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It depends on if I’m fishing for fun or tournaments. I go out 3-5 days a week. Average fun trip 3+ hrs. Tournament related 4-12 hrs depending on if it’s after work or on the weekends. I absolutely love being on the water any chance I get. 90% of the time I go alone.

You’re absolutely correct if they held the events at different times of the year it would be more entertaining. However they don’t so give me a Sabine or Albermarle Sound over St Lawrence any day of the week. Mind you I watch probably 90 percent of the coverage and watch a handful of pros tournament recap videos like Livesays. I give the anglers credit. Absolutely no way I could show up and fish that style for one day let alone multiple in a row. It’s like watching paint dry.

I would much rather watch this tournament than a small mouth tournament. Yeah the fish aren’t monsters but it has the biggest feel of what a local derby is like. Sure century belts are cool but man I find those open water drop shot/minnow events dull as all get out.

If they are aggressive and fat they have probably already spawned. Feeding heavily to recover from the spawn act itself especially if they are females. I hit the immediate post spawn dead on during a weekend tournament a few weekends ago. Bass were still shallow absolutely crushing top waters near known spawn beds. A few of the bass were still digesting a previous meal. Easy to tell by the tail fins still showing in their gullets.Those same bass during the actual spawn were more spaced out on beds. They wouldn’t take top water or mid depth lures. I had to specifically cast to them and keep the lures right near the beds. For most multiple times. I fish a very dirty low vis river system. Generally the bass don’t go deep after spawn like a lot of anglers talk about. I believe they primarily stay shallow 8 or less ft of water for the majority of the year except extreme cold when the main river actually freeze over.

Many things determine spawn cycle. Personally I think you need to consider how much light the bass in your area have had. From what I’ve experienced and really tried to pay attention to moon phase and light availability are what triggers spawn water temperatures are just relative to those needs.Duration of available light is as or more important than actual water temp. Ie dirty water will warm faster but receives less light so just because water temps warm that doesn’t mean bass will spawn. So consider how much and for how long a particular area has received light. Then think about the fish you catch and how you are catching them. Do they act like they are related to beds, guarding beds, aggressively feeding, overly fat, thin and beat up, are predators of bass beds in the area, etc.

That doesn't make sense? I tournament fish rivers with a slot. We keep 2 overs 3 unders. Doesn't stop us from weighing 5.

So this must be a catch weigh release tournament not live weigh in? I cant keep track of how bassmaster determines what the weigh in format is.

Tournments I fish on have a slot limit so I keep unders in the livewell behind me overs in the pass side livewell. I dont use cull tags generally it's pretty easy to tell which under or over gets the boot if a replacement comes in.

You should absolutely use polarized glasses. I wear prescription glasses and have a polarized set. #1 it's much better for your eye health, #2 makes it safer driving around with the glare and so on cut down. #3 they protect you from catching a lure or lake debris getting in your eyes if something happens.#4 increased underwater visibility. Personally mine have a green/black lenses tint color and I really like it over any other colors I've tried but some of it is preference same as selecting color palates on a graph.

Ended up with 1191 at Hartwell everyone I picked except Livesay finished top 25. I really thought he would be a top 15 contender.

Makes sense I wondered if it was for something along those lines.

Any ideas what drew cooks spraying into the water out of that bug sprayer or why he's doing it? I don't think I've ever seen anyone doing that before.

I almost went with cobb glad I didn't lol. I went with Livesay, Walters,Wagner,Fothergil, and Milikin.

If Basstrack is close it looks like Bill Lowen is in the top 20 day 1.

Drew Cook has basically grown roots fishing a single bed with a Male and Female on it.