishing a small open tournament Saturday morning. I though of my previous failures, but at the same time I remembered my past success. I was on fish all week and was sure that I could win. We ended up finishing second (missed 1st by 0.22 lbs). Thinking back, confidence has always played a major role in my fishing success. In tournaments that I approached with a good attitude, I usually did well. But if you go out thinking that you will lose, you will do just that.

As an Oklahoma fan I hate to admit this but I think that Texas is going to run the table. Any other opinions?

Yeah, I know, but having something to look foward to every month goes a long way in combat.

It looks like I'll be heading back to Iraq in December. I'm single and have few bills, so with the money I save while I'm gone, I want to upgrade my gear. My plan is to order new rods and reels on alternating months so when I return I'll have six new professional grade rigs. So my question is, if you could pick any rod/reel combination for any bass fishing application, what would you choose?

89 pound spoonbill (paddlefish)

I would advise against using a suction cup mount. I had one on my old jonboat and it would fall off constantly. Mount that sucker to your trolling motor!

In many places it is legal to use live fish only if they are caught from the waters you are fishing. The reason that store bought minnows are illegal is to keep from introducing fish that are not native to that body of water.

Not really strange, but I had an embarassing moment during a tournament when I fought a sunken jugline for a couple of minutes. It had just the right combination of air and water that it kinda bobbed up and down as I was bringing it in. I thought I had the money fish and fought it all the way to the boat.

..you buy a boat even though you don't have a truck to pull it.

I fish the BASS Federation Nation, BCWC, and club tournaments. I also do a heck of a lot of fishing for fun!

That's an Alaskan King Salmon. I caught it out of Montana Creek near Talkeetna, AK. It wasn't the biggest fish in the creek (30 lbs), but it sure was a lot of fun to catch. It's pretty exciting to have a fish that size jumping clean out of the water, doing backflips, and trying to run back to the ocean. All that in crystal clear, knee deep water! It's not my biggest fish ever, but definately one of my most memorable.

Yeah, thats even worse than tuning in to FLW outdoors expecting to see a bass tournament and then they're showing a redfish tournament.

I've seen one fly trout fishing tournaments in AR. You can retie your knot as many times as you want, but if you hang up or break off your day is over.

I am stationed at Ft Knox and mainly fish Rough and Nolin. Looks like I'm moving to TX in a couple of months. I was just getting to know these lakes around here and now I'll get to start all over again.

I fished the KY BASS Federation Nation state championship on Lake Cumberland back in November. It was the only time I've ever been there so I'm no expert on the lake. Not many fish were weighed in, but there were some dandy smallmouths and spots. Of course, I'm like you and went out targeting largemouth which is probably why I finished 16th out of 30. Be prepared to fish some deep, clear water! As far as the water level goes, yes they did a major drawdown, but Cumberland is a VERY deep lake and there is still plenty of water. We put in at Conneley Bottoms where they have extended the boat ramp. From what I've heard there are some ramps that are out of the water and can't be used. Sorry I can't help you more, but like I said that was my only trip to Cumberland and I didn't exactly knock 'em dead.

Yep.

Just trying to see if my new avatar is working.

I like to say "FISH ON", but most of the time it's "#@$&, MISSED HIM".

What part of Korea?

I threw a hand grenade in the Tigris River and yes it does work.

There is a club on Ft Knox called Drop-A-Line that uses the team format, but I think you have to be a veteran.