Also, tried a few of the Okuma rods for jigs and a heavy rod for Carolina rigs. I liked them. They were paired with curado 7:1’s

Sounds like a well thought out frogging setup, with some multi-use options. I have a St Croix avid, 7’10” heavy that I primarily use for flipping jigs, and part-time for frogs but it is definitely heavy. For 2015, I am looking for a MH jig rod, 7′ or better as a primary jig rod. Ideally, not so damn thick and heavy like the telescopic avid. I’ve tried the Abu-Garcia Veritos and liked it, and looking for a spinning setup for drop-shot, either TF Outfitters or Loomis variation. Not looking to break the bank.

FryDog62 wrote:

Enjoyed the post too. Question ~ there are less lakes and reservoirs in TX but they are quite large…what is the pressure like on those bodies of water?

You ask a really good question. So far, I’ve been on Fork, Bastrop, Houston County, Fayette County, and the Sabine for the Bassmaster tournament. When I was on Fork, there was a 500 boat Berkeley tournament that was happening at the same time as a regional crappie tournament. I felt like there were LOTS of boats at that time…. but unlike Minnesota, there were no recreational water skiers, jet-ski’s, etc.

In some cases, people will fish at night but it has more to do with the July / August heat than picking a different time based on other boats.

I hear there’s a tournament on Fork pretty much every weekend but the lake is so large, I think it absorbs boats really good.

BassBuster2 wrote:

Good post Iam heading down to Toledo Bend Next Feb. for 2 weeks.

I’m going to be in a club tournament April 11th on Toledo. I’ll be sure to give you an update!

Buzz – I am anxious to get onto Fork again…. I’m hearing that night-fishing can also be a good option on Fork.

I use it in places where I would otherwise torture myself with a carolina rig #ballandchainghater

Echo everyone’s prior sentiments, plus a few more…

The one thing I can’t stress enough is to either learn a trade or get an education. From a competitive standpoint, your up against other anglers with degrees in everything ranging from fisheries biology to business management and marketing. Educations are expensive so if your going to tackle school, you should be ready to be the absolute best throughout the entire process. If your not going to school on a scholarship, you should have the mentality that every month, for XX amount of years, your going to write a check for your student loan repayment and it helps to know you conquered your education. with that said, be aware of the educational bubble that is also about to burst. Crazy things are happening in the land of education. Unfortunately, education has become a sky-high priced commodity and in my opinion, a two-year degree is today’s high-school diploma. Your gonna have to do something.

Have a solid plan. If you pick a trade, go for it but also, don’t be afraid to take some entrepreneurial classes (free) via massive open online courses (MOOC). Learn how to write a business plan and a marketing proposal. Why should an endemic and/or non-endemic organization give you any money? What do you bring to the table that others do not?

Get experience everywhere – Don’t limit yourself to any single species or forums, whether competitive or non-competitive. Join a club as a non-boater, excel at it, gain some exposure, learn the game, and know what specifically you bring to the table that applies to the diverse things you’ll need to do to stay employed. Can you facilitate a seminar? Promote it’s attendance? Captivate an audience? Guide for any species? Where do you add value versus where are you lacking in experience and skills.

Good luck!

I’ve been purchasing jigs from Gregg Kizewski – SuperK. I’ve described match the hatch conditions based on what I am seeing, and afterwards been presented with a great jig. For me, I’ve noticed an incredible attention to detail and consistency in the jigs he’s poured. Beyond that, Super K has donated hundreds of jigs to youth events that I have hosted, and given away guided fishing trips (several 4 hour guide trips) to youth raffles and fundraising events.

Finally, SuperK was the first company to ever consider me as a pro-staffer to represent their products many years ago when I was fishing a lot more. It’s been a great relationship over the years that resulted in some access to prototype colors to try.

Thanks for the response man! How are things? I’m boat-less in Texas. The Setyr rod I picked up from you years ago finally gave in. I loved that rod. Perfect for those little baby -minus crankbaits and such. I stumbled upon someone in the new club I am in that has a surplus of KVD cranking rods so I’ve been switching over a little at a time.

Holy Smokes this post was started awhile ago! I’ll have to check it out in the Spring. Lot’s has happened on that lake since I originally posted, specifically lawsuits and plunging lake levels.

Corey,
For many years, our club maintained a 60/40 ratio of boaters to non-boaters. We would always lean heavy on boaters with the understanding that if someone could not make a tournament, it wouldn’t cripple the tournament for that day. I would hope other clubs structure things in a similar way although we have had a strong need for boaters over the last 3 years.

Mojo,
Picking lakes somewhat close to home can be a good thing. Generally, we were trying to pick lakes within 100 miles of our home base in North Branch. In reality, 20-40 miles would generally give us some great fisheries.

Denny O,
Nice website and layout. I like the welcome packet information too. Is there anything you do special when memberships ebb and flow each year, such as incentives to attract new members or retain existing?

Buzz,
You bring up some great points. One of the things we started doing in our club was drawing boaters to fish with other boaters. Out of 12 members in the club (8 boaters and 4 non-boaters), we could draw 6 people who were boaters, then the remaining balance would be non-boaters. This was a nice incentive to some of our senior members of the group that had gone years without fishing with other senior members.

Any further thoughts from anyone? What about incentives, such as sponsorship opportunities (discounts on merchandise and such)

Thanks,
John

Thanks for the info!

I should borrow someone elses boat then

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Personally…it takes little skill to lob a lure in front of a bass on her bed.

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Same here but making them bite has been a different story for me.

Also, I didn’t see it mentioned but why not just make it catch/release right after ice out?

