SDoolittle

Check out www.kybassnation.com. There is a list of clubs under orginizations. If you don't find one nearby, call the regional director and he will point you in the right direction.

Anyone had a sneak peek at the Stratos 186xt? It's supposed to be a big brother to the 176xt that there was so much talk about this year. It's rated for 115 HP, but I wonder what other improvements have been made.

I have a Humminbird portable fishfinder on my jonboat. The transducer suction cups to the hull. I think I paid about $150 for the fishfinder and another $65 for the portable unit. I bought them seperately because I had originally planned to mount the fishfinder permenantly, but you can buy them together as a package. You can probably find a cheaper fishfinder, but mine is a Humminbird 200DX. I found the portable unit at Bass Pro Shops.

Is anyone running an E-TEC motor? If so, how do you like it? What was the price difference from the same size four stroke? I'm considering one, but I can't find many reviews.

I think you may be confusing two different things. You're talking about Red Man which is now FLW and saying that you have to be B.A.S.S. affiliated. I don't know about the FLW side, but I'm fishing the B.A.S.S. team trail. Last year was its first year and the first B.A.S.S. Bass Club World Championship will be held in October of this year. I guess its possible that each state does it different, but in our state tournaments both boater and nonboater are from the same club. The two fishermen combine their catch to make the best five fish limit. The boat with the heaviest limit gets the check, but the club with the heaviest combined three limits gets the points to advance. Its not until you advance to regionals that you are paired with someone from another club. Check out the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation homepage for the BCWC rules.

I'll bet that's what he's talking about. Each club gets three boaters and three nonboaters and they compete agaist other club teams. The total weight of the six fishermen is counted for qualification, but the top boat takes home the cash.

My rule for traveling to a fishing spot is that I must get at least twice as much fishing time as driving time. If the lake is an hours drive one way I'm going to fish for at least four hours. I have a 14' jon and take it to lakes of all sizes, but I if you're wanting to take the family out on big water you need a bigger boat.

I picked up some 1/8 oz strike king bitsy bug jigs yesterday, but I couldn't find any trailers that seemed small enough. Does anyone use these jigs? If so, what kind of trailer are you using?

U.S. Army, Cavalry Scout

Try www.kybassnation.com. Look under orginizations, there is a list of clubs. If there's not one close to you, contact the regional director for your area and he can point you in the right direction.

I read in a magazine (Bassmaster I think) how you could save money by cutting up a tube to make your own o-rings. I tried it out a couple of weeks ago and it worked pretty well. Didn't cost me anything either. I cut them into 1/2" rings and one tube provides several rings.

It looks to me like the kind of lure that would catch a lot of smaller fish and not much else.

I used to catch a lot of frogs when I was a kid. If the fish weren't biting I'd find a bullfrog and dangle my lure in front of his face. I took home a lot of frog legs that way.

Squid, that was what I was asking. It's good to know that some people can do well consistently as a non-boater. I seem to always finish at the top or at the bottom. I have fished seven tournaments this year with two first place finishes, one third place, and four where I either zeroed or came awfully close. My record and listening to people talk at weigh in is what got me started thinking about this in the first place. The boaters who do well always receive some recognition and those who do poorly have no one to blame but themselves. When a non-boater does well, on the other hand, the boater often still gets credit because he put the guy on fish. And non-boaters who do poorly are always quick to blame the guy in the front of the boat.

If you really want to learn how to use a new bait, go fishing with only that setup.

Thanks, I'll have to give it a try. So far I've just been hooking it through the head.

DITTO!

A lot of people will say that largemouth are not good to eat, but I think they are good. Growing up we had several farm ponds and had to keep a few fish from time to time in order to maintain healthy populations. Fish in the 12"-14" range seem to be the best. I have probably eaten smallmouth at some time, but I can't remember.

Both morning and evening are good times, but once it starts getting really hot I do most of my fishing at night. That's not because the fish won't bite in the heat, I'm just not a fan of hot weather.

Where can we find a copy?

I tried drop shotting for the first time about two months ago and I'm hooked. It's funny because I've always been a power fisherman and only resorted to finesse fishing as a last resort, but now I always keep a rod rigged for drop shot. The areas I fish get pounded by fishermen throwing shaky heads all day and I am having a lot of success following right behind them with the drop shot. I think that a lot of the drop shots appeal is that it's just something a little different from what the fish are used to seeing. I like the Zoom 4" Meathead, but I've caught fish on all kinds of other baits as well. My biggest drop shot bass was 3.25 lbs caught on the back half of a broken trick worm. I use 1/8 oz weights for shallow water and 1/4 oz for deeper. I'm using a 6'6" med action spinning rod, but I haven't found a line I really like yet. Are you having the same problem with fish tangling your rig? It seems like I have to retie after every couple of fish because they just tangle that drop line all to heck.

You know, I've traveled all over the country and fished in some of the most popular destinations, but to me the "perfect trip" would be to go back to Oklahoma and fish all those farm ponds I grew up fishing. I go home to visit every couple of years, but most of the properties are in different hands now and I don't have access.

In a large tournament they would have to send out the boats in flights and you might end up with people returning with a limit before others have even left the ramp. Also, it would have to be a partner tournament, because if one person in the boat gets a limit he's gonna have to head in even if the other guy is still on a zero. I do like the idea, but I think it would be hard to do.

I was strictly a bank fisherman for many years. I tried carrying a lot of poles and tackle, but it was a hassle. If I went with only one set up the fish always seemed to want something else. I finally narrowed it down to two rods- a med action spinning rod and a MH baitcaster. I carried a small tackle bag stocked with a couple packs of plastic worms, some hooks and sinkers and a couple of spinnerbaits. I would walk along throwing a spinnerbait and trying to get a reaction strike, then backtrack with the plastic worms. I guess I could have done that with one rod, but it would have involved a lot more tying and retying than I like to do.

Welcome!