Susky River Rat

I caught a LMB trolling a legend perch bait at 5mph. I was fairly shocked.

I am fine with this format. I don’t think you should have two different leagues trying to recreate the same format. I think for an average person the every fish counts is easier to get into. The 5 fish bag is the more traditional approach. Where diehards can appreciate more since it’s been the standard.

Ned drop shot tubes that’s my general way to fish

I love my ultegras. They are silky smooth compared to the Sahara which is what I replaced.

@TOXIC I would hope the same too. All integrity seems to go out the window when money is involved for some people. I would say most have it.

@TnRiver46 if BASS decides to ban it they will find a way to enforce it. That’s on them. No matter how unattainable you think it would be. You don’t just not ban something cause “it will be to hard to enforce”

@TnRiver46 if we follow your logic why don’t we just not have any rules because they are to here to enforce

When they drive by you would see the transducer on the TM since it would not be in the water. I hate this concept of it’s not enforceable. You will always have people that cheat. You will always have people that break laws. Eventually it will catch up with them and someone will spill the beans. I guess there are all kinds of people throwing A rigs with this logic.

@AlabamaSpothunter that is exactly why I do not think there will be a ban. @TOXIC correct no boat manufacturer wants to see a 50k aluminum boat with a jet beat a 100k bass boat. It’s not good for the bottom line.

@TnRiver46 I agree to an extent but, they need to make an informed decision. We see what we want to see most times. We think what we want to think. I’d rather them get a whole bunch of data make it available to everyone. Make determination off of that data. How much would the stakes change if they made it a lottery system? Each tournament x amount of anglers can use it. Once your name gets picked it’s taken out of the lottery.

@Glenn I do like that they are forming a committee to analyze this. Rather than do a knee jerk decision like the PMTT did and pull it mid season. I think it’s the right thing to do. You can’t please everyone including myself with a choice that is made. I just hope this will truly shed the light on the matter.

@WRB you already have walleye and catfish guys throwing live bait down to fish. People will do it for bass too. Guys running trolling spreads for musky are using it while they troll to see ahead of them.

I use them till I use them or they are completely useable.

I almost made a post about this as well. Tried it on wifi not on wifi. I thought maybe it was my iPhone as well.

I do not know if something like that would be enough here. I usually end up wearing my float suit I use for ice fishing. I may look into these though

@txchaser I do think over all it will be detrimental to the sport. Right now it’s more so at the pro ranks. The better your weekend warrior gets at it is when you will see the decline in the fisheries. I can tell you there is the unwritten rule “don’t fish for musky over 80 degree water temps” I can down right promise you the same people preaching it are still doing it. It will be the same way with pulling big bass out of deep water in the hot months. Which will be more prone to dying. Which if we lose more and more big fish with good genes that will hurt the fisheries. It will raise/ is raising the cost of the sport. More and more people think they need 20k worth of electronics on their boat. If they want to even be competitive in local tournaments. Some also buy into it’s the way I need to fish because pros do.

@txchaseri do not think anyone doesn’t think it’s a skill to learn. It is something that once you figure it out it can be magic josh jones is 100% example of that. fishing is getting harder. More people doing it more technology to find fish. I would think the people who have FFS figured out are having much better days than the people who don’t. I also would argue the person who fishes once a week might not see that noticeable difference with FFS. A guy who fished 4-5 times a week will.

@txchaser I don’t think that is a fair analogy. Out of all the people here how many live in an area that supports a fishable population of DD fish. You can’t catch what doesn’t swim in your water ways. Then how many continuously active members are there that do fish these waterways?

@ol'crickety thank you for the kind words. I am actually a grumpy guy who hasn’t fished in awhile trying to live through others accomplishments lol