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at least save some rarer stuff from my cassette and CD collections.

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Kids today want to know… “What’s a cassette?”

Sunrise Bassmasters has at least 1 tournament in WI every year. Partially because with lakes like Beaver Dam, Red Cedar, Chetek and others.. they are great lakes. The other reason is surely timing. License fees, Gas, Lodging, Snacks, Tackle and beverages are just a few of the things we might spend our money on while out of town. Often times we try to make it 2 tournaments reasoning that if we spend the money for a out of state license we would like to use it more than once.

So……. At approximately 16 members in the club, it certainly adds up to money spent in another state. Not that we wouldnt do it anyway but I see what you mean.

Regarding bag limits and open seasons.. .I wish it was catch & release rather then “Closed” season for bass.

It does have an ethernet output on the back of the unit but I don’t have the cables for it. Thanks anyway. I’ll go pickup a new transducer.

I have a Ranger 482vs with a Johnson Faststrike 175. If you idle up for a bit, usually 30 seconds.. does it get any better when you idle back down?

My faststrike dies unless it warms up. Like a car, RPMS are always a little high for the first minute or so until you pop the idle down. It is also a little tempermental… If I fish for 30-45 minutes then try to restart and put it into a slow gear I sometimes have to push the chock in while running. Just a couple of quick taps on it.

Other suggestions are valid & should be checked. If you have exhausted all other options, then it could be that you have to stand on 1 foot, the second Tuesday of the month while holding your nose & depressing the throttle to make it go. A lot like my first car basically.

If you have a faststrike and have any more questions let me know.. I chased something called “Heat Soak” for several months to no avail plus plugs, wires, oil experiments, gas, additive, etc etc.

Here’s the posts on the upper left which appear to be dated 3/31/2010. F5 makes it all better until the next time I login.

When checking items individually.. Yes, check fuse. You can also open the pumps connector and use a voltmeter to see if you are getting power to it. If your getting power to the connector yet stll no output, you can connect the pump strait to the battery using a jumper wire to verify if it turns on. If it’s a cartridge type of filter then and it turns on then look for debris or foreign objects inside the housing.

I order tubes from Action Plastics. for smallies, try a 2.5″ brown/orange. Qty 100 it’s $20.00, Qty 50 is about $11.00.

Was this the high school motivational trip? If so.. good luck !!!

I had a Minnkota 80 on an 18′ glass boat for 3 years. 24 volts. I loved it.

After a few years of 24 volts, I was able to upgrade to a 36 volt/Kota 101 which you could consider overkill on an 18. Some 20’s & 21’s don’t even come with factory with a 101. The 36 volt allows me about about 3 more hours of time on the water prefishing. The 24 volt will offer you MUCH more power and longer time on the water than the 12. Especally if your in the current or wind a lot. I’d bet once you increase it you’ll never want to go back even with the extra encumbrance of a another battery.

The difference between 30% power on a 24/Kota 80 vs 30% thrust on a 36/101 almost knocked me in the water the first few times on the water.

Finally, I think the props on the 80s are about $15-$20 more than the 55lb thrust models. Might not seem like a lot but when you add it to any charger upgrade you might consider & $80 for another battery.. It all adds up.

Thanks !!!

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ps-for more detailed info about crevices see Brian K……

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Are you sure you want to send him over to have Brian inspect his crevice?

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Water, Oil & Crevices.. All in the same post. I thought this was a family show.. Here’s my crevice

Thanks for all the advice. I’ve got some good starting points to check.

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What kind of motor is it?

Dog.

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1993 Johnson Fastrike 175

How’d the seminar go? Seminars are always fun & interesting to see what kinds of questions people always ask.

Russ said his theory was nobody deserved the win the award for floating a boat? Even though he won it twice for that.. Apparently he was willing to negate me so long as it negated him. As a club, we’ve taken action to assure this doesn’t happen again. Introducing, the Floating Boat Award.. not sure what it will look like but something resembling ballons

I wish I had a suggestion. The Walleye searchers website certainly looks like a solid club, great info, rules, etc.. Out of our 15 members in the Sunrise Bassmasters, at least 6 of them are up in Rainy chasing eyes. Those same 6 are also chasing early season eyes out of Redwing. Our 7 club tourneys are all bass. If you start your own, maybe I’d have a few guys that would be interested.

It’s a lot like the feeling when your child says “Daddy” for the first time.. Or oiling a baseball glove with him… or the first ride without training wheels..I’d celebrate.

P.S. Because he is 3, you can show him all these little emoticons on IDO as support for your official announcement of his new license

Way to go A.J. I would be proud of that one and frame it. It might be a bit of expense up front but the values he will learn from fishing will pay unlimited rewards

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Surprised they haven’t burned that tree down like everything else in the area. I’m still PO-ed about the stump being torched down there…

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Vandals & hudlums? I hear ya..grafitti & garbage everywhere..I felt out of place. On the water I wouldnt have given it a second thought but on foot, back in the woods past the fence was a little creepy.

Not sure if I was downwind of a water treatment plant but it really smelled bad. Water Run-off, spring melt or who knows what.

I should probably just make the trip to Everts for river angling 101.

What does opening the gates mean?

12’ (action stage) means what?

The above posts hint to shallow water fishing for eyes…if the water levels holds? If not, then the water levels would be lower because the gates are open?

How fast is too fast? At a flow of 70, is it best to target backwaters ?

If someone has any links to some previous posts on same types of questions, let me know.. Im trying to at least get an elementary understanding river conditions this time of year.. Thanks.