It seems like almost everyone accomplished goals they had set which is awesome! @ol'crickety added more tools to the arsenal too keep slaying thoughts hogs. @MIbassyaker explored new places and didn’t get skunked which is quite an accomplishment. @WRB had a tough year and might not have reached goals but, we all have tough years. You can’t succeed without failures in life. @T-Billy he has been slaying musky all year. Which some people never catch one in a lifetime. @GreenPig when away from something familiar. Which, can be very hard. Humans are very much creatures of habit. @islandbass changed up a presentation and it paid off big! Always a great feeling. @Pat Brown learned the deadliness of a jerkbait all year round. These forcing yourself to use different things can save a day. It can also make you have a new favorite technique. @Catt very good you are still here. Your knowledge in simplistic boat set up is unparalleled. @Woody B that is always one of my top goals. I like to expand as an angler but, having fun is most important! @Jar11591 skunking is a regular accomplishment for me usually. I just had a year where I pulled out a couple fish to save my day. @Mobasserthat is always a great accomplishment @DaubsNU1 Awesome boat that will do most things well! You sure got a work horse that should serve you a long time. I am impatiently waiting for my new boat. Any day I have my fingers crossed. @king fisher Any double digit bass is truly an amazing feat! I for one know I will never get one. @MontclairDavethe father son fishing bond is awesome. I try to fish with my dad as much as I can. @thediscochefYou still have plenty of time to get your DD. Keep on chugging. I am glad you had a great year! @TOXICthats a bummer about your fishing trips/buddies. I am glad you still had a productive year on the water. @LrgmouthShadthe better we become as anglers the higher our goals become. It will happen some just take more time and patience then others. @Alex from GA I know it’s easy to say from behind a screen. You will get it! It also seems once you do get a goal it becomes easier to get there again. @casts_by_flygive the susky a try for a good smallie! If you ever get out this way maybe we can make a trip out. Getting to fish with your dad is always great. The enjoyment I get from it is amazing. @TnRiver46 that’s all we can ask for most seasons. @A-Jaythat is such a positive attitude to have. I hope next season goes well for you! @BFS-Angler75I hope you and your daughter continue your fishing relationship! Even if it does fizzle out I hope that it comes back full circle and she gets hooked again. My wife at times isn’t the biggest fan of my fishing at times. She also sees how not doing it affects my attitude and stress levels. I am glad most of you accomplished what you wanted or came very close!

I hope I still have the drive to fish when I am your age and older. I can honestly say I have fished most my life. From as old as I could old a rod till about 16 then from 16-23 I didn’t fish at all. Motocross took over. One day a dude at work was wearing a fishing license on his hat. I said I like to fish so we started going together. 10 years later I am still at it. I have learned the last couple years fishing is deeper for me than just catching fish. It’s an escape. It’s for fun. I don’t put pressure on myself to catch the biggest or most. I do not use Facebook of anything else to compare to others. I just fish. I am hoping to do a tournament just for giggles. If I get skunked so be it if I place even better. It’s for me to grow and expand the sport for myself. I truly love all the options with fishing. Target this or that. Go here go there. It keeps it fresh. I do not feel stuck like I did with motocross. keep them rods bent. Once you stop you’ll truly be “old”.

@AlabamaSpothunter I did watch it twice. i like making opinions on facts. Who better to get them from than one of the best in the game at FFS? I am not saying it’s not a skill. However, once that skill is mastered it truly is the game changer all us anti FFS guys fear. JJ also said 10lb bass don’t excite him anymore. Could you imagine catching that many DD bass that it doesn’t make you shake at the knees anymore? KVD briefly touched on it in one of the videos to. Saying how over the years he would have made way less casts or changed color/tech sooner. I also am not looking at it from the stand point of what others catch. I look at it simply from a stand point as you will be making fish for everyone harder and harder to catch. I wonder how it’s effecting peoples local weekly tournament at their lakes. This is a trickle effect down from the pros. People will be spending an extra 4K to win a few hundred on a Tuesday night. Which If you have the money spend it. At the same time how is that driving people away knowing that’s the only way they stand a chance?

With the end of the calendar year dwindling down, did anyone accomplish their 2023 fishing goal? Maybe something wasn’t a goal but, they had another fishing accomplishment ? I had a goal of getting away from my Ned rig ways. I worked on pitching T rigged baits around cover. Which proved to save the day quite a few times. I also started using a spinner bait more. This proved to be effect many days too. I also fished 22 days and only went fish less 5. I would have fished more but, have been boat less since the beginning of July. Not bragging numbers by any means. Just happy catching more than 50% of my trips this year.

@Woody B I have never used it. From what JJ has said and what I see musky guys do they chase down the fish after it leaves that area. I have heard many pros say TM on full blast chasing fish down to cast at. For others who have said you can’t tell what a fish is JJ negates that too. He learned to tell the difference and with the tech getting better it’s going to get easier. He won’t cast at a fish he thinks is under 10lbs. JJ also said they are learning to do it through thicker and thicker cover. People are using it to flip shallow docks. there is a guy in my area who figured out live scope for musky a few years ago. He makes the hardest lakes that people couldn’t get them out of look like a joke. They also briefly state how bait sales are dropping in baits that aren’t as FFS friendly. If FFS is permitted why not permit jets and tunnel hull boats? The same reason they won’t ban FFS. It all comes down to money. The ban is all talk and I think that’s all it will ever be unless the states take it into their hands. I think we should allow drones with heat imaging for hunting. That way you just have to get close enough to shoot the game. It’s not 100% you’re going to shoot it right? To me that is the same argument with the FFS.

I have caught walleye around smallies in river systems. Walleyes in the river here seem to be around most oct-March you can catch them outside of that time period but, generally not. The only thing about river fishing is most fish use the same holes. I would think outside of a river that walleye being a schooling fish would be an indicator to move on. Bass and walleye would compete for the same food. Just my 2 cents. Which could be worth less than 2 cents on this topic.